28 February 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.
Browse specific styles
Album no.3 from the heavy alt-rockers from Leeds
7.1
A set of songs that maintains the hardcore-gone-haywire aesthetic of previous releases, as well as incorporating a broader range of sounds and influences Read Review
A consistent wave of modern rock classics that don’t differ too far away from their tried and tested song-writing formula Read Review
Hardly reinventing the wheel, but their riffs'n'rawk approach should be lapped up by all those people currently flocking to see the likes of Royal Blood Read Review
Whether you like it or not, this is exactly where they should be going Read Review
Ferocious Leeds quartet’s best album yet, Pulled Apart By Horses have captured their own genie. Print edition only
One of the smartest bands to occupy a position on the heavier side of British rock Read Review
The bared teeth and balls that made PABH so loveable in the first place are still splattered all over ‘Blood’, but for the first time it sounds like they have a plan Read Review
Blood may cause a few early fans to sniff, but if mopping up the shit and turning out a riotous rock record is a problem then they're probably better off without them anyway Read Review
While no new ground is broken here, this is angry thrash done rather well Read Review
A meld of punk brio and grunge licks. Print edition only
In quashing the spontaneity, Pulled Apart By Horses may have stifled some of their playfulness Read Review
It’s good to mature, but Blood flows at the cost of what made the band memorable in the first place Read Review
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Pulled Apart By Horses: Blood
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
The New York trio have made an album almost bursting with ideas, one that, given the time, you’ll want to live with for months to come musicOMH
The musical quality and innovative ideas at the heart of these works are undeniable, and Darkside have clearly poured a lot of inspiration into the album. Ultimately, though, its lack of cohesion makes for a sluggish listening experience Far Out
Nothing is a refreshing exercise in disorientation, rewarding those willing to let go and get lost in its unpredictable soundscape Northern Transmissions
There's a formlessness to the greater endeavour that ensures it's somehow less than its constituent parts. Still, the likes of subterranean Latin shuffle American Reference possess an invention and mystery that makes this an endlessly fascinating place to get lost. Print edition only Mojo
Darkside opens up on Nothing with a playfully weird set of baroque pop that takes in bluesy '70s skanking and cavernous grooves. Print edition only Uncut
On the third record, DARKSIDE are happy to remain unfixed, bumping between fun and familiar grooves with an element of chaos The Skinny
The songs on Microtonic simply aren't as memorable as the highlights of their debut. It sounds impressive, but it exists in a sort of netherworld between expansive sonic exploration and fully engaging songwriting All Music
A deep love for dance music and invigorating writing infuses the band’s third record with an incredible vitality NME
‘Microtonic’s’ Balearic/rave undercurrents suggest bdrmm would be happy to be faceless, akin to a DJ The Arts Desk
It's a beautiful soundscape to get thoroughly lost in. Print edition only Mojo
There's a powerful, invigorating beauty about their best work yet. Print edition only Record Collector
Boldest of all is the grimy techno pulse and bass thrum of "Lake Disappointment", which pulls off a stylistic switch while maintaining the winningly smoky atmosphere of the album as a whole. Print edition only Uncut
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