LISTEN UP

THE SNUTS / WL ★★★★

NAMED after West Lothian in Scotland, where they grew up with Lewis Capaldi, the indie gang are way rowdier than their old mate. It’s been a while since a band made guitar pop sound so simple and infectious. The quartet master modern production, as Elephant shows. But they’re most at home tearing into vintage-sounding rock ’n’ roll thrills, with one eye on ballads Noel Gallagher would kill for.

DEMI LOVATO / Dancing With The Devil… The Art Of Starting Over ★★★

THE long album title hints that Demi’s not holding anything back. Documenting her recovery from drug abuse, the lyrics are startlingly honest and half the songs equally powerful. At 19 tracks, there’s also a lot of over-sung therapy-speak ballads to wade through. When Demi celebrates, like on Melon Cake and Saweetie collab My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriends, her return is a triumph. You’ll just need to skip some filler to get there.

GLASVEGAS / Godspeed ★★★★

ONCE the most-hyped band around, the trio have been away for eight years. It’s given people a chance to miss James Allan’s distinctive Glasgow drawl and the equally intense guitars behind him. James blames perfecting the songs’ production for the long wait. Sure enough, it’s their most varied record. Introducing chillout dance moments, battering-ram punk and singalong pure pop into the mix and Glasvegas are worth a fresh wave of hype.

ILL BLU / The Bluprint ★★★ OVER a decade into producing UK talent such as Mostack and Sneakbo, London duo Ill Blu finally release a mixtape. The boys showcase the variety of their technique, with Aida Lae and Jillionaire hypnotically combining on R&B slow jam Show And Tell. Old-school rave tune Talk 2 Me, featuring Donae’o, is a monster. Some bigger names – Wretch 32, Krept & Konan – phone it in. But the newer talent shows why Ill Blu have a Bluprint for success.

★

SHE’S been dubbed the fifth member of Little Mix and now Kamille has called in a return favour. The songwriter behind many LM classics has teamed up with Jade Thirlwall and fellow songwriter MNEK

for the video to her single Mirror Mirror.

★

Kamille said the pair “blessed me with their guest appearances and took the visuals to another level”. It’s out now.