We’re on our way, slowly but surely, to the end of 2025.
Instead of starting to think about this year’s best LPs,
let’s go back to 2024 and listen to TUTV’s 20 Best Albums
again and look back on what we wrote about each one
of them.
Pitchfork: “On its fourth album, the Irish group trades steely post-punk for stadium-sized
alt rock with a hefty dose of Y2K nostalgia. It’s an unexpected shift, but they handle it with panache.”
TUTV: The young Dubliners have become first-class songwriters (which they already
proved with confident style on previous LP Skinty Fia– still my favourite one). Frontman Grian Chatten‘s lyrics show (again) his observative view on this modern-day, confused world and how it affects his inner-self.
This is not their masterpiece yet to my ears, but it’s only a matter of
time that they will come up with a longplayer that will blow us all away.
The flabbergasting energy these ear-splitting loud Irish beatniks develop on their ace debut LP Letter To Self is off the charts. The opener Ticking is what these 4 Irish indies
do on repeat. Building a near-unbearable tension and exploding insanely along the rough ride.
Since this Australian punk tornado released their 2nd
longplayer Comfort To Me back in 2021 they’re on an
endless tour around the globe.
Yet, in between all gig mayhem they found some time to write/record/release
two new searing sucker-punches with U Should Be Doing This as my favourite.
Amyl: ‘This song makes me laugh, but it’s also in a way poking fun at the shock that
people still feel at a little bit of skimpy clothing, and the bitchy high school way that
the music community still is.’
Washington‘s flamboyant guitar pop quartet release
their 3rd LP, baptized Wearing Out The Refrain next
September.
On Hallelujah they rage against the anti-LGBTQ
machine with knives between their teeth and an
unstoppable drive.
“To express oneself, now expressly forbidden/ That’s a spiritual hell, that’s
a new prohibition/ And they’ll boil you down to reproductive function/ When
they see you as a vessel and not as a person!”
The feminist-punk duo went nuclear the past year following their
amazeballs 6-track EP You’re Welcome and this year’s bulldozing
and gender-themed missile Body Of Mine.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. will share their 4th LP,
named ROMANCE with the world on August 23rd.
The lead single Starburster is a feverish corker
with a bone-chilling gush and frontman Grian
Chatten rapping all over it with his characteristic
uptight parlando.
Last March the Dandys came up with their 12th album, named Rockmaker.
Lead single Danzing With Myself features Pixies‘ general Frank Black and
is a gloomy and doomy groover. With its poignant progression, this piece
creeps under your skin in an eye/ear blink.
UK’s rock/hip-hop team Rapturous invite us to scream
our lungs out on their avid anthem that celebrates freedom.
“The song was inspired by the old blues style of call & response, we wanted to create something that could be easily sung back to us by the crowd. The song is about being free from anything that is getting you down, be it your job, finances, the world, or the weekend’s football scores. Freedom from misery, that’s the idea.”
Think Cypress Hill fronted by Zack de la Rocha,
rattling like a rapid-fire riot-gun.
This Norwegian band specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. So far they released two
albums.
On this new, superb single drums and bass team up for an
incessantly beat that carries this instantaneously sticking ride,
along with a magnetizing Cure-esque guitar riff that gets you in
a trance.
Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals
and darkwavish synths in the back adding a twilight tone.
This hepped-up EBM duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track EP, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a mindblowing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Lead single Softer is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony
propelled by about a thousand guitars, a mindboggling bass riff, and combative
drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. A titanic thrill.
19. ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ by DEAD ANYWAY (UK)
This British duo combine the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold
against the music and soundscapes of Marc Symonds.
They caught my attention with last February‘s top album Partially Eaten By Animals.
Highlight ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ dives into trip-hop-pop territory with Arnold‘s crystal clear voice floating all over shiny synth dynamics. Catchy as hell.
20. ‘Welcome Tou Your New Future’ by LEG PUPPY 2.0 (London, UK)
This madcap techno act scored their best (so far)
album with Humanity 2.0 which came out last May.
You can shake your (p)elvis to single Welcome To Your New
Future while getting nervous about the unknown tomorrow.
What’s in store for humankind. Nuclear war or peace and free love?
Or will we be just another brick in the wall? Whatever happens,
never stop pirouetting yourself dizzy to manic music .
We don’t need your education
We don’t need no your thought control
Just Like Everybody Else is a glorious, full-orchestrated pop gem, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three highly-entertaining minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann
New star tandem Gallagher-Squire produced/released their debut LP last March.
