New releases last two weeks: Pop

Review: Abba's self-titled third album marked a creative and commercial turning point for the group; released in 1975, it was their first full-length following the breakthrough historic romance hit 'Waterloo', and the moment they cemented a sound that would dominate pop for years. Packed with high-drama hooks and refulgent production, the album of course also includes 'Mamma Mia' and 'SOS', both early experiments in the theatrical, harmony-rich style that would define the long-form productions of Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. With newly remastered audio cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, we've two new inclusions: kitsch singalong gem 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and glam-leaning opener 'So Long'.

Review: Betty Boo's irreverent blend of pop, rap and dancefloor sass took UK charts by storm in 1990, and her debut album Boomania here returns by way of a deluxe edition digging as deep into that exact era-defining sound as can possibly be dug. Originally launched off the back of her breakout appearance on The Beatmasters' 1989 single 'Hey DJ / I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)', Boo's first full-length reached number four on the UK charts and went platinum. This expander reissue compiles 12 originals and 14 bonus cuts, including multiple versions of the four hit singles, from the King John and Peter Lorimer mixes of 'Where Are You Baby?' to Vince Clarke's Oratonic mix of '24 Hours'.

Review: Released in 1992, Grrr! It's Betty Boo marked a stylistic and personal evolution for Betty Boo, arriving two years after her platinum-selling debut (also reissued now through the Betty Boo estate). While it didn't replicate the commercial heights of Boomania, it still delivered a memorable top 20 single with 'Let Me Take You There' and offered a flurry of follow-ups including 'I'm on My Way', 'Catch Me', 'Thing Goin' On' and 'Hangover'. With its bold visual identity referencing Tigra cigarette packaging and a dedication to her late father, the album hinted at more introspective themes beneath the tongue-in-cheek flair. Critics noted its playful absurdity and inventive rhyming, while Madonna later lamented its lack of recognition, calling it "horribly ignored". Sad to say, this would be Boo's last album before stepping away from music some years.

Review: After a standout Coachella headliner alongside Queen's Brian May, Benson Boone returns with his sophomore LP American Heart, hearing the Seattle singer-songwriter break another brick after after his debut Fireworks & Rollerblades saw its lead single 'Beautiful Things' go triple platinum in 2024. Now early 2025 stands sanguine and poised, with American Heart further elevating his global onstage position: lead single 'Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else' spans an up-and-down A-ha style instrumental and a West Side Story street elegy in the lyrics, where Boone muses on a two-minded relationship bind: a sticky situ of historic proportions.

Review: The third album by this Scottish 80s guitarpop band - famously produced by Walter Becker from Steely Dan - is one of the most beloved by fans of the band, not to mention being one of the slickest sounding albums of the 80s. The band did an amazing job blending styles like synth pop, new wave, lounge, jazz and even reggae on hits like 'King In A Catholic Style' and 'Blue Sea', although some of the most enjoyable cuts are the deeper ones like 'You Did Cut Me' and 'Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling'. This 40th anniversary reissue - arriving not long after the band were invited to reach a new, younger audience through supporting Vampire Weekend in the Uk last year - honours this fabulous recording to the fullest.

Review: Formed in Kirby in Liverpool in 1979, China Crisis are a band with some of the most devoted fans, with even long time admirers Vampire Weekend taking them on the road for support spots as late as last year. This album brings together a reworked selection of their greatest hits and fan-favourite deep cuts, and the the tracklist reads like a love letter to the band's legacy. 'Animals In Jungles' is a cult favourite from one of their most cherished albums, 1983's wonderfully titled Working with Fire and Steel - Possible Pop Songs Volume Two. 'Wishful Thinking' i a top ten UK hit no less i remains an enduring classic too. Other highlights include the atmospheric 'Arizona Sky' and the smooth, heartfelt ballad 'You Did Cut Me', a gem from their 1985 catalogue. 'Black Man Ray' and 'King In A Catholic Style' show the band's ability to balance pop sensibilities with lyrical depth. Arranged by Jack Hymers and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Mark Phythian, the reworking of these tracks breathes new life into familiar songs with lush arrangements and warm production.

