13 September 2025
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.
Browse specific styles
Second album of orchestral pop/modern folk in the from 20-year old Londoner Alessi Laurent-Marke.
6.9
An album which rarely dips below excellent and the old school songwriting and airy, summery production will leave you utterly spellbound Read Review
Singing like a cross between Hope Sandoval and Björk, Laurent-Marke has made a record of deceptive simplicity Read Review
The understated arrangements suggest you're listening to a woman with impeccable taste. Print edition only
It takes several plays to appreciate all the small touches that make up each delicate piece Read Review
While her voice is sweetly girlish and breathy, her songs – weightless, but deftly made folk songs – are very grownup Read Review
A precious mix of childlike insouciance and adolescent anxiety Read Review
While Time Travel is mostly a sedate, bucolic affair, there are welcome moments of musical and lyrical aggression Read Review
Laurent-Marke’s candied and wobbly tones wash over you with such ease and elegance Read Review
Has some stellar moments but is not quite the album to make a star of Alessi’s Ark Read Review
A rather lovely album - full of folky coming-of-age tales Read Review
A solid album of pleasant, though slightly conventional, country pop songs Read Review
Woozy waltz rhythms and languid guitars abound. Print edition only
Her mostly drum-free songs are as winsome and engaging as those of Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons. Print edition only
The London singer revels in the safe, mid-paced arrangements thickly, and far too generously, spread across the record Read Review
Alessi's Ark: Time Travel
Parcels Loved
While not for cynics, LOVED is a late-summer delight that comes at audiences with open arms. Comfortable dancing shoes recommended for listening All Music
Parcels have built something contagious here, with a joy that leaves you feeling that little bit lighter when you’re done with it Dork
Loved is a departure for Parcels but one that is constantly invigorating, the group are clearly incredibly relaxed and that is reflected in the calming, and highly enjoyable soundscape they have created on this record The Line Of Best Fit
The star of this entire record is without question the harmonies. They are razor sharp, technically astounding and forever charming, leaving you wanting more of them at the close of every song Far Out
Maruja Pain To Power
They really have taken a complicated moment and made it into a fantastic piece of music Far Out
Incredible lead single Look Down On Us is just one of three tunes here that capture Maruja’s free-flowing approach by stretching out to the 10-minute mark Kerrang!
The Manchester jazz-punks let loose on their savage debut album through cathartic outpourings of fury, despair and love NME
The thrill of this band is the extremes. From moshpits one minute and silence the next, they are in command with their music, unifying the crowd God Is In The TV
This band and this record want you to punch a hole in the wall, ask if you're willing to step through it – and then beckon others to do the same The Line Of Best Fit
Maruja emerge from the studio with raucous rap-rock and meandering jam music in tow, resulting in an album full of the same songs several times over. By the end, listeners may feel they have deja vu. Fans may feel they have dementia The Quietus
Rage-infused music of dissolution Clash
Jade That's Showbiz Baby!
Debut solo album by Little Mix singer is packed with incident and a multitude of musical styles musicOMH
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Gush
Whether she’s creating music for the dance floor or the yoga studio, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith continues to blend disparate styles into her unique sonic melting pot PopMatters
Baxter Dury Allbarone
Arguably the rawest and truest manifestation of Baxter Dury yet The Quietus
There are some moments that some won’t be as much a fan of and there’s some unexpected breakout moments – but that’s the nature of art, and after all; that’s showbiz, baby The Line Of Best Fit
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
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange