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

26.02.2026-JAI PAUL Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) (XL,2019)

 

POP

   This is not the debut album from Jai Paul. It’s a collection of largely incomplete drafts that was stolen and illegally posted online in April 2013. Ever since, the 16-song release has lived on via dusty MP3s and cobbled-together YouTube playlists as a testament to boundless, unrealized promise. All the while, the London singer and producer stayed almost completely silent, creating a vacuum for an insatiable internet to fill with conspiracies, desires, and frustrations. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/kmb4l8

23.02.2026-FOSTER THE PEOPLE Paradise State Of Mind (Atlantic,2024)

 

INDIE POP

   Their fourth full-length studio offering comes in the neatly packaged 70s infused rock of Paradise State of Mind. Following on from 2017’s Sacred Hearts Club, Paradise State of Mind maintains its predecessors hazy pop stylings but takes it one step further as they teeter into Tame Impala territory (“Sometimes I Wanna Be Bad)”.

   Paradise State of Mind is a refreshing modern offering from the LA-duo, their numbers may have dwindled by half, but their sound is bigger than ever.

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