ALBUM REVIEWS

Slow Pulp – Yard

The second full-length studio album from the Chicago-based four-piece Slow Pulp builds on the introspective topics examined on their 2020 debut Moveys, albeit delivered with a more focused approach. Presented in a storybook format, Yard traverses the highs and lows of life’s journey, exploring themes such as trust, love, and selfacceptance. Singer and guitarist Emily Massey steals the show with her warm yet deeply intimate vocal performance that helps the band deliver the vivid imagery presented through their lyricism. The band travel across a range of genres throughout the album. A pop-punk backing is the focus on Doubt, while low-fi garage rock is permeated through Cramps, and title track Yard is a ruminative, stripped-back piano ballad.

Jason Isbell – Southeastern 10 Year Anniversary Edition Review by Matthew George

A welcome reissue celebrating 10 years of Jason Isbell’s breakthrough Americana album Southeastern, complete with live versions and demos of these much-loved songs. Isbell had released three previous solo albums since leaving Drive-By Truckers, but Southeastern soared to new heights of creativity, which he’s sustained, including this year’s superb Weathervanes. Southeastern opens with his best-known song Cover Me

Up, written about his wife – country music singer Amanda Shires, reflecting on becoming sober and the redemptive power of love. On the live album, recorded in December with his band The 400 Unit, he explains “usually we save that one for the end just for the people who only come to hear that one song, so they don’t leave before the end”.

Jorja Smith – Falling or Flying Review by Hannah Roberts

R&B lovers will applaud the new Jorja Smith album Falling Or Flying which incorporates jazz influences with neo-soul, rave and pop. Touching on break-ups, friendships, and Smith’s relationship with herself, the LP offers a deep dive into the singer’s life over the past two years since she released the record Be Right Back. Stand out singles on the album include Little Things, Falling Or Flying and Try Me, which were all released earlier in the year. Little Things is the type of Smith song that you’d want to hear at the club, beautifully blending elements of R&B with neo-soul and a tempo you’d typically hear on a rave or jungle record. . The album dips and dives between fast-paced singles and dramatic yet smooth and soulful songs – something of a Jorja Smith speciality.

Animal Collective – Isn't It Now? Review by Janne Oinonen

Common consensus states that veteran bands inevitably curdle into creative atrophy. Someone must have forgotten to tell Animal Collective; almost 25 years after the band’s debut album, Isn’t It Now? is the band’s longest yet at 65 minutes, but there are no signs of idling. Comprising of material from the same writing sessions that sired last year’s Time Skiffs, Isn’t It Now? marks the first time in a long while that the core quartet have recorded as an organic live band. The warm and vibrant, often outright funky outcomes provide welcoming solace to anyone scarred by the band’s detours into wilful abstraction. “Just grab something, take hold!”, the band harmonise during 22-minute centrepiece Defeat. It’s solid advice on an album that often resembles a wildly ricocheting yet accessible rollercoaster ride.