ALT-J U&ME â he trioâs first new music T since 2018âs remix album âReduxerâ, âU&MEâ feels more like a warm up for the main event than a big comeback single proper. The classic alt-J tropes are out in full force - Joe Newmanâs immediately recognisable vocal tripping over obscure tongue twisters (âFlashing in the dark, my luminescent tongueâŠâ) as languid, strangely sultry backing dances around him; aside from an instrumental string section burst, weâre in familiar territory. Which is to say that âU&MEâ is a solid reminder of why alt-J have quietly become a very big band, but also that after three years away, we reckon theyâve got a few more tricks up their sleeve yet. (Lisa Wright)
LETâS EAT GR ANDMA Hall Of Mirrors Having graduated from purposefully rickety beginnings on debut âI, Geminiâ to the more fleshed out, widescreen world of 2018âs âIâm All Earsâ, âHall of Mirrorsâ marks another step forward for Norwich BFFs Letâs Eat Grandma - a dizzying trip through the exciting first flashes of new romance, and one of their most straightforward (a good thing) offerings yet. Where their early steps pushed the quirks at all costs, their latest is a pulsing headrush that channels the feel of the fairground to describe the sensory overload of crushing hard; itâs relatable, evocative and shows that LEG have fully outgrown needing tricks to get their point across. (Lisa Wright)
AMBER MARK - WHAT IT IS Wondering about the meaning of life isnât exactly new lyrical territory when it comes to songwriting, but thereâs something wonderfully liberating about Amber Markâs fresh new take on the much-pondered question. A slinky confessional of a track, âWhat It Isâ is a rich and shimmering cut from the singerâs long-anticipated debut, that sees her existential thoughts paired with slick R&B beats and funky guitars. âFeel it in my bones / Oh Iâve got to know / Tell me what it is,â she reasons with the universe. She may not quite have this riddle figured out just yet, but on âThree Dimensions Deepâ, weâre willing to bet sheâs got some wisdom of her own to offer up. (Sarah Jamieson)
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YEARS & YEARS Crave The second taste of forthcoming third album âNight Callâ, âCraveâ is a surreal trip into another world thatâs equal parts luscious, moody, and irresistible, Olly Alexanderâs vocals weaving and winding around the sultry instrumental, an electrotinged beating heart that palpitates with synth and shimmer. âCraveâ effortlessly balances the line between darkness and delight, replete with an appropriately sensual, strange video - Years & Years are back and just as ambitious, and their return is already entrancing. (Ims Taylor)
IDLES The Beachland Ballroom
Heading into their fourth album in as many years, the prolific rate at which IDLES work could be a curse as much as a blessing; progression generally takes time, and time is something the Bristolians rarely seem to afford themselves. And so the fact that lead single âThe Beachland Ballroomâ is genuinely, markedly different from anything theyâve penned before - a soulful, warm lilt helmed by a vocal performance by Joe Talbot that swaps the belligerence for something altogether softer - feels quite remarkable. âUltra Monoâ might have stoked the kindling of backlash; their return should earn them nothing but praise. (Lisa Wright)
