Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Nilufer Yanya's third album, delves deep into introspective and existential themes, with its near title track and current single 'Method Actor' seeing Yanya exploring the parallels between method acting and musical performance, both of which involve channeling intense, life-defining memories to evoke genuine emotion. Collaborating closely with Wilma Archer, Yanya crafted My Method Actor in a cocoon of creativity, writing and recording in secluded sessions across London, Wales and Eastbourne, with results rich with comforting strings, skittering beats and soulful melodies. The album poses profound questions about identity and purpose, reflecting Yanya's journey through a transitional period in her life and career. Songs like 'Method Actor' and the earlier single 'Like I Say (I Runaway)' showcase Yanya's ability to weave contrasting textures and emotional depth into her music. Her lyrics, simultaneously specific and surreal, offer a glimpse into her process of self-discovery and problem-solving through songwriting. My Method Actor envelops listeners in a cinematic atmosphere, inviting them into Yanya's evolving world and offering a poignant exploration of the human experience.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The tide of (hyper)pop has ebbed into increasingly emo and indie directions and the frothiest edge of this fluid movement is perhaps best represented by the latest album from Yeule (Nat Cmiel). Softscars follows up Yeule's 2022 album Glitch Princess and continues the trend of ultra-glossy, CD-reflective, knife-edge sounds packed into the blueprint of downtempo dream pop, in which said gloss reflects Cmiel's own personal experience of healing from trauma. The likes of 'ghost', 'dazies' and 'sulky baby' are giving glitchy alternate-reality Green Day in their Boulevard Of Broken Dreams era, with a dash of ejector-jewel-cased lyrics and a sprinkling of George Clinton-esque production flavour.

Review: Swedish-Japanese vocalist Yukimi Nagano (best known as the lead singer of the post-punk and electronica group Little Dragon) shares her debut album on Ninja Tune, embodying the best of her charms as a solo artist whose space away from the band allows her ample time to reflect on her own emotions. Born of the first production 'Sad Makeup' - a song about the inevitably, always-botched attempt to suppress and sweep sad feelings under the rug, and the ways this backfires when around close friends - the entire album in fact threads a narrative yarn centring on the overcoming of "darkest nights", externalised in the repeated mention in the lyrics of Sweden's long, dark and shivery winters. Taking cues from everyone to filmmaker Ingmar Bergman to collaborator Lianne La Havas, Nagano wears her vulnerability on her sleeve.