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Published by Mason Oldridge, 22 August 2022 Tom Chaplin is one of the greatest vocalists ever, though while his voice remains strong, his energy does not. After a decade of overwhelming success as the frontman of Keane, Chaplin released his debut solo album in 2016 documenting his struggles with addiction, proving his songwriting talent without lyricist bandmate Rice-Oxley. Midpoint focuses on the difficult questions that one can ponder upon reaching the daunting stage of mid-life. This was an opportunity to prove that growing old doesn’t mean slowing down is inevitable, though instead did just that. When Keane reunited in 2019 with a new album, the group demonstrated renewed passion and brought with them a newfound electricity to their performances. Unfortunately, Chaplin hasn’t kept this for his latest record. Credit where it’s due, latest single Gravitational stands out from the rest and is a beautiful capture of Chaplin’s love for his family with a catchy chorus that holds up and a lengthy outro to round off the piece. Overall, Chaplin’s lyrics are still amazing and his vocals are still phenomenal, with a cleaner, fresher sound to them, though this just makes the bland instrumentation all the more disappointing. 4/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 20 August 2022 Muse are on top form with their new album, a mixture of all their previous sounds. The album opens on the title track, an anthemic chant of democracy, before Compliance, an intriguing electronic piece as the lyrics and video suggest the song is a criticism of the pandemic restrictions. Liberation is an operatic masterpiece in the vein of Origin of Symmetry whereas Won’t Stand Down touches upon metal and earns its place as lead single. You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween is the standout of the record, incorporating organ sounds to make for the perfect spooky soundtrack. Latest single Kill or Be Killed is Muse at their heaviest. Based upon an industrial riff, its energy matches the likes of Stockholm Syndrome. Verona is a beautiful ballad with lyrics that align with Romeo & Juliet before Muse close the album with We Are Fucking Fucked, a message of our impending doom, providing an insight into the trio’s perspective of the current state of the world. Will Of The People stands equivalent to Muse’s best work. Close to a perfect album, every song is amazing and narrowly misses a 10 as Bellamy’s screamo falsetto from the early days is missed. 9/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 5 August 2022 Master of synth Vince Clarke spent his newfound time in the studio manipulating files from the duo’s previous effort The Neon, to which Bell recorded new vocals, culminating in a whole new album that offers up otherworldly sounds. The record contains minimal lyrics, with many tracks largely instrumental. This is evident in the opening song Based On A True Story, which is composed of an array of electronic sounds over a forever growing beat. From the opening bar of Bop Beat, we are immediately greeted with the unmistakable synth-pop sound of the pair. This track sees Clarke’s trademark synth matched with Bell’s distinguishable vocals prove to be a rewarding combination once again. Harbour Of My Heart and 3 Strikes and You’re Out see the theme of love return before The Shape of Things and The End wind the album down with a slower pace, though Inside Out is the central highlight of the new material. Holding an energy of its own, Bell’s repetitive vocals play over a fast-paced beat. In conclusion, the vast range of different electronic sounds in addition to the dreamy vocals give deserved credit to the latest from the twosome. 6/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 30 July 2022 Legendary record producer Calvin Harris introduces the second volume to his previous effort, yet crashes and burns with his latest funk-infused album. Musically, it appears the Scotsman produced a piece of instrumental and reused it for every track, with the nice exception of strings on New to You. Harris attempts to blend his electronic sound with funk and had cited Jamiroquai as an influence, though where Jay Kay and his band masterfully merge the two to produce otherworldly acid jazz, Harris’ electro evaporates, resulting in a sound more acceptable in the 60s. There is no energy to the latest record and wouldn’t match a club tempo. Harris has recruited a line-up of big names; there are strong vocals from pop superstar Dua Lipa and the talented Charlie Puth, though most of the vocals come from rappers, littering the release with R&B that ultimately poisons the album with a sound unfavourable on the ears. Overall, the album could receive popularity due to Harris’ namesake, though we are left with a handful of tracks that would go unnoticed on the radio. The disappointment is much greater as this comes from the genius who once brought us I Created Disco. 