Niall Horan — Heartbreak Weather: Niall Horan’s second album is a feel-good, full-bodied effort that remains stubbornly buoyant despite its theme of overcoming heartbreak. The singer-songwriter delivers melodic nostalgia on the titular track, acoustic essentials on ‘Dear Patient’, R’n’B-lite on ‘Bend the Rules’ and ‘New Angel,’ high-energy rock on ‘Arms of A Stranger’ and uplifting pop on ‘No Judgement’. Piano-driven ‘Put A Little Love On Me’ remains our standout.
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2 of 16
The Weeknd — After Hours: It takes a bold artist to step out on a formula that has worked for years and add an experimental flare to the mix. But it takes a compelling artist to actually pull it off. Abel Tesfaye delivers a delicious, rich and layered album with ‘After Hours’; he retains his melancholic backbone made up of excess and solitude, but refreshes its interface with synth-pop and electro beats.
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3 of 16
Riz Ahmed — The Long Goodbye: Riz Ahmed breaks himself open on this brutally forthright break-up album; but, he isn’t grieving the loss of a woman here. Far more profound and scarring, he’s splitting up with post-Brexit Britain. On tracks like ‘Any Day’, ‘Fast Lava’ and ‘Can I Live’, the British poet and rapper of Pakistani origin paints with furious strokes a disgraced racist landscape that has chewed him up, spit him out and left him for dead. Voicemails from celebrity friends, including Mindy Kaling, Mahershala Ali, and Hasan Minhaj (even Ahmed’s mum) will give you a chance to breathe.
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4 of 16
Childish Gambino — 3.15.20: Childish Gambino has become a divisive figure, with some hoisting him on a pedestal and others putting annoyed asterisks into his name on social media. His futuristic new album, named after the date it was dropped, is an experimental, ambitious and disorienting affair that features guest appearances by Ariana Grande and 21 Savage.
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5 of 16
Jhene Aiko — Chilombo: Jhene Aiko delivers a largely satisfying break-up album, juxtaposing explicit and frank lyricism against sugared melodies and her own dreamy vocals. Chilombo also features appearances from Big Sean, Future, Miguel and more.
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6 of 16
Lauv — How I’m Feeling: Lauv is our go-to contemporary emo pop star, mastering the art of fashionably sad songwriting while retaining a strong identity as an artist. This vulnerable, tongue-in-cheek album is a relatable, refreshingly conversational and sonically fulfilling affair that’s right on time in the age of oversharing on your Finsta account.
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7 of 16
Lil Uzi Vert — Eternal Atake: Debuting at the top of the Billboard 200, Lil Uzi Vert’s second album earned him comparisons to a rap icon — NME’s Kyann-Sian Williams referred to him as “our generation’s Lil Wayne.” On ‘Eternal Atake’, Uzi Vert is sharp, scrappy and futuristic, presenting himself as both self-aware and unapologetic.
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8 of 16
Mandy Moore — Silver Landings: On her first album in 11 years, singer-songwriter Mandy Moore is unrecognisable to the ‘Candy’ star we grew up with; here, Moore is more mature, grounded and shaped by the tumultuous experiences of adulthood. On ‘Fifteen’, she reflects on the naivety of her younger years, crooning, ‘No regrets, with a few exceptions.’
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9 of 16
Megan Thee Stallion — Suga: “I’m still winning, even if you don’t congratulate me,” Megan Thee Stallion declares on her opening track. And true to her word, the fast-spitting Houston rapper keeps her focus tight on her highly charged and explicit EP ‘Suga’, unbothered by outside noise. Instead of comparing herself to others, Thee Stallion simply asserts her own no-nonsense identity.
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10 of 16
J Balvin — Colores: J Balvin’s sixth studio album clocks in at just 28 minutes and 10-tracks long. Each track on the concept album is named after a different colour. The chart-topping Colombian reggaeton artist jumps between moods here, from slow and seductive to blaring and danceable.
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11 of 16
5 Seconds of Summer — Calm: Australian pop rockers 5SOS’ fourth album ‘CALM’ stumbles over hollow EDM-tinged pop in the first third, but thankfully, it quickly finds its stride on rockier, angst-ridden tracks such as ‘Easier’, ‘Teeth’ (both co-written with Ryan Tedder) and ‘Lover of Mine’. The band’s strength lies in emotionally driven melodic pop.
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12 of 16
Pearl Jam — Gigaton: Pearl Jam make a mostly triumphant return with their eleventh studio album, ‘Gigaton’, hanging onto a sense of much-needed optimism at a time of uncertainty. The album — their first in seven years — is relentlessly energetic, but lacks the aggressive edge that some listeners might be searching for.
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13 of 16
Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia: Dua Lipa asserts herself as a musical force on second album ‘Future Nostalgia’, fuelling her usual pop sound with gallons of disco, funk, electro and dance-pop influences. Lipa’s smoky and playful vocals are more confident than ever, making this a blazing, bold and belligerently bubbly antidote to daily doom and gloom.
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14 of 16
Tame Impala — The Slow Rush: Tame Impala returns with his first album in five years, ‘The Slow Rush’, rife with layers and synth-steeped emotion. Disco, funk and pop combine to cushion vocalist Kevin Parker’s hypnotic vocals, which will have you floating on a far away plane even as you sit at your desk to work from home.
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PartyNextDoor — Partymobile: Originally set to release in January, ‘Partymobile’ was pushed back twice — but the wait was worth it. The Canadian R’n’B artist offers a slowly unfolding, sensual LP that transfixes listeners with its beloved vocal runs, self-reflective lyrics and snappy hooks. Critics have been more receptive of ‘Partymobile’ than its 2016 predecessor, ‘PartyNextDoor 3’, which many found to be overstuffed.
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Vanessa Carlton — Love Is An Art: It’s been 18 years since Vanessa Carlton released debut album ‘Be Not Nobody’ and her hugely popular single ‘A Thousand Miles’. But Carlton, now 39, has released five albums since, culminating in the hauntingly sparse ‘Love Is an Art’, which opens with the mood-setting, synth-infused ‘I Can’t Stay the Same’, which she told Marie Claire is an opening statement for anyone who “knows my name but doesn’t know any of the body of work that has come between 20 years ago and now.”
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