19.06.2026-DEADLETTER Hysterical Strength (So Recordings,2024)

 

INDIE ROCK

   ‘Hysterical Strength’ is dark and foreboding and it’s irresistible and fun. It confronts the daily struggle of our shared society and forces us to smile about it. Deadletter might only be getting started, but with a record as accomplished as ‘Hysterical Strength’, it already feels like they’ve been here for quite a while.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/tivkl7

17.06.2026-ICEAGE You're Nothing (Matador,2013)

 

PUNK ROCK

   The Danish hardcore kids in Iceage make an emotionally intense racket, with that rare mix of aggression and delicacy. Even on their raw 2011 debut, Iceage knew how to sculpt the noise into songs, but You’re Nothing is a huge jump forward. Although the lyrics are mostly in English, singer-guitarist Elias Rønnenfelt growls them as guttural cries of pain, especially in the high-velocity heartbreak of “Burning Hand” and “Ecstasy.” “Morals” breaks new ground for Iceage, with poignant piano under the guitars. You could even call it a ballad, if that’s a fair way to describe a song that feels like a leather boot leaving bloody footprints all over your skull.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/rxa79z

14.06.2026-DAUGHTER Not To Disappear (4AD,2016)

 

INDIE POP

   On their 2013 debut 'If You Leave', London trio Daughter ushered us into their fragile but beautiful world - one where life's woes were expressed through guitar lines like Arctic blasts and Elena Tonra's despondent poetry. Follow-up 'Not To Disappear' marks some low-key changes to their M.O (a smattering of synths here, a confessional attitude there), but even heading to New York to work with Animal Collective producer Nicolas Vernhes hasn't shaken their sadness.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/igbu3z

   

11.06.2026-HORSEGIRL Versions Of Modern Perfrormace (Matador,2022)

 

INDIE ROCK

   The Matador debut from young Chicago band Horsegirl—guitarists-singers Nora Cheng and Penelope Lowenstein, and drummer Gigi Reece—is still plenty exciting to listen to, living up to all the buzz and promise, a frenetic, big sounding record that, yes, recalls a lot of ’80s and ’90s indie-rock but also has a tough-to-pin-down quality that feels very here-and-now. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/zppc00

09.06.2026-PRETTY RECKLESS Death By Rock And Roll (Fearless,2021)

 

ROCK

   The four years since The Pretty Reckless’ last release, 2016's Who You Selling For, have been some of the hardest years of the band's lives. Just under a year after the death of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, with whom the band had toured, they learned that their producer and close friend Kato Khandwala was killed in a motorcycle accident. After such a dark period, Death by Rock and Roll represents, more than anything else, a light at the end of the tunnel. After the year we’ve all had, an album that refuses to shy away from life’s tragedies is more important than ever.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/rjbux7

07.06.2026-THEA GILMORE These Quiet Friends (Not On Label,2025)

 

FOLK ROCK

   For her second covers album, following Loft Music in 2003, Thea Gilmore has taken a different approach. Where the earlier album "was full of songs that I wished I'd written," These Quiet friends is "an album of songs that have seen me through dark times."

     A fascinating selection of songs which given her assertion that these songs are "the 2am confidantes that you can reach for when no-one else is around," suggests that even for an artist with 20 albums of her own under her belt, the power of music to support her life journey is still a tangible thing, and for that we should be very grateful.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/xrs0gt

04.06.2026-DELICATE STEVE Luke's Garage (Have Fun Thinking,2025)

 

INSTRUMENTAL / INDIE ROCK

   In a world of over-produced pop where songs can often be credited to several songwriters and a kitchen-sink aesthetic of studio effects is more the rule than the exception, Delicate Steve is the antithesis of this kind of creative overkill. Born Steve Marion, the New Jersey native is a multi-instrumentalist who lets his muse guide him in the recording studio, resulting in a sound that meanders and bubbles over with strands of alt-folk, Afro-pop, quirky new wave, prog and surf rock. 

   The latest example is his new album “Luke’s Garage.” It’s an intriguing combination, a collection of short and snappy instrumentals recorded during a two-week stretch at his friend Luke Temple’s home studio. Cut in January of this year in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wild fires, this project found Marion leaning into the opportunity to record as a means of recovering from this traumatic event.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/wov7jd

02.06.2026-BILL ORCUTT Music For Four Guitars (Palilalia,2022)

 

JAZZ / EXPERIMENTAL

   The guitar can make a pretty full sound, but a band it does not make. But what about FOUR guitars? Famed alternative guitarist, Bill Orcutt, who’s opened for the likes of Sonic Youth and Sebadoh, in his no-wave, hardcore, free jazz band Harry Pussy, decided to compose an album of fourteen tracks called, Music for Four Guitars. Taking inspiration from jazz, hardcore, even classical music, it is an exploration of just how far you can push guitar music.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/r3121d

