New releases last four weeks: Indie/Alternative

Review: 2002's Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane always felt like the odd jewel in the Belgian outfit's catalogue i part concept album, part theatrical detour, wrapped in lush strings and Bond-theme bravado. The 2025 reissue brings it back into focus, and it's certainly worth revisiting. There's drama i torch songs, twisted pop, and trip-hop filtered through a cinematic lens i but also a tangible sense of melancholy beneath. Tracks like 'Sometimes' and 'Human Interest' still land with weight, while the nocturnal psychedelia of 'Jackie's Delirium' and 'Shampoo' adds hallucinogenic depth to the collection. It's all very stylised, but that's part of the charm. You can hear the ambition, the restlessness. Not quite cool, not quite kitsch, but somehow it works.

Review: Peter Hook's post-New Order venture with David Potts resurfaces after 25 years with Monaco, the duo's second and final album, finally seeing a vinyl pressing for the first time. The self-titled LP followed Music For Pleasure and leant into Hook and Potts' foundational fondness for rock-dance hybrids, with the buoyant 'I've Got A Feeling' and the moodier 'See Saw' among the stereo-steroidal standouts; we've everything from Brit-pub rock whimsy to club-shuttling indie house respectively. This UK-only edition lands as a deluxe gatefold double crystal clear wax; with a four-page booklet and a deluge of bonus tracks, this is the first proper physical revisit to a project that closed the 90s in the shadow of Hook's better-known bands.

Review: Between 1995 and 2000 Joy Division's Peter Hook and his collaborator David Potts formed Monaco and released two cracking albums. The second of which is now getting an anniversary release in the best possible audiophile quality. It didn't fare as well commercially as the first album, which had the hit 'What Do You Want From Me' and was more electronic in nature. But the janglier nature of this second record is a joy to delve into. 'I've Got A Feeling' has melodies to rival The La's and 'Kashmere' is a sign that in terms of production Monaco were operating on another level compared to most in the post-Britpop space. Meanwhile, hearing Hook's signature basslines throughout, but within a sonic bedding that you haven't quite heard him play before, is a compelling joy. Under-championed excellence here from Monaco.

Review: Originally formed in London in 1976, The Slits made major waves with the frenetic post-punk energy of their acclaimed 1979 debut LP Cut, whilst their 1981 sophomore follow up (aka "difficult second album") Return of the Giant Slits would arrive mere months before the group's initial disbandment. Highlighting the internal creative differences occurring at the time of recording, the material showcases a major expansion of sound, pulling from rhythmic afro-pop and dub, conjuring a unique "world music" approach to post-punk before the likes of Vampire Weekend were even a twinkle in their father's eyes. The album would also serve as their last output until their return with the 2006 Revenge of the Killer Slits EP followed by 2009's third full-length Trapped Animal.