Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: Charli XCX performing on stage Charli XCX has long been known for her obsessive work ethic, pushing herself and their collaborators to their creative limit, often in a short space of time. Her lockdown album how i’m feeling now was written, produced, mixed and released, all within two months, which is a considerable […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: The four band members The music industry is a rapidly changing entity, a constant evolution facilitated by modern media. Platforms like Spotify mean we have thousands of new songs at our fingertips every day, infinite opportunities to find a band or a song we enjoy. Except, it doesn’t always work like that. The […]
Continue Reading
Above: Michael Kiwanuka A number one album in the UK charts and numerous awards and award nominations would appear enough to banish any musician’s notion of imposter syndrome. Yet, in an interview with The Guardian, Michael Kiwanuka talks about how he has only just learned to discard this feeling. There is no sense of this […]
Continue Reading
Above: Kanye West Finally! After a long 10-month period, Kanye first announced that he is dropping his ninth studio album‘JESUS IS KING’ on September 27th but after some delay, it is finally here! This year has been a rollercoaster for Kanye, from his political interest aligning with that of Trump’s, to his controversial statement […]
Continue Reading
At long last, Rex Orange County’s new album Pony has graced our Spotify playlists, our well-loved stack of CDs, our vinyl collections and finally, our hearts. Tender lyricism conjoined with a smug, wry cynicism characterise his indie pop, where equally mournful, self-deprecating lamentations can be (somehow) also quite the uplifting modern-day love songs. Within his […]
Continue Reading
We’re all living in it. Or some did. Here. Eton Alive, the newest album from Sleaford Mods, is a fearful listen. Not least because in it we hear the lacerations that constitute a musical evolution. This is the least ‘Sleaford Mods’ album yet, and for exactly that reason it succeeds in demonstrating a band autonomously undermining […]
Continue Reading
James Blake’s mainstream popularity has always seemed odd. His naturally melancholic vocals, bleak and abstract lyrics, grating synths, jerky beats and overwhelming bass lines intertwine to create somber soundscapes that are often difficult to listen to. Assume Form doesn’t deviate too much from this surprisingly successful – if well-worn – rubric. But what is noticeably […]
Continue Reading
Image credit:Canvasback. Description: album cover of REDUXER. Hmmmmm. It’s like drugged-up sex with a condom on. This isn’t to say that your drug of choice won’t add to the experience, only the high isn’t a compensation for the loss of sensation your £1 insurance policy provides. This is how I feel about alt-J’s Reduxer, the […]
Continue Reading
I couldn’t tell you that I was turned-on by the idea of Pale Waves when I first heard them on their All The Things I Never Said EP in the winter. What can I say? Call me a fool. I just didn’t hear a way in. But then I thumbed through their cover feature in […]
Continue Reading
‘Combat Sports’, the fourth album from indie rockers the Vaccines, showcases a promising future for the band after a somewhat troubling couple of years. Following the departure of drummer Pete Robinson in 2015, ‘Combat Sports’ is an exciting step in the right musical direction after a rocky few years. The 11 tracks on the […]
Continue Reading
The title of Kylie Minogue’s latest album ‘Golden’ undoubtedly reflects the sentiments of the majority of its tracks: warm, wholesome and positive. Everyone is familiar with her distinctive pop/electronic sound from songs such as ‘Can’t get you out of my head’ and ‘Spinning around’, with her 30-year music career making her a household name across […]
Continue Reading
“Is an old memory / just another way of saying goodbye?” Adam Granduciel of asks us over the top of a quintessential descending bassline doubled on tinkling keys. Cynics would say that the War on Drugs’ revitalisation of classic rock is merely another way of bidding farewell to an imagined past where music by men […]
Continue Reading
Sylvan Esso’s newest album “What Now,” released 28 April, continues the relaxed pop vibes of their 2014 self-titled debut album. The music undeniably and knowingly fits into the manufactured pop category but seems to resist this generic placement. Most of the tracks feature peppy beats so rhythmic that it is easy to be distracted from […]
Continue Reading
In the music video for Pure Comedy’s lead single, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’, Father John Misty trots out what seems like a checklist of the beginner’s guide to post-irony: George Washington stuck in a virtual reality simulation, Ronald MacDonald ripping open Josh’s chest as Ridley Scott’s Alien, Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone as Kurt Cobain playing […]
Continue ReadingFleetwood Mac’s Rumours has just celebrated its 40th birthday and, even though there are probably thousands of articles dedicated to how special this album is already, I think it deserves at least one more. It’s an album that is strangely omnipresent even today, and has managed to become so universally loved that it’s almost uncool […]
Continue Reading
There is an incredible amount of crazy energy brewing in a lesser-known corner of the local LA garage rock music scene – and it’s being led by girls. Being an LA-native myself, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to witness first hand the impressive female empowerment fests exploding out of those sweaty pockets of clubs and […]
Continue Reading
‘’Cause I couldn’t care less / If they call us reckless’. Accompanied by blasts of garish horns and a skittering electro-pop beat, this chorus from album opener ‘Dangerous’ rings out like a manifesto for The xx’s latest album, ‘I See You’. It’s a surprising shift for the notoriously shy trio. Back in 2009 when they […]
Continue Reading
Wilfully, earnestly, and with great conviction, Polly Jean Harvey continues to follow her own star. However much she is placed on a pedestal, the veteran English singer-songwriter remains the real thing: a musician of major talent, capable of striking originality, and sincerely concerned with using music to make important statements, both personal and political. Her […]
Continue Reading
After an accidental leak last week, Rihanna’s long-awaited eighth studio album ANTI dropped on music streaming service Tidal, going platinum within just 24 hours. It’s been more than three years since the release of Unapologetic, her seventh album in eight years, and perhaps that is why this newest offering is uncharacteristically thoughtful and considered. Rihanna’s […]
Continue Reading