26 September 2026
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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First solo album of indie pop from former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows
6.7
Finds Burrows ploughing a fuzzy acoustic furrow to delight fans of summery '70s pop. Print edition only
A record of gentle charms and easygoing sadness Read Review
It’s a fuzz-folk delight to slot alongside Gerry Rafferty, Elliott Smith, Brendan Benson, Broken Bells and Laurence Arabia’s Chant Darling Read Review
A record that finds Burrows in energised, revitalised form. ‘Sun Comes Up Again’ reveals him as a true songwriting talent Read Review
If Burrows gifted Razorlight two of their biggest hits (in ‘America’ and ‘Before I Fall To Pieces’), what his former band gave him in return was the platform to bring something far more interesting into the light of day Read Review
An impressive effort from someone who sounds like he's finally allowed to make music the way he likes it and it's a joy to behold Read Review
Sharing the pop soul sensibilities of Squeeze with just a dash of Brendan Benson, there’s even a soupçon of harpsichord in there. What’s not to like about these small songs with a big heart? Read Review
Perhaps 14 tracks is a little overbearing, as the initial momentum eventually trails off. But there are several irresistible numbers along the way Read Review
At 14 tracks, Sun Comes Up Again can feel like a trudge through the outback of mediocrity rather than an exciting exploration into new territory Read Review
The multi-instrumentalist's work is deft and pleasing, despite its spoonfuls of utilitarian soft rock Read Review
There are hints of Razorlight's more considered moments..but for the most part Burrows's soul is more gentle, his melodies more insidious and his voice more wispy. Read Review
An extremely promising debut, and a warm, breezy and openly-referential antidote to the hordes of cacophonic pretenders taking themselves far too seriously Read Review
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I Am Arrows: Sun Comes Up Again
Blondshell Violins
This is an artist widening her frame without losing her bite. It’s confident, a little wistful, and often loud in all the right places Northern Transmissions
On her third album, Sabrina Teitelbaum fights to strike a balance between savage beauty and jagged home truths NME
Everything great about Blondshell is present on ‘Violins’, but it feels sharper, more adventurous and more assured then ever before Clash
LA alt-rock singer Blondshell trades plain-speaking lyricism for something more abstract, while Irish rock band Gurriers cut through the noise with their ambitious second album The Independent
While trying to find and assert herself, the song has her imagining walking down the aisle to Beethoven's Für Elise, even though no one, including her, would pick it as a wedding song All Music
An often-delicate inward vision that pairs frustration with beauty DIY
It's in her ability to take the everyday experience and turn it into an epic noise that Violins finds its sweet spot The Line Of Best Fit
It would be unfair to call Violins Blondshell’s finest work to date, given the strength of her previous albums. What’s clear, though, is that it’s every bit as good as what came before Under The Radar
Protomartyr Hotel Usona
The album is more eerie in tone than its predecessors, like a distant alarm sounding, trying to amplify the sounds we cannot hear Northern Transmissions
It’s a bleak listen, sure, but Protomartyr haven’t ever been the comforting types. In fact, they’ve chosen the perfect time to double down on their righteous anger and despair, and if everything were to come to a catastrophic end right now, you’ve got the perfect soundtrack for it Far Out
For newcomers, it's a perfectly moody entry point. Hotel Usona is the sound of a band settling into their own skin, creating a space that's uniquely theirs and generously sharing the key Exclaim
From singer Joe Casey’s handmade album artwork to drummer Alex Leonard’s impish, kinetic inversions of classic post-punk rhythm, the Detroit band crafts an austere, unflinching record as bleak as it is cathartic Paste Magazine
This is not a hotel you'd want to stay at any time soon, but it's a remarkable record to spend time with. Print edition only Uncut
Under dim hotel lights, Casey’s lyricism appears foreboding and alien in a way it never has before The Line Of Best Fit
Ezra Collective Here Because of Hope
Arguably the biggest jazz band in the country return with an album that shows off both their exuberant and more reflective sides 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
Rosalía Lux
Kendrick Lamar Damn.
D'Angelo And The Vanguard Black Messiah
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Ghosteen
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Hayley Williams Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways