30 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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Debut full length album from the Californian duo, consisting of alternative rock and post-punk
5.8
Should Middle Class Rut choose to expand their musical palette, as The Black Keys have done in recent years, they may well prove to be a considerable force in the alternative rock arena Read Review
This epic fusion of soul and heaviosity will still leave you with the best kind of shakes. Print edition only
Bitterness flecked with genuine ferocity Read Review
Its opening half is a rollicking ride, and packs in some great riffs and a vocal style that isn’t far off penning stadium rock anthem Read Review
There’s a technical appreciation that this big sound can be made by just two people, but on a musical level, less can sometimes just mean less Read Review
It's not all bad; they have some promise in their instrumentation. But they need more variation in the nauseating vocal delivery Read Review
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Middle Class Rut: No Name No Color
Hovvdy Hovvdy
The Austin duo’s hushed and unassuming double album is a capstone to their career so far, a scrapbook of moments of love and loss from a life well-lived Pitchfork
The pair have fully blossomed from their early DIY start, showcasing an incredible range of indie pop craftsmanship and a grounded centredness built on empathy and understanding Exclaim
If at times you crave for something unhinged across these 19 songs, the sonic equivalent of a psychic break to disrupt the constant temperate mood, you inevitably fall back on Martin and Taylor’s fluid warmth. Their transition into scarred adult terrain still sounds remarkably peaceful Under The Radar
Their previous albums have gently invited you to settle into them, but Hovvdy pulls at you, trying to draw out moments of catharsis or festival-ready melody. If you give into that pull, the results are as endlessly blissful as ever The Line Of Best Fit
The Texas-bred duo’s new double-LP showcases a new spin on their signature light-footed production as well as a heavier subject matter Paste Magazine
Hovvdy houses their most eclectic transitions and banger-certified pop songs Spin
St. Vincent All Born Screaming
Recreating the noises in her head, Annie Clark’s first fully self-produced album ranges across styles and emotions, and is her most direct yet The Observer
Justice Hyperdrama
The French producer duo attempt a return to their roots, but the results are a little too polished The Observer
An album that confidently states Annie Clark as one of the greatest songwriters around while Dork
While the album may lack the tension that once made Justice’s music feel so robust, it’s a valiant effort nonetheless—a sonic escapade that’s equal parts exhilarating and frustrating Northern Transmissions
The iconic, chameleonic rocker’s course-correcting seventh solo album is as harrowing as it is hopeful—and her heaviest yet Paste Magazine
Hyperdrama will ultimately please fans who enjoyed their last two albums, but for anyone else hoping for a more adventurous LP that captures the succinct, edgy and grimy attitude of Cross, you’re going to be left disappointed Sputnik Music (staff)
Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department
Taylor Swift doubles down on heartbreak, wordplay and literary references, making The Tortured Poets Department a far more mature, though perhaps not entirely necessary, installment to her discography Spectrum Culture
Retains their usual slightly gnarly but smartly turned-out vibe The Arts Desk
Clark connected the playfulness of Daddy’s Home with the eclecticism of her early works, finally achieving one of her most unpredictable, disobedient, and wicked works to date God Is In The TV
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.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Dave We’re All Alone In This Together