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Review: Word of a sixth album from Big Thief comes with their latest track 'Vampire Empire'. First debuting live on Stephen Colbert's Late Show in March 2023, its lyrics express an inner conflict at "vampire empires", of the tendency for relationships to err towards toxic, parasitical and contingent mindsets and a rallying cry for infinite and unbroken loves. A fixture of their many live shows for at least a good few years now, we're pleased to finally be seeing the official release of this gem.

Review: Western Australian haircuts Methyl Ethel bring their surrealist wares back to London's 4AD for a second time, following up the Everything Is Forgotten LP of 2017. Spearheaded by Jake Webb and his somewhat androgynous vocal take, a most alluring factor of the band's music, the group continue to deliver a musical blend of avant synth and indie pop with swathes of emotion we will compare to Bat For Lashes, Hot Chip and even in some cases, Tool. Achieving huge success down under, and once slated as just another "psychedelic rock band from Perth" by the smirking editorials of the big smoke, this homespun album sees Webb's avant take on pop at the edge, or ahead of the curve, of mainstream listening; See the drama of "Post-Blue", the summery haze of "Real Tight" and the concoction of sounds to make Arcade Fire blush in "All The Elements".

Review: As Zach Condon prepares to embark on a mass trans-atlantic tour in support of this Gallipoli LP as Beirut, all the fanfare of his horns, bells and whistling croons are once again to be enjoyed in full for a fifth time. Debuting back in 2006 with Gulag Orkestar, Gallipoli adds to the band's stream of albums these past 15 years and presents the singer-songwriter's second appearance on London's great 4AD. Inspired by a chance encounter with a brass band procession on the fated Turkish peninsula which reminded him of the Italian films from his childhood, he named the album and title track after small, coastal town in Apulia, southern Italy. These influences can be heard across Gallipoli alongside the sweet screams of synths and chimes that adorn the others, to spates of bluesy tropicana and the sweet, melancholic and trumpeting tones the band are most cherished for.

Review: Following the long awaited return of Gang Gang Dance, New York glam rock brothers, Brian D'Addario and Michael D'Addario, aka The Lemon Twigs, quietly but surely make their way on to legendary label 4AD once more. It's been two years since their Do Hollywood LP and the pair - with the help of their parents (really) - deliver 15 tracks that according to the band tell a "heartbreaking coming of age story of Shane, a pure of heart chimpanzee raised as a human boy as he comes to terms with the obstacles of life." Satire, irony, haircuts, glam rock. Yes, it's a musical...what, you didn't know?

Review: There's plenty of anticipation around Big Thief's third record U.F.O.F., and we can say with confidence that it delivers on every front. A solid expansion of their last record, Capacity, U.F.O.F. for the most part goes deeper into diverse sonic territories that's emotionally raw and rich, calling to mind Elliott Smith, Joni Mitchell and various other accomplished singer songwriters especially in songs like "Contact" and "Cattails". Elsewhere, "Strange" and "Orange" provide a backing that seems more upbeat on the surface, yet the varied vocal technique of Adrianne Lenker, ranging from a whisper to a vulnerable bellow keeps us firmly captivated. The album really shines through when it reaches for slightly louder soundscapes, best heard on "Terminal Paradise" and "Jenni" (with the latter reminding us of "Washer" by Slint). All in all, U.F.O.F. will be a record that entrances you with its subtle yet haunting charm.

Review: Although an outstanding pop artist, Hannah Rodger's music as Pixx sits well and truly in the alt-pop realm. Since surfacing in 2015 with Fall In - that was later followed up by her 2017 debut album Age Of Anxiety - she's continues her relationship with 4AD once more thanks to Small Mercies. This second LP sees the English artist collide future electronic pop and R&B genres with the grungy guitars and synth rock styles of yesteryear. And for this record, Pixx assumes a different persona than before, her label says, to introspectively examine the damage done by religion, gender-based power hierarchies and stereotypes. Our picks, "Disgrace" and the oh-so-grungey "Mary Magdalene".

Review: Meghan Remy's unique skewed and maverick vision has already been chronicled on four albums to date, yet this debut for 4AD marks the point at which she genuinely comes into her own, delivering a collection of endlessly inventive baroque pop gems that are as spiky and strange as they are sweet and addictive. Flirting deliriously with genre and style throughout, 'Half Free' is as rough around the edges as it is brimming with freewheeling creativity and inspirational glee. Yet at its centre throughout is the muse of Remy herself, almost indecently potent in most any style she turns her attention to.

