Erika Severyns

L Con’s “The Isolator” is an adventurous foray into self-interrogation and within the album, there are some very honest, relatable, and rare statements that are, perhaps more than anything, the mark of a great artist.

It’s hard to define the feelings that flow from ther’s ‘a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy’ – there’s despondency and grief but also comfort as Jones ends: “There’s a whisper in my ear/ It only speaks to me of fear/ But I won’t pay it no mind”.

New Mexico-based artist Jude Brothers lures the listener into a spellbinding, poetic, surprising world with their album ‘render tender / blunder sunder’. It’s been a long time since I was as enthralled by a piece of music as I was when I listened to this record.

The Berlin Session by Dur-Dur Band Int. is the first studio recording by a full ensemble from Somalia since the golden days of Mogadishu came to a halt three decades ago. It’s an exceptional collection brimming with energy, hope, and life.

Through Irish traditional instruments and synthesizers, Gareth Quinn Redmond’s ambitious and innovative ‘Umcheol’ offers a unique and immersive perspective on the epic Irish legend of Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad.

We talk to Madison Cunningham about her new album ‘Revealer’, being a woman in the music industry, and her upcoming International Women’s Day concert at the Barbican – ‘in her words’.

On Aonaracht, Irish harper, composer and sound engineer Úna Monaghan is joined by Paddy Glackin, Saileog Ní Cheannabháin, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn, Pauline Scanlon, and Jack Talty. The universe she creates is so carefully constructed; it’s thought-provoking, graceful, and complete, so why would you ever leave?

Flo Perlin traversed half the globe collecting impressions that would make up her album, searching for the characters around and within herself. It’s a cocoon of meditative introspection, enveloping the listeners in Perlin’s honeyed vocals.

Chloe Foy’s long-awaited debut album “Where Shall We Begin” is an introspective and nuanced work, touching on themes of life and loss, love and fear – a heartbreaking journey that ends in love and light.

On ‘Swallow Me’, the latest EP from Scottish songstress Rachel Sermanni, the songs are a meditative collection influenced by her passage into motherhood…she sings to the rhythm of life being lived, with songs excavated from the depths of human emotion

Brinkworth’s sophomore record touches on different themes that come with staying put – the songs fit around their creator like a second skin, and he delivers them with a natural ease that comes only from artists that have honed their craft through experience.

Johanna Samuels’ ‘Excelsior!’ really comes into its own through the honesty with which she discusses isolation and vulnerability. While musically, she’s not attempting to break new ground she may help accomplish something far greater: a kinder world with more compassionate songwriting.

Yasmin Williams is a guitarist that does uniquely her own thing, free from tradition, geography, and time – Urban Driftwood demonstrates the true universality of musical language – she’s a storyteller that makes the audience lean in to listen.

At the start of her debut album ‘Hands’, Lotta St Joan promised truth, and she delivered, holding nothing back. It’s a melancholic trip through the grieving process of love lost.

Lael Neale’s ‘Acquainted with Night’ is steeped in Los Angeles nostalgia, sparse arrangements make for a smooth, unencumbered, effortless listen…beneath which there is an underlying tension that is strangely comforting.

On her debut EP ‘Here, Now’, Australian songstress Jessie Monk sounds like Joni Mitchell’s long-lost daughter, with her effortless dance between the higher and lower registers of her voice, witty lyrics, and guitar.

Yonder Boys debut album ‘Acid Folk’ breaks through the walls of genre, convention, and predictability, taking you on a wild ride which you don’t want to get off.

The record defies genre with roots in Indian classical music, electronic influences, and exploratory production techniques – it’s traditional yet experimental, meditative yet unsettling. Matthew James Noone’s compositions push and pull, bringing peace while challenging the mind.