10 January 2025
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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Our archive of chart news from the past, and present.
Franz Ferdinand The Human Fear
Fun, lean, and concise, ‘The Human Fear’ finds Franz Ferdinand looking to the future without any need to panic Clash
The Scottish band’s sixth album summons the vintage swagger and suave humor of its early work but little of the punkish exhilaration Pitchfork
In his droll, observational, never-too-passionate way, Kapranos clearly still has stuff to say, ideas to lean into The Quietus
Lightning may not strike twice, but that doesn't mean 'The Human Fear' is any less impactul and striking The Arts Desk
Ethel Cain Perverts
If Preacher’s Daughter was the sound of someone barely holding things together, then Perverts is the sound of that same person letting things fall apart completely Spectrum Culture
The Scottish indie heroes face their fears with a statement of intent that’s shamelessly Franz-y as fuck NME
Lambrini Girls Who Let The Dogs Out
In short, you could create your very own Lambrini Girls song by reading out centre-left social media posts over a thumping bassline Far Out
A standout among class-conscious contemporaries All Music
If you’re also a freak for dark ambient and drone music, this deeply unsettling long EP is for you Evening Standard
Moonchild Sanelly Full Moon
Spinning the sounds of Johannesburg and Durban into distinctive, abrasive electro-pop, the blue-braided singer is filthy and sharply funny The Guardian
Listening to the alt-pop artist’s latest project feels like being trapped in a serial killer’s underground network of post-industrial tunnels The Independent
This is music that demands attention, rewards repeated listens, and proves that the future of pop isn’t just bright – it’s blindingly brilliant Dork
An album full of joy and vibrancy with which to introduce a brand new superstar to a whole new audience musicOMH
Full Moon thunders on near-relentless sub-bass (Mntanami, about her absentee father) and post-dancehall Amapiano beats, with interludes of wishy-washy synthy vulnerability - a serviceable backdrop upon which this irresistibly raunchy personality reliably shines. Print edition only Mojo
"In My Kitchen" turns on an impressively dexterous, high-speed bar, while "Gwara Gwara" (A Durban dance gone global) is at once euphoric and anxious. Print edition only Uncut
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"Truly beautiful and moving ambient pop mini-triumph that's sad, nostalgic, and elegiac" (9/10 - All Music). "Conjures images of a city just before dawn rises" (7/10 - musicOMH)
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp A Butterfly
Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Dave We’re All Alone In This Together