Review: Cicciolina. Now there's a character. Disco-pop singer, porn star, politician, and ex-wife/muse of legendary shiny balloon artist Jeff Koons i it's fair to say the Italo-Hungarian icon has worn a few hats over the years. Perversion features a selection of reissued tracks from her 80s heyday, including the magnificently titled 'Sexy Porno Shop', which in itself renders the record worthy of consideration. If you hadn't already guessed from the preamble, the music is kitsch, to say the least, with bubblegum vocals, earworm synth lines and generally pulsing tempos. But there are hidden gems: the (ahem) innocent vocals and twinkling melodies of 'Goccioline', the rousing congas and inspired 'no drugs, I love sex, much more sex' vocal of 'No Drugs', and the brilliant cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction'. Echoing far, far simpler times, it's either politically incorrect nostalgia or pioneering, sexually liberated abandon. Either way, it's bags of fun.

Review: Who can forget Maneskin's triumph for rock on the Eurovision stage as they brought the win for Italy in 2021? In Damiano David, the Italian band have a natural born frontman who is now having his Harry Styles moment and stepping out on his own and forging a distinctive solo career to rival the day job. Despite being labelled a glam rock outfit, Maneskin's pop element always shone brightly and so for his debut solo album David has tapped more heavily into that side of his. David's embraced co-writes and in terms of the production he has thrown the kitchen sink at it to get a massive sound. 'The First Time' has more hooks than a fisherman's tackle box and a sweeping epic Sprinsteen-esque feel. Another highlight 'Next Summer', lets David's vocals star, but the arrangement is unexpectedly massive. Despite its sparse beginning it turns into an orchestral showstopper indicative of the seemingly vast resources the label have had to craft this beauty.

Review: The definitive greatest hits compilation by British new wave rulebook rippers Duran Duran, originally released in 1998. Spanning their career from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, the record saw hailings and bowed prayer prostrations the world over for its sleek representation of the band's rise and suspension over 80s dance rock airspace for decades and more. 'Hungry Like The Wolf', 'Rio', 'Ordinary World', 'A View To A Kill' and 'Girls On Film' serve here as retrospective freeze-frames, together stop-motioning the band's trajectory through synthpop glamours and evolution into a maturer stadium act, as the revolutionary 90s crept onwards.

Review: Conan Gray revisits the corvine world of his 2020 debut, with three new bonuses as well as new cover art hand-drawn by Gray himself. Among them is 'Bed Rest', a previously unreleased song written during the original album sessions: Gray describes it as a time capsulate presciently mirroring his present state of mind, five years on. Then there're the two live versions: 'Heather (Lost Verse Version)' and 'The Cut That Always Bleeds', both of which provide subtle indication of the upward trajectory, though its maximal vintage pop stylings are kept intact . Kid Krow originally marked Gray's shift from bedroom pop phenom to breakout singer-songwriter; now the expanded edition lands beside a digital release, with physical preorders closing the loop on the very record that launched his career into orbit.

Review: Cosmic disco and spaced out Brit funk and pop fusion outfit Jamiroquai celebrates 20 years of their landmark Dynamite with a new limited edition reissue of what was their sixth studio album. Originally released in 2005, the album fused their signature funk, disco and electronic flair into smash radio hits like 'Feels Just Like It Should,' 'Seven Days in Sunny June' and '(Don't) Give Hate a Chance.' This anniversary edition comes pressed on exclusive coloured vinyl and also included is a replica promo CD sampler featuring pre-release single versions, an extended mix of the title track, and 'Black Devil Car.'

Review: Welsh singer and songwriter Marina returns with her sixth album and first since parting ways with Atlantic, self-released via her Queenie imprint. Where earlier work flirted with alter egos, here she fully embraces a character-led pop universe, drawing strength from archetypes of feminine power without slipping into pastiche. Across thirteen tracks, she channels everything from house-infused chamber pop to electro-balladry, always with a theatrical flair. 'Butterfly' opens with a shimmering elegance that morphs into after-hours dancefloor balm, while 'Cuntissimo' blends dreamy techno-pop with cutting social commentary. 'Cupid's Girl' veers into new rave territory, maintaining Marina's signature emotional tension between irony and sincerity. Sharp, playful and defiantly independent, this record sees Marina embrace vulnerability and spectacle with equal force.