31.05.2026-CF WATKINS Babygirl (Whatever's Clever,2020)

 

COUNTRY / FOLK

   Watkins possesses a soulful, moving and often comforting talent, and Babygirl is a superb 2nd album that, if there’s any justice, will make her a very recognizable name in the area of singer-songwriters that bridge country and pop together.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/37haou

28.05.2026-COLD SPECKS Fools's Paradise (Arts&Crafts,2017)

 

TRIP HOP

   Ladan Hussein, the woman who records and performs as Cold Specks, is quietly intense. On Fool’s Paradise, her third album, Hussein’s music is stripped down to the essentials. Soft, mournful synthesizers drift through a melancholy space, with elusive percussion accents in the background. Her hushed, jazz-inflected vocals are full of passionate yearning, the sound of a soul on the verge of tears or explosive anger.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/wx52u9

25.05.2026-MUNA Dancing On The Wall (Saddest Factory,2026)

 

INDIE POP

   Muna’s signature open-hearted yearning and unapologetic celebration of self-expression are present and accounted for on Dancing on the Wall. The indie-pop band’s fourth studio album is chock-full of rollicking, ’80s-inflected power pop, but beneath the band’s propulsive beats and delectable hooks is a mournful plea for the girls and gays to not only get their asses to the dance floor, but open themselves up to intimacy.

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

22.05.2026-LADYLIKE LILY Les Graines Oubliees (Minouch,2023)

 

INDIE POP

   Ladylike Lily's talents as both storyteller and exceptional composer are on full display. She has a gift for transporting us to higher realms through emotionally rich tracks like "Les pages arrachées" and "Tour de contrôle", before reaching new heights with the fantastic "Un si bel endroit", "Du vert aux genoux", and "Sorcière". "Les Graines Oubliées" remains captivating from beginning to end with "Mauvaise herbe" and "Bonne nuit", a fascinating and intense tale that Ladylike Lily crafts to perfection.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ly4hwb

19.05.2026-NELS CLINE SINGERS Share The Wealth (Blue Note,2020)

 

JAZZ

   On Share The Wealth, the sonic explorer and guitar renegade delivers a potent and provocative program of spontaneous, uncompromising music with an expanded edition of his long-running project The Nels Cline Singers, featuring saxophonist and punk-jazz iconoclast Skerik, keyboard marvel Brian Marsella, bass powerhouse Trevor Dunn, longtime collaborator and drummer Scott Amendola and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/hs7ci5

16.05.2026-LUYAS Animator (Dead Oceans,2012)

 

INDIE ROCK

   From the earliest moments of Animator, The Luyas create a scene of natural beauty from the most unexpected instruments. A stuttering drum machine, recorded with a touch of reverb, evokes the sound of stalactites dripping water into reflecting pools, and the heraldry played on a flute suggests Popul Vuh’s ’70s collaborations with filmmaker Werner Herzog.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/y3vzgw

13.05.2026-WALTER MARTIN The Bear (Ile Flottante,2022)

 

INDIE ROCK

   There is a certain beauty in simplicity and in a world that seemingly grows in chaos, perhaps simplicity is what many of us long for, either knowingly or unknowingly. In order to process and better understand the turmoil of our time, we increasingly turn to the artists and seek out a commonality in art. Walter Martin’s new album The Bear is a simple yet insightful look into his own life and family, and his own search for meaning. And the simplicity of this album is expressly where the beauty of it can be found.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/6gpcrt

10.05.2026-ARTHUR BEATRICE Working Out (Open Assembly,2014)

 

INDIE ROCK

   Working Out is all about figuring out who Arthur Beatrice really are. It’s a largely beautiful album, with equally beautiful videos, and upbeat tracks suggesting an evolution from their earlier sounds. The four-piece have taken their time with the LP, and it shows. Working Out is a sophisticated sounding record, but with only a handful of standout tracks, it may not be enough.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/cph8rh

07.05.2026-REN HARVIEU Revel In The Drama (Bella Union,2020)

POP ROCK

   As the album title suggests, Harvieu fearlessly embraces the unpredictability of her life up to now. Produced by the supportive Romeo Stodart of The Magic Numbers, whose friendship has been a major stepping stone in her career recovery, the sophomore LP showcases Harvieu’s part heartfelt part whimsical lyrics much more – as tracks were co-written on the previous record – accompanied by an effortlessly vigorous voice and a blues-pop fusion (with it’s use of organs, orchestra and guitars).

https://www.sendspace.com/file/uotp21

 

04.05.2025-LIME GARDEN One More Thing (So Young,2024)

 

