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25 April 2024

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

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New

Still House PlantsIf I don't make it, I love u

"A truly brilliant piece of work" (10/10 - The Skinny). "One of the best rock records of the year" (9/10 - Exclaim. "Eschews typical song forms in favor of a kind of collective flickering" (8.5/10 - Pitchfork)

New

Taylor SwiftThe Tortured Poets Department

"A terrific reminder of the intense, personal connection Swift can conjure in song" (10/10 - The Independent). "Surprisingly flat and, at times, cringeworthy" (6/10 - NME)

New

Pearl JamDark Matter

"It’s thrilling. It’s moving. It’s surprising. It’s a band still operating at the peaks of their powers" (10/10 - Kerrang!) "Experiment with new sonic avenues after years of playing it safe" (8/10 - NME)

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

RideInterplay

"When they delve into the big guitar histrionics of yesteryear, as on “Light in a Quiet Room,” the results are breathtaking" (9/10 - Under The Radar). "One of the most intriguing albums of their career to date" (8/10 - Clash)

ElbowAudio Vertigo

"This is phenomenal stuff" (10/10 - The Arts Desk). "An album that further cements their legacy" (9-10 - Clash). "It’s nice to see Elbow stepping outside their comfort zone" (8/10 - Under The Radar)

Kacey MusgravesDeeper Well

"Revels in Laurel Canyon folk and psychedelic pop on her fantastic sixth album" (10/10 - The Independent). "Ring it up as another jewel in the crown" (8/10 - The Irish Times)

Kim GordonThe Collective

"An astonishing work that’s at least as good (if not better) than some of the albums with which she made her fame and fortune" (10/10 musicOMH)

Yard ActWheres My Utopia?

"Wry, riveting, chaotic, and infectious throughout, Where's My Utopia? easily upstages what was an impressive debut" (All Music). "A resounding, charismatic and dance-heavy sophomore LP" (Paste)

Liam Gallagher & John SquireLiam Gallagher John Squire

"This is too much fun to be a one-off" (Mojo). "The half-inched tunes come and go rather forgettably but they’re charged with an electric vigour" (The Independent). OR "An excruciating exercise in bluster and swagger" (The Irish Times)

IdlesTangk

"The sound of a band who’ve finally arrived" (Northern Transmissions). "A raucous expression of love, TANGK is raw, vulnerable and inimitably IDLES" (The Skinny). "Their best yet" (The Irish Times)

Animal Joy

Shearwater

Animal Joy

Bloggers average rating: 6.8
Label: Sub Pop
UK Release date: 27/02/2012

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8.0 | Treble

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7.5 | Kicking Against The Pricks

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7.5 | Manic Pop Thrills

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7.0 | The Fire Note

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4.0 | Snobs Music

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Shearwater: Animal Joy

Download full album for just £8.49
1. Animal Life £0.99
2. Breaking the Yearlings £0.99
3. Dread Sovereign £0.99
4. You as You Were £0.99
5. Insolence £0.99
6. Immaculate £0.99
7. Open Your Houses £0.99
8. Run the Banner Down £0.99
9. Pushing the River £0.99
10. Believing Makes it Easy £0.99
11. Star of the Age £0.99

Latest Reviews

Fat White Family Forgiveness Is Yours

Even when they don’t quite hit the mark, they remain a curiously compelling act who play by their own rules – chaos remains their lifeblood, for good and for bad musicOMH

Fat White Family Forgiveness Is Yours

A certain rock'n'roll energy is lacking. Print edition only Mojo

Fat White Family Forgiveness Is Yours

Forgiveness Is Yours sometimes becomes too diffuse, hampered by a surplus of bold ideas that do not get all the necessary follow-through. But it Abounds with queasy pleasures all the same. Print edition only Uncut

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Fresh stuff

Fresh stuff

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

"Neat summation of where they've been, while still looking forward" (10/10 - The Skinny). "Their most accomplished album yet" (9/10 - DIY). "Sprawling ode to a long-gone, old New York City" (8/10 - NME)

Lucy RoseThis Ain't The Way You Go Out
"It’s hard not to be in awe of the scale of her growth and transformation" (9/10 - DIY). "Nothing here is a misfire, as Rose deftly navigates new approaches" (8/10 - All Music)

Maggie RogersDon't Forget Me
"The sound of an artist beginning to sink cosily into her own skin, and enjoying herself enormously in the process" (8/10 - DIY). "Perfect for blasting out on a sunny day driving along a highway" (8/10 - musicOMH)

Nia ArchivesSilence Is Loud
"This is truly an album of someone who’s grown up completely native to the information glut age" (10/10 - The Arts Desk). "Her trailblazer status has never been more assured" (9/10 - DIY)

The LibertinesAll Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
"Their most ambitious and expansive record to date" (8/10 - The Independent). "Its 11 new tunes display energetic rock-pop hooks, plenty going on in the lyrics" (8/10 - Arts Desk)

Bob VylanHumble As The Sun
"Bob Vylan are here to make long-lasting change, and you are their army’s newest recruit" (8/10 - Clash). "Their rebellious spirit is intertwined with a sense of total, inspiring self-love" (8/10 - Kerrang!)

Sum 41Heaven :X: Hell
"A true grand finale, and it's one worth reveling in" (8.8/10 - Sputnik Music). "Without any shadow of a doubt, the album of their career. What a way to leave" (8/1- - Kerrang!)

Julia HolterSomething in the Room She Moves
"The distinct work of an unparalleled songwriting experimentalist" (9/10 - Loud And Quiet). "Warming, aqueous, immersive and endlessly engaging" (9/10 - Uncut)

Chastity BeltLive Laugh Love
"By opening up their songwriting process, the band have managed to carve out an even more singular sound" (8/10 - DIY). "Overall this record is a heady, expansive treat" (8/10 - Mojo)

Bolis PupulLetter to Yu
"Succeeds in melding melancholy with joyous electronica" (8.4/10 - Northern Transmissions). "A compelling journey of grief, loss and the effects of ancestry" (8/10 - musicOMH)

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.