The lead-single Just Another Rainbow is partly Oasis, partly Stone Roses. Liam sings like Liam (who else?) and Squire does his psychedelic 6-string Stone Roses thing.
Stress Dolls is the musical moniker of songstress Chelsea O’Donnell.
Last May she released her enchanting debut album Queen Of No.
Close Enough is one of my favorite tracks. A captivating pop song.
Tantalizing tunefulness, glistening guitar sparks, and gratifying vocals
combine for a top tune.
Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds have canned album number 18.
It’s baptized Wild God and will show up on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know him,
but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity go up and from halfway on, this diamond turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty.
The highly influential The Jesus Lizard (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present,
still with their classic line-up) have their first album, named Rack. in 26 years
out on September 13.
First single Hide & Seek is an explosive, nervous, race & rushing
missile and sounds like they recorded it 26 years ago.
0% is a vicious cryout with schizoid guitars producing a chainsaw cacophony,
bone-chilling howling and primal screams sending shivers down your spine, and
vehement drum/bass ebullition doing your head in. 100% helter-skelter turbulence.
Drummer Dale Crover of chaotic veteran rockers Melvins
comes out of the shadow of the band again, for his 3rd solo LP.
It’s titled Glossolalia and shows up on September 13.
The lead single is a killer track. It moves and grooves with power-driven
energy and voltaic dash. Crover says it’s “vampire-story ‘Venus In Furs.’”.
Come again.
Heartworms is the psych-pop band of fast up-and-coming British songstress Jojo Orme.
They drew a lot of aural attention with last year’s 4-track A Comforting Notion. And they confirm their upcoming indie star status with Jacked. A flabbergasting guitar-propelling jam rotating in your head before you are aware of it.
5. ‘I Know The Future’ by THE LOOKOUT (Montreal, CA)
The Lookout are a melodic punk rock band from Montreal, fronted by dynamite voice Martha Rockhard.
On I Know The Future all burners and all cylinders are ignited.
The band go fast-forward with unbridled panache and vivacious
vigor.
They fuzz and buzz with revved-up energy, fueled by what sounds like an army of hungry guitars, by a merciless and relentless bass/drum collaboration pushing this barnstormer’s bustling beat to a dizzying level, and avid Amazon Martha Rockhard augments the red-hot-blooded intensity with her commanding powerhouse vocals.
Eminem canned his 10th LP and named itThe Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). Release date TBA. I really feel for Shady, how many times has that poor guy died?
Lead single Houdini echoes his 2002 cracker Without Me and thrives on a
sample of the utterly catchy chorus of Steve Miller‘s 1982 hitAbracadabra.
Now you see him, now you don’t.
Now you hear him, now you don’t.
London-based poetallica duo of Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy) return,
after 2 notable albums with this new head-twister. A piece about addiction and recovery.
Feed The Beast dives into the tumultuous inner journey of learning how to live all over again. The emotional and barbed quest starts cinematically with Ang‘s near-whispering voice echoing intriguingly, at the 1-minute mark Papi joins in vocally and metallically causing mental turmoil.
From there on, the mercurial and emotional trip gets fragmented, swinging forth
and back, and drawing all of your auditory attention until the volcanic finale hits
you in the face.
This British trio infuse their guitar-driven sound with emotion, bravado and purely
authentic melancholy. as they prove here, again, with striking stroke Waiting.
With Waiting they hit bullseye with invigorating dash, resonating
somehow like Dinosaur Jr and/or The Lemonheads on a roasting roll .
Band: FRENCH MOTHERS Who: 4 indie rockers out
of Leighton Buzzard, UK
This caring quartet gives depression the middle finger with this urgent riff-ripper
that has a jangly Strokes-esque flow and rattles in your head without asking
from the first spin on.
This is a lovely day to be alive with French Mothers.
There’s always a ‘you only live once’ light at the end
of the tunnel.
KK: “This is essentially a happy breakup song. It’s about that moment when you realize
you can actually get up and stand tall, after the tough period of stumbling through the pain that breaking up from a person you care about brings with it – regardless of whether that is a romantic partner, a friend or a project collaborator. Once you come out of it at the other end of the tunnel you know that the transformative process was a character building experience, and that most things happen for a reason.”
