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Week 34 – Aug 22:// A BIG week this week as we see the return of some giants in their respective fields ahead of the Autumnal tours.

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A quietly confident reprise for the indie giants, Wolf Alice release their fourth full-length record after taking a healthy four-year hiatus away from the spotlight. Of course, with such a big break – comes change. A big leap in a new direction, The Clearing staunches overdriven guitars and beefy rock ear-worms with lush arrangements of tinkly piano trinkets that see a band growing up – but growing out of the space in how the band came to be. Of course, it’s not all bad. Bloom Baby Bloom is a bombastic experiment of alternative might, while White Horses‘ folksy delivery is something very much off the beaten track.

Throughout it all though, it all feels rather too… safe. There are some moments of real beauty in here, with Ellie really coming into her own with a vocal statement of the ages. But, evidently not marginally evident to keep coming back for more.

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A leering six-piece emo-punk outfit, TWIABP release their full-length fifth. An ever-expanding sound cultivated on hopes and fears, Dreams of Being Dust is led by heavy, ultra-political ware “Beware The Centrist” – a brutal affair with the band very much making their presence known with a sound most unheard of throughout their sixteen-year venture.

Dinosaur Pile Up’s latest ‘I’ve Felt Better’ is a huge part of Matt’s happily ever after. One big hurrah to life, the album distils a liberation; a relieved scream to the heavens as it celebrates a band – and its leading man – still being here: against all the odds. <Full review here>

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In a music world ever-changing with the times, this is the one force that has remained constant and true. An unmistakable sonic identity of shoegaze superiority, Deftones return to reclaim their spot with one of their most focused statements of their career. Marred on the beauty and peril of nature, private music is a wholly-sized snake bite of wallop. A testament to a ’90s band revitalised thanks to trending triumph, it is a ninth studio album that has seemingly come out of nowhere. But one thing is for sure – it won’t be turned away at the door. A masterfully paced working of a band who have won all there is, Deftones are doing more than just making new music – they’re rewriting the scripture.

The minute they stepped foot out at Crystal Palace, you just knew new music was imminent. My mind is a mountain is a sheer defiance and a right old romp to introduce the new project. Meanwhile, ecdysis is a laid-in smoulder and i think about you all the time is a shoe-in to the bands’ old shoegaze sadness. A blockbuster of archetypal Deftones – smeared with a few wall fillers to make up the numbers – private music is a welcome return from the Sacramento lot.

Over a 30+ year-run, Superchunk are a finite example of how everlasting the spirit of DIY punk can be if you have it all worked out. A wiry indie-rock label held by the stirrups of timeless Foolish in ’94, they are a collective that have defined and reshaped the bedrocks of alternative since the early ’90s. And all the while, they’ve kept up. Now, they return just as stoic with Songs in the Key of Yikes – three years after their previous Wild Loneliness in 2022.

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>> Honourable Mentions

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>> Cut Worms: // Evil Twin – the indie twang of Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter of Max Clarke returns with a sincere departure from his self-titled two years ago. Both city and suburban – both urgent and timeless, Evil Twin wanes in a new era.

>> The Boojums: // Wings of Fire – exhilarating Nova Scotia trio play fast hard-ball without leaving a fleeting thought at the door. Following up from Don’t Wanna Love released earlier this year, The Boojums back it up with another rip-roar with Wings of Fire. Revved up with garage rock, the single release also comes with an announcement for their debut record, expected on Halloween. An emotionally-charged LP from a band with a lot to say, it comes with a triple-pronged tour starting with a headline show at The Strongroom Bar in London.