16.03.2026-SUNFLOWER BEAM Mortal Primetime (Lucky Number,2025)

 

INDIE ROCK

   This NYC trio has been rocking out long enough to know exactly how to get what they want. Their fourth album polishes their sound up to a higher gloss and a harder edge, maximizing the gritty glamor of uptempo anthems like “Nothing Romantic” and “Champagne Taste.” Ballads like “Shooting Star” and “Look What You’ve Done To Me” sparkle more brightly, too, with some of singer Julia Cumming’s most deeply felt performances to date. A decade ago, Sunflower Bean drew attention for their youthful energy, but these days they’re sounding like confident stars at the height of their powers.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/v82zbb

14.03.2026-FUTURE ISLANDS People Who Aren't There Anymore (4AD,2024)

 

SYNTHPOP

   Opener King of Sweden has Herring defiantly reclaiming the memories of his years spent there with his last partner, while The Fight plays like a paean to the restorative power of moving on. Throughout, the group’s tried-and-true, gleaming synth-pop palette is flecked with fresh sonic ambition, particularly on slow-burning epics Corner of My Eye and The Sickness. At the centre of it all remains Herring’s fabulously expressive voice, tailor-made to spin tales of heartache.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/n9q2si

10.03.2026-WARHAUS Karaoke Moon (PIAS,2024)

 

INDIE ROCK / INDIE POP

     From the first track, Where The Names Are Real, you’re enveloped in the warmth and presence of Maarten Devoldere’s vocals, accompanied by sleek, sultry bass lines and pulsating synths. However, this is a moon of two phases, and I found the waxing lyrical on songs like Jim Morrison a little hamfisted. Ultimately the polish and storytelling in this album is excellent, and can excuse the weaker points.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/oep2wc

08.03.2026-LIDWINE My Own Crown (Not On Label,2023)

 

ELECTRONIC / INDIE POP

   Lidwine is back with what could be her best album yet.

  She ventures into new sonic territories,
alternating between English and French lyrics.

  This album is pure joy, and it makes us realize just how much we've missed Lidwine.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/e84nzy

06.03.2026-XIU XIU 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips (Polyvinyl,2024)

 

EXPERIMENTAL ROCK

   So is Stiletto the best Xiu Xiu? Hard to say, because there’s so much here that is divided from what the band usually explores. And not every song works – “Veneficum” is almost too goofy in its new wave, its melody contrasting too strongly with the track’s dark subject matter, while Bobby Bland’s complex audio collage almost seems part of a different project.

     Fact remains, though, that the density of the record’s production allows listeners to come back repeatedly, finding hidden instrumentation that’s been clever mixed into the background. There’s a compositional mastery at play that many of their critics denied Xiu Xiu’s barebones electronic work. And the songs reverberate stronger than those on the group’s more recent albums.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/8ja5in

04.03.2026-CRYSTAL CASTLES Amnesty (I) (Fiction,2016)

 

ELECTROPOP

After a less-than-cordial breakup, the new iteration of Crystal Castles shows that the vocalist plays a major role in the sound of the band.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/buvs6u

28.02.2026-CHRYSTABELL Midnight Star (Love Conquered,2022)

 

POP ROCK

   Midnight Star, a synthpop explosion centered around science fiction and fantasy narratives, is a departure from the dark, sultry rock of previous albums like We Dissolve and Feels Like Love. 

     “The big difference for this one is that there were no guitars, no bass, no drums,” says Chrystabell, who worked with her longtime collaborator Christopher Smart on Midnight Star. “This was a very new territory for both of us.”

https://www.sendspace.com/file/t2vc4m