Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Charli XCX's Brat And It's The Same But There's Three More Songs So It's Not is the deluxe edition of her groundbreaking album Brat, now pressed on white vinyl. This edition highlights Charli's unique ability to merge avant-pop artistry with mainstream sensibilities and since its release on June 7, 2024, Brat has garnered widespread acclaim, earning a spot on the Mercury Prize 2024 shortlist and achieving Gold status in the UK with over 100,000 copies sold. The deluxe version coincides with Charli's first UK #1 single, 'Guess,' which is featured in this expanded release. Known for her relentless innovation in pop music. Her influence on modern pop - not to mention wider culture, as the massive viral Kamala Is Brat meme proved - and this release simply further cements her position as a trailblazer.

Review: 'Brat' is Charlotte Emma Aitchison's sixth studio album as Charli XCX, the follow-up from her "sell-out era", 2022's 'Crash' which topped multiple charts and gave the British pop singer a newfound notoriety that she had long been deserving. A longtime collaborator with PC Music founder and Beyonce-credited producer A.G. Cook, whose production can be found in the album's latest double single 'Club Classics/B2b', Charli is returning to her roots of dance music and electronic pop - a far cry from the hazy alt-pop she launched her career with. Following the launch of 'Von dutch', the lead single produced by PC Music producer EASYFUN (aka Finn Keanne), Charli has gone on record saying that this is her best body of work - a title that once belonged to the cult classic mixtape 'Pop 2' - and it's easy to see why, the blaring synths and honed in club music focus is unlike anything anybody in the mainstream pop sphere is doing right now. Pressed on a translucent black vinyl, and coupled with one of the best album covers maybe of all time, it's never been a better time to be one of Charli's angels.

Review: If there is a more hyped artist in the world right now than Fred... again we aren't sure who it might be. The lad who grew up close to Brian Eno and has since worked with him in the studio is a global star who has also collaborated with Four Tet and Skrillex, played all over the world, won various awards and dropped several albums now presses up his acclaimed USB to gatefold double vinyl. It is a collection of his early singles that captures his lo-fi, lived-in, diaristic sounds across a range of experimental electronic styles.

Review: Fred Again seems to be one of the most talked about artists of the year. Part of that centers around the astonishing Boiler Room set he served up, but also plenty of credit is due for the music he makes. A lot of that is summed up here on Actual Life 3, the third installment of his series after the previous two back in 2021 and recent collabs with the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Future. It shows off his mastery of a range of different sounds and scenes across 13 fun and fresh tunes that are backed with emotive beats and catchy hooks as well as some standout vocals.

Review: Lizzo is a three tie Grammy winner who after much build up finally drops this long awaited new long player. Her last album, the multi-Platinum selling, top-10 debut album, CUZ I LOVE YOU came back in 2019 and since then Lizzo has cemented her place as one of the most in demand live music performers in the game. This recorded has been proceeded by lead single 'About Damn Time', which leant on disco's colourful rhythms and some fresh cosmic melodies, while most recently Lizzo has partnered with Logitech as the face of their 2022 campaign Defy Logic.

Review: Three months after rapper turned singer Lizzo's major label debut first appeared on CD and digital download, Atlantic has decided to offer up a deluxe vinyl edition of the well-received set featuring three bonus tracks. Prior to release, Lizzo admitted she wanted to become "this generation's Aretha Franklin"; while she's not at the late soul legend's standard just yet, there's enough on "Cuz I Love You" to suggest that she's going in the right direction. Her vocals are variously confident, powerful, strutting and tender, with the accompanying backing tracks mixing hip-hop and R&B style beats with raucous guitars, bombastic basslines, Daft Punk style synth stabs (think "Robot Rock" and "Technologic") and occasional nods towards more pastoral, semi-acoustic sounds. Above all, though, the album is funky, forthright and hugely entertaining.

Review: American singer and songwriter Janelle Monae dropped her second album The Electric Lady back in 2013 and it was a fine follow-up to the critically acclaimed debut she broke through with in 2010. Critics again fawned over its songwriting and progressive soul style with influences of hip-hop, gospel, jazz, rock, pop and reggae. Dystopic cyborg concepts again defined the album with genre experience and plainspoken words exploring plenty of personal and emotional territory with guest appearances from high-profile names such as Miguel, Erykah Badu, Solange and Prince.

Review: Rudimental's third full-length, "Toast To Our Differences", was originally slated for release back in September, but ended up being delayed. So was it worth the wait? It's certainly a colourful, vibrant and expansive affair, with the quartet drawing on a far wider palette of influences than were evident on their previous albums. Check, for example, the title track's glistening, South African style tropical pop, the piano-powered cheeriness of "These Days", the soaring power pop of previous single "Sun Comes Up" and the auto-tune heavy EDM-house stomp of "Scared of Love". Given their superstar status, it's unsurprising to see an impressive cast list of guests and collaborators - Major Lazer, Rita Ora and Ladysmith Black Mambazo included - while this "Deluxe Edition" includes a trio of extra tracks.

Review: Originally released in 1996, October Rust would serve as the fourth full-length from gothic metal legends Type O Negative, as well as the highly anticipated follow up to their 1993 career-height Bloody Kisses. Known for its markedly less gloomy doom metal approach when compared to prior and subsequent projects, the album has grown a devout cult following due to the extensive number of unabashed ballads and compositionally accessible goth rock bangers (reliably shrouded in their own sonic malaise). Boasting the hit single 'My Girlfriend's Girlfriend' as well as their much-adored cover of Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl', many could consider October Rust to be the most accessible entry point to those intimidated by the prowess, hair or jawline of the incomparable visionary Peter Steele. Now almost 30 years young, this long overdue reissue comes spread across a limited green & black marbled vinyl 2xLP pressing.

Review: The latest cinematic, self-aware brand-milking is the new Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig and which stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Of course, it wouldn't be as ironically plastic as it could be without contributions from the most eminent artists in modern pop music on the soundtrack - from the likes of Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX, KAROL G, The Kid LAROI, Khalid, PinkPantheress, GAYLE, Ava Max and FIFTY FIFTY. It didn't quite lean as much as it could have done into hyperpop, but the soundtrack is no less fun, being as glitzy and squeaky-clean as you could possibly get.

Review: In 2008, the Thanksgiving release of Twilight, based on Stephanie Meyer's bestselling novels, captivated audiences with its action-packed love story. Bella, an ordinary teenager, moves to a small town and finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Edward, sparking a perilous clash between vampire clans. The film features every song from its soundtrack, including the exclusive Paramore track 'Decode' alongside music from Muse, Perry Farrell, Linkin Park, Collective Soul, Iron & Wine, and others, enhancing the cinematic experience with a blend of emotion and intensity.

Review: Loaded is The Velvet Underground's second-most lauded album, after their scratch-n-sniffable debut LP. Among other things, it's also a cornerstone in the genre of extremely literal rock album covers, depicting a velvet red smoke wafting from an underground railway station. The album's title was an allusion to the fact that it was intended to be an appealing record, solely for radio play, hence it being 'Loaded' with hits. Glorious gems such as 'Sweet Jane' bound forward with TVU's usual euphemistic, ironic optimism, and this reissue is sure to nail the LP's full-bodied sound once more.