INDIE POP

   Influenced by Bloc Party and The Breeders, but also Charli XCX, the Brighton band's sound is upbeat and fuelled by wilful experimentation.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/hirmj5

02.05.2026-GRETEL Squish (Breadcrumb/AWAL,2026)

 

INDIE ROCK

   With Squish, Gretel, the alias of British artist Maddy Haenlein, steps into the spotlight with a debut that feels both delicate and quietly powerful. Like the fairy tale figure that inspires the name, Gretel builds a world where apparent innocence conceals something deeper, more intense, and often more unsettling.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/3fd3se

29.04.2026-JULIA CUMMING Julia (Partisan,2026)

 

INDIE ROCK / INDIE POP

   Julia Cumming has had a very successful career as the bassist and lead vocalist of psychedelic indie-rockers Sunflower Bean.

     Julia, her solo debut, came about after decamping to LA, where she worked with producer Brian Robert Jones.

     The singer’s voice, which recalls Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, is the perfect vehicle for delivering her touching, graceful lyrics, addressed mostly to herself. She’s at her best when wandering through the back corridors of her mind.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/5p8w9r

27.04.2026-LYDIA LOVELESS Daughter (Honey,You're Gonna Be Late,2020)

 

COUNTRY

   On her fifth and best full-length album, the Ohio singer-songwriter follows the rangy contours of her electric guitar playing with heartbreak stories and searching questions.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/2x3bg7

24.04.2026-SECRET SISTERS You Don't Own Me Anymore (New West,2017)

 

AMERICANA

   You Don't Own Me Anymore is their first release with New West Records, and hopefully it's the charm. Brandi Carlile, a singer-songwriter who's also an understated gem on the current folk scene, took the sisters under her wing and produced this album along with Tim and Phil Hanseroth. The sound quality is pure and glorious in its simplicity—the Rogers could have performed these 12 songs acapella and the emotion would have been relatively undiminished. It's clear, however, that the judicious use of talented musicians that include Carlile and the Hanseroth brothers supports the singers and expands their gorgeous tones in a way that will remind you of spare yet focused music produced by T-Bone Burnett in the last couple of decades.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ra44dg

20.04.2026-FORETASTE Happy End! (BOREDOMproduct)

 

ELECTROPOP

     Tense. This is the first adjective that is coming to my mind while listening to the latest Foretaste's album "Happy End!". Their sixth album has been deeply influenced by the feelings the pandemic events raised in all of us. Most of the lyrics are dealing with a feeling of uncertainty and self-preservation. 

     My preferred songs are the opening "Welcome", "Pure Madness" (on this one the melody is a bit more catchy), the instrumental "Bored To Death", "Dead Star" (which recalls me a bit Depeche Mode of the 80s) and the closing "Happy End!" (this one is almost a techno tune and I found it really intriguing and I'd like they would have played a bit more in this key just to give to the album a wider palette of sounds). A usual for Foretaste, the album needs more listenings to be fully appreciated

https://www.sendspace.com/file/m6s8tm

18.04.2026-ANDREA SCHROEDER Void (Glitterhouse,2016)

 

POP NOIR

   Her vocals, which oscillate between Marlene Dietrich and Nico, sound sublime, dark, melancholic, contemplative, and poetic on Void . Andrea Schroeder is Nick Cave's younger sister in spirit.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/tu58tm

16.04.2026-FOXES Friends In The Corner (PIAS,2021)

 

POP

   Foxes’ latest EP, Friends in the Corner, allows love, pain and everything in between to sit comfortably side by side. After a 4-year hiatus from releasing music, she returns with 8 tracks that cover seldom-discussed themes such as the vulnerabilities of friendship, the joy of independence resulting from breakups, and the importance of family. This release consists of well-crafted pop that takes its time to dwell upon insecurities, as well as relish in moments of uplifting joy. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/ke2zfx

13.04.2026-CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA To Believe (Ninja Tune,2019)

 

ELECTRONIC / DOWNTEMPO

   To Believe is heartbreakingly brilliant: a collection of exquisitely assembled songs that appear delicate from a distance before revealing a close-quarters core strength. Band leaders Jason Swinscoe and Dominic Smith have loosely arranged seven lightly jazzy tracks around the themes of belief and what it means to believe. Much as the pair attempt to make movies with their music, the best song has no dialogue: the meandering instrumental Lessons is a glorious balm, nine minutes of murmuring conversation between the players, dominated by Luke Flowers’ gently military drums. It has depth and meaning without context, the ideal soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist. The sweeping grandeur of A Caged Bird/Imitations of Life is another cinematic collaboration with the always articulate and engaging Roots Manuva, a sort-of sequel to the epic All Things to All Men, and just as good. Every song here could easily be five or 10 minutes longer. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/b4vfzl

