Back catalogue: Indie/Alternative

Review: Two years on from her much-loved album Valentine in 2012, Snail Mai makes a welcome return with this lovely new EP, Valentine Demons. All four of these tracks are intimate affairs with closely mixed, often whispered vocals. Every single finger movement on the strings can be heard which brings each one to life. Aside from one never before heard tick 'Easy Thing' these are demo recordings made in the lead-up to that last album using just a minilogue synth, interface, mic, and guitar in her parents' house in Maryland. Their rawness and immediacy makes them at least as good as the final products on the album, if not better.

Review: Savages set a formidable precedent for themselves with their 2013 debut, yet 'Adore Life' wastes very little time in upping the ante with style and passion to spare. Where 'Silence Yourself' was an icy blast of angst and invective, this new opus attacks on all quarters - as raw and righteous as ever yet with a newfound widescreen sweep and beatific power that's intimidating to behold. These luminous and charismatic ditties are confident yet intimate, stark yet seductive, and can make the listener feel ten foot tall even whilst whispering intimately in their ear.

Review: It's Lindsey Jordan's second album under the Snail Mail guise. And, just like the namesake service, it's not rushed, at times feels a little unpredictable, and has an air of familiarity that's bound to put listeners at ease. Not that the immediately inviting, often-sweet soft rock instrumentation should be taken at face value. Valentine is an ode to love in a multitude of definitions, but the vast majority of them are in dire need of a little TLC. Not broken, just unkept and taken for granted.

Well, OK, in some instances things are beyond repair - at least one song here is concerned with the horrific feeling of finding out your former-love is now with a current love, which isn't you. On the whole, though, there's a theme of redemption running through the music on this record. That, and the realities of coming of age in the lens of the music and lifestyle press after debut LP Hush exploded before you turned 20.