Back catalogue: All genres

Review: There are immersive experiences that inspire artists to do great things. Then there's Aboutface heading to the Wampis Territory, in the Peruvian Amazon, to live with the local community, learn a little of how they live and their relationship with the Lungs of the Planet, capturing field recordings collaboratively with those people, and trying to articulate their world through an electronic-organic deep dive album. After you've got over the jealousy about how life-changing that trip was, let's focus on the fundamentals. This is seriously escapist stuff that seems to have been made using every root, branch, and animal encountered during those weeks. The synthesised elements are audible, but take a backseat to what was and is actually there. Or here. Quite unlike anything we've heard this year, it's a stunning way to raise awareness and support for Indigenous-led conservation and initiatives trying to stop illegal deforestation and ecocide.

Review: Plucking themselves and their strings out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Watchhouse has its foundations in Mandolin Orange, and the duo - songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily Frantz (vocals, violin, guitar) - haven't necessarily changed since the name switch. A married couple, there's always been this beautiful intimacy in their music, which is often tender, if not strictly quiet. Eight studio albums in and most of the reasons we fell for this Americana-folk-country outfit remain front and centre. The musicianship, at times, is nothing short of spectacular. Check the chord work on 'In The Sun'. The lyrics are capable of stopping you dead, forcing contemplation and reflection. And the overall atmosphere is like the feeling you have after stepping off a train back home. Slow down, re-familiarise, and pay some attention to the subtle things.

Review: Released way back in October 2001, the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone soundtrack became an instant classic. It was composed and conducted by the legendary John Williams and features iconic themes like 'Hedwig's Theme' and introduces multiple character and setting motifs that shaped the musical identity of the series. Many of these leitmotifs returned in Chamber of Secrets and beyond, with 'Hedwig's Theme' becoming the franchise's signature melody and appearing in all eight films plus the Fantastic Beasts spinoff. The score earned Williams an Academy Award nomination and was certified gold in both Canada and Japan. It's a magical, enduring piece of cinematic music history.

Review: Zambian psych rock trailblazers Witch - formed in 1971 and led by Emmanuel Chanda - endured decades of dormancy but enjoyed a new lease of life over the past few years. This follow up to their 2023 reunion album, Zango, sees them continue their blossoming relationship with the Desert Daze festival's label arm and Partisan Records, which is the label that broke Fontaines D.C. A notable producer of the album is Finland's Jacco Gardner, who has dabbled in myriad projects including an impressive solo career and what he's been able to oversee here is remarkable. The rabble-rousing garage rock opener, 'Kamusale' sees fuzz-laden guitars intertwine with Chanda's raw, energetic command as a frontman and we are quickly cast into their spell. Another highlight is the eye opening 'Queenless King' where a kraut-funk bass groove sets off a free-spirited psychedelic tapestry, bursting with bright ideas and soulful charm.

Review: Over two decades since their initial formation, Idag serves as the seventh full-length from Swedish occult rock/proto-doom metal legends Witchcraft, marking their follow up to 2020's sombre, acoustic dark folk, ironically titled Black Metal. Speaking on the project, founding guitarist/vocalist and sole original member Magnus Pelander states: "This album will reap souls and destroy wicked minds. And perhaps mend a couple of broken ones." Astute rock occultists quickly surmised the nod to Chicago psych rockers Coven's 1969 debut album, Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls, which marked the deepest foray into all things gloom and doom the rock scene had witnessed up until that point, even birthing the "sign of the horns", with Witchcraft doing their best to honour the pioneers with an all-encompassing work. From the monolithic, eight-minute opening title-track to the swaggery, 70s-indebted progressive rock and metal roots of 'Irreligious Flamboyant Flame', all underpinned with delicate folk pieces to provide vital respites, Witchcraft have ultimately delivered an awaited full accounting of who they are as a band.

Review: Aside from his many seminal soul sounds, Bill Withers will always be a favourite of ours for the way he simply quit the music industry once he felt he had said all he had to say. And he never changed his mind, never got lured back for money, instead enjoying quiet retirement. What a set of tunes he left behind though, many of them on this album, Still Bill, including the dark paranoia of 'Who Is He (& What Is He To You?)' the funky licks of 'Another Day To Run' and anguished leads and menacing drums of 'Use Me'. Singles aside, this also plays out as all great albums should, as a coherent and absorbing story from front to back.

Review: In January 2025, Al Wootton visited Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, which is home to a rare archive of vintage drum machines. Once there, he recorded the unique rhythms and quirks of these machines and captured their raw character. Back in the UK, he transformed those recordings through processing and layering to create this new EP, Rhythm Archives. The result is a stripped-back but impactful exploration of rhythm that draws from industrial, dub, post-punk and proto-techno influences. The record stands as both a creative tribute to the iconic machines and their makers and a nod to MESS's mission of preserving electronic music heritage and making it accessible through public engagement and education.

Review: Adam Winchester and Laurie Osborne (probably still best known as Appleblim) are Wrecked Lightship and they have an inventive approach to dub, breaks and bass. Their work creates an immersive world full of rich, atmospheric textures and the latest example of that is Drained Strands, a new album for Peak Oil full of fragmented, genre-blurring sounds. The six-tracker is full of experimentation and new ideas from the off. 'Delinquent Spirits' for example is a jumble of jungle breaks and vast basslines with minimal percussion, 'Reeling Mist' is warm, blissed out dub and 'Somnium Sands' is an eerie and evocative world of synth designs and industrial decay.

Review: French label PBT is absolutely on fire right now with a series of massive reissues of long-time boogie, funk and soul grails that will have collectors in a spin. Next up is this hidden gem from Florida's boogie funk archives, Pixie Dust by Wreckin' Crew, which was originally released in 1983 and was once a US-only rarity. It's a bass-heavy, synth-laced prized find for collectors and DJs featuring Robert Rans (who was the co-writer of Freeze's classic 'AEIOU') and veteran producer Kent Washburn. It's brimming with tight grooves and crisp drum programming while smooth vocal harmonies flow throughout. Every track radiates pure 80s boogie energy, all crafted with precision and ready to dominate dancefloors.

Review: Wunderhorse's Cub has evolved into a cult classic since its 2022 release and propelled the band from pub gigs to Glastonbury and sold-out Brixton Academy shows in quick time. Blending grunge bite with expansive psychedelia, the album became a generational touchstone, and frontman Jacob Slater's journey from burning out in Dead Pretties to rediscovering music while working as a surf instructor means he infuses Cub with hard-earned introspection and raw power. As the solo project transformed into a full band, Wunderhorse gained momentum, and their acclaimed 2024 follow-up Midas broke into the UK Top 10 and earned global praise while confirming their place as one of rock's most vital new voices.