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3 March 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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New

Mdou MoctarTears Of Injustice

"No less powerful than the originals" (8/10 - Rolling Stone). "If Funeral For Justice was an eruption, here is its ghost, an echo of the same songs, reimagined in a raw, stripped-down form" (10/10 - musicOMH)

New

Andy BellPinball Wanderer

"The essence that Bell distills is one of happy exploration, indeed wandering from one creative idea to the next with very little second guessing or restraint" (8/10 - All Music). "A bewitching album" (9/10 - Uncut)

New

BdrmmMicrotonic

"A deep love for dance music and invigorating writing infuses the band’s third record with an incredible vitality" (10/10 - NME). "A eureka moment for bdrmm" (8/10 - Clash)

Highest Recent Ratings

Albums to watch

John GlacierLike A Ribbon

"A captivating honest offering from a generational artist" (9/10 - Dork). "On one of the most accomplished debuts of recent times" (9/10 - musicOMH). "You’ll be repeating it again and again" (10/10 - The Guardian)

Sharon Van EttenSharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

"Songs which are anthemic in feel and universal in their lyricism" (10/10 - DIY). "It’s a bold step that suggests even bigger, better things to come" (8/10 - Dork)

Manic Street PreachersCritical Thinking

"It couldn’t be anyone else making this record in 2025" (8/10 - Under the Radar). "The Welsh rockers’ 15th album finds them in thought-provoking mood" (8/10 - The Guardian)

MogwaiThe Bad Fire

"The Bad Fire proves this legendary group can still produce moving, intelligent and vital work" (10/10 - The Skinny). "Some of the most euphoric music they’ve made in a while" (8/10 - DIY)

Saint EtienneThe Night

"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)

Father John MistyMahashmashana

"Unequivocally stunning" (10/10 -The Arts Desk). "Striking a compelling balance between the epic and the intimate" (9/10 - DIY). "One of his finest albums" (9/10 - musicOMH)

Michael KiwanukaSmall Changes

"A boundless effort that, while revelling in its musical referents stands tall, ceaselessly, beside them" (10/10 - The Skinny). "It's a record built to last" (8/10 - Record Collector)

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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8.4
ADM Rating

Heartworms

Glutton For Punishment

Debut full-length album from the London-based Jojo Orme was produced by Dan Carey (Black Midi, Fontaines DC, Kae Tempest)

Added: 06/02/2025
8.4

FKA Twigs

Eusexua

Third album of trip hop / alternative R&B from the London-based singer and dancer Tahliah Barnett working with producers Eartheater, Koreless, Ojivolta, Stargate, Marius de Vries and North West

Added: 24/01/2025
8.3

John Glacier

Like A Ribbon

Debut album from the East London rapper and producer

Added: 20/02/2025
8.2

Squid

Cowards

Third full-length album from the Brighton post-punk band produced by Marta Salogni and Grace Banks

Added: 05/02/2025
8.2

Sam Fender

People Watching

Third full-length album from the North Shields indie singer-songwriter co-produced with Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs

Added: 20/02/2025
8.0

Mdou Moctar

Tears Of Injustice

Latest release from the Nigerien desert blues Tuareg guitarist Mahamadou Souleymane is a rearranged and re-recorded acoustic version of 2024's Funeral for Justice

Added: 28/02/2025
8.0

Richard Dawson

End of the Middle

Eighth album of narrative folk rock from the Newcastle singer-songwriter

Added: 14/02/2025
7.9

Benjamin Booker

Lower

Third album from the New Orleans-based singer-songwriter working with producer Kenny Segal

Added: 27/01/2025
7.9

Mogwai

The Bad Fire

Eleventh studio album from the Glaswegian post-rock band produced by John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St Vincent, The Killers)

Added: 21/01/2025
7.9

Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Seventh album from the Brooklyn-based indie rock singer-songwriter written and recorded with her band and produced by Marta Salogni

Added: 04/02/2025
7.8

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

The Purple Bird

Latest release from the lo-fi alt.folk singer-songwriter Will Oldham produced by David "Ferg" Ferguson and includes guest appearances from John Anderson and Tim O'Brien

Added: 30/01/2025
7.8

Bartees Strange

Horror

Third album from the Washington DC-based musician Bartees Leon Cox Jr co-produced with Jack Antonoff

Added: 13/02/2025
7.7

Songhoy Blues

Héritage

Fourth album from the Northern Mali band working with producer Paul Chandler

Added: 21/01/2025
7.7

Matt Berry

Heard Noises

Eleventh album from the award-winning comedian/actor and musician Matt Berry featuring guest appearances from Kitty Liv and Natasha Lyonne

Added: 29/01/2025
7.7

Ichiko Aoba

Luminescent Creatures

Latest full-length album from the Japanese folk artist working with producer Taro Umebayashi

Added: 27/02/2025
7.7

Horsegirl

Phonetics On And On

Second full-length studio release from Chicago trio produced by Cate Le Bon

Added: 12/02/2025
7.7

Youth Lagoon

Rarely Do I Dream

Second album as Youth Lagoon in two years from the Boise, Idaho musician Trevor Powers

Added: 21/02/2025
7.7

Patterson Hood

Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

Latest solo album from the Drive-By Truckers frontman featureing guest appearances from Lydia Loveless and Waxahatchee, produced by The Decemberists' Chris Funk

Added: 24/02/2025
7.6

Anna B Savage

You And I Are Earth

Third full-length album from the Dublin-based, London-born singer-songwriter

Added: 24/01/2025
7.5

The Murder Capital

Blindness

Third full-length album from the Dublin post-punk five-piece

Added: 21/02/2025
7.5

Tunng

Love You All Over Again

Eighth full-length album from the London folktronica pioneers produced and mixed by co-founder Mike Lindsay

Added: 30/01/2025
7.5

Manic Street Preachers

Critical Thinking

Album number fifteen from the Welsh indie rock band produced by Dave Eringa and Loz Williams

Added: 31/01/2025
7.5

C Duncan

It's Only A Love Song

Fifth album from the classically trained Glasgow-born indie pop composer and musician

Added: 27/01/2025
7.4

Inhaler

Open Wide

Third full-length album from the Dublin indie rock band led by Elijah Hewson (the eldest son of U2's Bono)

Added: 07/02/2025
7.4

Bdrmm

Microtonic

Third album from the Hull-based dream pop / shoegaze five-piece led by Ryan Smith

Added: 28/02/2025
7.4

Andy Bell

Pinball Wanderer

Third full-length solo release from the Ride and Oasis guitarist featuring contributions from Dot Allison and Neu's Michael Rother

Added: 27/02/2025
7.3

Nao

Jupiter

Third studio album from the British R&B artist Neo Joshua

Added: 23/02/2025
7.3

Doves

Constellations For The Lonely

Sixth album and first in eleven years from the Manchester rock trio produced with Dan Austin

Added: 27/02/2025
7.3

DITZ

Never Exhale

Second full-length studio album from Brighton post-punk band

Added: 24/01/2025
7.2

Saya Gray

Saya

Debut full-length release from the Canadian alt.pop singer-songwriter

Added: 25/02/2025

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Latest Reviews

Bdrmm Microtonic

The quartet’s increasingly electronica-based textures convey a sense of tension and unease on their third album The Guardian

Ichiko Aoba Luminescent Creatures

The cult Japanese singer-songwriter’s new album, inspired by the Ryukyu islands, is like a powerfully soothing sound bath The Guardian

Darkside Nothing

Guided by the idea of wiping the slate clean, Nicolás Jaar and Dave Harrington’s third album is a raw, surprisingly funky, desperately hopeful response to the chaos of the 2020s Pitchfork

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Fresh stuff

Fresh stuff

Rarely Do I Dream by Youth Lagoon

"This is a record you won’t forget in a hurry" (8/10 - Far Out). "The album represents a more mature development of Powers’ vision" (8.3/10 - Beats Per Minute). "Vital and exciting" (8.5/10 - Under The Radar)

Sam FenderPeople Watching
"Every song on People Watching is carefully crafted to remain with the listener" (10/10 - The Skinny). "Sam Fender is no longer just a vital voice in UK rock; he’s perhaps the most essential one" (10/10 - Dork)

Patterson HoodExploding Trees & Airplane Screams
"The album contains some of Hood’s most impressive and freshest work in years" (8/10 - Slant Magazine). "It's a pleasure to hear him challenge himself with such impressive results" (8/10 - All Music)

HorsegirlPhonetics On And On
"A quantum leap, full of poignant restraint and lyrical clarity" (10/10 - The Guardian). "Coming early in the year, this one’s scruffy charm feels like it will age particularly well" (8/10 - Under The Radar)

SquidCowards
"Squid graduate the post-punk revival with an exceptional record" (10/10 - The Skinny). "The five-piece’s experimental third effort reveals more of itself with each enchanting listen" (8/10 - musicOMH)

Bonnie ‘Prince’ BillyThe Purple Bird
"Warm, textured and political, Oldham’s second “Nashville record” is even better his the first" (8/10 - Spectrum Culture). "Another beautifully crafted slice of Americana" (8/10 - musicOMH)

The WeekndHurry Up Tomorrow
"A fitting and astonishingly ambitious final score for his brooding alter ego" (10/10 - The Independent). "Structurally intricate and dazzlingly effective" (9/10 - Clash)

Anna B SavageYou And I Are Earth
"On an album of lush arrangements and vivid emotions, Anna B. Savage gets in the mood for love" (8/10 - Spectrum Culture). "Her best album yet" (8/10 - musicOMH)

FKA TwigsEusexua
"So clearly the work of a fully-realized creative that it would be a victory lap if it did not break so much new ground" (9/10 - Beats Per Minute). "FKA twigs bizarre world-building masterclass" (8/10 - TLoBF)

All-time top 10

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.