25 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.
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Thirteenth studio album from the seminal English ambient house duo
7.5
This album is ultimately a new essential chapter in the Orb’s discography and a source of inspiration for decades of electronic production to come Read Review
Has languid, spaced-out beats, clattering echoes and jungle tom-toms, but almost imperceptibly evolves into a mangled orchestral dub Read Review
Proves that his space academy can still churn out excellent results. Print edition only
An album heaving with ideas, but just coherent enough to stick together as one piece of work Read Review
Feels both old and impossibly futuristic at the same time – much like watching actual footage of the lunar landings Read Review
Tailored for the close listener in all of us—not to pick up on the details themselves, but to witness the many details interacting with one another as they wash over you in a mental state of zero gravity Read Review
It sounds like serious sci-fi business Read Review
Each production here feels less like a 10-minute single than a condensed DJ set, and The Orb navigate these spaces with a fresh wind in their sails Read Review
An immersive, imaginative journey into the unknown that, unfortunately, won't end up being the space travel concept album of the year. Public Service Broadcasting have already locked that down. Top marks for effort though Read Review
Full of masterful control of mood and atmosphere but too unfocused to really raise the temperature Read Review
The duo maintain their ambition, putting together four sonically challenging tracks that range between nine and 15 minutes in length Read Review
Deep into the band's middle-age they excel at entertaining those who appreciate what they do, letting others worry about converting the unbelievers Read Review
A consistently satisfying groove machine, and a worthy entry to the upper ranks of the Orb canon Read Review
Some moments on Moonbuilding show the Orb, if not regaining their form, then offering up decent ambient music. But elsewhere they revert back to a formlessness that's devoid of their quirky stoner persona Read Review
Cosmic ambient-house pioneers continue to boldly go out there. Print edition only
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The Orb: Moonbuilding 2703 AD
Saya Gray Saya
There are some self-consciously experimental moments, but the Toronto musician’s genre-mashing songs of heartbreak are often focused and fresh The Guardian
On her second album, the Japanese-Canadian musician’s magpie art pop coheres into something like a traditional breakup record, but her perspective and production are far from conventional Pitchfork
Canadian alt-pop artist's debut matches sonic surrealism with defiantly vulnerable lyrics Rolling Stone
A vivid and vulnerable album, brimming with emotional depth DIY
The Japanese-Canadian musician’s sophomore LP is a breakup exercise full of epic, idiosyncratic stories of farewell and mourning cut up into an all-encompassing and all-evading menagerie of trip-hop, psych-folk, prog-rock, glitch-tronica and dubby fusion Paste Magazine
Tate McRae So Close To What
Tate and her team clearly have an ear for sticky melodies and the lack of necessary lore is appreciated, but there still is a very pervasive sense of figuring things out here Sputnik Music (staff)
Sam Fender People Watching
U.K. singer-songwriter grapples with who he is and where he's from on his third album Rolling Stone
Panda Bear Sinister Grift
Like a collection of demo tracks and out-takes from a Smiley Smile-era Beach Boys The Arts Desk
Lennox’s latest is his attempt at crafting something in the key of Jimmy Buffet Slant Magazine
Sam Fender takes another big step forward on People Watching, which includes a satisfying collection of songs about the human experience PopMatters
Nao Jupiter
This is generally more pop-oriented, often deviating far from R&B, and is considerably brighter all-around All Music
Nao reckons with anxieties but embraces peace as the sultry and sweet meet in this loved-up odyssey The Skinny
After time away, the homegrown R&B star’s ethereal voice shines equally on uptempo tracks and slower grooves The Observer
This spiritual successor to 2018’s ‘Saturn’ is lighter, warmer and happier – but just as brilliant NME
On ‘Jupiter’, Nao has bottled liberation and turned it into a rich tapestry of sound, a sonic explosion of curiosity and play 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
