Back catalogue: Pop

Review: London's singer and songwriter Lola Young (who you may know covered 'Together in Electric Dreams' for the 2021 John Lewis Christmas advert) is back with a limited edition 7" featuring two tracks from her last album This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway back in 2024. First up is 'Conceited' which has a slow motion groove and dumpy kicks with Lola's acrobatic vocals shapeshifting throughout next to bleeping synth sounds. 'Crush' is another stylish vocal delivery with languid indie guitars that bring some sleaze over live drums that build to a raw crescendo before falling away again to reveal Lola's vulnerability lyrics.

Review: YUNGBLUD's hook-up with Lil Yachty is renowned amongst fans for its trippy production and tight, evocative, mind-melting bars. It has never before been on vinyl but this year's Record Store Day rights that wrong while serving it up with a superb, exclusive, introspective in-studio acoustic performance of the track. 'When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)' was first released on January 26, 2024 by Locomotion Recordings and Geffen Records and is a new school mix of alternative rock, psychedelia and hip-hop that explores themes of mortality and escapism with production by YUNGBLUD plus Matt Schwartz and Paul Meany. It's an introspective gem.

Review: Released in 1990, the Canadian 'Titantic' legend's ninth - and first English-language - album, was her formal introduction to a broader international audience. While later albums would showcase her powerhouse balladry, Unison is rooted in late 80s and early 90s pop, dance and soft rock, highlighting a different, more youthful side of Dion. This reissue's title track, 'Unison', is a bright, upbeat number, blending slick production with a catchy, danceable groove. Dion's voice is confident but not overpowering, riding the rhythm with an effortless charm. 'Where Does My Heart Beat Now', arguably the album's peak, is a soaring ballad that previews the emotional intensity she would later become famous for i her vocals swelling with a mix of vulnerability and strength. Tracks like 'If Love Is Out the Question' and 'Have a Heart' lean into soft rock territory, filled with shimmering synths and polished guitar work, highlighting Dion's adaptability across genres. Meanwhile, 'The Last to Know' presents a bittersweet mid-tempo groove, layered with heartfelt emotion. Unison captures an artist in transition i blending dance-pop sheen with emotional depth. It's a polished debut that lays the groundwork for Dion's meteoric rise, offering glimpses of the superstar vocalist she was destined to become.

Review: A new compilation which looks to celebrate the unheralded period of hugely successful Isle of Wight pop/funk band Level 42, named that after their cult funk days in the early 80s and their chart-topping victories in the middle and end of the decade. Music on Vinyl helps celebrate their 90s years with this compilation that spans the albums Guaranteed (1991) and Forever Now (1994). Originally released in 2007, this limited edition 2xLP set, pressed on vibrant 180-gram yellow vinyl, highlights the band's unique blend of funk, pop and jazz influences, with a mix of infectious grooves and introspective lyrics. The first side opens with the title track, 'Past Lives', a slick funk-driven number that sets the tone for the compilation, followed by the energetic 'Guaranteed' and the introspective 'Overtime'. Tracks like 'My Father's Shoes' explore deeper emotional landscapes, while 'Forever Now' explores the band's ability to craft smooth, soulful anthems. Side three is a ideal, featuring the infectious 'Model Friend' and the jazzy 'Romance'. Meanwhile, 'One in a Million' is a perfect example of the band's ability to blend pop hooks with sophisticated arrangements. Side four closes the compilation on a high note with 'If You Were Mine', a catchy, uplifting finale. The four-page booklet provides context for this fruitful period in Level 42's career, and the limited yellow vinyl adds an extra layer of collectible charm.

Review: Here, celebrating its 40th anniversary, Level 42's World Machine returns with a special reissue of the 1985 album that launched them to global fame. Departing from their jam-based roots, the band embraced a more structured songwriting process and also set to work producing the album themselves with engineer Julian Mendelsohn. The result was a polished, pop-funk breakthrough led by the hit single 'Something About You' which of course became a Top 10 hit worldwide, including in the U.S. Follow-up singles like the emotive 'Leaving Me Now' and the infectious "'World Machine' cemented the album's success and helped mark a major turning point in the band's career and 80s pop history.

