Back in stock: Pop

Review: For many of a certain age, Alice Deejay's 'Better Off Alone' is one of those tunes that takes you directly back to a very specific time in your life - quite possibly when you were first heading out to local bars and clubs, the sort with insane drinks offers and sticky carpets, a DJ who got on the mic too often and lots of fights in the taxi queue on the way home. That's to say it's a cheesy but loveable Euro-dance hit that sure will bring some fun to the floor now, almost a quarter of a century after it was first released.

Review: Lany frontman Paul Klein leave us in precious little doubt there that he's lovelorn - almost every song on this self-titled record bemoans some melancholic development in his romantic life, set to a cinematic soundscape that's equally beholden to the synth-starred soundscapes of the '80s and modern R&B. Luckily for all and sundry however, these plaintive and potent laments find a way to alchemically transform base angst into audial gold, arriving on a cinematic plateau in which the dislocation of the modern era is subverted to form a bittersweet party soundtrack looking likely to last the remaining days of summer at the very least.

Review: The original Bridgit Mendler soundtrack to the citrine teen drama movie of the same name sees a full version on vinyl LP this spring. Notable not only for its inclusion in the contemporary musical film, but also for its chart-topping success, the ten songs that make up the many acts of this high-school drama were destined to charm the pubescent masses, coinciding with the film's overarching theme of the school's students transcending use of after-school detention to musical effect, in order to overcome their personal struggles. Imagine Glee meets The Breakfast Club; a cabal of songwriters including Ali Dee, Maria Christensen, Bryan Todd and Jeannie Lurie lay down an array of sure-to-be hits for Mendler to perform on behalf of the cast here.

Review: This six-track EP, crated between the late 'Cloud rap' icon and producer Nedarb Nagrom, is a miraculous refind and repress. The EP originally dropped in 2016 during the early wave of Peep's rise to the broth cream of the etherground emo rap and SoundCloud scene. Peep was still in the thick of lo-fi, punk and emo experimentations, and fellow traveller Nedarb had already been a frequent collaborator. The Katy Perry song referenced in the title is a red herring, as these tracks are original internet artefacts through and through, bearing none of the same pop sensibilities; they're loose and aerated, packing slipshod 808s and drawly hooks from the pink-haired icon.