Back catalogue: Pop

Review: An expanded version of Nonetheless, the legendary electronic pop duo's first release in over a decade. This expanded version of their 15th studio album features not only demos of the original tracks but also four new recordings, including three fresh songs and a cover of 'All The Young Dudes'. Teaming up with producer James Ford, the album combines the straightforward charm of their 1986 debut, Please, with the rich orchestration reminiscent of Behaviour. Opening with the lead single 'Loneliness', Tennant delivers an empowering message to shed isolation and embrace connection. This theme continues in 'Why Am I Dancing?', which reflects on finding joy amid life's chaos. The romantic track 'A New Bohemia' nostalgically yearns for past ideals while advocating for equality and transparency in 'New London Boy'. Overall, Nonetheless celebrates a diverse range of emotions, blending infectious dance tracks with introspective ballads. The result is a compelling album that reinvigorates the Pet Shop Boys' legacy while exploring contemporary themes of hope and connection - and the definitive version is here.

Review: Following only one year after 2023's critically acclaimed Zig, avant-pop-metal genre-denier Poppy (real name Moriah Pereira) returns with a direct successor which many fans initially and understandably presumed to be titled Zag. Having featured on albums by both the accessible pop-leaning Virgina based metalcore outfit Bad Omens and the far more vicious Kentucky metallic hardcore greats in the making Knocked Loose (which featured her most caustic vocals to date) in the past year, Negative Spaces attempts to eschew the more stripped-down restraint of 2021's Justin Meldal-Johnsen-produced Flux with a total sensory overload of digi-pop chaos. Working with producer Jordan Fish who recently departed from his intrinsic role within Bring Me The Horizon, the duo have seemingly intertwined approaches, dynamics and abilities to complement each other's tastes and carve out soundscapes that equally and simultaneously prioritise pop song structures, industrial harshness and hyperpop maximalism, yet all united under the mercurial presence of Poppy's multi-faceted characteristic cadences.

Review: Returning just one year on from 2023's Zig (with what many initially presumed to be titled Zag), Moriah Pereira, better known as Poppy, delivers her sixth full-length LP Negative Spaces. Fresh off of appearances on both the new Bad Omens and Knocked Loose albums, with the latter marking her most unhinged vocal performance to date, this latest work seeks to strike a balance between her established digi-metal-pop formula and more outsider experimentations in both regards to heavier delivery and more complex electronica. Produced by former Bring Me The Horizon producer/keyboardist/programming wizard Jordan Fish, the not-so-strange bedfellows compliment each other majorly with Fish's ear for the sonic coalescence of metallic and industrial soundscapes within glistening pop structures providing an ample playground for Poppy to stretch her vocal cadences and multi-faceted character dynamics to enthralling new heights. This limited indie exclusive pressing arrives on a trifold pink & white split-coloured vinyl.