5 BEST ALBUMS OF THE MONTH – FEBRUARY 2026

28 February 2026

Band: KULA SHAKER
Who:
British psych rock vets, fronted by charismatic
vocalist/songwriter Crispian Mills. Their 1996 debut LP,
titled K made them instant indie stars.

Album: WORMSLAYER
Their 8th one.

Press info: “Named after a 9th-century Indian poet king, the band have always existed
in an alternate reality, mixing mysticism, psychedelia, and raucous rock ‘n’ roll energy.
With Wormslayer, they continue that quest, creating a kaleidoscopic journey that feels both
timeless and urgently fresh.”


Press photo

TUTV: KS show again their passion for 60s psychedelic rock/pop flavered with
Indian sitar vibes and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds symphonies. Think early Pink
Floyd, The Kinks
, The Pepper Beatles, Traffic and Arthur Lee’s Love.

And they are very good at it. Wormslayer is stuffed with top-flight pop-edelia tunes, elevating this 8th LP to a must-hear on repeat level. Voice/face/songwriter and vibrant guitarist Crispian Mills lifts his troops to ecstasizing heights of nostalgia. Retro delirium
at its todays best. Formidable record.

KEY SINGLE

ALBUM

Instagram – All Albums
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Band: THE NUDE PARTY
Who: North Carolina collective THE NUDE PARTY, active
since 2012, are a well-oiled 7-piece machine of choogling
rock‘n roll

Album: LOOK WHO’S BACK

Press info: “Look Who’s Back took shape in a homegrown, late-night party atmosphere, playfully debaucherous sessions ran late into the night, the cozy room as crowded with mics, cables, and recording equipment as it was with friends, pizza boxes, and beer cans.”

TUTV: This party squad keeps it simple, but oh irresistibly efficient with laid-back
melodiousness, sparkling guitar play, euphonious harmonies, and top-drawer sing along/tap along/clap along tunes with at times, a cosy country feel. It’s called pop-ular music. Instantly entertaining, chipper and ear-pleasing fun.

Trust me, the cliché, no fillers, all killers, is 100% accurate here.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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Instagram – Twitter

Artists: DEAD ANYWAY
Who: British duo who set the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold against the music
and soundscapes of Marc Symonds. They offer a mix of poetry, electronica
and guitars. A heady brew of dark, glitchy head-messing wonder.

Album: SQUEAK PIGGY SQUEAK
Their 7th one.

TUTV: Again, DA takes you on a relaxing wander, entertaining your ears, mind,
and psyche en route. They trip and hop their way through eight new pieces. Sonically,
as we experienced so many times before, Tricky, Arab Strap, and Portishead come
to mind.

Sydmonds designs a fitting, easy-listening atmosphere, flavored with scintillating guitar
sparks, shiny synth,s and bass-dipped Massive Attack-like percussion, for Arnold‘s spoken
word reflections.

Her laid-back vocals suit the whole sonic picture organically, and her hush-hush
tonality creates an inviting, intimate ambiance. Thematically, the songs are Arnold reflections on her mental issues. The overall outcome of this new LP is engrossing
once again.

SINGLE


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ALBUM


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Spotify – Instagram – Linktree
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Band: RONKER
Who: Belgian most terrifying noiz turbine,
fronted by manic demon Jasper De Petter.

Album: RESPECT THE HUSTLE, I WON’T BE YOUR DOG FOREVER
Their sophomore.

Ronker about the record: “The initial plan was to write half of the record completely sober. We mostly succeeded in that effort. Not quite. We noticed that the songs we wrote in those sober sessions had a very distinct nature compared to the more fierce banger-like
songs we hammer out when we have some sort of intoxicants in our veins.”


📸 Nathan Dobbelaere

TUTV’s impressions.

Ronker rage and race once again.
These volcanic punk hyenas develop
an earsplitting havoc that crushes
your mind, your psyche and your
shaking stereo.


Manic demon Jasper De Petter – Trix, Antwerp – Photo by Turn Up The Volume

Vociferous vocalist Kasper has 4 lungs
and iron pipes. He growls, barks, howls
and spits and sneers at a sizzling speed.

His backing crew hits hard, really hard.
Schizo riot gun riffs and a Herculean
bass/drum tandem. What you hear
is what your terrified ears get.

On the short & soft, classical piano-driven
instrumental in the middle, you can take
a breather, and the closing ballad, an
intensity-growing ballad Using Eyes is
one of my favorite pieces on the record.

This 2nd LP could easily be the soundtrack
to Quentin Tarantino‘s first horror movie.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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Album On Spotify – Instagram – Linktree – Tour Dates
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Band: GORILLAZ
Who: The brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist
Jamie Hewlett, who celebrated the 25th anniversary of their top-ranking
project this year.

Album: THE MOUNTAIN
Their 9th.

Press info: “The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and
collaborators, living and dead, including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha
Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny
Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey;
as well as the voices of the late Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper and
Mark E. Smith

TUTV: Gorillaz offer us the first summer record of the year. And if you’re a longtime
G fan you know what that means. Yes, a soft stream of easygoing, feel-good, and bubbly reggae-tinted tunes. But it’s not all sunlight and carefreeness.

Albarn and Hewlett both lost their fathers, in between two trips they did together to
India. Those sad happenings resonate in several melancholic musings, embedded in
Indian instrumentation (lots of sitars) and Eastern vibes, yet they obviously want to
keep up the good spirits and look to the future.

It results in one of their most entertaining longplayers in their 25-year career.

SINGLE

ALBUM


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Instagram – Spotify – All Albums

20 BEST TRACKS OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2026

Best of the best of the month

ALL TOGETHER


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TRACK BY TRACK

– 1 –

Band: LIME GARDEN
Who: British pop-rock act from Brighton, UK.
They released their debut LP One More Thing
in 2024.

Track: 23
New piece from their upcoming 2nd album
Maybe Not Tonight, out on April 10th.

TUTV: Yeah! Absolutely yeah! Move your pelvis, move your head, move your feet, move anything that is movable. This resistless dancefloor upper boosts your mood on the spot.

Vivid vibes.

Instagram – Tour Dates
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– 2 –

Band: HOLY FUCK
Who: Robust electro rock veteran combo from Toronto, CA.
All members also have their own projects. They formed in 2004.

Track: EVIE
First single from their forthcoming 6th longplayer,
titled Event Beat, showing up on March 27th.

TUTV: HF do not fuck around. This badass jam gets you going
all day long. Sway your hips. Hip and hop to the addictive flow.

Dope tune.

Tour Dates – Instagram
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– 3 –


📸 Tina Gross

Band: THE DARTS
Who: Steamy garage Amazons based in Seattle, Washington,
fronted by charismatic singer-songwriter Nicole Laurenne,
also operating solo as Black Viiolet

Track: MIDNIGHT CREEP
The first single from their forthcoming LP, their 6th, named
Halloween Love Songs. It’ll hit our stereos on March 3rd.

TUTV: Midnight Creep is vintage Darts frenzy. Sizzling, blistering, and red-hot-blooded. Laurenne and her sidekick, her organ, lead the hungry troops once again. The piquant buzz and fuzz at play here ignite all of your limbs and make you jump like a kangaroo from left to right and back. From now on, every day is Halloween.

Bulleseye.

Instagram – Website – All Albums
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– 4 –

Band: WASTE
Who: Rowdy Belgian indies
who find beauty in chaos.

Track: DOG HOUSE

TUTV: Beware, these punked-up bloodhounds bite. They chase you with ruthless racket. They bark like werewolves. They bloody rock! They’re no waste of time whatsoever. Rabid stuff. Arrrggghhh.

Helter skelter.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 5 –

Band: HAVVK
Who: Steamy punk rock duo
from Ireland. They have 3 albums
under their belt.

Track: ON TIME

“This song is about the endless lists of goals and resolutions we make for ourselves, many of which have arbitrary deadlines attached to them. ‘On Time’ is trying to capture that feeling of being right on the crest of a wave of busyness, the ‘last wave’ where you think surely it will be calm seas after this. But there’s always another and another.”

TUTV: WTF. Riot grrl clamour is back, but dirtier, rawer, and LOUDER.
94 boiling seconds that do your poor head in. Punktastic.

Holy smoke!


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 6 –

Band: COWBOY HUNTERS
Who: Glasgow‘s punk dropouts
Megan Pollock and Desmond Johnston.

Track: HAVE A PINT
New single from their upcoming 5-track EP,
titled EPeepee. It’ll hit the streets on March 20th.

TUTV: This is it. Raw and rough punk hysteria at its sharp-cutting best. These two hungry hunters take you on a wham-bam rollercoaster ride, up and down, left and right. Have A Pint sounds like it was recorded in their local pub’s toilet, generating some barbed wire shit, juiced with obstreperous duet vocals that drive you nuts .

