Troye Sivan
Bloom
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cutting edge, sweet, and cozy are three words to describe Troye Sivan’s Bloom. Sivan’s life is directly engraved on each lyric and sound, listening to the songs allows you to understand what he has encountered. From the opening track Seventeen the album starts to tell his story, and the tracks go through a range of different styles. He’s described this album is a love letter to the emotions in his life and his current relationship. What a Heavenly Way to Die is the one which stuck in my head. This song was inspired by The Smith’s There is a Light That Never Goes Out. – Tiffany Chow
Rabbit Island
Deep in the Big
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Rabbit Island’s album Dig in the Deep defies simple descriptions. It feels almost crude to try and review the album using words.Calling it merely dreamlike doesn’t hold a candle to Amber Fresh’s genius; the album is a soundtrack to a journey taken in another world. With each track, Fresh’s hypnotic voice and musicianship blend together and you wonder if Rabbit Island has been in the background of your thoughts longer than you can remember. Long may it stay there. – Jay Chesters
Travis Scott
Astroworld
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Travis Scott’s highly anticipated third is loaded with collaborations Frank Ocean, James Blake, Stevie Wonder, Drake, The WEEKND, Tame Impala, Pharrell WIlliams and many more make an appearance. With flawless production Scott creates a psychedelic soundscape that is filled perfect balance of crisp beats, distorted sounds and smooth flows. You should listen to the whole album from start to finish for the best experience, but highlights are Stop Trying to Be God, Skeletons and Coffee Bean. All together there’s 17 tunes which is quite an epic journey to go on. – Graeme Watson
Fresh Tracks
Conner Youngblood – Los Angeles chilled out and laid back with a drowsy vocal Fat Freddy’s Drop – Trickle Down a surprisingly different sound from the New Zealanders, slow, electronic and brooding Mashd N Kutcher – Don’t Stop Believin’ this version does stray too far from the original but gives it a nice EDM makeover Suede – Don’t be afraid if nobody love you the band are back with their seventh album and while tapping into their classic sound this doesn’t break any new ground The Prodigy – I Need Some1 an urgent track that pulses and throbs at a rapid rate Orbital – P.H.U.K. it’s like being mugged by a casino keyboard Mary J Blige – Only Love it’s a big soul number to sing-a-long to Michael Price – When Rivers Run I See a gorgeous piano rework of a Library Tapes tune Galantis featuring Max – Satisfied ‘incredibly catchy’ tune of the the month Kelly Lee Owens – Birds (Prins Tomas Diskomiks DJ edit) dark and moody beat driven tune for a late night dancefloor Vinyl Williams – Florian Veridiction psychedelic dreaminess Ross From Friends – Pale Blue Dot this is just perfect for a rave in a forest under a full moon
Liberation
Christina Aguilera
★ ★ ★ ½
Christina Aguilera showcases ripe, raw vocals that have well and truly matured from the bubblegum pop of her self-titled debut album. Aguilera’s eighth studio album propels her into a new age of relevance revealing poignant, compelling themes in tracks such as Maria and Unless It’s You, while Fall in Line is all set to be the new people-pleaser anthem. Although overall, Liberation doesn’t quite reach the full ambition of the opening track’s soulful composition into flight and freedom, its eclecticism means there’s something for everyone. – Evie Tymms
The Carters
Everything is Love
★ ★ ★ ★
Music greats Beyonce and Jay-Z surprise the world in a debut collaborative effort resulting in Everything is Love. This album completes the trilogy comprising of Beyonce’s Lemonade and Jay-Zs’ 4:44, which offered insight into their marriage. With guest appearances from Migos, Offset, Quavo and Ty Dolla Sign and Pharell, thisd album is replete with symbolism and draws upon the strengths of both artists to seamlessly infuse genres such as soul, R&B, reggae and hip hop. – Alex Westin
Panic at the Disco
Pray for the Wicked
★ ★ ★ ★
Boppy, energised and commercialised are three words to describe Panic’s latest album. Don’t be scared away though, whilst not reliving the glory days of mid to late 2000’s emo rock and overly long song titles the essence of Brendon Urie and his particularly standout sound translates over the genre hopping like a drag queen impersonating a celebrity and bringing themselves to the performance. The essential item in this body of work is definitely Dying in L.A which epitomises what ten years has done to this band and the unironic sense of loss and nostalgia we hold onto with their music that somehow is still worth the listen. – Kyle J Kash
Loose Tooth
Keep Up
★ ★ ★
Melbourne trio deliver an album of catchy indie that is reminiscent of classic Aussie bands like The Triffids and The Stems or more recent outfits like Cloud Control. Jangly guitars, rolling bass and crisp vocals feature throughout. Opening with the enthusiastic lead single Keep On, things get punkier and rockier on the subsequent tunes, but the indie recipe of success remains. Closing track Miss You adds some jazz and country tones into mix but why mess with a successful formula. – Graeme Watson
Fresh Tracks
Paul McCartney – Come On To Me Beatles master shows he can still write a damn catchy tune Perfume Genius – Run Me Through (King Princess Remix) an intriguing new take on the powerful song Deafheaven – Canary Yellow it’s a bit epic clocking at 12 minutes and it’s like a musical seesaw beautifully quiet and aggressively loud Sink Ya Teeth – Pushin’ it would not be possible to sound more 80s Indigo Girls with the University of Colorado Symphony Orchestra – Closer to Fine a classic tune shines with the added energy of a crowd and an orchestra Andrea Di Ginovanni – Wild Romance camp and dramatic Keiynan Lonsdale here’s a slice pop perfection with a funky slow groove Turre Boelius – Lätkäjätkä-Ville we don’t know what he’s singing about but tis catchy and sounds like a Gaga tune Olafur Arnalds – Re:member chill out to this Underworld and Iggy Pop – I’ll See Big philosophical spoken word musings Our Girl – I Really Like It indie goodness with power pop guitars
