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22 February 2019

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

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SPELLLINGMazy Fly

Chrystia Cabral's second album is "a delightful trip from an unmistakably original artist" say All Music, with Pitchfork thinking she's "making something beautiful out of sheer terror"

New

Julia JacklinCrushing

"Further cements Jacklin’s place as a future alt-country great" - The Skinny's take on the 2nd LP from the Sydney-born singer-songwriter. Uncut say it's "strikingly evocative, but never overwrought"

new

Methyl EthelTriage

DIY say the Australian outfit "have reached great new heights" with their third album, with TLOBF calling it "a spectrum of colour and abstract character, stained with a unique personality"

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

YAKPursuit Of Momentary Happiness

The Line Of Best Fit say the 2nd LP of psychedelic from the alt-rock trio is "riotous and impossible to tame" while All Music describe it as "an uncannily absorbing slice of neo-psychedelia"

Bob MouldSunshine Rock

PopMatters describe the 13th solo album from the man behind Hüsker Dü and Sugar as "rich, dense, and instantly lovable". "DIY say it's "a taut collection that fits timelessly into his ever-expanding legacy"

Mercury RevBobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited

The Music reckon this remake of country pioneer Bobby Gentry's second album is "a compelling listen from start to finish" while the Evening Standard say "it's a treasure"

Panda BearBuoys

Slant say the sixth solo album from Animal Collective founding member Noah Lennox "bristles with the creative energy" while CoS say the sound "envelops the listener in a gentle, serene manner"

BeirutGallipoli

Zach Condon's fifth Beirut album is "an excellent return to form" say Under the Radar while Uncut call it "the most acoustically rich Beirut album to date". Spectrum Culture say it's "a mature work"

Pedro The LionPhoenix

David Bazan's first album under the Pedro the Lion moniker since 2004 "sounds as vital as ever" say TLOBF, with The Skinny calling it "a tender examination of the cyclical nature of our lives"

James BlakeAssume Form

CoS say the London songwriter's 4th LP is "a remarkable achievement by one of the most original songwriters of his generation". Q say he "reveals himself as an artist at the peak of his powers"

Better Oblivion Community CenterBetter Oblivion Community Center

"Like an indie fan’s dream" - Clash's take on this collaboration between singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst while The Skinny say it "showcases the complementary talents of two of America's most talented songwriters"

THE CHART: THE TOP RATED NEW ALBUMS

The ADM rating is a weighted average from our survey of more than 50 sources , taking into account the number of reviews

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7.1

Ladytron

Ladytron

Sixth album and first in seven years from the Liverpudlian electronic pop quartet once described by Brian Eno as "the best of English pop music"

Added: 13/02/2019
7.1

Cherry Glazerr

Stuffed and Ready

Third studio album from the LA indie garage rock trio led by Clementine Creevy and produced by Carlos de la Garza

Added: 01/02/2019
7.1

Beirut

Gallipoli

Fifth studio album from the indie folk group led by Zach Condon, named after the Italian town where the title track was written

Added: 29/01/2019
7.1

YAK

Pursuit Of Momentary Happiness

Second album of psychedelic alt-rock from the English trio from Wolverhampton

Added: 11/02/2019
7.1

Mike Krol

Power Chords

Fourth album of garage rock/pop from the LA-based multi-instrumentalist

Added: 25/01/2019
7.1

Cosey Fanni Tutti

Tutti

First full-length release in 37 years for the British avant-garde artist and former member of Throbbing Gristle and Carter Tutti

Added: 13/02/2019
7.0

Malibu Ken

Malibu Ken

Tobacco (Black Moth Super Rainbow) and Aesop Rock's debut studio album as an official duo

Added: 31/01/2019
7.0

Girlpool

What Chaos Is Imaginary

Third studio album of indie folk punk from LA-based duo Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad

Added: 30/01/2019
7.0

Tiny Ruins

Olympic Girls

Third album from indie folk trio from Auckland, New Zealand fronted by singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook

Added: 05/02/2019
7.0

Sneaks

Highway Hypnosis

DC-based Eva Moolchan mixes post-punk and hip-hop on her third album

Added: 24/01/2019
7.0

Maggie Rogers

Heard It In A Past Life

First full-length major label release from the Maryland-born singer-songwriter

Added: 15/01/2019
6.9

Pavo Pavo

Mystery Hour

Second album from the classically-trained Brooklyn-based indie pop quintet

Added: 28/01/2019
6.9

Toro Y Moi

Outer Peace

Sixth release from the South Carolina-born onetime chillwave pioneer Chaz Bundick

Added: 16/01/2019
6.9

Swervedriver

Future Ruins

Album number six, and second since their reunion, from the Oxford-based shoegaze stalwarts

Added: 24/01/2019
6.9

Bring Me The Horizon

Amo

Sixth album of alt-rock/metal from the Sheffield-based five-piece

Added: 24/01/2019
6.9

The Specials

Encore

First full-length studio album for 18 years for the reformed Coventry ska-punk including the return of singer Terry Hall

Added: 01/02/2019
6.9

Tim Presley’s White Fence

I Have to Feed Larry's Hawk

Seventh album under the White Fence moniker from the California singer songwriter

Added: 25/01/2019
6.8

Du Blonde

Lung Bread for Daddy

Second album of alt-pop under the Du Blonde moniker from animator and video director Beth Jeans Houghton

