FEATURE:
An Early Temperature Check
IN THIS PHOTO: RAYE/PHOTO CREDIT: Callum Walker Hutchinson
Possible Mercury Prize Shortlisted Albums
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I do this around this time of the year…
IN THIS PHOTO: Billy Nomates (Tor Maries)
where I look around at the best British and Irish albums from the past few months. There is argument as to whether award ceremonies are valid and whether people care about them anymore. That argument has recently applied to the Oscars. In the music world, I think it is important to acknowledge great artists and music. The Mercury Prize was held back in October, and it was won by Little Simz for her album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. It was a worthy winner, and it makes me wonder who might be in the frame this year. I like the fact that the prize awards diversity – in terms of the artists shortlisted and the sounds of the albums. One of the only criticism is that the prize has gone to a London-born or based artist for the past few years. In fact, the last artist that won the prize who was based out of London is Young Fathers. The Scottish band won in 2014 for Dead. It is a pity that worthy non-London artists have been denied. I hope that there is a move to recognise the fact that the capital is not the only place in the U.K. and Ireland that produces sensational music. That said, I wanted to look at albums released since the last ceremony that could be in the frame this year. The eligibility in terms of release date is usually from July to July. So, albums released from July 2022 to this coming July will be eligible. I wanted to cast my thoughts back and see which albums released up to the date I am writing this (16th March) might be in with a shout. I know it has been a little quiet in terms of big album releases so far this year – and many of the best albums each year come out from March onwards -, but there have been some crackers! Below are albums that I think will be shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize. They are all worthy of winning…
THIS prestigious prize.
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Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Release Date: 21st October, 2022
Label: Domino
Producer: James Ford
Standout Tracks: There'd Better Be a Mirrorball/Sculptures of Anything Goes/The Car
Key Cut: Body Paint
Review:
“It is these musicians, as much as the band themselves, who provide ‘The Car’ with the vivid textures that this record’s predecessor. The grandiose funk-rock of ‘I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am’ soars in comparison to the version first played live this summer, and ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ is the band’s first real tear-jerker since ‘Cornerstone’, stirring strings soundtrack a relationship that’s gone off the boil. Del Schwartz, a not-so-secret Spotify playlist that AM fans have attributed to Turner (despite an unconvincing recent denial), provides ample clues to the frontman’s sonic inspirations this time round: The Rolling Stones producer Andrew Oldham, Brazilian rockers Os Mutantes and an array of French composers, including Francis Lai, all feature.
‘Hello You’ is where it all comes together most effectively. Resurrecting the swirling guitar riff of ‘AM’s slinky cut ‘Knee Socks’, Helders’ percussion pushes the band forward as dramatic strings dance around Turner’s vocals. It’s immediate and playful, and as alluring as anything on Steely Dan’s 1980 classic ‘Gaucho’. Though more sedate, ‘Jet Skis On The Moat’ and ‘Big Ideas’ conjure colourful scenic images of The Talented Mr Ripley and ’60s James Bond flicks, a clear contrast to the art-house black-and-white cinema of ‘TBH&C’.
The characters that Turner assumes in his songs here are more nuanced and compelling than before. For all the costumes he uses as “writing tools” on ‘Body Paint’, he can’t help but admit that his “teeth are beating and my knees are weak” at the altar of romance, while on ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ he gives it the “old romantic fool” to little avail. Every moment of triumph is tempered by his own flaws: the faux-luxury of “the Business they call Show” (‘Hello You’) appears increasingly hollow, and by ‘Perfect Sense’, the record’s gorgeous Dion-nodding swansong, “a four-figure sum on a hotel notepad” is all it takes for him to realise the charade is up. There’s a ‘your mum’ joke on ‘Sculptures Of Anything Goes’, too.