2/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 22 July 2022 Singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers is back with her second album, though chances are you’ve never heard of her. With this new release, she’s gaining more mainstream attention… and fully deserves it. Surrender is a female pop album with a difference: it is built upon rock music. Singles That’s Where I Am and Want Want are the standouts of the record, offering up pounding drums and grinding distortion. Horses is a truly beautiful song with emotional vocals delivered over a simple drum beat. Be Cool catches attention with its synth opening and Shatter instantly grips with its immediate distortion and constant energy throughout, courtesy of the electric guitar. Begging For Rain is a nice reduction in pace as an acoustic guitar track while still maintaining some minor distortion as backing and I’ve Got A Friend blends the acoustic guitar with piano and sincere, vulnerable vocals, while Symphony is a really intriguing piece with unique high-pitched sounds. Rogers scores a hat trick with her latest work; she is a powerful vocalist, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist. Unfortunately, the vocals overpower the production at times, but with such a broad range of instrumentation, Surrender offers strong variety demonstrating raw talent. 7/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 8 July 2022 The female pop market is arguably the strongest it’s ever been and Mabel both sinks and swims at times in the cutthroat competitive industry with a decent follow-up to her debut. Following the intro, the album starts off strong with Animal. This record is full of pop songs with dance beats but Animal incorporates distorted strings, providing an extra layer with a sound that separates it from the rest, and outperforms the singles of the album, which lack unique elements. The rest is a mix of ups and downs. Definition is a self-love song built on an incredible dance beat whereas Overthinking is ruined by featuring artist 24kGoldn’s poor, whiny vocals. The album picks up towards the end; Crying on the Dance Floor begins the renaissance before the epic I Love Your Girl. When The Party’s Over is a nice reduction in pace before the final track LOL, which is the standout of the album as a pop hit based around dance-infused cowbell. Overall, the impressive highlights compensate for the poorer tracks and solidify Mabel’s spot as a pop star but we need to hear more of these for her to stay up on the podium. 6/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 4 July 2022 CONTAINS SPOILERS! The Duffer Brothers step things up a whole new level with the fourth season of their sci-fi horror drama series. Season 4 sees the town facing a supposed new villain from the chilling Upside Down: the horrifyingly ruthless Vecna, who enters the minds of his victims before killing them. The new season perfectly balances a multi-strand storyline as the gang investigate the new threat, Eleven returns to the lab to retrieve her powers and Joyce and Murray set off on a dangerous mission to rescue Hopper from his Soviet capture. Although new addition Joseph Quinn deserves praise for his performance as the eccentric Eddie, Millie Bobby Brown is phenomenal as El is horrified to learn of the truth surrounding the lab massacre and the origin of One, which perfectly ties the whole story together in an episode (episode 7) that provides one of television’s best twist endings ever. Furthermore, Sadie Sink tugs at the heartstrings as Max struggles with her grief before a powerful scene in which she triumphs over Vecna by listening to Kate Bush, with the song in question knocking Harry Styles off the top of the charts in the UK to receive a higher position than its original release in 1985. However, it is newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower who delivers the standout performance as the eerie assistant in the Rainbow Room in a manner that draws parallels to Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka. With coming-of-age and humorous elements thrown in for good measure in anticipation of the final battle in the ground-breaking 2.5 hours long season finale, Season 4 outperforms the previous tenfold, leaving viewers ready for the commissioned fifth and final season. 10/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 29 June 2022 Alternative rock band Imagine Dragons present the sequel to last year’s Mercury Act 1, 10 years on from when they crash-landed onto the scene with their ground-breaking debut Night Visions. Act 2 opens with lead single Bones, which is easily one of the best singles of 2022 and the highlight of the album. The track is an instant hit as it blends catchy piano with Reynolds’ harsh vocals on the pre-chorus refrain. Second single Sharks is also very catchy and Blur is a likely third due to the build-up and energy it brings. The mood often shifts between tracks; Waves is a deeply personal song focusing on the suicide of Reynolds’ friend and the guilt and responsibility he feels for not having been there. The latter end of the album contains several slower songs; Ferris Wheel is a particularly sweet and romantic tale. Unfortunately, this demonstrates how this second act doesn’t feature any heavier songs like Cutthroat and Dull Knives from the first act. Despite this, the lengthy 18-track album doesn’t contain any bad songs and sees the Dragons continue to put out their fabulously unique music to the world. 