Album Reviews
Album Review: Surprise Chef – Superb; kings of instrumental soul delight once again
Surprise Chef return with Superb, a rich, groove-driven collection of instrumental funk, soul, and jazz that deepens their cinematic sound while loosening the edges. Rooted in the Australian five-piece’s signature blend of vintage textures and head-nodding rhythms, this album expands their palette with bolder moods, freer structures, and a broader sense of place. It’s music made …
Album Review: Azzurro 80 – Flashback; warm 80s fused instrumentals hit the right spot
On Flashback, Azzurro 80 invites listeners into a lush, imagined memory of the 1980s—a world shaped more by the ghosts of old television idents and faded VHS movie trailers than by the actual charts of the era. It’s a beautifully constructed instrumental album where groove, mood, and nostalgia blend seamlessly into a single cinematic vision. Opening …
EP Review: Chapterhouse – White House Demos; early psych-fuzz brilliance from Shoegaze legends
Long before they carved out a legacy as one of the defining names in shoegaze, Chapterhouse were just four gigs in and brimming with raw psychedelic energy. White House Demos, recorded live in a single day in January 1989 at The White House studio in Weston-super-Mare, captures the band in their earliest and perhaps most primal …
Album Review: TVOD – Party Time; loud, jagged and full of heart
Brooklyn’s post-punk firebrands TVOD (Television Overdose) explode onto the scene with Party Time, a debut album that’s loud, jagged, and unexpectedly full of heart. It’s a record built for sweaty clubs and emotional release — an intoxicating mix of snarling guitars, warped synths, and chant-along choruses that channel chaos into catharsis. It’s punk for misfits who …
EP Review: DJ Cosworth – Hard30 EP; fierce and finely tuned UKG/tech-house from Hardline boss
Bristol’s own DJ Cosworth takes the wheel with Hard30 EP on his own Hardline imprint, with a debut that lives up to its name – three fierce, finely-tuned cuts that fuse tech house toughness with the rolling swagger of UK garage. This is music for dark rooms, low ceilings, and high energy. Opening track Nuff Gyal kicks things off …
Album Review: Arjuna Oakes – ‘While I’m Distracted’: a lush, sophisticated contemporary pop soundscape, rich in soul-jazz understanding.
Even if you’ve picked up on any of singer-songwriter/pianist Arjuna Oakes’s previous offerings, it’s unlikely you would have predicted the scale and ambition of his debut album ‘While I’m Distracted’. Not that the New Zealander’s earlier EP’s lacked flare or impact. His first release ‘The Watcher’ from 2019 stirred things around with its exquisite blend …
Album Review: Arjuna Oakes – ‘While I’m Distracted’: a lush, sophisticated contemporary pop soundscape rich in soul-jazz understanding
Even if you’ve picked up on any of singer-songwriter/pianist Arjuna Oakes’s previous offerings, it’s unlikely you would have predicted the scale and ambition of his debut album ‘While I’m Distracted’. Not that the New Zealander’s earlier EP’s lacked flare or impact. His first release ‘The Watcher’ from 2019 stirred things around with its exquisite blend …
Album Review: Glass Caves – Back To Earth
Glass Caves release the radiant new album Back To Earth via Scruff of the Neck Records A decade on from their formation, Glass Caves deliver their most anthemic work to date with Back To Earth. Produced by Andy Gannon at Manchester’s House of Chella, the 12-track release shimmers with clarity and tight musicality, showcasing just how refined the …
Review: Prima Queen – The Prize; Melancholy, melody, and indie magic.
Every album needs a portal. The Prize, the radiant debut from Prima Queen, opens with “Clickbait”—a shimmering 40 seconds of ambient fog, like the band’s way of saying: “Give us a moment, we’re about to turn on the lights.” What follows is something both starry-eyed and deeply grounded: a collection of songs that walk hand …
Album Review : Sami Galbi –‘Ylh Bye Bye’ : fresh and feisty electro-pop from a new voice on the world fusion airwaves.
Genevan label Bongo Joe has been sneaking out singles by Swiss/Moroccan electronic artist Sami Galbi since March last year but now the teasing is over. The full whammy, his debut album ‘Ylh Bye Bye’ has landed on the shelves and should soon be flying off them at speed, it’s that strong. Galbi really is a …