30 July 2026

Band: THE STROKES
Who: NYC’s rock celebs.

Album: REALITY AWAITS
Their 7th one. It’s produced by
renowned sound wizard Rick Rubin.

NME says: “Their first album in six years takes them even further away from where
they started out. That, as this weird and wonderful collection proves, is no bad thing
at all. At its core, ‘Reality Awaits’ is an incredibly playful record, both musically and
in how the frontman Casablancas utilises his voice.

There are falsetto shifts and lines that are rasped, baritone croons and, yes, plenty of his beloved, divisive Auto-Tune. Lyrically, ‘Reality Awaits’ feels split between the personal and
the political. Often, Casablancas’ words feel impenetrable – not helped by those slatherings
of vocal effects – but when the barriers crack even a little, they’re invigorating.”

TUTV: Had a bizarre experience. After a couple of spins I wasn’t into what I heard.
For the most part, the capricious Casablancas vocals (lots of Autotune) didn’t feel
right, yet I felt some strange attraction. So as a Strokes fan I gave Reality Awaits
another 3/4 spins and everything fell into place.

The rock-solid, infectious and ardent TUNES got under my skin and suddenly the vocals fitted too. Again as on their previous LP ‘The New Abnormal’ synths are boss. Hardly jangly guitar thrills, but I don’t miss it (and if I do I’ll play their first three records). From doubtful thoughts to contender for best album of the year. I didn’t see that coming.

KEY SINGLE

ALBUM

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Artist: TRICKY
Who: Trip-hop master (born Nicholas Matthews Thaws
in Bristol, UK, 58 years ago) who started his career with
Massive Attack 3 decades ago.

Album: DIFFERENT WHEN IT’S SILENT
His 15th.

Clash Magazine says: “Dark, melodic and naturally quite sexy, ‘Different When It’s Silent’ finds Tricky at his most light-footed while still excelling at bringing the doom when needed. Central to the album is Bristol singer Mitch Sanders, who adds a little sugar to the gritty tone. As ever, he’s made an album that feels both fresh yet nostalgic. A quickshot reminder of his unique talent.”

TUTV: The longtime trip-hop master didn’t/doesn’t change his sonic palette for the past
few years/albums. Not necessary whatsoever to my satisfied ears. His tense and tenebrific trademark synth-grooves, mostly mid-tempo, still have a transfixing and chilling effect.

And as ever, a vocal partner (in the early years Martina Topley-Bird, then Marta Zlakowska and Francesca Belmonte as the most notable) is an instrumental part
of Tricky‘s overall bewildering sound.

This time it’s young, riveting Bristol voice Mitch Sanders who co-stars for the greater
part with Tricky‘s whispering vocals in the back, engendering the familiar, spookish twilight atmosphere. Again Tricky makes you feel comfortable in his cliffhanging cosmic space.

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Credit: Xander Lewis

Band: MARY IN THE JUNKYARD
Who: Post-rock-punk indie
trio from London.

Album: ROLE MODEL MERMIT
Their debut.

Press info: A record bursting with creativity and experimentation.
A blend of dark fables, intricate melodies and moments of revelation.

Album artwork

NME: “On their long-awaited first record, the London trio continue weaving fantastical tales with their surreal sound. The record’s sinewy assurance and structure across its first half also forms a trap, at times more constraint than conduit for the trio’s natural charisma. Across the latter half, the music again feels like a shared pact for dreaming, structures that build and wind. Sometimes magic is all in the details, grand or granular.”

TUTV: MITJ create capricious, entrancing, voltaic indie music with tortoise-like,
torch-burning songs. As inventive and adventurous as their countrymen Black Country,
New Road and English Teacher. They don’t rock, they don’t punk, they don’t pop, they
don’t scream and shout.

They embed illusory and poetic meditations into cloudy compositions with a
mesmerising intimacy and creaking violin moments. Guitarist Freeman-Taylor‘s
vocals are whimsically charming and instrumental for this engrossing debut
triumph. Wrap yourself in their imaginative spheres. It’s a fascinating place
to visit.

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Band: CYPRESS HILL
Who: Legendary hip-rap-hop dopheads
formed in South Gate, California in 1988.

Album: DIOS BENDIGA
Spanish for ‘God Bless‘.
Their 11th.

An album performed entirely in Spanish that aims to highlight their
Latin roots and reconnect directly with their cultural heritage.

B-Real told Billboard: “Dios Bendiga is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a prayer
or the culture. This album serves as a powerful reminder that our heritage isn’t a trend, but
a divine legacy and a global future. We’re living through a historic era for Latin rap, and with this project we wanted to bring a sound that honors our history and resilience,”

DJ Magazine says: “Some groups left an indelible mark on hip-hop history,
and Cypress Hill is without a doubt one of them, blending innovative sounds
with a Latino identity that has always been central to what they do.

“Dios Bendiga doesn’t come across as a mere curiosity within the group’s discography,
but as a new statement of purpose. It’s an album that connects the past with the present
and finds Cypress Hill embracing, more than ever, the language and culture that have
always been part of its story.”

TUTV: Prepare your ears, your hips, and by extension your whole body for a hip-rap-hop summer fiesta. With Cypress Hill, cocktail-flavored fun is guaranteed. Their word-waterfall dynamism and insane-in-the-brain eurhythmics are key (once again).

MAGA idiots will probably whine again that American artists sing in Spanish (remember their Bad Bunny hate?). Que se jodan! Music doesn’t have (language) boundaries.

Once upon a time Bob Dylan sang “I would not feel so all alone / Everybody must get stoned.”
Dios Bendiga has the vivid vibes to get high (with/without weed). Shake your booty, folks and bless Cypress Hill.

– KEY SINGLE –

ALBUM

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Band: XIU XIU
Who: Longtime Californian
experimental art-rock duo.

Album: ERASERHEAD XIU XIU

Their second LP honoring the iconic filmmaker David Lynch‘s (1946-2025),
with their musical vision of his first pitch-black, surreal fantasy movie Eraserhead
from 1977.

It tells the story of a bizarre man who tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newborn mutant child.

Movie trailer.

Press info: ““The album is a masterpiece in sound collage and experimentation,
shifting from minimal auditory sensations to a clobbering, grotesque cacophony.”

TUTV: XX’s hallucinatory sonic odyssey is as outlandish, Kafkaesque, and
phantasmagorical as the movie. You need to take time, separate yourself from
your surroundings, dim the light, and sit down to immerse yourself, with your
earphones on, in the petrifying, distorted sound disturbance spread across
7 trance-like (long and short) tracks.

Don’t go to sleep immediately after.

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