Have a beer.
Go berserk.

Instagram – Spotify – Tour Dates
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– 7 –

Artists: DEAD ANYWAY
Who: British duo that sets the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold
against the music and soundscapes of Marc Symonds.

Track: A SHIFT OF PERSPECTIVE
Lead single from their new, forthcoming, 7th longplayer, named
Squeak Piggy Squeak, and out on February 6th. More info here.

TUTV: What the hell is this? Must be the most dancey, vibey, and trippy track
of their sonic canon. A Shift Of Perspective has an irresistible pelvis-energizing
swing spiced with wah-wah guitar sparks and, of course, Kate Arnold‘s
spoken-word panache.

Envigorating.


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Instagram – Facebook – Spotify
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– 8 –


Photo Devon Chambers

Band: ADULT DVD
Who: EBM punks from
Leeds, UK.

Track: REAL TREE LEE

“Lee is a guy that we never want to become, let’s make that clear! This tune goes out to all the blokes who keep it blokey and delve too far into the cretin side of the internet, dudes that base their entire lives around some bonkers right wing conspiracy. When it comes to Lee, what you see isn’t a what you get, and what you get is much darker than you’d expect.”

TUTV: Hit! Hit! Hit! Need an upbeat upper to get you through the day? This Adult DV
one, right here, will do the job, with striking Chemical Bros echoes and other electronic pyrotechnics.

Instagram – Linktree – Spotify
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– 9 –

Artists: RADARBASE
Who: British duo knocking
dance anthems together.

Track:  TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER
Piece from their brand new debut EP, called

TUTV: Alert your limbs, folks. Some boom-boom Basement Jaxx e-cstasy
is coming your way. Techno blitz in quadrophonia. Chemical beats and
underworld heat. Insane, right? You betcha.

Follow the leader.


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 10 –


Photo by Turn Up The Volume

Band: THE NIGHTCLUB
Who: Seasoned Belgian rockers.

Track: BLUE EYES
Only their 2nd single.

TUTV: These dance-inducing Belgians do what they did before in other bands. They move and groove with a slow-burning intensity, like a snake sneaking up on its prey. Alright, all you nightclubbers out there, get your lazy ass off your couch and shake your booty to the guitar-motorized beats.

Yes!


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Instagram – Facebook
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– 11 –


Photo by Jason Thrasher

Band: CROOKED FINGERS
Who: The ever line-up changing group
of seasoned North Carolina songsmith
Eric Bachmann.

Track: HAUNTED
New piece from his upcoming 7th, only his first in
15 years, titled Sweth Deth. It’s out on 27 February.


New album artwork

TUTV: Haunted is a goosebumps duet with eminent songstress
Sharon Van Etten. An impassioned, wholehearted, vocal
delight.

Wonderful.

Instagram – Linktree – All Albums
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– 12 –

Band: HIQPY
Who: Ebullient indies from
Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Track: YOUMAN.
Their newest single.

TUTV: A brisk, sprightly, and tremendously catchy guitar pop gem
peaking on its splendiferous chorus. A tantalising slice of music.
The repeat button was invented for tintillazing tunes like this.

Glorious.

Instagram – Spotify
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– 13-

Artist: PITOU
Who: Critically acclaimed
Dutch songstress.

Track: TO DO WHAT
New piece from her upcoming second LP,
named P2, out March 15. More info here

TUTV: What starts as a mid-tempo, sensuous thrill
turns into an awesome EBM stomper. Stupendous!

Pump up the jam.

Linktree – Spotify
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– 14 –

Band: Cape Crush
Who:
Power-emo band
from Massachusetts.

Track: CALM & DELIVERED

Ali Lipman (guitarist/vocalist) channels an inner strength as she details
the pressures women face to be emotionally regulated when everything
is overstimulating.

“We’re known for our upbeat power-emo songs, with big leads, big harmonies, and big refrains. This song perfectly encapsulates what we do best. There’s plenty of surprises to come on Place Memory, but ‘Calm & Delivered’ is the perfect definition of a Cape Crush anthem.”

TUTV: A kind of those tunes that puts a blissful smile on your face right away.
Guitar fireworks from the kinetic kick-off, working their way to the heartening
chorus. Sinewy indie fuel to get you going. Sensitive vocals. Punchy girl power.

Buzzing.


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 15 –


© Achiel De Vlerk

Band: LIP SERVICE
Who: Electro pop outfit
from Belgium.

Track: SLOWLY
Piece from their upcoming album
Swalman, out early next month.

TUTV: Electro-pop at its funky and vivifying best. A lazy tune that makes you hum/whistle along on the spot. A dreamy ditty, jaunty and breezy. A perfect sonic companion on your earphones while strolling in slow-mo in the city.

Cheery.


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Instagram – Linktree
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– 16 –


(c) Linde Raats

Artist: SIMON LE MA
Who: Belgian singer-songwriter
with an eclectic musical taste.

So far, he has 2 albums under his belt.

Track: NEW RELIGION
New single from his upcoming 3rd album,
named Get Sweaty, out next September.

TUTV: Expect brassy Motown vibes. Glamorous, soulful, and uplifting.
New Religion energizes all of your limbs. You can sing, whistle or hum
along. Early spring fun, folks.

Gospel!


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Instagram – Facebook
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– 17 –

Band: GORILLAZ
Who: The famous brainchild of Blur’s Damon
Albarn
and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett.

Track: ORANGE COUNTY
Newest single from their 9th longplayer, named
The Mountain, and coming our way on March 20th.

TUTV: La-la-la. This trancey shanty features Bizarrap, Kara
Jackson
and Anoushka Shankar. Feel-good and easy-going joy.

Frolicsome.

Instagram – All Albums
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– 18 –


Credit: Abbey Raymonde

Band: THE TWILIGHT SAD
Who: Scottish romantic indies who have
been earning a loyal fanbase since 2003.

Track: DESIGNED TO LOSE
Taster from their upcoming album, named It’s The Long Goodbye.
They’re 6th overall, and first in seven years, written in the wake
of frontman James Graham losing his mother to dementia.
Out March 27th.

TUTV: Sad story, sticky tune. Great bass riffage, bouncy
drums, expressive vocals, and an overall orchestral resonance.

Enthralling.

Instagram – Linktree
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– 19 –

Artist: BOB RELUCTANT & THE LONELY LOVERS
Who: The musical moniker of singer-songwriter Robert Baker.

Track: DREAMAGER

TUTV: Need some day-night-dreaming stimulus? This near-whispering reverie is what you’re looking for. Soothing and chilling. Lovely duet vocals. Starry-eyed chorus. You
won’t feel lonely when Dreamager touches your soul.

Entrancing.

Linktree
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– 20 –

Artist: WINONA OAK
Who: The musical moniker of engrossing
Swedish songstress Johanna Ewana Ekmark.

Track: HORSES
The 2nd single from her upcoming,
sophomore album (details TBA).

TUTV: Oak‘s velvety voice makes me think of superstars Lana Del Rey and Billie
Eilish
‘s heartfelt tenderness. Melancholic reverie Horses is a nostalgic lullaby. She
revisits childhood memories of riding, a time when she felt safe, free, and deeply connected to the natural world.

Mesmerizing.

Instagram – Spotify
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Whistle Along With GORILLAZ To Their New Lazy Tune ‘ORANGE COUNTY’

Tunes for the laziest day of the week

18 January 2026

GORILLAZ, the brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett,
have been writing/releasing reggae-infused pop tunes since 1988. They have their 9th longplayer, named The Mountain, out on March 20th.

They just added 2 new songs to the previously 3 shared ones.

The Hardest Thing and Orange County. The latter is my fav.

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon shanty featuring Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and
Anoushka Shankar. You can whistle along, or if you are more of hummer,
just hum along.

Instagram – All Albums

JUKEBOX 2025 – Week 50 Five New Rad Tracks Added Twice A Week

In order to not miss a beat TURN UP THE VOLUME scans the musical
horizon daily, for 10 years now, to pick ace tracks and add 5 new ones
twice per week, to the one and only JUKEBOX playlist that matters.

ALL TOGETHER

Here are the 5 new, rad tracks added to the Jukebox.

1. ‘Queen Of Nothing’ by grungy Montreal duo SOFTCULT

New piece from their upcoming debut album, named
When A Flower Doesn’t Grow, out on 30 January 2026.

2. Welcome To Burning-By-Sea by English veteran songsmith JOE JACKSON

From his upcoming 22nd LP,  Hope And Fury,
which will land on 10 April 2026.