‘The Car’ is almost overwhelming in terms of its ambition and scope, but provides ample motive to revisit this record over and over again. Whether it’ll be enough to reach across the divide and convince the naysayers is yet to be seen, but given they’ll be playing in stadiums up and down the UK and beyond next year seems to suggest a rapprochement is in motion. For now, though, Arctic Monkeys stand alone like the abandoned saloon on the rooftop: the last – and greatest – band of their generation still operating at their highest level” – NME
slowthai - UGLY
Release Date: 3rd March, 2023
Labels: Method/Interscope
Producers: Jacob Budgen/Dan Carey/Kwes Darko/Ethan P. Flynn/Zach Nahome/Sega Bodega
Standout Tracks: Selfish/Fuck It Puppet/Wotz Funny
Key Cut: Feel Good
Review:
“Historically, when a beloved artist has announced something of a swerve in direction, the response from long-term fans is split. When Alex Turner opted to open the lounge door into Arctic Monkeys’ suave era, a decent portion of indie diehards checked out of the Tranquility Base Hotel; when Bob Dylan dared plug in his guitar for the first time, he was famously booed by supporters who hadn’t signed up for this sort of newfangled tomfoolery. And though Northampton boy slowthai has always had a punk side to him - his pair of collabs with Mura Masa (2018’s ‘Doorman’ and the following year’s ‘Deal Wiv It’) and Gorillaz team-up ‘Momentary Bliss’ providing some of his most memorable moments - until now he’s been largely associated with the hip hop world.
In the run up to third LP ‘UGLY’, however, Ty has been heralding the release as his ‘alternative’ album. “This album was me trying to emulate the spirit of the brotherhood ethos that bands have,” he declared upon its announcement. ‘UGLY’’s cast of co-conspirators cement the idea: where 2021 predecessor ‘Tyron’ featured the likes of Skepta, A$AP Rocky and Deb Never, ‘UGLY’ brings in Fontaines DC, Jockstrap’s Taylor Skye and Beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden. If there was any last question over slowthai’s intent, omnipresent producer and Speedy Wunderground head honcho Dan Carey is helming the desk.
Clearly, it’s an itch the musician has been wanting to scratch but, more than that, his new embrace of throbbing punk bile and melodic melancholy is the perfect vehicle for an album rooted in neuroses and introspection. Undoubtedly, the delivery might not be all his old fans’ cup of tea, but ‘UGLY’ arrives as slowthai’s most exploratory, varied and exciting body of work yet. Opening with the juddering electronic panic attack of ‘Yum’ - all heavy breathing, stream-of-consciousness lyrics about therapy and pulsing, PVA-like beats - it sets the scene for an album of bold choices. ‘Fuck It Puppet’ is a paranoid, twitchy conversation with the devil on his shoulder and ‘Wotz Funny’ comes on like ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ 2.0, whereas ‘Falling’ is an epic slowburn of catharsis; ‘Never Again’, meanwhile, begins with the crackled croon of Ethan P Flynn before Ty reflects on the jarring 180-turn his life has taken like a next-gen Mike Skinner.
Indeed, if there’s a holy trinity of influences that seem to preside over ‘UGLY’, it’s Skinner, Ty’s pal Damon Albarn and the people’s poet Jamie T. ‘Feel Good’’s sing-song irony feels like something Gorillaz would get animated about, while the album’s Fontaines-featuring title track builds the band’s shoegazey guitars around meditative, lyrically-dextrous verses and a pained howl of a climax. But really, slowthai’s newest is the work of an artist clearly more excited than ever about what he himself can do now he’s booted his own doors wide open. ‘UGLY’ is a beautiful thing to behold” – DIY
Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B
Release Date: 9th September, 2022
Label: Rough Trade
Standout Tracks: Jennifer B/Glasgow/50/50
Key Cut: Concrete Over Water
Review:
“Vocalist, violinist and songwriter Georgia Ellery is perhaps one of London’s most sought after creatives right now. As a member of experimental rock outfit Black Country, New Road, she has created two Top Five albums and earned a Mercury Prize nomination in the process. However, her own personal creative spirit is best sampled via her collaborative project with producer Taylor Skye, Jockstrap.
Together, the duo have been testing the waters of experimental, electronic fusion, blending somewhat abstract textural production with Ellery’s naturally crisp vocal tones in a dynamic comparable to Laura Marling’s LUMP project. Now, after four years in the making, the pair have released their debut album ‘I Love You Jennifer B’, a cohesive and comprehensive collection of tracks that lay down the Jockstrap manifesto; to never stay static, forever keep moving forward and to subvert sonic expectations at every opportunity.
They stick to that idea pretty firmly throughout the album, constantly changing atmospheres so that the listener can never get too comfortable or perhaps to keep themselves on their toes, so that they never allow their performance to drop due to familiarity.
The early moments of the album lay out the extent of their sonic tapestry. The album’s opener ‘Neon’ merges melancholic grunge tendencies with abrasive electronic textures, the title track ‘Jennifer B’ creates a more cinematic, string-laden atmosphere while ‘Greatest Hits’ develops into a funky, groove-driven rhythm that shows the first early signs of the album’s dance influence.
At the album’s mid-point ‘Concrete Over Water’ journeys into new realms. It is anthemic at its biggest moments and heartwarmingly intimate in the moments of tranquillity. Beginning with a stripped back vocal performance that radiates a raw vulnerability, the track then grows with a dance sensibility, building towards a euphoric climax with huge backing harmonies and rousing electro pulses that boast the same empowering feeling of Self Esteem’s ‘Prioritise Pleasure’. Yet, before this climax hits, the intense production completely disappears, leaving you alone to mull over Ellery’s poignant vocals once more.
The single ‘Glasgow’ is another example of this technique and is a definite highlight that encapsulates all the best elements of the album as a whole. Starting with cascades of somewhat detached harp notes and a sharp, piercing vocal, it is easy to become slightly disoriented at first. As much as Ellery’s vocals captivate your attention, you can ever fully settle in her blissful aura as your attention is constantly diverted by the off-kilter production.
This finale fantastically summarasies the ever-changing, abstract approach to genre and form that the album offers. As a whole ‘I Love You Jennifer B’ consistently impresses with its sharp turns, diverse array of atmospheres and bold sonic blends. Together, Ellery and Skye manage to combine soft, ethereal beauty and twisted electronic textures to create a sound that never relaxes. Ellery is audibly comfortable drifting between gentle vocal caress and sharp, soaring performance while Skye seems completely devoid of fear in his choice of production. A successfully adventurous debut that bears countless relistens.
9/10” – CLASH
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
Release Date: 3rd February, 2023
Label: Ninja Tune
Standout Tracks: I Saw/Tell Somebody/Sink or Swim
Key Cut: Geronimo
Review:
“For Young Fathers, "back to basics" assuredly has a meaning that differs from that of a fading rock band with a renewed interest in all-analog recording or a pop singer following up a flop made with a dozen production teams. Heavy Heavy was pitched that way, the sound of the Scottish trio sequestered in their basement studio with what gear was on hand. Kayus Bankole, Graham Hastings, and Alloysious Massaquoi conversely weren't self-sufficient, bringing in co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Iain Berryman (Florence + the Machine, Beabadoobee), ancillary musicians for strings and additional percussion, and a few extra voices. Moreover, they continue here to hone their rich hybrid sound -- gospel, soul, folk, dub, and hip-hop recombined with punk energy -- and reaffirm that deeply physical music can have a psychedelic quality. There is a key difference. Where their previous LPs up through Cocoa Sugar could seem impenetrable, or require no small amount of mental exertion to make a connection, this one is much more inviting, if not instantly so. It's something like approaching a raucous uprising or celebration that seems forbidding until the glimpse of a hand extended from the mass. Heavy Heavy pulls in the listener with an empathetic lust for life that, whether brimming with optimism, steeling for a threat to survival, or reckoning with a perceived futility of existence, somehow never wavers. It's lowest in spirit on "Geronimo" with sung-spoken remarks about "hell on earth" and the pointlessness of being "dressed up just to go in the dirt," but the stammering percussion develops into battle drums, and the men's overlapping voices intensify, resolving to "survive and provide" as "a son, brother, uncle, father figure." "Tell Somebody" expresses inner turmoil but sounds practically epiphanal, like it was recorded in a cathedral instead of a cellar. It's one of few songs with space. The rest are packed with sound inducing continuous movement and thought with unrelenting drums that grind and throttle, handclaps, and high-energy group vocals, all layered with whirling noise that seems to be emanating from a large echo chamber. Release is achieved through dance on most of the highlights. "Drum" more than any other song encapsulates Young Fathers' perspective. Built on a rapid bass thrum, it implores to "Hear the beat of the drums and go numb" because "They're gonna get ya anyway." Hardened glam shuffle "I Saw" starts with "I want your shield, I want your weapon," and remains all righteous defiance expressed with clenched teeth. Young Fathers add to the sense of community by handing the mike to friend Tapiwa Mambo on "Ululation," appropriately enough the album's most jubilant moment” – AllMusic
Billy Nomates – CACTI
Release Date: 13th January, 2023
Label: INVADA Records
Standout Tracks: balance is gone/roundabout sadness/vertigo
Key Cut: CACTI
Review:
“Billy Nomates sounds like a character in a Viz comic strip or a dyed-in-the-mohair-wool punk rocker. She is actually Tor Maries, a Bristol-based singer-songwriter whose stage name points with tongue in cheek to the lonely nature of her trade. She plays most of the instruments on her recordings, whose tracks she programmes and co-produces. She performs alone when she tours.
“Anyone can do it,” she sang in her solo debut, 2020’s Billy Nomates. Its punchy tracks told of dead-end jobs in dead-end towns where boredom and rancour vie for supremacy. There were flashes of Viz-like satire, such as the mocking portrait of male lechery in a song crudely entitled “Fat White Man”. In Maries’ hinterland lay years slogging around the Bristol circuit in bands and a period when she quit music for office work. Punk’s DIY ethos runs through her solo songs, allied to a punk-like snarl. But there is more to her Billy Nomates persona than the spirit of ’77 reincarnated.
Cacti is her second album. Like the plant, it has a spiky, cussed quality, although the music is fuller-sounding and less abrasive than before. “Spite” opens with a fuzzy squall of guitar riffing and proceeds to deliver a brutal slapdown to an antagonist whom Maries curtly refers to as a “little boy”. But after its initial flurry of guitar distortion, the song turns into a driving rock anthem with a nagging hint of Fleetwood Mac, heightened by the mid-Atlantic twang in Maries’ voice.
The lyrics dial down the social commentary and black humour of Billy Nomates. “Balance Is Gone” introduces a theme of psychological struggle. The drudgery of the dead-end jobs in her older songs is replaced by a more introspective type of ennui. “I just go round and round,” she choruses. The title track sets feelings of alienation to a brooding electronic backdrop.
Tough basslines run like a spine through the album, performed by Billy Fuller. The only other accompanist is Portishead’s Geoff Barrow, who plays cymbals on the inventively downcast fairground music of “Roundabout Sadness” (Maries is signed to Barrow’s record label). James Trevascus co-produces with Maries. The songs’ world-weariness is offset by double-tracked singing and decorative touches like the piano and synthesiser vamps in “Same Gun”. The results are nuanced, involving and not at all cartoonish” – Financial Times
RAYE - My 21st Century Blues
Release Date: 3rd February, 2023
Label: Human Re Sources
Producers: Rachel Keen/Mike Sabath/Punctual/BloodPop/Di Genius
Standout Tracks: Hard Out Here./The Thrill Is Gone./Worth It.
Key Cut: Black Mascara.
Review:
“It’s taken the best part of a decade for RAYE to reach this point. Signing to Polydor in 2014 aged just 17, the relationship ended in 2021 in a thunderous mix of contradictory statements. RAYE, frustrated at making repeated attempts to get the label to allow her to record an album in vain, called them out with a poignant attack on industry misogyny. High-profile collaborations and songwriting credits for some of the world’s biggest artists were set aside; “ALL I CARE ABOUT is the music,” the London born singer tweeted. “I’m sick of being slept on and I’m sick of being in pain about it.”
Stepping out on her own has undoubtedly worked: starting 2023 with her affirmative 070 Shake-featuring trip hop-infused ‘Escapism.’ sitting at the top of the UK singles chart, the sweet irony of the track’s fan-led viral success isn’t lost. For RAYE at least, major label prioritising can’t compete with the power of a truly great song and a dedicated audience.
With her long-overdue ‘My 21st Century Blues’ finally coming into the world, it’s a chance for RAYE to exorcise her demons and reclaim her power once and for all.
With confidence, ‘My 21st Century Blues’ pushes against the boundaries previously placed on her music. There’s an empowered defiance on display, the record’s opening tracks cementing this moment as all her own. “I’m a very fucking brave strong woman,” she demands on powerful midpoint ‘Ice Cream Man’, a fact that underpins the record’s blend of soul, hip hop, blues and a multitude of other styles. Even its occasional musical inconsistency makes complete sense, mirroring RAYE’s desire to explore all facets of herself, and it is autobiographical to its core, whether touching on heartbreak, discrimination, or distorted self-image. Fundamentally, this is her through and through.
“I’ve waited seven years for this moment,” she exhales on outro ‘Fin.’. The pain and frustration of that time bleeds throughout the record, ultimately underpinned by her eventual cathartic freedom. With the emotionally charged beats of ‘Black Mascara’, the candour of ‘Body Dysmorphia’ and the unfiltered soul of ‘Buss It Down’, it would be impossible for anyone to sleep on RAYE anymore” – DIY
Gaz Coombes – Turn the Car Around
Release Date: 13th January, 2023
Label: Hot Fruit Recordings
Standout Tracks: Don’t Say It’s Over/Feel Loop (Lizard Dream)/Sonny the Strong
Key Cut: Long Live the Strange
Review:
“It’s 30 years since Gaz Coombes formed Supergrass, the teen rock band who sold millions of their debut album, 1995’s I Should Coco, and still draw big audiences for their reunion tours. So the genial Englishman has spent some two-thirds of his life being a rock star, and this fourth solo album proves he’s still pretty good at it. While Coombes isn’t keen on trying to recapture Supergrass’s sylvan magic in the streaming era – their final album, Release the Drones, remains unfinished and unreleased – he sounds as youthful and engaged as he did in those cassette tape days.
Much of the baroque experimentalism that powered Matador (2015) and World’s Strongest Man (2018) has been dialled down, but the band’s intoxicating, questing spirit throbs through the strongest suite of music Coombes has assembled in 20 years. Gorgeous, heartfelt pieces dedicated to his wife and kids (Don’t Say It’s Over, Not the Only Things) nestle up next to heartfelt, gorgeous songs about lizard metamorphosis and murdered middleweight boxing champions. The latter, Sonny the Strong, brings the sharp edge of sadness and regret that has often studded his songs fully to the fore, and is one of the best things he’s ever done” – The Guardian
Sleaford Mods - UK GRIM
Release Date: 10th March, 2023
Label: Rough Trade
Standout Tracks: On the Ground/Right Wing Beast/Tory Kong
Key Cut: UK GRIM
Review:
“Sleaford Mods have to be one of the most consistent music acts out there. When it comes to their sonic approach for their latest album ‘UK GRIM’, the Nottingham duo continue their winning formula of irascible yet sagacious insights on life in the UK.
Sleaford Mods are no strangers to holding back and this certainly rings true when it comes to ‘UK GRIM’, their twelfth studio album. Naturally, there’s an abundance of scathing anger, punk puissance and formidable energy, but there’s also poignant introspection and subtly too which can be found on tracks like ‘Apart From You’ with its enigmatic bassline which sounds almost Depeche Mode-esque which talks of trying to navigate your way in life when times are tough and “the waiting rooms are cold”.
There’s also insight into Williamson’s childhood Christmas with his “Superman sweatshirt” on watching his “wooden TV” and seeing Santa Claus with a “bag of chips” on ‘I Claudius’, but there’s also the quintessential Sleaford Mods humour in there with the pertinent question “Does he eat though, Dad?!”
When it comes to tracks like ‘Tory Kong’ and ‘Right Wing Beast’, it’s a case of less subtlety and more of a sledgehammer approach with a flurry of furious and scathing observations about the political establishment with pithy lines like “You are all getting mugged by the aristocracy…”
With delectable punchy, acerbic soundbites from vocalist Jason Williamson fused with the stark, minimalistic production from Andrew Fearn with an absolute sucker punch with an immersive fusion of samplers and synths, ‘UK GRIM’ delivers some of the most eminent and vital social and political commentaries of their career so far.
Despite the wearying subject matter, Jason Williamson serves his lyrics up sagely and with urgency in the most succinct, punchy and slightly surrealist manner.
The album features collaborations with Perry Farrell from Jane’s Addiction on ‘So Trendy’ which talks about the UK’s obsessions with their mobile phones and Florence Shaw from Dry Cleaning on ‘Force Ten From Navarone’ which poses the question “why does the darkness elope?” whilst you are encouraged to “hang on to the cable car Force Ten From Navarone.”
The eponymous title track comes in like a juggernaut with Fearn’s menacing beats and foreboding bass lines whilst Williamson snarls lines like “tanks that boil in a bag… Vladimir’s got his top off”. Jason Williamson with his astute and discerning delivery is compelling and electrifying, especially with the ultimate line “In England no one can hear you scream, you’re just fucked lads!”
Instinctual, acerbic and erudite, ‘UK GRIM’ is stark and enthralling all in one.
9/10” – CLASH
Rozi Plain - Prize
Release Date: 13th January, 2023
Label: Memphis Industries
Standout Tracks: Complicated/Conversation/Standing Up
Key Cut: Prove Your Good
Review:
“Listening to Rozi Plain is like searching for shapes in the clouds. In her mirage-like lyrics and mix of gently warped folk and nomadic jazz, you can stumble on moments of sharp recognition. A former art student, Plain is a longtime member of Kate Stables’ luminous folk band This Is the Kit and a fixture of the Cleaner Records collective, which she founded with fellow folk artist Rachael Dadd. All the while, she has nurtured her own ambitions. Prize, her fifth record, is a document of her evolution over the past 15 years, and, with its sprawling supporting cast, a tribute to the collective spirit that has defined her career.
Plain’s lyrics are simple, but their meaning remains just beyond a listener’s grasp – as if she is trying to articulate the depth of a dream. On Prove Your Good, subtle word shifts tempt a thousand meanings: “Prove you did, prove you do / Proving it to who?” Her thicket of riddles would almost be frustrating were it not for the clarity brought by her vibrant music, aided by her many collaborators, such as Stables, jazz musician Alabaster DePlume, and harpist Serafina Steer.
On Help, familiar instruments behave in curious ways: a saxophone mimics strings; guitars masquerade as accordions. Steel drums ripple sweetly on Complicated as synths hum like a heart tremor. The effect is as communicative as any words, elevating the emotion in her uncomfortable inquiries such as “What is it if it’s not? / Is it love when it stops?” on Conversation. Moving far beyond the cotton-soft folk of her previous records, with Prize, Plain chooses to lean into her eccentricities – and the risk pays off” – The Guardian
Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
Release Date: 12th December, 2022
Labels: Forever Living Originals/AWAL
Producer: Inflo
Standout Tracks: Silhouette/X/Who Even Cares
Key Cut: Gorilla
Review:
“LITTLE SIMZ IS like a hood BBC anchor. Her songs come off like quiet but spicy broadcasts, as if she checked in for a soothing afternoon chat if that somehow involves a soul-scorching read. Pleasant but snarky, Simz combines Queens Gambit cordiality with Top Boy aggression to marry well-bred flows to blistering bars. Appropriately, the London-born MC (and skilled actress) flaunts a thespian’s remarkable range: she gives us humor, charisma, and a lot of feels.
Emotion is Simz’s secret weapon. She has a knack for sharing heartfelt tales with marked conviction that settles deep in your sternum. She’s a bona fide technician, no doubt. But the sheer technicality of her rhymes is not at odds with her natural ability to craft poignant songs that make you laugh, cry, and silently rage. On No Thank You, the follow-up to her excellent 2021 breakthrough Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Simz gives us 10 choice cuts (showcasing her brilliance and breadth) that convey the whole emoji board of riveting emotions.
Those battle-ready bars distinguish “Gorilla,” where Simz, over loping bass and crisp percussion, spits, “I’m cut with a different scissor/From the same cloth as my dear ancestors.” And it’s captivating to hear her effortlessly unpack a couplet that floors you as she skillfully pivots to the next bruising punchline.
But “Broken” is a boon of self-reflection, and it’s arguably Simz’s most powerful song to date. Buoyed by the strains of a choir, Simz describes how racism afflicts her, wasting her time, energy, and agency. “It shouldn’t be a norm to live your life as a tragedy/To live your life in a state of confusion and agony,” she sighs. And you’re reminded that being Black means being in a constant state of rage.
On “No Merci,” Simz kicks caustic bars (“I’m a human landmine/I am not a human being you can gaslight”), indicting lames that want her “stuck up in the matrix.” Meanwhile, “Heart on Fire,” with its blithe hook asserting that “my life is a blessing,” is her stirring manifesto. But the soulful “Sideways” is the obvious standout. Here, Simz embodies snappish warrior energy, confirming her calm sovereignty: “Walkin’ in my light, my shadow is protectin’ me/Never movin’ sideways, I done this shit my way.” We’re forever thankful for Simz’s bold originality” – Rolling Stone
Loyle Carner – hugo
Release Date: 28th October, 2022
Labels: AMF Records/Caroline Records/Virgin EMI
Producers: Earl Saga/Kwes/Nick Mills/Jordan Rakei/Madlib/Rebel Kleff/Alfa Mist/Puma Blue/Zento/Loyle Carner
Standout Tracks: Georgetown/Homerton/HGU
Key Cut: Hate
Review:
“An artist that has carved a niche into stark honesty, Carner has always been one to set himself into retrospective mode, asking questions of himself and his surroundings. On previous projects, he has questioned his own mental wellbeing, his current position as a young, successful artist and what is next for him – but on his latest venture, the retrospect has been amplified, toying between the roots in which he grew from and the roots he is laying out.
Lyrically, the album is sublime. Latest single “Ladis Road (Nobody Knows)” is genuinely awe striking, with lyrics such as “You can’t hate the roots of the tree / and not hate the tree / So how can I hate my father / without hating me?” detailing the strained relationship with Carner’s biological father and the effect it has had. “Blood On My Nikes” is a very real tale of London’s knife crime epidemic, personified by youth activist Athian Akec’s speech demanding politicians to act up. The closing line “Never has so much been lost by so many, because of the indecision of so few” poetically putting them in their place. Album closer “HGU” sees Carner forgiving his father, in a heartfelt commitment to his son.
On a production level, the album is some of Carner’s most far-reaching, wide-ranging work to date. Swaying between gorgeous neo-soul and thumping hip-hop, the album paves the way for some electrifying and effortless bangers. “Speed Of Plight” and “Homerton” combined fit nicely together – a free flowing grace accents them both as the marvellous production temporarily distracts from the deeper themes the album promotes.
Overall, hugo demonstrates some of Carner’s finest and best work. Expanding on his empire of authentic and intimate feelings with added clarity and artistic freedom, the album digs deeper, questions harder and reaches further. A clear cut statement on what it feels like to be alive in these troubling times from an artist who is carefully cementing himself as one of the most compelling and earnest young talents” – The Line of Best Fit