It’s been a very hectic year – now more so than ever, but as the UK remains on lockdown, we find ourselves with a little more time to turn to albums that got missed in the chaos of 2020’s first three months. If nothing else, it’s been a solid year for music! Here’s the albums the Phonograph are catching up with at the moment.
Grouplove – Healer
For sunny, unfaltering cheer, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better band than Grouplove to inspire it. They range from sickeningly wholesome roof-down bangers to as groovy and sultry as you can get with gang vocals. Dance beats underpin the whole of Healer, but Grouplove know when to strip it back, the airy Places, gently folky Ahead of Myself, and sweeping album closer This Is Everything providing expert respite from an album you can’t stop moving to.
King Krule – Man Alive!
King Krule: the pinnacle of softboi music, and with good reason. 6 Feet Beneath The Moon and The Ooz built King Krule’s gently mind-bending trademark sound, setting the tone for his much-anticipated third album, three years on from his last release, and he’s definitely met our expectations. Man Alive! proves that it’s possible for the most chilled-out of tracks to burst with vitality, and proves to the more casual listeners that Archy Marshall goes much greater than an echoing guitar on a vibey track. Man Alive! is melancholy, haunting, and as deliciously vicious yet relaxed as we’ve heard so far.
Best Coast – Always Tomorrow
Bethany Cosentino, the pipes behind California duo Best Coast, has a magical knack for making any song sound gorgeously positive, even if it’s not all good vibes in subject matter. That comes through more than ever on Always Tomorrow – dealing with the challenges and ups and downs of life as it comes at you, but unfailingly putting an optimistic spin on it. From pounding surf-punk opener Different Light to heartrending closer Used To Be, golden guitar chords and Cosentino’s emotive yet lighthearted delivery make Always Tomorrow an uplifting – but very real – listen.
COIN – Dreamland
Many will first hear COIN for their almost blindingly upbeat banger Talk Too Much – but on latest release Dreamland they unleash a groovy, moody, alt-pop gloriousness that makes TTM sound like a Disney original. And we’re loving it. 1975-esque ethereal synth interludes, soaring soundscapes, 2000s electro beats, dense and buzzy sounds and simplistic, easy-to-sing-along-to lyrics: it’s a cocktail that comes together to make a shining gem of a pop record.
HMLTD – West of Eden
HMLTD are so cool. That’s all I have to lead with, and that’s the instant impression you get from opening track The West Is Dead, with it’s feverish electro-instrumental, and Henry Spychalski’s somehow manic and effortless delivery. The record is glam rock mashed up with rave, with a dash of whatever HMLTD feels like; it works because it’s so unapologetic and so expertly woven up – you can’t wrap your head around it, one minute it’s a 7 minute 80s-vibe epic, the next it’s an under-a-minute flickering undertone. We can’t get out to a show at the moment, but no worries – listening to HMLTD conjures up the vision of performance in your mind.
Hayley Kiyoko – I’m Too Sensitive For This Shit
From her Disney roots, Hayley Kiyoko has been well placed to ascend to pop queen status. And she’s done it, blossoming from endearing songwriter penning heartwarming tunes the likes of Better Than Love and Hit and Run all the way up the ladder to someone making an EP as wickedly cool as I’m Too Sensitive For This Shit. Sharply produced, it packs a punch on every level – Demons is a biting opener, I Wish is cheerfully groovy, She is an anthem of a closer. Kiyoko’s not letting up her pop icon title any time soon.
Blossoms – Foolish Loving Spaces
The first commendation that Blossoms deserve is that, like Cool Like You, Foolish Loving Spaces comes fully equipped with an acoustic version of the whole album – Blossoms know what their fans want, and they deliver. On top of that, it’s hard to sift through the wealth of commendations that Foolish Loving Spaces deserve – after setting the pace for numerous indie bands to follow in their 80s-tinged footsteps, Blossoms digress even further, incorporating piano more central than it’s ever been before, immense boogie-worthy riffs, denouncing any music fan who dares suggest they could possibly be landfill indie. Blossoms continue to carve their own niche with Foolish Loving Places, and it’s totally excellent.
Christine and the Queens – la vita nuova
Christine and the Queens, or Chris as her 2018 full length dubbed her, both elevates pop and transcends it. Dark beats, vocals in English, her native French, and Italian with guest star Caroline Polachek, vocals that strain against emotion and simultaneously bend to them – just some of the treats that La vita nuova has in store. And as ever, her high artistry is impeccable: a short film (watch below) accompanies the release, a stunning, decadent visual experience, and the perfect side serving to an already brilliant EP.
Gengahr – Sanctuary
Gengahr return with another LP that’s as dreamy as their previous releases, but seems to have a pacing undercurrent more urgent, or maybe just more focused. Shaped after Homer’s Odyssey, Gengahr mould ethereal soundscapes that dip and dive through funky moments, floaty moments. The album comes at you in waves, at times inviting and relaxing, at times high-paced and insistent. Gengahr spread their musical net wider than ever in Sanctuary, and successfully create an album that sounds as adventurous as its thematic basis.
Bad Sounds – Escaping From A Violent Time, Vol. 1
Bad Sounds went a bit quiet after their meteoric rise in 2018 – everyone and their mum had the Bath collective on loop, and caught them at one of the countless festivals they played at, but Escaping From A Violent Time, Vol. 1 is the first new tunes we’ve heard from them since then! And how we’ve missed them. EFAVTV1 encapsulates the very best of Bad Sounds: experimentation with a variety of sounds and styles, rolled up into a cohesive selection of tracks with infinite groove appeal. The boppiness is sky-high here, and if there’s a Vol. 1, all we can hope is that Vol. 2 is just around the corner.
If you want to catch up with any of these albums too, here’s a handy playlist featuring all of them!
