TYLER-JAMES KELLY, DREAM RIVER

As a child, Tyler-James Kelly spent countless hours at his Nanna’s house, captivated by the sounds of old 45s rather than mingling with kids his age. Drawn to 1970s country legends like Hank Williams, Jerry Reed, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson, Kelly began playing guitar at the age of ten and never looked back. His parents often joked about his "old soul," saying he must have walked into a corn maze in 1975 and never emerged. Now a seasoned songwriter and skilled guitarist, Kelly blends the vintage tones and timeless storytelling of his heroes with a contemporary edge.

His solo debut album, Dream River, was born from a time of personal change and introspection. Moving into a new home with his partner, coupled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of close friends, prompted Kelly to reevaluate his artistic identity. Shedding past personas, he embraced authenticity, crafting an album steeped in the rich traditions of 1970s country music. The record delves into themes of temptation, guilt, small-town struggles, gratitude, and life's simple pleasures, all conveyed with emotional honesty and a deep respect for the genre.

Recorded with contributions from top-tier musicians, Dream River beautifully captures the essence of American roots music. Standout tracks include the lilting waltz of the title song, the honky-tonk energy of "Travelin' Troubadour," and the haunting ballad "Hard Times." With his commanding baritone voice and wonderful guitar work, Kelly seeks to honor the legacy of country and folk music while creating timeless stories that resonate across generations. He does all of this with great success. Dream River is a wonderful, standout album in a year of a lot of great music. 

LEX AMOR, FORWARD EVER

Lex Amor is a DJ, producer, sound designer, engineer, rapper, youth mentor, and community activist from Northern London. Over the past number of years, Amor has turned to poetry as a way to 'find meaning in the world that unfolded around her,' and began performing at open mic nights. Over time, Amor's poems morphed into rap verses which she place over subtle and hypnotic beats.

"FORWARD EVER is a statement of intent – a reminder to persevere and navigate through the haze of modern life – an offering of a perspective. It’s about finding beauty where you stand and having faith in the timing of your journey – seeing the thorn as you see the rose. The album is born out of a lifetime of introspection, capturing the movement of a mind on this earth – a time stamp, a reminder that I was here – London, 2024: thinking and hoping, navigating – alongside everybody else." -Lex Amore-

On her sophomore album, Forward Ever, Amor plays with hip-hop, jazz, electrionica, and afrobeats to create a hazy and dreamlike soundscape which serve as a backdrop over which she floats her poetry. As a whole, the album lives in an almost meditative state. It's one that I have found myself wanting to step into more than once.

 

LAURA MARLING, PATTERNS IN REPEAT

"Everything you want is in your reach right now

And anything that's not I have to teach somehow

Everything about you is intuitive

So those who miss the point might rush right through it

'Cause it's fine

But I don't want to miss it, child of mine"

Laura Marling is long from the young age of sixteen when she joined her older sister in London to pursue music. Now 34, Marling is a celebrated artists who has been recognized for her art with multiple Mercury Prize, Brit Award, and Grammy nominations. Most recently for her 2020 album, Songs Of Our Daughter, which Marling described as being written to an imaginary child.

Four years later, Marling is now a mother and has written and recorded a new collection of songs on which she celebrates her daughter and finds her ruminating about motherhood, the passage of time, and all the things that we inherit from our parents and the cycles we repeat. Recorded in her living room with her four month old daughter in the room, Patterns In Repeat, Marling's eight album, is an 'open-hearted' and intimate affair. Marling has never been more captivating. Patterns In Repeat is simply one of the most beautiful albums that I have heard in years and I found myself hanging on her every word, guitar note, chord, and strum.

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.