Review: Rebecca Lucy Taylor blows stormy second wind our way with A Complicated Woman, her first full-length release as Self Esteem since the critically lauded Prioritise Pleasure. The record finds Taylor, who cut her teeth with Sheffield indie hopefuls The Slow Club, expanding her signature lyrical honesty and emotional intelligence over an increasingly vivid, ambitious landscape, convoking a potent collective of mostly female voices: friends, bandmates, and collaborators Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly, Sue Tompkins, drag queen Meatball and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh all feature. Recalibrating the well-worn trope of female hysteria in indie rock terms, lead single 'Focus Is Power' channels a mantra first scribbled on a sticker in her parents' shed during lockdown into a full-bodied affirmation of self-worth, echoed by a moving choir and a communal performance in its accompanying video.

Review: Rebecca Taylor arrives at third album A Complicated Woman in a very different place to where she was before the release of her previous full-length, the Mercury Prize-nominated Prioritise Pleasure. Now a bona-fide pop star, the South Yorkshire chanteuse now has to deal with heightened expectations and her own experience of fame. By the sound of A Complicated Woman, she's handling both with aplomb. That's not to say that the lyrics avoid difficult subjects - her own worries remain front and centre - but the delightfully grandiose production, extensive use of choirs and orchestras, and Taylor's own penchant for penning stadium-sized sing-alongs deliver a maximal pop gem fitting her genuine star status. Rotherham's finest has never sounded so good (or, it should be added, explicit - there are some genuinely adult themes on display).

Review: The latest project of the singer Rebecca Lucy Taylor, who cur her teeth on the Sheffield musioc scene before heading south, sees her continuing to evolve her sharp, emotionally honest brand of pop. This album leans further into lush, layered production while keeping the confessional, anthemic spirit that made her previous work resonate so deeply. Tracks like 'Big Man' explode with bold rhythms and crisp, shimmering synths, pairing vulnerability with fierce, almost theatrical energy. Meanwhile, 'Love Second' rides a smoother, soulful groove, highlighting Taylor's ability to balance playfulness and pain within the same breath. Her vocal performances are even more dynamic here i full of defiant strength one moment and tender intimacy the next. 'Insert Girl' and 'Hard To Love' deliver some of the album's most affecting moments, weaving percussive pop beats with lyrical reflections on identity, expectation and resilience. There's an undeniable polish across A Complicated Woman, but it never feels cold; instead, the production wraps around Taylor's words like a protective armor. Brief but potent interludes and clever lyrical turns keep the album moving with a strong narrative flow. A Complicated Woman feels like both a natural continuation and a bold new chapter for Self Esteem i pop music that's brave, bruised and utterly alive.

Review: A nostalgia-packed journey through one of pop music's most exciting years, featuring an impressive lineup of extended and remixed tracks from the decade's biggest stars. This four disc collection brings together a mix of chart-topping anthems, cult classics and dancefloor staples, each in its extended 12" glory. Things start with Wham!'s infectious 'Freedom' (long mix) and keeps the energy high with Culture Club's politically charged 'The War Song' (Ultimate dance mix). New Order's 'Thieves Like Us' and Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder's 'Together In Electric Dreams' add a synth-laden sheen, while Eurythmics' haunting 'Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)' is a bold statement piece. As the tracklist moves on, iconic tracks like Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' (New York mix) and Duran Duran's 'The Reflex' (dance mix) capture the decade's indulgent soundscape. Meanwhile, softer gems like Talk Talk's 'It's My Life' (extended mix) and Echo & The Bunnymen's 'Silver (Tidal Wave)' provide balance. Closing with Paul McCartney's heartfelt 'No More Lonely Nights' (extended) and the ever-catchy 'Somebody's Watching Me' by Rockwell, this compilation offers a comprehensive snapshot of 1984's pop brilliance. Having these extended versions together in one set is more than a greatest hits package - it's like having all the maxi singles together like an experienced DJ ready to rock a party.