Dying Wish - Symptoms of Survival

To say that I’m obsessed with Dying Wish is a bit of an understatement. 2000s melodic metalcore has seen a resurgence in recent years, with the five-member band from Oregon coming out as the clear front-runner. This album shows just how much they’ve grown since their first album in 2021, and are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. tl;dr - this album rips.

FFO: Killswitch Engage, Knocked Loose, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Counterparts

Priya Ragu - Santhosam

This album is more than just a sequel to 2021’s damnshestamil. It takes the soulful vocals, warm tabla rhythms, and melodic Tamil music found on her first album to even more adventurous, hip-shaking, and head-bopping heights.

FFO: Janelle Monáe, Solange, SVDP

The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling

The 10th album from the Manchester duo absolutely shines with its exploration of psychadelic elements and dancefloor smashes. It does, at times had some admittedly jarring composition (I like to think of this album has having three distinct sections), The Chemical Brothers have proven once again that they still have plenty of fuel left in the tank.

FFO: Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Cut Copy, Digitalism

Johnny Booth - Moments Elsewhere

What do you do when you have something that works? In the case of Johnny Booth, it was to create an album far more ambitious than the first two singles let on, creating an album that is bone-crushingly heavy and shockingly breathaking without ever taking their foot off the pedals. They didn’t just make an upgraded sequel; they expanded on what it means to be Johnny Booth.

FFO: END, Sentinels, Structures, Great American Ghost

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

At its worst, this album can be cynically viewed as overly-horny synth-pop. I, however, having been fully Challell-pilled at this point, choose to view it as a celebration of love, identity, and well, being ultra horny. And it helps that this album is basically just banger after banger after banger. After Midnight is my personal favourite track on the album.

FFO: boygenius, MUNA, Olivia Rodrigo

Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear EP

Spiritbox’s first album, Eternal Blue, immediately turned the Canadian band into a metalcore household name, and yet, pound for pound, The Fear of Fear EP absolutely elevates an already seemingly untouchable band to new heights. It effortlessly flows from pure, rabid aggression into something that’s vastly different; upbeat with shimmering drums and spiraling guitars. They are a band unaffected by the weight of expectation, and I cannot wait to see where they go next.

FFO: ERRA, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, Dayseeker

Kaytranada & Aminé - KAYTRAMINÉ

While absolutely not a masterpiece from either artist, KAYTRAMINÉ is a fun, breezy summer time pop-rap album that has some great features, a handful of pretty clever bars, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but then again, it doesn’t have to either.

FFO: Thundercat, Toro y Moi, Flying Lotus, BROCKHAMPTON

Black Honey - A Fistful of Peaches

This album immediately gets your attention by starting off with a heavily distorted guitar riff. The tracklist goes from indie banger to indie banger, effortlessly fluctuating from the immediate heaviness to laid-back ethereal moments, keeping you on your toes the entire time.

FFO: Metric, Bully, The Greeting Committee, Soccer Mommy

Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest time

The album is the definition of vibes. Every beat, sound, intonation - all perfectly chosen, placing us in the palm of her hand as she takes us through this somewhat experimental (at least for Carly) journey through joy.

FFO: Honne, joan, Fiji Blue

swim school - duality EP

Hailing from Edinburgh, swim school is honestly hard to describe. This EP features the saturated sounds of riffy guitars and trendy synths across two songs driven by anger, and another two that are more light-hearted in nature, lending to the EP’s title. Definitely a band to keep an eye on.

FFO: Blondshell, Horsegirl, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice