23 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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Fifth album of drone music from Daniel Lopatin played primarily on vintage synthesizers
7.6
It's certainly indebted to Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. But it also sounds unusually original, which is a word you don't get to use so often Read Review
Both beautiful and terrible at once, Returnal is the aural equivalent of a scuba dive in the open ocean Read Review
Oneohtrix Point Never would deliver an album which ultimately both delights and baffles in equal measure Read Review
The album seems less concerned than Rifts with bold sequences and clear mathematical progressions, and more interested in exploring the surfaces and facades of sounds Read Review
Print edition only
'Pelham Island Road' and 'Where Does Time Go' are enveloping washes of Harmonia-ish keyboards and flickering distortion; 'Ouroboros' is positively ecclesiastical Read Review
Lopatin's prolific nature doesn't seem to have diluted his sound at all, and this album sees him on wonderfully wacked-out form Read Review
If other purveyors of nostalgia like Washed Out and the Caretaker evoke the lost past of A.M. pop radio or haunted ballroom dance floors, Oneohtrix Point Never deals in cheap sci-fi novels and hack millennial forecasts Read Review
A cinematic, flowing story. It will scare you, soothe you, and will cause your mind to create its own visual landscape Read Review
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Oneohtrix Point Never: Returnal
Mogwai The Bad Fire
Some of the most euphoric music they’ve made in a while DIY
Despite moments of overfamiliarity and some flat vocal experiments, Mogwai’s 11th studio record captures a band still reinventing their signature sound PopMatters
Mac Miller Balloonerism
Recorded in 2014 but never released, Mac Miller’s second posthumous album is the missing link between the earnest rapper he was and the evocative songwriter he would become Pitchfork
Songhoy Blues Héritage
Fourth album from Mali’s premier desert guitar troupe incorporates more in the way of nuance and fluidity while still maintaining their striking impact musicOMH
For years now, Mogwai have watched them from the post-rock mountaintop. On this evidence, it’s a hell of a view Kerrang!
As Mogwai embark on their fourth decade, eleventh album The Bad Fire proves this legendary group can still produce moving, intelligent and vital work The Skinny
To call it a mature album would be to take away some of the perennially youthful spirit of Mogwai, but it certainly achieves a crafted, discerning grace. However hellish it may have been, a baptism in The Bad Fire has clearly proved to be a renewing experience. Print edition only Mojo
Even on a record of many detours, the closing three tracks are uniquely surprising. Print edition only Record Collector
These 10 sheeting, luminous soundscapes lean into the band's considerable pop smarts as well as their soundtrack and post-rock mastery. Print edition only Uncut
While old-school fans may lament their softening, the Glasgow band swap rage for refuge as they face personal strife – and their 30th anniversary The Guardian
Rose Gray Louder, Please
The London artist’s debut album adds an enigmatic cutting edge to her upbeat dance-pop sound NME
A must-listen for those looking for new hits to dance the night away or blast at full volume at a party God Is In The TV
A sonic journey for head, body and soul to soundtrack all your partying needs for 2025 Dork
The London musician’s assured debut runs the gamut from aggressive jungle to uplifting house, toggling between hedonism and introspection The Guardian
While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, ‘Louder, Please’ is a wholly enjoyable record that captures the spirit of the dance floor with unflinching authenticity Clash
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