Little Simz’ ‘Drop 6’ review
Adding to an increasingly impressive list of lockdown albums, Drop 6 delivers dynamism without inconsistency, brazen beats without braggadocio.
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Max Gentleman
RTJ4 review: the making of a modern protest album
RTJ4- rap duo Run The Jewels' fourth eponymous album- couldn't have been released at a more poignant time. Its discussions of racial inequality and social justice are delivered alongside the reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, making it a modern protest album.
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Currents ‘The Way It Ends’ review: an unrelenting maelstrom of power
With an almost perfect debut, Currents have managed to beat the second album curse: 'The Way It Ends' is no moshpit fodder.
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Charlie XCX’s ‘How I’m Feeling Now’: the defining response to the coronavirus chaos
Whilst some artists have used this time to make spoof covers or off-kilter versions of condescending seventies peace anthems, Charli XCX has been keeping herself busy and her fans gleeful with an exclusive lockdown album.
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Halo 4 – Games of the Decade
When you are a new studio taking over one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time, what is the one thing you do not, under any circumstances, want to do? Alienate the series’ core audiences. And down to a man, Halo 4 alienated as no Halo had alienated...
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Emo revival: the killers of rock reopen a wound nearly healed
Much has been written on why rock lost commercial viability heading into the 2010s, but for me, the answer is that it became exclusionary and off-putting when a certain cultural moment- such as emo- passed.
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Death Stranding – combating anti-artistic sentiment
The most extreme double-edged sword of gaming as an artistic medium is the hyper-individuality they invite by design. No truer is this than with Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. Game worlds are designed for the player, and the player is usually one of, if not the most powerful people within that...
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The Great Perhaps – Steam Review
The Great Perhaps sets lofty ambitions – a story concerning time travel alongside themes of loss and grief, amongst wider political messages about environmentalism – however it ultimately falls short in several key areas. To create a grand narrative, there needs to be scale – which the game has in...
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Outer Wilds – Xbox Review
Truly ground-breaking moments in gaming are rare. But in an age where open-world games hand-hold you as far as to paint glowing trail markers on the ground, Outer Wilds’ stripped back approach is a breath of fresh air. When the game sets you off on your adventure it hands to...
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Periphery drop an AOTY contender with IV: HAIL STAN
Versatility is built into the Periphery mission statement. The only thing you know for certain when listening to a new release from the band is that they will continue to push the boundaries of progressive metalcore.
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“This is a bloated and incoherent album”: A review of Bring Me The Horizon’s Amo
There have been many hot takes on Bring Me The Horizon’s sixth album Amo in recent weeks. Many of these have been unfair criticisms levied by those who still haven’t forgiven the band for abandoning straight up metalcore what is now almost a decade ago. I’m not one of those people. I...
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While She Sleeps find a clarity of message on their softest album yet
So What? is an ambitious project where Sheffield While She Sleeps find a more melodic and measured approach and gain immeasurably from it. The metalcore sections are given gravitas by being used sparingly and the deft use of electronics livens up the album while retaining much more focus on the lyrics....
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Architect’s Holy Hell is an act of catharsis for the band itself
Trying to review this Architects album immediately throws up several problems as to how to rate it. It’s their seventh studio album, but in a way it feels like their first – a band beset by the loss to cancer of guitarist and songwriter Tom Searle, trying to relearn how to...
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