Well, why not have a happy break-up song for a change. And Boom! is more than just a happy tune. It’s Koan‘s most inventive piece (so far). A brassy mid-tempo uplifter inviting you to do some of your best dance moves. I hear sultry horns, Eastern and samba vibes, ska trumpets, and lots of fun on this fiesta-like chant.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-drawer albums
on their résumé. And #4 is bagged now. They named it Romance
and will share it with the world on August 23rd.
On Starburster frontman Grian Chatten
goes on a parlando roll again.
15. ‘Hero In The Season Of The Gun’ by LIFE COACH (Glasgow, Scotland)
Hero In The Season Of The Gun is an aflame synth-layered flare-up that triggers jump-from- left-to-right moves on the spot. It’s a hopped-up and vivified disco-punk knockout.
Life Coach balances here between the perky moments of fellow countrymen Arab Strap and The Streets with Mike Skinner charged by Duracell batteries. And his rapid-fire verbal ranting adds some more oil to the sonic British Army fire.
The Swedish do what they do best, once again.
Making your day with an instantly sticking guitar/synth
tune that has a both relaxing and brisk impact on your
ears at the same time.
“At its core, the song delves into the aftermath of a regrettable decision and the need
for redemption. However, beyond the surface, it’s an introspective exploration of life’s pressures, the weight of regret, and the awakening to what truly matters. It captures the essence of emotional turmoil and the consequences of acting on fleeting impulses,
ultimately leaving scars on all involved.”
You can whistle along, hum along, and sing along to this chirpy and feel-good
earworm, reminding me of harmonious Scottish nightingales Teenage Fanclub.
Adios MF is a musical project spearheaded by Nathan Keeble carving
fresh dark waves and electronica sounds from the underground of Sheffield, UK.
AMF about the new track: “They” is a Kitsch by product of existence amid the constant
churn of urban development and the persistent buzz of drilling. It was written as a tonic
to the realisation that resistance is futile; you must simply acquiesce to the world of
urbanism and let it carry you along on its unpredictable journey, set to a naughty
80s beat.”
Expect a swirling, darkwavish electro reviver that bounces somewhere between
the dark side of Depeche Mode and Cold Cave‘s addictive sonority. Infectious beats
and shadow-dancing rhythms.
Green Crow Collective is a new unit from Belgium led
by seasoned singer-songwriter Roeland Vandemoortele.
Coolcats is one piece from their fresh double A-side debut single that
will show up on their debut album Hard Drive Error later in the year.
No brakes, no breaks, no mistakes. Always full steam ahead driven by schizo guitars, steadfast drumming, and cool rock cats meowing all together. A mean machine debut.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-tier LPs on their résumé.
And number 4 is waiting in the pipeline. They titled it ROMANCE and will hit
the streets on August 23rd. Pre-order info here.
So far we got two previews with the haunting jam Starburster annex a by
now familiar Chatten parlando waterfall and the more melodic Favourite.
They both played them last weekend on the long-running British music show Later… With Jools Holland.
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
19 June 2024
Promo photo
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-tier LPs on their résumé. And number 4 is waiting in the pipeline. They titled it ROMANCE and will hit the streets on August 23rd. Pre-order info here.
Conor Deegan (bassist) “We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance.
Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as
directly as Dogrel. The second album is about that detachment, and the third is
about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else
there is to be romantic about.”
Following the first single, the layered rap and musing jam Starburster comes another preview. FAVOURITE is a jangly chant reminding my ears of earlier The Strokes riff rockers.
Grian Chatten (frontman) “This never-ending sound to it, a continuous
cycle from euphoria to sadness, two worlds spinning forever.”
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-drawer albums on their résumé. And number four is bagged now. They named it ROMANCE and will share it with the world on August 23rd. Pre-order info here.
The first single STARBURSTER is a tense jam, rollin’ on with a bone-chilling flow and frontman Grian Chatten rapping all over it with his characteristic uptight parlando.
They played it this week on The Tonight Show With Fallon.
New look, new single, new album.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-drawer albums on their résumé. And number four is bagged now. They named it ROMANCE and will share it with the world on August 23rd. Pre-order info here.
Conor Deegan (bassist) “We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance.
Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as
directly as Dogrel. The second album is about that detachment, and the third is
about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else
there is to be romantic about.”
The first single STARBURSTER is a tense jam, rollin’ on with a bone-chilling flow and frontman Grian Chatten rapping all over it with his characteristic uptight parlando.
New look, new single, new vibe, new video, new feat.
