New releases last four weeks: Pop

Review: While he's released countless albums as one half of Erasure, Andy Bell solo excursions are something of a rarity - at least under his given name. Setting aside his conceptual 'Torsten' albums, Ten Crowns is his first solo album since 2010. Produced by Dave Auden (who also provides a seamless, DJ mix style version of the set on disc two), it largely delivers a more muscular, EDM-influenced take on the sparkling and energy-packed synth-pop sound he's famed for making with Erasure. There are naturally deviations from the script - see the indie-rock-framed singalong alongside Debbie Harry, 'Heart's A Liar' - but for the most part the highlights are rooted in Bell's love of dance-pop/synth-pop fusion (see 'Don't Cha Know' and 'Breaking Through The Interstellar').

Review: Lady Gaga's latest album is as bold, chaotic and emotionally charged as you would expect of the singular artist as she returns to her pop roots. Blending electro-grunge with theatrical flair, Gaga embraces fame and identity across 14 tracks that span snarling anthems like 'Perfect Celebrity' to raw love songs like 'Blade of Grass.' Along the way are nods to Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and disco, which all bring many layers of intrigue next to the vulnerability and bombast of the vocals. To that point, Gaga's voice shapeshifts from snarling to purring to belting as she examines fame's toll and personal transformation. Though maximalist to the core, MAYHEM never loses its heart and is messy, loud, and thrilling proof Gaga is still defining pop on her own terms.

Review: Rebecca Taylor arrives at third album A Complicated Woman in a very different place to where she was before the release of her previous full-length, the Mercury Prize-nominated Prioritise Pleasure. Now a bona-fide pop star, the South Yorkshire chanteuse now has to deal with heightened expectations and her own experience of fame. By the sound of A Complicated Woman, she's handling both with aplomb. That's not to say that the lyrics avoid difficult subjects - her own worries remain front and centre - but the delightfully grandiose production, extensive use of choirs and orchestras, and Taylor's own penchant for penning stadium-sized sing-alongs deliver a maximal pop gem fitting her genuine star status. Rotherham's finest has never sounded so good (or, it should be added, explicit - there are some genuinely adult themes on display).

Review: Since appearing on Gorillaz fifth album, Humanz, in 2017, Kali Uchis has been on an upward trajectory. Now a major international star with a quartet of major label backed solo albums to her name, the Colombian American rapper and singer arrives at album number five, Sincerely, at the peak of her powers. Inspired in part by an unexplained "life-altering event", the set's lyrics explore "the complexities of life" and her desire to "find joy in life despite of the world". In truth, it's more joy than pain, with Uchis gravitating towards head-nodding, string-laden grooves, r&b-influenced pop, guitar-laden trip-hop torch songs, and immersive, dream-like soundscapes.

Review: Not all Record Store Day releases are created equal, and if you ask us, this is one of the best ever: Golden is a limited-edition gold vinyl compilation featuring all of The Wombles' singles, remastered and presented in chronological order. Originally released in 2024, this version celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Wombles' 1974 UK chart success and includes hits like 'The Wombling Song' and 'Remember You're A Womble' alongside rather more rare tracks such as 'Wombling USA.' The group was a total pop phenomenon in the 1970s and enjoyed chart-topping success with three songs in the UK charts simultaneously in 1974. This nostalgic pressing is a great reminder of those magical times.

Review: US coutntry rockers The Wreckers - or Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp - were only around for three years, but in that time they did manage to chalk up a couple of massive singles, 'Leave The Pieces' and 'My, Oh My', as well as this album, which went on to sell in excess of 850,000 copies after it emerged in May 2006. Harp has gone on to have success as a solo artist, but the updated country sound and close harmony simplicity of this album, now reissued, is yet to be eclipsed by either.

Review: YUNGBLUD's hook-up with Lil Yachty is renowned amongst fans for its trippy production and tight, evocative, mind-melting bars. It has never before been on vinyl but this year's Record Store Day rights that wrong while serving it up with a superb, exclusive, introspective in-studio acoustic performance of the track. 'When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)' was first released on January 26, 2024 by Locomotion Recordings and Geffen Records and is a new school mix of alternative rock, psychedelia and hip-hop that explores themes of mortality and escapism with production by YUNGBLUD plus Matt Schwartz and Paul Meany. It's an introspective gem.