9/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 28 February 2022 Fresh on the scene, Kawala bring a mix of indie and dream pop with their debut album Better With You. Tracks such as Ticket to Ride and Good Like This provide a relaxing soundtrack of dreamy wonder to soothe the soul without being boring enough to send you off to sleep. This calming tone is broken up with alternative tracks such as energetic and fast-paced Jesse C’mon which creates a more exciting and upbeat atmosphere and the catchy Hypnotized, which contains psychedelic elements to match its title. Searching, one of the singles, is recognisable due to its radio airplay and is one of the better songs among the selection, preceding Marathon, a highlight of the album that adopts an Hawaiian theme and is reminiscent of a song you’d expect from Milky Chance. Sailor sounds like something produced by a group of hippies gathered around a campfire though the acoustic effort doesn’t omit thought and dedication, where Echoes is defined by the stellar falsetto on the chorus which creates a nice balance to the latter half of the album. Overall, Kawala demonstrate talent and own their unique sound in a decent first effort. 5/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 19 February 2022 18 years on from their previous effort, Tears For Fears overcome fallout and heartbreak to produce comeback album The Tipping Point, which offers an array of new sounds while still being comfortingly reminiscent enough of their traditional synth-pop trademark. Lead single The Tipping Point encapsulates a dreamy pop sound that mirrors the bridge between life and death, the subject of the lyrics based on the death of Orzabal’s wife. From the dance-orientated Break The Man and the rock-infused My Demons to the slower Rivers of Mercy and the jazz elements of Please Be Happy, the duo aren’t afraid to mix up their sound which can only be a positive. The highlight surprisingly comes towards the end with End Of Night which is full of pounding energetic synth from start to finish. Stay isn’t particularly memorable but rounds off the album nicely and is a fitting end to a record that overall is a highly satisfying return of a band four decades on after shaping the soundtrack of the 80s. 7/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 10 June 2022 Foals once again prove why they are at the top of the indie game right now with their new upbeat album Life Is Yours. The funk-infused seventh effort opens with the title track which delivers the positive message “life is yours, break away”. An awesome launch to the album, the track stands out as a highlight instantly, where lead single Wake Me Up does exactly what it says on the tin, with blaring rhythm from start to finish, aided by Yannis’ energetic vocals. 2am is lyrically darker, telling of a night out in which you’re desperate to meet someone and not sleep alone that night. This second single focuses on social anxiety within millennials, a popular theme of contemporary music right now, and has earned well-deserved frequent airplay on Radio 1. Furthermore, 2001 is another strong single that holds up. What then follows is a set of songs which, despite lacking variety between each other, are all still epic, culminating in Wild Green, which is somewhat dreamy, touching upon the psychedelic elements of Tame Impala. Ultimately, Foals demonstrate how the departure of two members hasn’t hindered them in any way and are still leaders of the modern indie scene. 7/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 17 May 2022 It was the art rock sound and Higgs’ vulnerable vocals that initially drew me to EE when I first heard Violet Sun on Radio 1 on my way to pick up my A-Level results in 2020. Raw Data Feel is the electronic-fused follow-up to Re-Animator and it grips from the first technological sounds of Teletype. The album opens with the four singles which demonstrates how AI influenced the new album as they took a new approach in an attempt to distance themselves from being political and doomy. Jennifer focuses on a woman trapped in a miserable life and utilises Higg’s falsetto and vocal range. Leviathan is a nice mid-album reduction in pace before the epic sounds of Shark Week, a song as interesting as the title suggests, whereas Cut UP! opens on an 80s sound before Higg’s this time harsh vocals brutally drag it into the 21st century, complimenting each other in what is the highlight of the album. This album is fantastic from start to finish as lengthy epic Software Greatman concludes the record. Overall, there is not one bad song and EE deserve far more recognition than they get. 8/10

Published by Mason Oldridge, 28 March 2022 Aussie indie electro pop band Confidence Man return with their follow-up full of dance tracks with nods to various sounds including house, disco and funk. The album opens with single Woman, which, along with its house vibes, ultimately belongs on a dancefloor. Feels Like A Different Thing appears to take some 90s dance influence along with drum and bass sounds similar to Chase & Status where What I Like contains disco elements not too far from the acid jazz sound of Jamiroquai. Toy Boy is one of the catchier songs of the record as is lead single Holiday, for which I would argue the verses are better than the chorus. Trumpet Song is a funky track built on a jazz riff aided by a backing beat reminiscent of Faithless whereas Angry Girl is a comedic narration by the eponymous character. Relieve The Pressure is a lengthy outro with some French vocals and even contains elements of breakbeat and jungle akin to early Prodigy. Overall, TILT is a decent effort and I believe the band could receive some serious airplay on radio and in clubs if their fame could transcend past the land of Oz. 7/10