Until further notice, just assume that each week has an insane amount of records that you’d be mad to miss.
Javelin is the ambitious, enthralling and deeply moving return of Sufjan Stevens. It’s his first LP since 2020’s The Ascension and the first time he’s released more traditional singer-songwriter work since 2015’s landmark Carrie & Lowell LP. The headline; it’s beautiful, euphoric and utterly heartbreaking. It is inescapably him, but it pulls from almost all of the different directions and gestures from his entire career. Each song builds from a pluck, a strum or a whisper to create bewitching songs that wrap around every inch of the stereo. It really is masterful. An instant classic and our Record of the Week.
+ Available on limited 'Lemonade' Yellow colour vinyl
+ We have exclusive DRIFT 12” x 12” art prints.
Goodbye, Hotel Arkada is the stunning return of Mary Lattimore and my word were we ready for this one. The American harpist and composer has always created otherworldly bliss, but this latest is her most spiritual to date and really something to behold. With a cast of guests to include Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Meg Baird, Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Roy Montgomery, Samara Lubelski and Walt McClements, there is a remarkable fragility. This one is exceptional, a sonic soother and a place to just float in.
+ Available on limited Green Velvet colour vinyl.
Abandon All Hope is the really excellent debut LP from Ethan P. Flynn, an eclectic and brilliantly crafted set. There is a distinctly vintage hue to it, a sort of classic 70’s singer-songwriter vibe with flashes of the more contemporary. He’s really captivating and there are a lot of ideas to keep this one moving along. A really accomplished debut from an artist who has already collaborated with David Byrne, FKA Twigs, Jockstrap and Vegyn. Don’t snooze on it.
+ Available on exclusive Clear Blue colour vinyl.
+ Ethan joins us instore to play live next Wednesday.
Softscars is the glitching and distorted new LP from Yeule and it really has something going on. A collage of textures (lots of alt rock and shoegaze) completely chopped and reimagined. Their voice is angelic and melancholic and it creates a rich vibe throughout. It’s getting wild reviews, so expect this one to start popping up everywhere, which is no bad thing!
+ Available on exclusive 'Ink Spill' colour vinyl.
+ Available on Marble Grey colour vinyl.
Colleen returns on Thrill Jockey with Le jour et la nuit du réel and it is really special stuff. Crafted on an all-analog set up - the semi-modular Moog Grandmother, with Roland RE-201 Space Echo and Moogerfooger Analog Delay - the detailing is just amazing, minute textures that create vast sonic landscapes. It’s a double album and one to just get totally lost in. Highly recommended.
+ Available on limited double ‘Clear Gold Flake’ colour vinyl.
Afternoon X is the return of a streamlined Vanishing Twin and it’s a right bloody groover we tell you! A different type of hypnotic to their previous records, but still full of weird, wild and gratifying sounds. Fantastic stuff.
New World Artifacts is the debut LP from French band Unschooling. A short, rattling post-punk LP that has some absolutely wonderful reverb going on. The riffs really dance, it’s frenetic. Had us thinking of Cola, Women and OMNI, which is high praise in these parts.
Pretty serious work over at On-U Sound with Hostile Environment, the first album in forty years from the legendary Creation Rebel. Heavyweight dub with Adrian Sherwood giving it a modern spin at the big desk. Really good stuff.
EXCELSIOR is the Warp Records debut from LA producer Slauson Malone 1. The vibes are spaced-out, a deliciously warped (pun) album that weaves in loads of themes and tones. The production is just fantastic, the way it moves around without feeling jerky or discombobulating is quite the feat. Experimental and gratifying, another of this week’s must-not misses.
+ Available on limited White colour vinyl.
Also in this fine week; Parquet Courts co-frontman A. Savage releases his new solo LP - Several Songs About Fire - via Rough Trade Records. We have a limited and deluxe edition in stock. Growing At The Edges is the really pretty new LP from Mutual Benefit, we’ve been playing this quite a bit. Los Angeles based Meernaa releases So Far So Good on Keeled Scales and it’s got a great vibe, experimental but pop sensitive. Northern California psychedelic sorcerers Carlton Melton have a new double set called Turn To Earth on Agitated Records. This one ebbs and flows, they get big but they do it organically. The Anchoress releases a really strong set of cover Versions, including reimaginings of The Cure, Nirvana and Nico. One Little Independent Records release GLASSER’s new Crux LP and it’s another enthralling one with layers of vocals and electronics. Dig The Mountain! Is the new water vole and lapwing approved album from Stornoway. Pressed on nice ECO mix colour vinyl. Hania Rani releases a new collaborative LP called Ghosts, featuring Patrick Watson, Olafur Arnolds and Duncan Bellamy. Flaws in Our Design is the collaborative EP from ODESZA and South-African singer-songwriter Yellow House.
And lastly for today, Teeth Of The Sea return on Rocket with the absolutely belting new Hive album. It is dark and twisting, with pounding and evolving rhythms that are meticulous and quite menacing. The core inspiration was Frank Herbert’s mad scientist novel Hive, which tells of a sinister plot to engineer an insectoid race that will outcompete humanity and dominate earth. They create tension with dense layers of synth and sax and the odd flash of sultry vocals. It’s another of this week’s records that you’ll kick yourself for missing. Our exclusive Dinked Edition copies are en route and will be shipping early next week.
So how about all that then!
- Drift
