Album of the Week – 10/04/26

After taking last week off for Easter, we’re back replenished this week, with our favourite new releases of the week!

This week sees new releases from the likes of Jessie Ware (Superbloom), Burned as Witches (Burned as Witches) and My New Band Believe (My New Band Believe). There’s also a new EP from Steve Gunn (Shape of the Wave EP).

For our album of the week, we’ve gone for something old but also something new! Inspired by Taylor Swift (kinda) and taking matters into his own hands, David Kitt has rerecorded his second album, with Kittser’s version of The Big Romance. Yes, there is a small issue of Warner Music owning the rights to the album. You can read David’s story below. It’s a gem of an album, and didn’t those 25 years pass quickly?

Album of the Week – David Kitt – The Big Romance

2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the release of ‘The Big Romance’.

Coming shortly after my home-recorded debut album ‘Small Moments’, 2001’s ‘The Big Romance’ was my first time working in a real studio.

The bulk of the original album was recorded at Pulse Studios off Camden St. with producer Ken McHugh – owner of many of the synths and samplers and drum machines I dreamt of owning back then. It was such an exciting time to have access to this dream palette of sounds and Ken’s skill and talent as a producer/programmer. I was bringing in records from underground electronica and hip hop as references for the sound I was going for and the results were a fusion of more traditional acoustic and electric instruments with electronic sounds and hip hop flavours that was pretty fresh for the time. It felt like a distillation of all the things I was a fan of. It’s a sound I feel I’ve been honing and crafting ever since.

The record – featuring the singles ‘Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY)’ and ‘You Know What I Wanna Know’ – sold 60,000 copies in Ireland alone and marked a major shift in my life as a musician and performer.

‘The Big Romance’ came out on Warner Music – the contract I signed back then means they own the rights to the album “for the universe forever”, apparently. Great! I approached them about a vinyl reissue for the 10th and 20th anniversaries, and got nowhere. So for the 25th anniversary, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a version of the album that I own myself and I’m free to press on vinyl.

The new release features all ten tracks of the original album along with five new tracks and b-side and fan favourite ‘Saturdays’ – all lovingly and faithfully remade in Ballinskelligs in my home studio with the invaluable help of Ken McHugh and drawing on my 25 years experience of making records with synths and samplers. I feel I’ve landed on a document that has the sonic and emotional DNA of the original – and at times improves on it, a record that will be cherished by fans of the original and would get the seal of approval from my 25-year-old self.

Albums of Note: 

— Weezer – Weezer (Coloring Book)

— Jessie Ware – Superbloom

—Burned as Witches – Burned as Witches

—My New Band Believe – My New Band Believe

—Steve Gunn – Shape of the Wave EP

Released on – April 10th:

— ARCHSPIRE – Too Fast To Die

— Beyoncé – Lullaby Renditions of Beyoncé’s Lemonade

— Bilmuri – Kinda Hard

— Brown Horse – Total Dive

— Buddy – Simmie Sims III

— Craig Wedren – The Dream Dreaming Deluxe

— Ella Langley – Dandelion

— ESYA (Ayşe Hassan of Savages) – Chasing Desire

— Fantastic Cat – Cat Out of Hell

— Gangar – Dreng

— Gracie and Rachel – If We Could, Would We

— Gregg Allman Band – Great As Ever: Live In Philadelphia ’86

— Hannah Lew – Hannah Lew

— Holly Humberstone – Cruel World

— Iguana Death Cult – Guns Out

— Immolation – Descent

— The Itch –  It’s The Hope That Kills You

— Jessie Ware – Superbloom

— Joe Jackson – Hope and Fury

— Joyner Lucas – ADHD 2 (Re‑Loaded)

— kenzie – notes from the in between EP

— Laufey – Matter of Time: The Final Hour

— Levels – This Will Make You Feel Again

— Lime Garden – Maybe Not Tonight

— The Maine – Joy Next Door

— Mei Semones – Kurage EP

— Melanie Baker – Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!

— Melvins and Napalm Death – Savage Imperial Death March

— Metal Church – Dead to Rights

— Monster Magnet – Dopes to Infinity (Vinyl Reissue)

— Monster Magnet – God Says No (Vinyl Reissue)

— Monster Magnet – Powetrip (Vinyl Reissue)

— Monster Magnet – Superjudge (Vinyl Reissue)

— My New Band Believe (feat. Cameron Picton) – My New Band Believe

— PUNCHBAG – I Am Obsessed EP

— Rachel Lime – STORIES

— Rae Spoon – Assigned Country Singer At Birth

— Serial Killers (Xzibit, B-Real, and Demrick) – The Thing of Ours

— Sierra Hull – The Movements

— Squarepusher – Kammerkonzert

— Steve Gunn – Shape of a Wave EP

— Tenille Townes – The Acrobat

—Tigercub – Nets to Catch the Wind EP

— Touché Amoré – Stage Four (10th Anniversary Edition)

— Webb Chapel – Vernon Manner

— Weezer – Weezer (Coloring Book)

— Wesley Joseph – Forever Ends Someday

— WU LYF – A Wave That Will Never Break