Review: Through her 'U.S. Girls' project, Toronto-based Meg Remy has released a consistently high quality run of albums that explore issues of femininity with a shaded and angular avant-pop sound. New record 'In A Poem Unlimited' sees Remy continue to explore identity politics, but in a comparatively warmer and more free sound as she collaborates with improvisational group The Cosmic Range. Structurally, the album enjoys an unpredictability of form that sprawls across skulking grunge, found sounds, crunching horn-sections and synth-driven industrial disco. Highlight track 'Incidental Boogie' exemplifies this binding of elements; the contrast of stomping, distorted with Remy's breathy and swaggering vocals is an intoxicating one. The breadth of Remy's palette makes this album an exhilarating listen, and - both as a vocalist and writer - Remy shines as an arresting and formidable talent.

Review: Brooklyn based songwriter Mackenzie Scott brings us her third album as Torres, having gained acclaim and attention since her debut in 2013. 'Three Futures' is an immediate and mature set of songs about femininity, gender and power. Mackenzie's vocal breadth, especially in her range and movements from rough to smooth, prove her to be on a par with vocalists such as St. Vincent. Her guitar riffs and solos quirkily stagger over industrial and metronomic programmed beats, giving a sometimes-dizzying feeling of rhythmic push and pull. It's a very well-formed and considered album that will reward the listener with a wealth of detail on repeat listens.

Review: It may be speculative to wonder what difference moving to LA from Vienna may have made to London-born electro-soul crooner Christopher Taylor, but it's perhaps resulted in a more upbeat and upfront sound, one that for all its sample and beat-driven experimentation wastes little time in consigning talk of 'blubstep' and comparisons to James Blake firmly to history. Yet for all this album's flirtations with mainstream R&B, it still maintains strength in depth, with both Taylor's mellifluous voice and politically-inspired lyrics rendering it a fine blend of hooks and heart.

Review: It may be open to debate how ironic that title is - the New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Harding insists that it's not. But the fact that this record isn't overburdened by elated atmospherics takes nothing away from a quietly powerful, reflective and charismatic piece of work. PJ Harvey comparisons (particularly in relation to 'White Chalk') are bound to present themselves, especially with longtime Peej collaborator John Parish on board, but 'Party' is a dark gem with a lustre all its own. not to mention brio, humour and subtlety to spare.

Review: It's not hard to understand why people so often ignore album release blurb. Sales-y, hyperbolic, and on more than the odd occasion rather poorly written, it's hardly required reading in order to get the most out of the record. That is unless it's Big Thief's 'Two Hands', a collection of music that genuinely makes more sense when you know the back story. For one thing this long form offering is arriving just months after its predecessor, which is always either the sign of a band that don't need big ideas to facilitate rapid-fire output, or a band that have so many big ideas they literally can't stop the momentum. This is a case of the latter. Timescale aside, "Two Hands" genuinely feels as though it was born in the Badlands, epic songs that invoke endless vistas across barren settings in a way that makes you feel as small as you actually are in a global context. Like cosying up in a log cabin away from the chilly endless dark of a desert night.

Review: Seven albums in, The National have solidified their songwriting with confident nuance, and 'Sleep Well Beast' is another milestone on this consistent band's upward curve. Standout ballad 'Carin at the Liquor Store' waltzes and wanders through melancholic nostalgia and glimmers of hope, exemplifying the sound and storytelling that The National are so renowned and respected for. Small cracks in the concrete gloom appear with the more energetic and optimistic tracks, allowing just enough light in for this masterfully executed album to encourage repeat listens, which will in turn, and as always, provide ample rewards.

Review: Where were you seven years ago? School? High school? College? First job? Last job? Whatever the answer it's certainly not the same place as Efterklang were, and still are. The Danish trio have never been of this world, yet give us so many opportunities to consider the emotion and passion this world offers. The first album to be fully written in their native tongue accentuates those qualities - dreamy soundscapes, different and decidedly bewitching intonation. It's an epic journey, with the likes of "Uden Ansigt" among the most epic, like Bon Iver's vocals slow dancing with the soaring instrumentation of Sigur Ros. "Havet Lofter Sig" ups the beauty, fittingly on the shortest track - gentle pianos, unnaturally pitched backing voices and baritone lead creating real yearning, proving nothing great lasts forever. Or longer than a couple of minutes. Cutting to the chase, it's a mesmerising work you're sure to have on repeat.

Review: Is 2020 the year that even managed to break the spirit of Baltimore synth oddballs Future Islands? Well, not quite, but this latest addition to their eccentric oeuvre is a markedly more sombre, heartbroken and emotionally scarred affair than we are used to. Nevertheless, it's not without a few life-affirming moments and hints of hidden joy.

The single 'Thrill', which arrived ahead of the full album, certainly set the tone well. A nostalgic slice of downtrodden pop balladry, sweet and helpless, it shares an air of sadness with the waves of synth that dominate opener 'Glada'. Even when the beats break from the starting blocks with more urgency - say, 'For Sure' or the bassline pulses of 'Waking' - you can't help but feel this is a beautifully tragic experience.