Review: Marina's sixth full-length album earmarks the boss-ass moment when Marina (fka Marina And The Diamonds) reclaims ownership of her own craft, having now parted ways with Atlantic Records and formed her own Queenie Records imprint. Co-produced with CJ Baran and issued via BMG, the 13-track album draws from the fizz and flamboyance of 70s disco and 2000s-era pop, worn lightly but knowingly. Muses from Madonna, Kylie and Lady Gaga loom large, but the tone is unmistakably hers, at times sweet, others sickly, fatal if you're not careful. 'Butterfly' folds house and chamber pop into a glittery rebirth anthem; 'Cupid's Girl' blurs new rave and synth-pop with dry wit; 'Cuntissimo' slinks through techno-pop and camp melodrama, namechecking Salma Hayek along the way. It's certainly a surreal experiment from the Welsh star.

Review: Addison Rae's debut album has been long-awaited by fans and is finally here via Columbia Records and marking the bold step into full-fledged pop stardom many have expected for a while. Featuring previous fan-favourite singles like 'Diet Pepsi,' 'Aquamarine' and 'High Fashion,' the album showcases Rae's evolution from viral sensation to polished pop artist. It was co-written and produced with Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjard, and pairs bright, glossy production with playful, high-glam energy that is sure to cut through all summer long from festal stages to car radios. The latest single 'Headphones On' embodies the album's confident tone - it's fun, flirty and unmistakably self-assured. A surprisingly self-aware debut full of chart-ready appeal.

Review: The Band Cover edition of South Korean k-pop star Rose's debut album Rosie offers a unique sonic experience, where fans are provided an alternative take on the album's presentation. Artisianally bundled in with two out of three collectors' edition Polaroid picture, and with exclusive cover art emphasising Rose's rootedness among friends, this edition incurs a state of youthful rebellion, blending punk aesthetics with South Korean heritabilities. Along with the original tracks from Rosie, listeners are treated to stripped-back versions that heighten and home in on Rose's vocal chops.

Review: Rosie is the debut solo album by Rose (Roseanne Park). Reflecing on her New Zealander and South Korean roots, the record hears a hardcore starlet retell her personal journey through heartbreak, fame, and the struggles of her early twenties. Co-written and co-produced by Rose herself alongside collaborators Bruno Mars and Carter Lang, we hear a sweltering 12 tracks spanning pop-punk, r&b, synthpop, and balladry, carefully teasing a rawer vulnerability compared to her previous work. Songs like 'Apt.' and 'Toxic Till The En' explore Rosie's experiences with toxic relationships, while 'Number One Girl' and 'Drinks or Coffee' reveals a complex take on love.

Review: Colombian pop icon Shakira's second English-language album returns on opaque bone vinyl, 20 years after it helped cement her global status. Packed with theatrical pop-rock and Latin-inflected radio hits, the reissue pairs familiar standouts with deeper cuts and remixes. 'Hips Don't Lie (feat Wyclef Jean)' remains irrepressible-part brass-driven anthem, part carnival chant-while 'Illegal (feat Carlos Santana)' and 'Don't Bother' draw from her rockier instincts. Tracks like 'Timor' and 'Animal City' tackle political themes with surprising sharpness, while 'The Day and the Time (feat Gustavo Cerati)' and 'Your Embrace' lean more atmospheric. Bonus cuts like the Spanish version of 'Hips Don't Lie' and the radio remix of 'Illegal' round off a package that captures the ambition and stylistic reach of Shakira's mid-2000s peak-a restless blend of Latin pop, angsty ballads and sleek crossover hooks.

Review: To mark its 30th anniversary, Take That's iconic 1995 album Nobody Else gets the deluxe treatment with its first-ever vinyl release. Packed with beloved pop-hits of the era like 'Sure,' 'Back for Good' and 'Never Forget,' this reissue brings new life to a classic 90s gem by including exclusive extras such as the rare Japanese bonus track 'All That Matters to Me,' electrifying live recordings from the 1995 Nobody Else Tour, and a brand-new remix of 'Hanging Onto Your Love' by Howard Donald, who later went on to DJ in his own right. It makes for a nostalgic yet updated celebration of a defining era in British pop.

Review: After breakout success in 2008 with radio-blitzing singles and a global tour, Salford duo The Ting Tings have spent five albums dodging repetition. Home marks their latest obliquity; written and recorded in a wooden-decked studio using analogue gear, the album trades digital punch for coastal ease. It's a love letter to the crisp songwriting of Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp and Christopher Cross, designed for long drives with salt air and rolled-down windows. Tracks like 'Song For Meadow', 'Goodbye Song' and 'Mind Thunder' lean into harmony, space and wistfulness, with Katie White and Jules De Martino easing into a more reflective, groove-led mode.