There’s a moment leading to the minute mark of ‘Doom Bikini’ from james K’s third album ‘Friend’ where the airy opening has kicked up a gear and resonant vocals start to climb. “Where did you say it to me?” intones the New York singer and producer, her voice dancing on a precipice of promise, which lands with the introduction of drums bringing added oomph to the angelic atmosphere. It’s one of many pitch perfect moments on the LP, through which music’s unmatched ability to stir the soul is at its captivating best. Across 13 tracks, james K builds a tapestry of transportative textures, weaving sounds such as trip hop, shoegaze, dream pop, downtempo and drum ‘n’ bass into alluring sonic swells that feel like floating on a cloud. Other standout tracks include ‘Blinkmoth (July Mix)’ and its echoing Balearic twangs and the more upfront ‘Play’ which fires through crunchy guitars, sirens and rattling drum breaks with heightened vocals matching the urgent mood. But this is all essential, no skips — music that subtly grips your attention for the full hour. 

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This is the album Rochelle Jordan has long been dreaming she could make. “I feel unstoppable right now,” she declared upon its release. Her confidence is not misplaced. The 17-track LP is a perfect blend of vibrant and sleek, marrying the intersection of pop, R&B and dance music in stirring, sexy songs which make you feel good. Executive producer KLSH is a masterful hand at the heart of the record, artfully leading cohesion across the expansive list of collaborators from the club world - including RIver Moon, Byron The Aquarius, Machinedrum, Terry Hunter, Kingdom, MPH and  KAYTRANADA - creating the foundations for Jordan’s spellbinding vocals to luxuriate in, elevating the silky, late-night mood.

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El Cousteau has been reputed in the DMV area (Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia) for a few years. His new album ‘Dirty Harry 2’ feels like a breakout moment for some deserved wider attention, coming armed with a major co-sign in the form of a feature from A$AP Rocky and another from Earl Sweatshirt, who guested on 2024 album ‘Merci, Non Merci’. The added star power decoration doesn’t get in the way of his distinctly DMV style, with swaggering flows and storytelling about living in the focal point of American division. 

Lucrecia Dalt crafts a beguiling world across her new album ‘A Danger to Ourselves’. Produced alongside her partner David Sylvian (formerly frontman of English art pop group Japan), there’s a level of intimacy to the exploration of human connection and relationship dynamics that’s arrestingly confessional. Intrspective ruminations, lustful longing and sharp-tongued declarations form the bilingual lyrical backbone of the record, flickering among layered songwriting with keeps you on your toes with its range of lush instrumentation and eerie choices.

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There are few artists who are breaking new pop ground in the same way as King Princess, AKA Mikaela Straus, let alone having done so for close to a decade — and on the New York multi-instrumentalist’s third album, her sonic world sounds more inventive than ever before. Detailing the chaos, ecstasy and heartbreak of lesbian relationships, ‘Girl Violence’ is a million miles away from anything that could pertain to “sugary pop”, instead going full-throttle with its blistering swagger and rough-edged angst. Fizzling synths and raptrous electronic drums melt into the instrumentals throughout the record to create a pleasingly uncanny background for Straus’ melodic alto, an effect likely linked to the artist having had a hand at just about every element of its production. On the punchy ‘Slow Down and Shut Up’, Straus’ vocals feel like the lone soft-tinged element against a searing guitar riff, rattling tambourine swells on ‘Get Your Heart Broken’ are off-set with sonorous bass strokes — while the blistering bassline on ‘Jaime’ dances ever-so-slightly toward, but not quite on the edge of, hyperpop. The result is something that is wholly true to her, demonstrating a knack for world-building that rivals some of the biggest records in the last decade.

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While there’s little doubt Nectax is one of the most exciting new names on the UK club circuit, did his debut album really have to go in this hard? Kicking off with the kind of frenzied bass stabs heard on ‘Soundboy Gambit’ could have been a reckless choice for many, but the Newcastle producer keeps the heat up throughout ‘State of Play’’s mind-bending 10-track run. Demonstrating a deft ability to dish out scuttling percussive elements that can be as wobbly as they are crystalline, tracks like ‘Edgeways’, ‘Palindrome’ and ‘Fugitive’ manage to make a classic amen break feel fresh. There are clear nods to the hardcore/rave continuum throughout - see ‘Side Quest’ and ‘Always You’ - yet within the near-footwork tempo and intense bass of ‘Known Quantity’, Nectax’s ingenuity shines through as he builds up a shattering three minutes that feels like nothing you’ve ever heard before. 

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Splitting much of her time between South Africa and the UK, Abantu boss Charisse C is quickly becoming an authority in Afro house in both scenes — one reason for that is her tireless efforts to spotlight the rich, diverse culture, communities and genres emerging from the continent and the African diaspora. On ‘Abantu Means People’ she continues to do just that, working alongside Abantu affiliates Veewho, HARUNA and Kwamzy to create four tracks that - while freestanding in their genre markers - all contain that joyful, warm energy that has come to define not only the label, but also her parties. 

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Chicago’s Lynyn follows up his debut album ‘lexicon’ with his latest project, ‘Ixona’, a gorgeously surreal 10-part opus, each track redefining the boundaries of IDM. This LP is loaded with textural delights, edging into jungle territory with soft, overlapping breakbeats and metallic 303s making up a majority of the record. 

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The first-ever solo EP from London DJ Beaabea doesn’t sound like a debut effort – not even close, in fact. This masterfully crafted four-tracker carries intense bass pressure from the off, from the vocal taunts on opener ‘KNOCK OUT!’ over a bulldozing bassline, to transcendental finale ‘MISFIRE’, a growling, low-end club cut. 

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After being involved in an accident last year, “forced downtime” allowed Australian DJ and producer Jensen Interceptor to look back at past unfinished projects and hone his ideas. What came of it is 10-track record ‘Interception’, an amalgamation of all of the sounds he’s explored to date, from quickfire footwork to looser experiments with electro, forming an overarching picture of his career so far. “I really wanted to challenge and, I guess, prove myself in other spheres, to take my music to a new place,” he says. ‘Interception’ is a thoughtful tale of that story, and a challenge well conquered. 

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Five years since his breakthrough EP ‘Spice Up My Life’, Virji has become one of the most talked about DJs of the year. He’s now set to go supernova with his highly anticipated debut album finally dropping. It’s packed with vibrant beats and UKG energy, with rap features including Giggs and Unknown T, to co-production from the likes of MJ Cole and Issey Cross expanding his sound in thrilling directions.

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As if it’s crashed down onto earth, this new EP from Iglooghost will bring you peace, love and a bunch of sounds you’ve probably never heard before. Known for glitchy, alternative productions, ‘Bronze Claw Iso’ carries some of those hallmarks but takes a less manic approach overall, with more mechanical rhythms. Having been written in-between working shifts as a crane operator, Iglooghost has been influenced by immersion in machinery.

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From Sampha to SHERELLE, George Riley has become a highly sought-after vocalist, and her talents ore on full show on this new album that’s packed with addictive jungle beats and spritely charisma. The lyrics reveal a more insight to Riley’s views on the modern world from capitalism to OnlyFans, cloaked by an ultra pop-y and bouncy front.

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