Album of the Week – 28/08/25

It’s fascinating to watch CMAT slowly taking over the planet, and deservedly so. It’s her planet, after all; the rest of us just live there. Her new album Euro-Country is out today!

There are new releases from The Beths (Straight Line Was A Lie), Margo Price (Hard Headed Woman), Ron Sexsmith (Hangover Terrace) and Wolf Alice (The Clearing)! They’re all interesting in their own right, but they don’t compete with our favourite release of the week! Yes, of course, it’s Modern Nature with their album The Heat Warps.

Album of the Week – Modern Nature – The Heat Warps

When Modern Nature toured their last album, 2023’s No Fixed Point In Space, it became apparent to Jack Cooper – the band’s main creative force – that they were already pulling away from the free, open-ended approach they had spent five years working towards; almost as if the music had become so abstract and elasticated, it now had to snap back towards something more structured. As they found themselves naturally locking into more fixed grooves, he realised a new direction had been set. Their new album – The Heat Warps – is the triumphant manifestation of where that new direction took them.

In the aftermath, Cooper’s songwriting, which had become increasingly impressionistic, found a new focus and the idea of making an album that followed a similar path to the last two increasingly seemed obtuse. The purpose was to forge a radical change. The core trio of him, Jim Wallis (drums) and Jeff Tobias (bass guitar) were augmented by a new guitarist – Tara Cunningham.

Albums of Note: 

— The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie

— CMAT – Euro-Country

— Ganser – Animal Hospital

— The Hives – The Hives Forever Forever The Hives

— Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

— Ron Sexsmith – Hangover Terrace

— Wolf Alice – The Clearing

August 29th:

— Bad Bad Hats – Psychic Reader (10th Anniversary Edition)

— The Beaches – No Hard Feelings

— The Berries – The Berries

— The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie

— Big Wild – Wild Child

— Blood Orange – Essex Honey

— BradMehldau – Ride into the Sun

— Braxton Cook – Not Everyone Can Go

— Bryan Adams – Roll With the Punches

— Chance Peña – When I Change My Mind I Don’t Mean It

— Che Noir – No Validation

— Christian McBride – Without Further Ado, Vol. 1

— CMAT – Euro-Country

— Colbie Caillat – This Time Around

— Deep Purple – Rapture of the Deep – 20th Anniversary Remix

— Dylan Cotrone – Weekend Religion EP

— Erykah Badu and The Alchemist – Abi & Alan

— Flyte – Between You and Me

— Ganser – Animal Hospital

— Google Earth (John Vanderslice & James Riotto) – Mac OS X 10.11

— Have Mercy – the loneliest place i’ve ever been

— The Hives – The Hives Forever Forever The Hives

— IDLES – Caught Stealing (Official Soundtrack)

— Jehnny Beth – You Heartbreaker, You

— Johnny Osbourne –  Universal Love Showcase

— Katy Pinke and Will Graefe – Patterns

— KIRBY – Miss Black America

— Lane 8 – Labyrinth

— Lathe of Heaven – Aurora

— Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

— Marshall Crenshaw – From The Hellhole

— Modern Nature – The Heat Warps

— Nate Smith – LIVE-ACTION

— No Apologies – Life

— Nova Twins – Parasites & Butterflies

— OMB Peezy – Diary of a Crashout

— Pearly Drops – The Voices Are Coming Back

— Pinkshift – Earthkeeper

— Rakim – The Re-Up

— Riley Green – Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe)

— Rodney Crowell – Airline Highway,

— Ron Sexsmith – Hangover Terrace

— Runner – A Welcome Kind of Weakness

–– Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend

— Slow Crush – Thirst

— Stephen Wilson Jr. – Blankets EP

— The Technicolors – Heavy Pulp

— Tei Shi – Make believe I make believe

— ThxSoMch – The Sound of You Laughing

— Tift Merritt – Time and Patience

— TTSSFU – Blown EP

— Vicious Rumors – The Devil’s Asylum

— Wolf Alice – The Clearing

— X Ambassadors – VHS(X)

— Zach Top – Ain’t In It For My Health

— Zion Garcia – The New Film Star EP