October: 18 albums you need to hear this month

Banks 'The Altar' Virgin (EMI)

Banks emerged as a blogger’s favourite back in 2013, with her woozy vocal riding over brooding electronic beats crafted by Sohn, Lil Silva and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Two years on and the LA singer is back with a no-bullshit attitude on her second album. ‘Fuck With Myself’s rattling beats would sit perfectly on an FKA twigs release, ‘Love Sick’ is filled with sensual longing and ‘Mind Games’ screams out anger over crashing synths. ‘Trainwreck’, meanwhile, is an instant banger with Banks’ aggressive lyrics structured around trap-infused production. Elsewhere, though, soul-baring ballad ‘Mother Earth’ and stripped-back closer ‘To The Hilt’ are more easily forgotten.

7/10