This week: hypnotic folk, glitching guitars, opulence and dub

Essential weekend listening.

This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and Becky Rogers, alongside contributor Annabelle Van Dort.

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PJ Harvey

I Inside The Old Year Dying

(Partisan)

Buy

I Inside The Old Year Dying marks PJ Harvey’s 10th studio album and her first release in seven years. Written across in three weeks, Harvey’s atmospheric return follows “searching, looking—the intensity of first love, and seeking meaning” as I Inside The Old Year Dying meanders around poetry, opulence and redemption in a loss of childhood innocence. She’s far from a creature of habit as guitar glitches break up folk passages, and warm electronica matches her vocal trills. An attestation to experimentation, I Inside The Old Year Dying is an exciting addition to her catalogue.–BR

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African Head Charge

A Trip To Bolgatanga

(On-U Sound)

Buy

African Head Charge return with their first album in twelve years, a mind-bending, technicolour odyssey through Ghanian sounds and sonics—complete with pioneering dub producer and On-U Sound head-honcho at the controls. Led by vocalist and percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, A Trip To Bolgatanga is a musical feast of hypnotic handclaps, trance-inducing chants, furious rhythms and dubbed out electronics. A fine return to form for the legendary group, who have maintained an unbridled appetite for experimentation four decades into their storied career.–AVD

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Local Natives

Time Will Wait For No One

(Loma Vista)

Buy

Local Natives wrote Time Will Wait For No One “during a time of metamorphosis”. Post-Covid, some became fathers, some experienced isolation, others loss and others felt an identity crisis. Rather than escaping these testing times, Local Natives lean into their anxieties with Time Will Wait For No One. Tight indie hooks bolster their lush harmonies, and gentle peaks and troughs show the group’s matured rock-outlook. Time doesn’t wait for anyone and it’ll test you along the way, but Local Natives bring out the best of change.–BR.

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Anohni & the Johnsons

My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

(Rough Trade)

Buy

On her magnificent sixth album, ANOHNI forges a manifesto of radical empathy against a backdrop of systemic injustices and impending societal collapse. This spellbinding collection of songs—ANOHNI’s first collaboration with Amy Winehouse and Duffy producer, Jimmy Hogarth—combines disarmingly accessible soul-revivalist songwriting, with hard-hitting lyricism that hits like an emotional sucker punch. Traversing everything from trans rights to ecocide, the viscerality of ANOHNI’s poeticism is brought into vivid colour by her once-in-a-generation voice.–AVD

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Treeboy & Arc

Natural Habitat

(Clue Records)

Buy

Treeboy & Arc’s debut album has been a long time coming. The Natural Habitat we see today is more their follow-up, with attempt number one getting axed with it lacking experimentation and not being up to scratch. The drive for seeming perfection has paid off. For a debut, Natural Habitat nods towards tight punk melodica while riding along a winding road of artful dynamics and tasteful cynicism–a mix that just works.–BR.

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Julie Byrne

The Greater Wings

(Ghostly International)

Buy

Julie Byrne’s releases The Greater Wings via the ever-reliable Ghostly International. The Greater Wings is a delicate, warm album filled with observations on life and family. Byrne moves with a deliberate attention to detail, creating a vast yet cosy sonic palette. Her brand of folk is hypnotic and enveloping and The Greater Wings transports both through its textures and Byrne’s intimate pondering. A beautiful, illuminating record.–KD

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Various Artists

The Endless Coloured Ways – The Songs of Nick Drake

(Chrysalis Records)

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Over 30 genre-spanning artists, including Feist, Bombay Bicycle Club, Fontaines D.C. and AURURA, come together to reimagine the work of Nick Drake in this Chrysalis Records compilation. Divided by season and taking cuts from across Drake’s short-lived, but impactful career, each contributor makes their addition their own. Let’s Eat Grandma’s otherworldly electro-pop compliments “From The Morning”’s stark beauty, while Liz Phair reinvigorates the acoustic twangs of “Free Ride” with a fully-rounded backing and synth breakouts. A truly stunning celebration of everything Nick Drake.–BR