Audio

The Manchester foursome’s reputation for musical excess usually results in wildly varied albums that (sorry) can tend toward being patchy. Not this one. Critics have been united in their praise for a collection that is their most cohesive and maybe even best yet.

Once lead singer of synth-pop duo Chairlift, Caroline Polachek now goes from strength to strength as a solo artist, becoming a critical darling and 6Music fixture in the process. This latest finds her mixing up musical styles to devastating effect.

Indie-popstar Gracie is the daughter of director JJ Abrams, and thus has creativity written into her DNA. For her debut album, she’s done a Taylor Swift and teamed up with The National’s Aaron Dessner. Now that’s what you call a mouth-watering combo. 

If you’ve heard the single Struggle then you’ll know to expect something very special from this second album from Wigan’s finest. And if by any chance you haven’t heard Struggle then may we respectfully suggest you rectify that right now. 

Despite the fact that Simz’s fifth album dropped at the end of 2022, it was still named Album of the Year in all the places that matter. Why? Because its blend of hip hop, gospel, soul, funk and IDM is intoxicating. Oh, and also because Simz is at the top of her game right now.

For their third album, Italian rockers Måneskin took inspiration from Radiohead and jetted to LA to work with legendary producer Max Martin. The result has been called ‘utterly unstoppable’ by Kerrang! And only the very foolhardy would disagree with that. 

Once the, ahem, ‘butt’ of many jokes thanks to her misconceived Wrecking Ball video, Miley has since won over the doubters with a series of brilliant releases. This one, which is divided into AM and PM sections, has had critics in raptures.

Nine albums into her glittering career and Pink shows no signs of slowing down. You know what to expect from Pennsylvanian tornado and boy, do you get it here: heart-on-sleeve lyrics delivered with sincerity and power.

Despite being one of the most-streamed artists in the world, Raye struggled to get this album released. Finally, after tussles with her label, here it is, and having already yielded a number one single, Escapism… well, let’s just say her old label must be kicking themselves. 

Although they’ve recently unveiled a tendency for outrageous and eye-popping visuals, Sam Smith has stopped short at attempting anything new with their music. Thus, this third album is business as usual, showcasing that incredible voice to full effect. 

Winner of the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Linger Awhile is an album that truly delivers on the early promise shown by the brilliant Samara Joy McLendon. Maturity, creativity and feeling – it’s all here. 

Dublin-born Cian Godfrey, aka Somebody’s Child, gained an interest in songwriting as a means of telling stories. This album finds him reflecting upon difficult mental health experiences, as well as the endearing happenings of a youngster growing up in Dublin.

Retro indie-poppers Tennis are husband-and-wife team Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley from Denver, Colorado. This is their sixth album and although they still have a way with a mean hook, they’re also sounding more up-to-date than ever. 

The soundtrack to the Brad Pitt action, set on the titular train, has a suitably Japanese flavour (Kyu Sakamoto, Tamio Okuda) mixed with a soupçon of 1970s US soul (Shuggie Otis, Rare Earth). And you know what? It works.

For the new Whitney Houston biopic, many of the legend’s most iconic songs have either been remade featuring appearances from guest artists (keep an eye out for Clean Bandit and SG Lewis) or completely remixed. Meanwhile the classics in their unadulterated form also appear.