Architects
For Those That Wish To Exist
The bleaker things get, the stronger they emerge
DIY
Maxïmo Park
Nature Always Wins
There’s no upturning of the band’s musical blueprint, but their social conscience has earned them a third act
DIY
Cloud Nothings
The Shadow I Remember
For better and worse, the Ohio quartet's eighth album speaks to their 10 years in the game, a lack of inventiveness offset by their relentless drive
NME
Maxïmo Park
Nature Always Wins
The Geordie misfits return with joyful pop songs and introspective anthems aplenty on their seventh studio album
NME
Julien Baker
Little Oblivions
Blossoming her one-woman show into an overwhelming soundscape of loops and effects, Baker nonetheless remains one of the most lyrically direct and bracing acts in modern music
Spectrum Culture
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
Unsung ‘80s synth pioneer signs off with an album that looks back wistfully, rather than blazing new electronic trails
Spectrum Culture
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
A transcendent parting gift to the universe, Angel Tears in Sunlight is a timeless addition to Strom’s canonical legacy
Crack
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
This posthumous addition to her near perfect catalogue confirms that statement, expertly revealing how attuned to the universe she was and how vibrantly her imagination shone in the dark
musicOMH
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
Angel Tears in Sunlight serves as another worthy album from an unheralded talent
Beats Per Minute
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
The electronic composer’s first album in 33 years is also her final one—she passed away in December. The synthesizer pieces here are the lightest and most playful of her career, like beacons of hope and change
Pitchfork
Pauline Anna Strom
Angel Tears In Sunlight
Strom’s first album in 30 years – and last, following her death in December – is a quiet riot of digitally manipulated drones and noise
The Guardian
Blanck Mass
IN FERNEAUX
The raw components of the record are recognisable enough – Power’s hyperactive synths are pursued by his customary snarls of digital distortion and white noise, intermittently broken up by scatty field recordings and disarmingly open piano chords – but it’s their presentation that’s so captivating
Loud And Quiet