Added: 19/02/2019
6.8

Xiu Xiu

Girl With Basket Of Fruit

Album number eleven from the San Jose-based experimental quartet, co-produced by band member Angela Seo and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier

Added: 06/02/2019
6.7

HEALTH

Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear

Fourth studio album of experimental noise pop from the LA-based trio

Added: 07/02/2019
6.7

Nina Nesbitt

The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change

Second album from the Swedish-Scottish pop star produced by Lostboy, Jordan Riley and Fraser T. Smith

Added: 05/02/2019
6.7

Juliana Hatfield

Weird

Seventeenth studio album by American alt-rock singer-songwriter. Hatfield is joined on this self-produced album by Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, Sunshine Boys) and Todd Philips (Lemonheads, The Juliana Hatfield Three)

Added: 29/01/2019
6.6

Panda Bear

Buoys

Sixth solo album from Animal Collective founding member Noah Lennox co-produced and co-mixed with Rusty Santos (Animal Collective, Born Ruffians, Grizzly Bear)

Added: 06/02/2019
6.6

Methyl Ethel

Triage

Third album of soulful pop quartet from the Perth, Australia led by Jake Webb

Added: 14/02/2019
6.6

Rat Boy

Internationally Unknown

Second album of pop-punk from the Essex-born Jordan Cardy produced by Rancid's Tim Armstrong

Added: 25/01/2019
6.4

RY X

Unfurl

Second studio album from the Australian-born singer-songwriter

Added: 13/02/2019
6.3

Chaka Khan

Hello Happiness

Twelfth studio album from the funk and soul legend, her first since 2007

Added: 15/02/2019
6.1

Tallies

Tallies

Debut album from the Canadian indie pop quartet founded by Sarah Cogan and Dylan Frankland

Added: 14/01/2019
6.1

Future

Future Hndrxx Presents: The Wizrd

Album number seven from Atlanta rapper Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn

Added: 24/01/2019
5.9

Homeshake

Helium

Fourth album of lo-fi indie R&B from the Montreal-based singer-songwriter Peter Sagar

Added: 15/02/2019

Latest Reviews

Adia Victoria Silences

Victoria twists the themes of the blues into new shapes, asserting her protagonist’s need for agency The Guardian

Adia Victoria Silences

An artist hitting her stride DIY

Adia Victoria Silences

Combative, defiant, and teeming with Victoria's distinctive mix of streetwise poeticism and literary depth, Silences is a strong and inventive follow-up All Music

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Fresh stuff

Fresh stuff

Drift Code by Rustin Man

"It’s gorgeous" - The Guardian's verdict on the second album from the former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb while PopMatters say it's "mesmeric in its idiosyncratic splendor"

SPELLLINGMazy Fly
Chrystia Cabral's second album is "a delightful trip from an unmistakably original artist" say All Music, with Pitchfork thinking she's "making something beautiful out of sheer terror"

RY XUnfurl
The Australian singer's second album is "a lovely, understated pop disc" according to Exclaim, with Clash suggesting its "many layers unfold and wrap themselves around you"

Avril LavigneHead Above Water
Canadian singer's sixth album "is set to earn a very warm place in fan’s hearts" according to Punk News, though Sputnik Music reckon "the whole 'maturity' shtick feels entirely disingenuous"

LadytronLadytron
The Arts Desk say that the 6th LP from the electronic pop quartet "has the amped density of feedback-laden indie rock". Drowned In Sound say it is "undeniably more immediate than its predecessor"

The Long RydersPsychedelic Country Soul
"A splendid entry into the contemporary Americana field" - American Songwriter's take on the latest album from the reformed band. Mojo say it "puts them right back at the top of a world they helped create"

Ariana Grandethank u, next
"It’s sweet pop music wrapped in an unbreakable metal shell" - The Line Of Best Fit's take on the 5th LP from the American pop star while The Guardian describe it as "a break-up album of wit and wonder"

Cosey Fanni TuttiTutti
"A remarkably intelligent and engrossing record" - NME's first full-length release in 37 years for the British avant-garde artist while Resident Advisor say "like its 1983 predecessor, has a timeless quality"

AJ TraceyAJ Tracey
London rapper's debut album "firmly establishes himself as one of the leading lights in UK rap" (Clash) and means he's "laid to down a marker, not just for 2019, but for the future of UK rap" (TLOBF)

Cass McCombsTip Of The Sphere
"McCombs' guitar has never sounded so subtle." - The Arts Desks' take on the 9th LP from the California-born singer-songwriter. The Music say it's "an intimate set of creative and explorative musical expositions"

Boy HarsherCareful
Resident Advisor describe the 2nd LP from the Massachusetts duo Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller as "slick, late-night synth pop" while Pitchfork say "scrappy and spirited, minimal synth music lives on"

Jessica PrattQuiet Signs
"Primed to be one of the year’s standout releases" - Loud And Quiet's verdict on the third album from the San Francisco freak-folk singer-songwriter while Q describe it as "an utterly captivating record"

Blood Red ShoesGet Tragic
The Skinny describe the fifth full-length release from the Brighton based indie rock duo as "a powerful album, raw in its unflinching honesty" while music OMH think it "sounds like a new start for its creators"

All-time top 10

Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past eight years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.