Anatomy Of A Brief Romance hasn’t enough hooks, lyrics of substance or dynamics to really recommend it beyond a couple of songs

It’s a ludicrous, entirely unexpected occurrence when a band release a single album that sounds like a Greatest Hits collection, but track after track, hook after blinding hook, and line after wry line, that’s what we get – every song building on the glistening brilliance of the last

Lyrically, it’s a very personal record – but musically it’s very much a band record

So no major surprises, then, but another fantastic collection of songs that remind us of why they have been so highly revered over all these years

At a time when popular music can feel as though everything has already been done, there is something welcoming about an artist of Charli’s scale choosing to produce something of a challenge to her fans. Let’s reclaim the listener experience with this album that could just be a part of something more

Who knows what the next record will involve – but the journey that we have taken to get this far with the band suggests that it will be worth waiting for. For now, we have this, and a spectacular back catalogue to enjoy, too. Same time in 2029, then? Over to you, Mr. Wagner

Materia might be only 7-tracks long but it’s a transformative experience for the listener in how music doesn’t have to be completely brand new but can be recycled and reshaped

This really isn’t just music for the background. It’s far too special for that

Cry Baby is comforting, filling, and just a bit weird—exactly the kind of meat and potatoes we’ve come to expect from Vince Staples

Mary In The Junkyard are the awkward, quirky, beautiful indie pop band of the summer