11.04.2026-TWEAK BIRD Any Ol' Way (Let's Pretend,2014)

 

PSYCHEDELIC ROCK

   Any Ol' Way is a record of promise from a band that has clearly found focus. But its overreliance on tight structures nips too many moments for expansion in the bud.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/2qvt15

09.04.2026-STAVES All Now (Communion,2024)

 

INDIE FOLK

   The Staves have shown they’re happy to branch out into more indie-rock territory which sits well alongside their folk roots. It’s an accomplished record that leans into the familiar with flourishes of exciting new textures that make it a constantly engaging listen with plenty to unpack. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/65zy4d

07.04.2026-OTOBOKE BEAVER Super Champon (Damnably,2022)

 

PUNK ROCK

   Champon is the Japanese noun for a jumble of different things, Super could well be a descriptor for the gloriously vital and anarchic sound emanating from the foremost four-piece punk garage band from Kyoto, Otoboke Beaver.

     Featuring blistering guitars and drums, wildly rampageous lyrics and masterful musicianship that bobs and weaves like a flyweight on speed, Accorinrin, Yoyoyoshie, Hiro-chan and Kahokiss deliver 18 short tracks of total randomness. Songs with obtuse and wacky titles such as Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting For My Reaction, First Class Side Guy & Leave Me Alone! No Stay With Me! all zip ferociously along and before you know it it’s gone, flashing by at just over 21 minutes, Super Champon truly is a masterpiece of chaos music. 

https://www.sendspace.com/file/gn1jlc

04.04.2026-KIRSTY ALMEIDA Moon Bird (All Made Up,2020)

 

FOLK / POP

   This album feels very much a fusion of the many influences within Kirsty’s life. Born in Scotland, but raised in Gibraltar from the age of 11, she moved back to the UK to study for her degree, making Yorkshire her home. After winning the prestigious ‘Take 5 Jazz Award’ in 2009, Kirsty was signed to DECCA which allowed her to play internationally and release her debut album under the production of renowned musician Martin Glover.

     Moonbird is stunningly soulful and reinstalls a childhood naivety and untainted perception of the world within what often feels within the genre an old and weary narrative. The album radiates warmth and peace, whilst addressing the pain and fragility of romance and the confusion of new beginnings. It’s a poised and graceful yet immensely powerful introduction both into the world of Kirsty Almeida and also the incredible power of folk as a genre. 

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

01.04.2026-KALIA VANDEVER Another View (Northern Spy,2025)

 

JAZZ

   Despite several moments of quiet intensity, Kalia Vandever’s Another View flows like a dream, with composition and improvisation beautifully intertwined.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/i75uj8

30.03.2026-WORK DRUGS Insurgents (Bobby Cahn Records,2014)

 

SYNTHPOP

   Smooth indie/synth pop that unabashedly embraces the yacht-side soft rock of artists like Christopher Cross and Michael McDonald.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/o9ef5l

28.03.2026-CULTS Host (Sinderlyn,2020)

 

INDIE POP

   On Host, Cults find solipsistic charm in retreading the shadowy pastures of their past, bolstering the dream pop of their earlier work with the tactile verve of live instruments.

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

24.03.2026-MAMA'S BROKE Narrow Line (Free Dirt,2022)

 

FOLK

   A Canadian folk duo consisting of Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, as Mama’s Broke the multi-instrumentalists bring plenty of vocal harmonies to their diverse Americana that welcomes a few guests, too.

A very thoughtful record that touches on folk, blues, ragtime and old time sounds, too, thematically, the pair surround the cycles of life and death, and it makes for a very substantial body of work.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/33at1u

21.03.2026-GABRIEL BRUCE Come All Sufferers (Virgin/Luv Luv Luv,2016)

 

POP ROCK

   The entirety of the album is a thrilling sonic journey. Flitting from genre to genre is something Bruce has always done well and his ability to lace the tracks together seamlessly is a trait which has been carried through from ‘Love In Arms’ to ‘Come All Sufferers’. Apocalyptic and religious themes tie the album’s eleven tracks together, facilitated by Bruce’s enthralling ability to illuminate a narrative. It’s a record that makes you think, but more importantly it’s a record that makes you feel something.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/x57iez

18.03.2026-ANNA B. SAVAGE In Flux (City Slang,2023)

 

INDIE ROCK

   These songs are theatrical by design, Savage’s writing intimate and complex all at once, and thankfully, its varied soundscapes keep one’s attention throughout. Savage is constantly at the bottom of one’s thumb through the whole album — with the exception of snarky comebacks on the title track and the tepid proclamation “I think I’m gonna be fine” on the closure — it’d be nice to see her at the top. But as a snapshot of a relationship where she kept on wanting more, she doesn’t hold back.

https://www.sendspace.com/file/sg10ye