AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS, CARTOON DARKNESS

Amyl And The Sniffers are back, and they really want you to fuck off. No, seriously—don’t even try to get comfortable. From the first note of Cartoon Darkness, frontwoman Amy Taylor greets us with a venomous spit: “You’re a dumb c**t, You’re an asshole, Every time you talk you mumble, grumble, Need to wipe your mouth after you speak cuz it’s an asshole.” After that intro, you’re either going to be shocked and/or offended and stop listening or submit to this Aussie band's brash and bodaciousness and hang on tight for the next 35 minutes. Either way, the band is not bothered. They’ve already moved on.

Cartoon Darkness is an album that doesn’t beg for your attention. It doesn't soften its edges. It's still got that relentless punk energy that made them notorious. But musically, Guitarist Declan Mehrtens has said he wanted to try and get a cleaner, less aggressive sound than what they've done in the past and experiment with some ‘softer’ sounds. That intentionality elevates the band's music to new heights while Taylor’s uncompromising wit still never dips below razor-sharp with her lyrics. The more you dig into Cartoon Darkness, the more you realize this is a band’s final word on anything resembling compromise. They’re unapologetic, untouchable, and undeniably one of the most exciting acts around right now.

Take them or leave them, the band really doesn't care. As Taylor has said, "If you don't like us, then that's on you." What's also on you is choosing not listening to Cartoon Darkness, and missing out on one of the best albums of the year. The ball's in your court.

THE CURE, SONGS OF A LOST WORLD

In 1988, nearing the age of 30, The Cure's Robert Smith was struggling with depression, the not-so-great parting of ways with his band's co-founder, coping with the band's increased popularity, and the pressure he felt to produce their next great album. It was a dark period of time, but rather than try to escape it, Smith embraced it and used it as the source to create the band's 1989 masterpiece, Disintegration.

Thirty five years on, at the age of 65, mourning the loss of his parents and brother, and watching his band mates loose loved ones, Smith is acutely aware of the passage of time and his own mortality. And that awareness has washed away any of the romanticizing of death and dying that he felt or sang about in his youth. And once again, rather than try to escape what is real, Smith embraces it. 

On Songs Of A Lost World, the band's first new album in 16 years, Smith sings "I know, I know that my world has grown old and nothing is forever." It's a theme that stretches out across eight epic songs that end with Endsong on which Smith sings, "And I'm outside in the dark staring at the blood red moon. Remembering the hopes and dreams I had and all I had to do. And wondering what became of that boy and world he called his own. I'm outside in the dark wondering how I got so old." It's powerful self-reflection that captures the weight of a lifetime's experiences, woven into a hauntingly beautiful meditation of loss, memory, and the passage of time.

With its brooding and atmospheric soundscape, Songs Of A Lost World feels like a natural successor to Disintegration. The album's lush melancholic aesthetic serves the perfect backdrop for Smith's lyrics and a welcomed return to form. This is by far the band's best album in 35 years and their second masterpiece.

WHITELANDS, NIGHT-BOUND EYES ARE BLIND TO THE DAY

Back in 2019, guitarist and singer Etienne Quartey-Papafio stumbled upon the reformed Slowdive’s KEXP session on YouTube. He immediately connected with the band’s shoegazing sound. It became the new reference point for Whitelands, the black four piece band that Etienne had formed with guitarist Michael Adelaja, bassist Vanessa Govinden and drummer Jagun Meseorisa.  

“There’s an underlying narrative that it’s OK for white men to be romantic, sensitive, emotional and make dreamy music and, by contrast, young Black men should be making angry music. We’ve all grown up with these stereotypes and therefore I think people are mystified when they see Whitelands.”.  Vanessa Govinden

Five years on, the band arrive with their debut album, Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day.  On it, the band play with beautifully layered, swirling, and etherial walls of sound that harken back to the late ‘80 and early ‘90’s when shoegazing bands were peaking. Set back and obscured by this wall are lyrics dealing with everything from vulnerability, unbalanced relationships, and personal struggles to racism, tokenism, and imperialism. Listening to Night-Bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day has been such a treat. It is everything that I want from a shoegazing album and have found myself lost in it more than once.

JAH LIL, CAN A MAN CRY

“For centuries men have been hiding their true feelings. We were never provided that safe space. It’s reflecting in society.” Jah Lil.

 

Born and raised in the Jamaican downtown Kingston ghetto, Jah Lil grew up in a very violent community. But he grew up around good people and it gave his family the necessary tools to survive those hard times. One of those tools was music. Especially gospel music which would lead him as a teenager to a government sponsored gospel song competition which he won with the song ‘Weeping Men.’

On his debut album, Can A Man Cry, Lil strives to create that safe space where men can express themselves by sharing his own life stories and emotions while conveying messages of love, inspiration, and encouragement. Set against a musical backdrop of relaxing Reggae grooves, Can A Man Cry is one of the standout albums this year.

DAVID GILMOUR, LUCK AND STRANGE

David Gilmour released his first solo album in 1978. Now 78 years young, Gilmour has released just his fifth studio album, Luck and Stranger.  Beyond the fact that Gilmour is still making music at his stage in life, what's amazing to me is just how good he sounds 46 years on...both his voice and his guitar playing. Both are vintage Gilmour. 

What is different is the tone and tenor of Gilmour's lyrics. There’s no escaping time and on Luck and Strange, Gilmour spends much of his time ruminating on the finiteness of life's journey. Combining Gilmour's lyrics with his vocals and guitar and you get something that is truly special. Luck and Strange is an elegant and dignified album that stands apart from his past albums. I don't know if this is Gilmour's last album or not, but if it is, it's a fitting ending to a storied career as an artist.

LEON BRIDGES, LEON

Leon Bridges’ self-titled fourth album has really been a lifetime in the making. Through thirteen songs, Bridges journeys through "The heart" of Ft. Worth, TX where he grew up, sharing stories about about home, about nostalgia, and his upbringing. Ultimately, it's music that Bridges hopes takes every lister back to their own roots and journey. 

Recorded and produced by Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgrave, Maggie Rogers), Leon has a timeless sense about it and is an incredibly soulful album.