- URAL THOMAS AND THE PAIN- DANCING DIMENSIONS
Dancing Dimensions is the third album by Ural Thomas and The Pain, a collaboration from heaven if this record is anything to go on. Thomas, 82, is a veteran of the soul scene and opened for legends such as Etta James and Otis Redding back in the ’60s, yet Dancing Dimensions is arguably the peak of a distinguished career. Thomas’ voice belies his age and has an old-school quality but merged with the futuristic sounds of his band; the result is an album dripping in joy. The album’s title track and opener sets the tone, floating from funky to psychedelic, a gentle hip-swayer that has echoes of Khruangbin in its sound. The whole album is packed with tight grooves, creating an uplifting sound that feels perfect for a summer afternoon.
- SPIRITUALISED- EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL
Spiritualised’s 9th album serves as a companion to their previous album, 2018’s And Nothing Hurt. Everything Was Beautiful is a rich tapestry of sound, with lead singer Jason Pierce playing 16 different instruments on the album. The album often moves into more psychedelic territory, especially on the track ‘The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)’, where Pierce really pushes the experimental boundaries and creates a dense wall of sound. The album darts between the euphoric and melodic, from the powerful horns and gospel harmonies on ‘The Mainline Song/The Lockdown Song’ to the acoustic-driven lullaby ‘Crazy’. It’s an album that mixes bursts of intensity with moments of reflection, its multi-layered, both musically and emotionally, creating a powerful listen.
- MERIDIAN BROTHERS- MERIDIAN BROTHERS & EL GRUPO RENACIMIENTO
The Meridian Brothers are the birthchild of Colombia’s supremely talented multi-instrumentalist Elbis Alvarez, while El Grupo Renacimiento is an imaginary 1970s salsa band. The album is a musical delight but tackles serious topics, exploring issues such as police brutality, social marginalisation, and addiction. The record has a lo-fi aesthetic, heavy in its use of body percussion; it feels, at times, improvised and frenetic, yet at the same time, has a joyous quality that makes you want to dance. Packed full of tight rhythms and taut melodies, the album pays homage to a wide variety of salsa influences while also creating a psychedelic, futuristic quality. It’s a record that respects its influences while sounding fresh and exciting.
- CHARLOTTE ADIGERY & BOLIS PUPUL- TOPICAL DANCER
Belgian duo Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul create a debut album that is brimming with pop energy and lyrical defiance. On the funky ‘Blenda’ Adigery sings, “Go back to your country where you belong/Siri, can you tell me where I belong?”, the tracks pulsating beats mask a serious message, though, throughout the record, Adigery tackles serious issues with an impressively quick wit. Topical Dancer has a universal appeal; Adigery sings in four different languages across the record, but the songs are always catchy and memorable, cleverly fusing funk, house, and techno to create instant club bangers. Topical Dancer is a bold effort, poignant but immensely enjoyable.
- EZRA FURMAN- ALL OF US FLAMES
All Of Us Flames is the American musician’s first album since 2019’s Twelve Nudes after a brief, successful interlude providing the soundtrack for Netflix’s smash series Sex Education. Since Twelve Nudes was released, Furman has come out as a trans woman and become a mother, and she described the album as “a weapon of war” and “armour for my people.” It’s an album that explores themes of community, solidarity, and survival, a rallying call to both the Jewish and queer community, with Furman’s songwriting shining through. The album’s power comes from its emotional truth, with Furman drifting from the vulnerable to the defiant and the occasionally euphoric, such as on ‘Forever in Sunset’, which has shades of Bruce Springsteen to it. All Of Us Flames has a retro sound but a modern approach and showcases some of Furman’s best songwriting to date.
- GREENTEA PENG- GREENZONE 108
GREENZONE 108 is the second album of self-described psychedelic R’n’B’ singer and songwriter Arin Wells, the follow-up to 2021’s Man Made. Greenzone 108 is a more focused effort, yet is free of constraints, tackling a wide variety of genres, from contemporary R’n’B’, neo-soul, elements of jazz, dub, and even hints of rock. The album benefits from excellent production, effortlessly blending a variety of styles while allowing space for Wells’s introspective musings to come through as she reflects on past decisions with growing maturity. GREENZONE 108 is fresh, innovative, and a further indicator of Wells’s enormous talent.
- MUNA- MUNA
Muna is a joyful album, the sound of a group bouncing back, which seems particularly apt considering the band was dropped by RCA records in 2020, with whom they had released their first two albums. Muna is the LA-based trio’s first album on Phoebe Bridger’s Saddest Factory Records imprint, with Bridger’s featuring on the album’s superb opener ‘Silk Chiffon’. The album is heavy in its use of synths that combine with infectious hooks and tight vocal harmonies to create catchy dance-pop tunes, with the album’s second track, ‘What I Want’ evocative of the sound of Swedish pop legend and producer Robyn. Muna feels like a celebratory record, an unbridled expression of queer joy.
- ALDOUS HARDING- WARM CHRIS
Warm Chris is the fourth album by the New Zealand singer-songwriter and arguably features her best songwriting yet, on an album of folksy introspection that is both playful and intimate. Harding matches the variety of instrumentation on the album with the variety in her voice, effortlessly changing pitch and tone to marry with the different compositions and narratives. The album has moments of intense vulnerability, such as on the piano ballad ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain’, where Harding twists a traditional song title into something reflective and mournful. Warm Chris is an immersive listen, perhaps lacking the pop sensibilities of her previous album Designer but is an ultimately rewarding experience.
- FONTAINES D.C.- SKINTY FIA
Skinty Fia is Fontaines’ third album and continues the band’s upward trajectory, further expanding on their sound from the impressive A Hero’s Death. The band now resides in London, and the move away from their homeland is perhaps reflected in their sound, though they don’t completely abandon their roots. Skinty Fia sees the band at their most reflective; the guitars echo around Grian Chatten’s iconic vocals rather than smashing you around the face. It’s a slower, richer listen than their first two albums but carries an emotional weight, as shown on the beautiful accordion ballad ‘The Couple Across The Way’. Skinty Fia is deeply atmospheric, and the title track’s claustrophobic drums are reminiscent of Joy Division, as the band moves towards a more post-punk sound. Skinty Fia shows the band at their most ambitious, finding a balance between tough and tender, with Chatten retaining the poetic lyricism that makes their music so engaging.
- LUCRECIA DALT- ịAY!
ịAy! is Lucrecia Dalt’s sixth album and sees the Colombian-born experimental musician move away from her more dance-rooted origins, creating an intriguing sci-fi concept album about an extra-terrestrial entity called Preta visiting Earth for the first time. The result is a deeply experimental affair that feels somewhat out of this world but, at the same time, has a hypnotic quality. The record is multi-layered without being overpowering, drifting from bolero influences and sultry jazz vibes on the track ‘Atemporal’ to the more industrial ‘Contenida’ and the gentle orchestral drama created on ‘La desmesura’. It’s a technically ambitious album, incorporating a wide variety of instruments and quirky sound effects, yet has a relaxing quality throughout, pulling you into a warm embrace.