Joe James: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

With his deep baritone, blues-tinged grime beats and lyrics bursting with romance and pain, rapper Joe James has been a cult figure in the UK underground – but now, with his debut album, he’s ready to break through.

Dar Disku: There’s a Time and a Place

Bristol-based label and DJ duo Dar Disku are taking the next step in their perspective-shifting journey with a euphoric debut album of cross-border sounds.

A stan’s guide to: the Cocteau Twins

Our favourite artists according to their biggest fans.

Geordie Greep on the São Paulo session that made him believe in his solo debut

The former Black Midi frontman recalls the hastily arranged recording of his larger-than-life solo album, ‘The New Sound’, and the local Brazilian musicians who became the most rewarding session collaborators of his career.

Adam Curtis: The Map No Longer Matches the Terrain

In this extended Q&A, author Nathalie Olah speaks with BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker Adam Curtis about climate change, and how nostalgia and doomerism are affecting our ability to organise for, and imagine, a better tomorrow.

Mermaid Chunky: “You have to relish the unknown”

Delivering their layered sound with giddy theatricality and a gaudy aesthetic, more is more on Mermaid Chunky’s new debut album ‘slif slaf slof’.

SPEED: “We will only ever be a hardcore band”

With their debut album ‘ONLY ONE MODE’, ethos of brotherly love and powerful live shows, SPEED’s heartfelt hardcore has revitalised their local Sydney scene and put them at the forefront of an exploding genre.

Knocked Loose: The Sound and the Fury

This year, Knocked Loose defied expectations with their latest album, ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’, becoming torchbearers of a genre and introducing a new generation of fans to the cathartic delirium of hardcore.

Rising: Gurriers are soundtracking what it means to be young in Ireland today

On their imminent debut album, ‘Come and See’, Irish five-piece Gurriers pair political lyricism with pent-up, cathartic rage.

Pay attention, Kneecap are talking

Kneecap are the Irish-speaking rap trio who marry hedonistic abandon with rousing calls for solidarity. Now, a new docudrama sets their origin story against a backdrop of the fight for Irish language rights.

It’s still Empress Of’s ‘single era’ summer

On her latest album, ‘For Your Consideration’, Empress Of is directing her own sensual, over-the-top fantasy.

André 3000: In a New Light

André 3000 stunned everyone last November. His first album in 17 years is a jazz-inspired flute odyssey – and a reflection of his own spiritual awakening. Now, at 49, the lifelong innovator has uncovered a different kind of creative freedom.

O.: Weird Science

Uncategorisable, open-minded and, yes, a little bit loopy, O. are the Speedy Wunderground affiliates turning wrong turns into an art form.

A Song for You: Joy Unconfined

Berlin-based, BIPOC-centred vocal ensemble A Song for You is altering the perception of choral music, harnessing the power of communal singing for unfiltered expression.

Pozer: Forward Riddims

With a record-breaking run of early singles, breakthrough British rapper Pozer blends Jersey club, drill and the grime he grew up on to powerful effect.

Nana Le Vrai: Future Shock

After years of gimmicks and algorithm-driven rap, a new wave of German hip-hop is coming – and Nana Le Vrai and his Bombaclart Bass crew are riding the crest.