3. ‘Say It On’ by Dinosaur Jr frontman J MASCIS

A solo track that has been around on bootlegs,
but gets a proper release right now.


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4. ‘They’re Coming! The Birds’ by Norwegian electro act ULVER

Newest single from upcoming full-length, called
Neverland, out on 31st December.

5. ‘Damascus’ by GORILLAZ

Single #4 from their forthcoming, 9th
full-length, baptized The Mountain.


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GORILLAZ Will Share Their 9th LP ‘THE MOUNTAIN’ With The World Next March

1 December 2025

Band: GORILLAZ
Who: The brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist
Jamie Hewlett who celebrated the 25th anniversary of their top-ranking
project this year.

Album: THE MOUNTAIN
Their 9th

Release: 20 March 2026

Press info: “The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and
collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli,
Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof
and Tony Allen.

The artwork for The Mountain sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations.

Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.”

So far Gorillaz dropped 3 singles.

– THE MANIFESTO –

– THE GOD OF LYING –

– THE HAPPY DICTATOR –

Instagram – Spotify – All Albums

GORILLAZ Share 3rd Upcoming Album Taster – Move Your Hips To ‘THE GOD OF LYING’

Daily electricity to load your batteries

7 November 2025

GORILLAZ, the brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist
Jamie Hewlett celebrate the 25th anniversary of their mega successful
project this year.

As announced before this is a perfect moment to give all their loyal
fans a new album to start the anniversary party. The Mountain is
their 9th and will see the day of light next year, on 20th March.

Following lead single The Happy Dictator, featuring pop icons
Sparks and 2nd preview The Manifesto with vocals by Argentinean
rap hero Trueno we get taster #3.

For this one, Gorillaz invited Idles‘s frontman Joe Talbot.

Sway and shake your hips to the funky
reggae vibes of THE GOD OF LYING.

Right here and now.

Instagram – Spotify

GORILLAZ Present The 2nd Single ‘THE MANIFESTO’ From Their Upcoming LP

New striking strokes

9 October 2025

GORILLAZ, the brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist
Jamie Hewlett celebrate the 25th anniversary of their mega successful
project this year.

A perfect moment to give all their loyal fans a new album.
The Mountain is their 9th and will see the day of light
next year, on 20th March.

Following the lead single The Happy Dictator, featuring pop vets Sparks
we get a 2nd preview with THE MANIFESTO. It features vocals by Argentinean
rap hero Trueno.

Hippy-trippy summer cocktail
tune for cold autumn days.

Gorilla reggae all the way.

2026

Instagram – All Albums

AMAZING ALBUM ARTWORK 2023 – Turn Up The Volume’s 10 Favourite Ones

16 December 2023

Band: PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
Who: Rowdy noise gang from down under

Artwork: cover of their 6th LP FRONZOLI


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PPC: Instagram
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Band: SUPERBLOOM
Who: Grunge outfit from Brooklyn

Artwork: Cover of their LP LIFE’S A BLUR


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Superbloom: Instagram
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Artist: SZA
Who: R&B superstar born Solána Imani Rowe

Artwork: Cover of her album SOS


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SZA: Instagram
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Band: DREAM NAILS
Who: Queer Grrl 4-piece from London

Artwork: Cover of their 2nd album DOOM LOOP


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Dream Nails: DREAM NAILS“>Instagram
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Band: YOUNG FATHERS
Who: Scottish pop/rap/soul collective

Artwork: Cover of their fantastic debut HEAVY HEAVY


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Young Fathers: Instagram
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Band: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Who: Stoner rock heroes fronted by Josh Homme

Artwork: Cover of their 8th LP IN TIMES NEW ROMAN…


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QOTSA: Instagram
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Band: SEXTILE
Who: Electro punk act from L.A.

Artwork: Cover of their new longplayer PUSH


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Sextile: Instagram
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Artist: VINCE CLARKE
Who: Former Depeche Mode/Yazoo/Erasure songwriter/keyboardist

Artwork: Cover (self-portrait) of solo debut LP SONGS OF SILENCE


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Vince Clarke: Instagram
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Band: GORILLAZ
Who: Virtual band created in 1998 by Blur‘s frontman
Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett

Artwork: Cover of 8th full length CRACKER ISLAND.


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Gorillaz: Instagram
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Artist: KELELA
Who: American R&B star

Artwork: Cover of her album RAVEN


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Kelela: Instagram