Music Reviews

When New Jersey singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten released her debut album 'Because I Was In Love' way back in 2009 she was in complete charge, but step forward to 2025 and her eighth album release is a collaborative effort with three other bands members, all playing a big part. Van Etten describes the scene when rehearing for a tour in the desert: “For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have never come out of my mouth – ever!” Within an hour they had come up with two songs and, as they say, the rest is history.

We discovered Heartworms in July 2024, when we covered their set down at the River Stage during TRNSMT Festival. Her debut album, 'Glutton For Punishment', explores broken families, broken relationships and the unpleasantness of wars. Here's what we thought of the nine-track record...

After almost four whole years since 'Eternal Blue' first came out, Spiritbox are back with new album 'Tsunami Sea', a more than suitable follow-up to the Canadian quartet’s debut record.

Wigan four-piece The Lathums have just released album number three via Modern Sky. Their two previous efforts, 2021's 'How Beautiful Life Can Be' and 2023's 'From Nothing To A Little Bit More' both reached the number one spot on the UK's Official Albums Chart - the big question now is can they make it three-in-a-row with Matter Does Not Define? 

Lacuna Coil’s new album, 'Sleepless Empire', isn’t just another chapter in their ever-impressive catalogue - it’s a bold statement of intent. Their tenth studio album dropped earlier this month and saw the Italian icons embracing their gothic roots, while fearlessly pushing their sound into unexplored sonic spectrums.

Call Me Amour are back with their self-titled EP, creating a unique blend of dark electronica with sonic guitars. Here's what we thought of the five-track release...

'Critical Thinking', the fifteenth album from the Manic Street Preachers, is finally here and it was definitely worth the wait! 

From the depths of the South London alt-rock underground a band has emerged who aren’t here just to play nice or make up the numbers. They’re here to drag you into their world of suffocating atmosphere, raw emotion, and rock n’ roll devastation. Their sophomore EP, 'Elements', is an emotional rollercoaster through the chaos of the human condition, an unrelenting dive into the depths of inner turmoil, wrapped in a package of searing alt-rock grit.

There aren’t many musicians we can claim are from my home town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, but VUKOVI's Janine Shilstone is one of those as I discovered when their third album 'NULA' was released in 2022. Now, three years on, the duo are back with their new album 'MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN', and it's surely their best album to date.

Dublin rock quartet Inhaler have released their third album 'Open Wide' via Polydor Records. This much anticipated record follows a busy couple of years for the band, who have been touring the world supporting acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon and Harry Styles.