Light Up The Dark | Gabrielle Aplin
Gabrielle Aplin’s second album saw a much more electric-guitar based rock twist to her sound, as opposed to early acoustic, soft-toned melodies. Whilst controversial, many fell in love with the slow, grungey sound of ‘Heavy Heart’ and other influences of country, folk, and rock throughout the album. The deluxe version of the album is especially impressive, and shows a really exciting, growing artist.
Singing for Strangers | Hudson Taylor
Alfie and Harry Hudson Taylor and their band, ‘Hudson Taylor’, brought out their debut album this year after much work planning and producing. It didn’t fail to live up to fans’ expectations with a perfectly balanced mix of old and new. The soul- affirming beat to ‘Don’t Tell Me’ sums up the positivity behind the album, even in the minor chord harmonies of more sombre songs. In summary, beautiful folk with a bit of harmonious rock influencing it.
Drones | Muse
Muse have produced yet another very playable album. Although in places slightly repetitive, songs like ‘Psycho’ don’t fail to add a heavier feel to any playlist. Moving away from their days of being comparable to Radiohead, ‘Dead Inside’ shows great use of enthusiastic drums to enhance the rock vibe.
Currents | Tame Impala
Forever psychedelic and impeccably produced, Tame Impala’s ‘Yes I’m Changing’ is a catalyst for nostalgia with synth in the background, yet a solid drum beat making the song perfect for both work/ focus and dancing/ pre-drinking. The album comes together well, with variety amongst an distinct tone running throughout.
A Head Full of Dreams | Coldplay
Rumoured to potentially be Coldplay’s final album, ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ returns to Coldplay’s upbeat, uplifting tone of ‘Mylo Xyloto’. The album counteracts the heartbreak of ‘Ghost Stories’ perfectly, although tracks with dream-like instrumentals indicate that perhaps this album is reflecting some celestial plane of joy as opposed to stark reality. But, after all, isn’t that what music is there for?
Frances Wilde 