01.10.2026-ZHEANI The Spiritual Meat Grinder (Access,2023)

 

ELECTRONIC

   Born in the isolated town of Wallaville, Queensland, Zheani Sparkes debuted with the 2018 EP ‘Eight’, where she recounted stories of growing up in poverty and foster care – while also revisiting a formative experience in the confusing and shadowy world of Hollywood. Her music was dark and desolate, a showcase of her signature fairy-trap-rap screaming vocals and “post-human” aesthetic.

   And now, Zheani has reached a different space with ‘The Spiritual Meat Grinder’. It’s her first project released after her attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis – which she says has been “empowering” – and is also her most intentional. Both the contents and the sonics of this 9-track EP are lighter and more fun, playing like a gratifying breakthrough moment in a therapy session. It’s a reprieve from the years of trials and adversity, as she describes it, and a moment of calm in the hero’s journey.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/j77hju0g

28.09.2026-GASLIGHT ANTHEM American Slang (SideOneDummy,2010)

 

HEARTLAND ROCK

   On American Slang, their third album proper, the sources they pull their sound from are clear enough. It's hearts on sleeves time, so the first shelf contains Tom Petty's guitar tones, the second the attitude and speed from The Clash, and the third holds the stoic earnest nature of Pearl Jam. It's a composite that works so well that it's almost eerie. 'American Slang' is a perfect single, beat-driven, with a crystal clear chiming riff. Brian Fallon's lyrics are heartfelt but satisfyingly vague. "They cut me to ribbons and taught me to drive"... if that doesn't summon up quasi-historical inner murmurings from men of a certain age, you should reach over and check their pulse. It's an opening track that few bands could exceed with a better song, and to be fair, it's best to start strong and let the others bask in the afterglow of a that might well be the 'Don't Stop Believin' of 2029. Even if it is all downhill from there, it's still a sweet ride.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/va4epj0l

25.09.2026-SMITH WESTERNS Soft Will (Mom+Pop Music, 2013)

 

INDIE ROCK

   What does a buzz band do when the buzz starts to burn off? On 2011’s breakout Dye It Blonde, Smith Westerns boned-up their loose-jointed garage pop into a dewy amalgamation of ’70s psych-rock and ’90s brit-pop. Siphoning from T-Rex, Mott the Hoople, Galaxie 500, and Oasis, the then-trio served up an easy-to-swallow helping of slacker glam. After a whirlwind of touring, recording, and generally being a band for the first time, Smith Westerns saw the opportunity to reposition themselves on their third LP Soft Will. They’ve returned to Chicago, where they now claim full-time residence. They’ve watched their friends move on from school to professional jobs. Maybe they’ve seen a few move out of their lives altogether. There’s nothing like extensive touring to highlight the fragility of human relationships. Dye It Blonde used snark and sheen to outline desire; Soft Will threads the fear of loss.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/x77x35pj

22.09.2026-FREDRIK Flora (The Kora Records,2011)

 

INDIE / ALTERNATIVE ROCK

   The third album by the Swedish band Fredrik is cut from same cloth as Trilogi, their beguiling second release. They like finely textured guitars and electronics, quasi-classical embellishments, miniature clockwork percussion, and windy vocals placed high in the mix. Flora definitely has that Fredrik feel, which is like a Scandinavian Radiohead, or the Notwist at their duskiest.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/783g9he5

19.09.2026-SKATING POLLY Chaos Country Line (El Camino, 2023)

 

ALTERNATIVE / PUNK ROCK

   ‘Chaos Country Line’ is the absolutely packed double album from Amercian band Skating Polly. Filled with 18 tracks, this is more lengthy than your typical rock band album these days.

   The length of this album gives plenty of scope for showing off the range of styles they can play, and the amazing adaptability of the vocals of step sisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse. There is something for almost everyone on ‘Cross Country Line’. Gentle soft vocals and delicate keyboards can be found on songs like ‘Someone Like a Friend’ but you can also find big guitar riffs on ‘Singalong’, metal growls on ‘Baby on my Birthday’ and even a bit of country influence on song ‘All the Choices’.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/1ox3pton

15.09.2026-AMANDA SHIRES Nobody's Girl (ATO,2025)

 

AMERICANA

   The first word that comes to mind after so many of these songs is; emotional. There is so much emotion packed into these tracks, the vast majority of which are Shires sharing her emotional state post her divorce/break-up from Jason Isbell. It's permeates most of the songs here as Shires lets her vulnerability show in the lyrics but also in a voice that near trembles sometimes. There is a song clearly about the environment and condemning our actions, but the main focus is heartbreak and trying to heal afterwards.

 https://www.sendspace.com/file/h6vc3hej

11.09.2026-CRISTINA QUESADA Think I Heard A Rumour (Elephant,2019)

 

POP

   Madrid's Elefant Records has no less than six labels attached to its Spanish pop empire. I've found myself going down rabbit holes of rare twee-punk, stylish guitar-pop, dub-house, bubbly pop-punk and Spanish-sung J-pop (no really), digging them all. But Cristina Quesada is perhaps most emblematic of Elefant's aesthetic: multi-lingual, ultra-chic dance-pop with super-smart synth arrangements and songs written by Joe Moore (The Perfect Kiss, The Yearning). Like, say, Saint Etienne, Quesada and Moore embrace fantastical swirl of pop music history.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/qhza98bp