14 September 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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Chillwave, new wave and synth-heavy indie pop on the second release from the Brooklyn quartet
6.2
Small Black successfully avoids a sophomore slump by harnessing their various sonic inclinations Read Review
We are faced with a band who possess a sound that is not so much polished but layered with textures and flourishes that prove they have matured into a far more interesting proposition Read Review
With the album’s 10 tracks, the foursome find their emotional treasure, only at the cost of their more alluring production components Read Review
This record could be the perfect soundtrack to the late night tales that unfold after you leave the club alone Read Review
While Limits of Desire isn't ground-breaking, it's a charming record suggestive of a band with a bright future Read Review
A record whose production puts their music in sharper relief, but does so with an R&B slickness that once again puts Small Black right in the center of the zeitgeist rather than above or outside of it Read Review
Vocals slide and glide in layers between the sort of chilled dance beats you’d most likely hear at 5am in ‘Club Euro-Zero’, that smart and sophisticated cellar bar in the basement of your concrete and glass hotel, in whichever city you happen to find yourself tonight Read Review
It’s when they do what their contemporaries never quite dare to do that they establish an exciting new voice Read Review
This is an absolutely-not-chillwave, laid back, breezy slice of intelligent pop music Read Review
Feels like a record you might never truly fancy Read Review
It’s up for the group to let out the energy that’s waiting to move from potential to kinetic Read Review
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Small Black: Limits Of Desire
David Byrne Who Is The Sky
The artist’s new album of bright, bustling pop is positioned as a celebration of reasons to be cheerful. Often its fountain of optimism feels like a firehose of forced positivity Pitchfork
Ed Sheeran Play
On the enjoyably moreish Play, the ‘culturally Irish’ star sounds as if he’s back on form. Although we’ve only had time for a quick listen The Irish Times
Baxter Dury Allbarone
This record plays like his shot for glory, and with tracks as hooky and well-constructed as "Mockingjay" or the title track, there's no reason he shouldn't hit the big time All Music
Parcels Loved
While not for cynics, LOVED is a late-summer delight that comes at audiences with open arms. Comfortable dancing shoes recommended for listening All Music
Parcels have built something contagious here, with a joy that leaves you feeling that little bit lighter when you’re done with it Dork
Loved is a departure for Parcels but one that is constantly invigorating, the group are clearly incredibly relaxed and that is reflected in the calming, and highly enjoyable soundscape they have created on this record The Line Of Best Fit
The star of this entire record is without question the harmonies. They are razor sharp, technically astounding and forever charming, leaving you wanting more of them at the close of every song Far Out
Maruja Pain To Power
They really have taken a complicated moment and made it into a fantastic piece of music Far Out
Incredible lead single Look Down On Us is just one of three tunes here that capture Maruja’s free-flowing approach by stretching out to the 10-minute mark Kerrang!
The Manchester jazz-punks let loose on their savage debut album through cathartic outpourings of fury, despair and love NME
The thrill of this band is the extremes. From moshpits one minute and silence the next, they are in command with their music, unifying the crowd God Is In The TV
This band and this record want you to punch a hole in the wall, ask if you're willing to step through it – and then beckon others to do the same The Line Of Best Fit
Maruja emerge from the studio with raucous rap-rock and meandering jam music in tow, resulting in an album full of the same songs several times over. By the end, listeners may feel they have deja vu. Fans may feel they have dementia The Quietus
Rage-infused music of dissolution Clash
Jade That's Showbiz Baby!
Debut solo album by Little Mix singer is packed with incident and a multitude of musical styles 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
Spiritbox Tsunami Sea
Self Esteem Prioritise Pleasure
Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree
Frank Ocean Channel Orange