April 2018 | Top 5 Albums of the Month

Hinds, Goat Girl and Blossoms all make Top 5 Albums of the Month!

5. Blossoms – ‘Cool Like You’

After two years since their Self-Titled debut album, Blossoms return with their second Cool Like You which I was looking forward to, regardless of some of the bad press the band have received lately. The album once again sees Stockport five-piece dive into the synth heavy instrumentals, which could easily feature on a Stranger Things episode, and is quite clearly where their sound lies. The band are clearly talented when writing catchy pop songs with ‘I Can’t Stand It’ and ‘There’s a Reason Why(I Never Returned Your Calls)’ providing good proof. However I can see this rubbing people the wrong way as it could be considered a bit too sweet and cliche with some lyrics. I danced to it, and enjoyed it so therefore it’s here.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Can’t Stand It’ , ‘There’s a Reason Why(I Never Returned Your Calls)’ and ‘Lying Again’

4. Goat Girl – ‘Goat Girl’

The first of two debut album enters the Top 5 for the month, this time it’s South London’s Goat Girl who have been making a name for themselves for a few years now. The album has a lot of passion fuelled into it, with a lot of the songs being politically driven which can be heard on ‘Burn The Stake’ as the line “Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Tories on the top/Put the DUP in the middle and we’ll burn the fucking lot” rings in your head. The album holds 19 tracks, yet the band manage to put them together well, giving the album a nice flow and time isn’t an issue. Finally it’s worth noting that Goat Girl have a certain Libertines vibe on some of the tracks, with that London twang and poetic tendencies.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Burn The Stake’ , ‘The Man’ and ‘Viper Fish’

3. Fenne Lily – ‘On Hold’

This is the debut album from Bristol’s own Fenne Lily and at the age of 20 she’s managed to create a fine piece of work. Her songs are emotionally driven and delivered with poise, giving the songs their own life. The acoustic heavy album has a laid back sound to it as Fenne strums the guitar with as if she was sitting alone with noone around her. She provides some very delicate breathy vocals giving it an angelic touch, I can only see Fenne growing as an artist from here.
Top 3 Tracks : ‘Car Park’ , ‘On Hold’ and ‘Brother’

2. Speedy Ortiz – ‘Twerp Verse’

This is the third album Speedy Ortiz have released, after their previous two albums Major Arcana and Foil Deer  which both received good reviews. Although this doesn’t reach the heights that their debut did, it’s still a very good album. The album is full of fuzzy playful riffs which contrast so well with the vocals provided by Sadie Dupuis, providing a sounds which many bands aren’t coming out with at this moment. None of these tracks would catch the imagination of the masses due its niche sound, the album has a rich indie taste. 
Top 3 Tracks : ‘Lean In When I Suffer’ , ‘Can I Kiss You?’ and ‘You Hate The Title’

 

1. Hinds – ‘I Don’t Run’

This was the sophomore album from the Spanish, and after listening to their first release prior to this I was looking forward to what they had to offer. I Don’t Run is a great second album for the band, with the lo-fi sounds, especially on the vocals you can hear hints of The Strokes sneaking out of some corners. However the band bounce between 90’s twee pop and and this lo-fi orchestration quite well. With the catchy hooks and unique vocals the album really is a joy to listen to.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Tester’, ‘Linda’ and ‘To The Morning Light’