SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

DEATH BY ROCK AND ROLL

THE PRETTY RECKLESS

HHHHH

IN 2017,

The Pretty

Reckless landed a support slot on tour with grunge veterans Soundgarden. Then, after a concert in Detroit, the headline act’s frontman Chris Cornell took his own life, following a decadeslong battle with depression.

Some 11 months later, Kato Khandwala, friend and longtime producer for The Pretty Reckless, died in a motorcycle crash.

These events have inevitably shaped their fourth album, tellingly titled Death By Rock And Roll. The tone is fairly consistent – big riffs, frontwoman (and former Gossip Girl star) Taylor Momsen’s versatile voice, vaguely derivative songs. Death By Rock And Roll is full of emotion and talent but without the tight songwriting to match.

WHO AM I? PALE WAVES HHHHH

ENIGMATIC indie rock quartet Pale Waves have unleashed a show of force in the form of new album Who Am I?

This follow-up to their 2018 debut album My Mind Makes Noises serves up a rougher, 90s-centric take on the band’s renowned pop-infused choruses.

Laying down the track framework in Los Angeles before Covid took the recording process online and produced by Rich Costey (Muse, Foo Fighters), it combines grunge-tinged undertones with dancing highs.

The album retains the band’s penchant for indulgent pure pop melodies, but the introduction of rough around the edges late 90s and early Noughties production leaves you wanting more.

TYRON SLOWTHAI HHHHH

NORTHAMPTON rapper Slowthai’s follow-up to his 2019 hit debut album Nothing Great About Britain showcases his broad range of styles.

Tyron combines Slowthai’s signature punky, aggressive sound with more reflective, tuneful tracks. The album’s lyrics are not particularly thoughtful but its unusual combinations of influences and sounds are sure to cement Slowthai’s place as one of the UK’S most interesting rappers.