GutterPutter

By Storm – My Ghosts Go Ghost (30 January 2026)

By Storm is to Injury Reserve what New Order is to Joy Division; it is a posthumous remake that further enriches the evolution set by the original. The duo of rapper RiTchie and producer Parker Corey sought to only make their direction less commercial-oriented, but even more personal on certain levels since the sad passing of past member Stepa J. Groggs. My Ghosts Go Ghost embraces the folktronic side instead with chopped samples of acoustic guitar plucks that interspersed with constant studio experimentations around the production that feels phantasmally calculated in its reverbs and drum beats. The result is a meditative look into family, mortality, and existentialism that retains its otherworldly weirdness without the overbloatedness that defines By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The post-rap opus might come off as pretentious, but it sure pulls no punches around. 4.1/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Zig Zag’

departure – Work of Artist I Love You (1 January 2026)

departure is the alias of Steven Bietz who is an aspiring Texan rapper and noted big music fan. From his start in 2021 when he’s only starting his teens to now, he not only released a total of 9 albums, but he also took part in many collaborations and collectives with his like-minded friends with varied results. Work of Artist I Love You is his latest record and it’s the first of his that I am able to listen to. Here, the production implodes with the bombast that feels modelled after Injury Reserve while the rapper-producer auteurship of departure is akin to El-P or JPEGMAFIA. Abrasive to the fault and excessive in its glitchiness, the most poignant aspect of the record lies in its post-ironic, at times academic treasuring of identity and socioeconomic awareness. That is made apparent in the intro with the sample of author David Foster Wallace’s remarks on how great artists are experimental through remaining authentic to themselves. 3.4/5

Highlight Pick: ‘rap game david foster wallace’

Katarsis – Žiedlapis tau (16 January 2026)

Katarsis is an alternative rock band from Lithuania who came through to recognition last year when they represented the country for Eurovision. Despite coming in 16th place, they won a lot of recognition over their peculiar kind of direction in their style which is shaped more by gothic rock. Žiedlapis tau marks their debut album to further leave a fingerprint on the music world and all I can say about it is that there’s a clear bit of ambition to be found. There’s a grittiness to be felt not so much in the instruments so much as the textures itself. The hazy reverbs offer a bleak atmosphere that claws its way into your psyche even as you struggle to understand the native language that’s been sung. Otherwise, it is a run-of-the-mill alt-rock record that doesn’t break as much ground as the band might have wanted, but it does present an opening towards a style that could be honed more and more. 3.5/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Neleisk Man’

Le Reste – Bleak Moments (9 January 2026)

The last time I wrote about Le Reste which is last year, I find All is Weird and Ridiculous to be a fun, albeit concerning, record which tugs along with the prospect of suicide one too many times. The earnest self-deprecation can be both quirky and alarming that could only be accentuated by the upbeat instrumentation surrounding it. Bleak Moments shows more colour despite its forlorn title as the instrumentation itself is more vibrant both in the musical keys that it plays and the role that it takes up in representing the mental health or emotions of the main singer-songwriter. No longer is the self-hatred at the forefront so much as it is the acceptance of failures and change be it for better or worse. It might make for a very small step in improvement, but it is a step for certain. 3.8/5

Highlight Pick: ‘It’s Blooming Outside’

Dry Cleaning – Secret Love (9 January 2026)

Dry Cleaning is a name that you might be well familiar with, but it’s a name that specifically reminds me a lot of the Weather Station – mostly for the worst. I find Dry Cleaning to be among the most overhyped out of the many acclaimed bands to have come from the United Kingdom. Secret Love feels like the most adamant explanation for why the band is difficult to get into even if you are into post-punk music in general. The lethargic vocals by Florence Shaw lacks life which befits the intent without any expressiveness to drag you into it. There might be episodes of hypnosis in the guitars and the bassline, yet it is hard to pay any serious attention to it when it sounds good but not superbly good if that makes sense. The instrumentation provides a fine service. The production allows the music to sound squeaky clean. They are not enough to lift the whole record up when the texture is stubbornly dull. And that dullness is what deflates Secret Love. 1.6/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Hit My Head All Day’

Gorillaz – The Mountain (27 February 2026)

If there’s a project that best defines Damon Albarn’s post-Blur legacy, that has to be Gorillaz. Every music fan knows them thanks to their pseudo-fictional roots as a virtual band with iconic members in philandering bassist Murdoc, the air-headed vocalist 2-D, main percussionist Russel Hobbs, and prodigious guitarist Noodle. They need no further introduction, but what they might well need is a resuscitation for the flatlining creative vision that looms over them following the seeming permanence of synthpop as their main genre following 2010’s Plastic Beach. The Mountain might not have shuffled everything up anew, but it provides an opening for Gorillaz to be reborn into what is hopefully an imaginative odyssey. It’s influenced by both Albarn and main artist Jamie Hewlett’s recent losses of family members along with a gold mine of inspiration from learning about Indian culture and music. Death creeps up in much of the tracklist as adamant reminders of our mortality via posthumous samples, but it remains humbled by the promise of reincarnation and restarting everything anew. I can’t say with certainty that this is a bona-fide masterpiece. I can say that it’s easily the best Albarn and Hewlett has made in so many years. 4.1/5

Highlight Pick: ‘The Moon Cave’

Red Vox – Retcon (30 January 2026)

Vinny and the boys are back on their latest album as Red Vox! Retcon isn’t exactly an album that is worth writing a lot about, but it is entirely serviceable in its own right even if there are many potholes that need to be fixed. For the positives, the cohesive synergy between the instrumentation and the sparkly clean production points toward a well-gelled record that is aware of the intricacies of technical musicianship. The cons however stem mostly from the creative side even if it’s clear that the band serves as an outlet to break away from the monotony of day jobs. The lyrics lack a certain kick to lure you in, the song structure in general is absent when it comes to diversifying itself, and the composition of the instruments themselves feel too cookie-cutter to warrant further relistens to pick up any nuance. It is most certainly just for the fans of Vinesauce. 2/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Brother’

My New Band Believe – My New Band Believe (10 April 2026)

Following the unfortunate hiatus/breakup of black midi, many of the cult fans are wondering where each of the three would head off to. Guitarist and frontman Geordie Greep is already carrying the wayward torch with his characteristic avant-prog franticism that is The New Sound. Beloved drummer Morgan Simpson opted to not start his own band in favour of being a standout session musician with his clients including Little Simz and Dos Monos. Cameron Picton forms My New Band Believe. Their self-titled debut album provides a stark contrast to the other two ex-bandmates in that it is a more whimsical chamber folk record that deals with homosexuality and maturing. The direction has a very pretty impression which weaves in its subtle symphonies as an expression to take in. Yet, it falters despite its enchanting instrumentation, be it its hackneyed lyrics that’s not at the level of a poetaster, shambling song structures, and even inappropriate timings on when to turn the production towards the sentimental. 2/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Actress’

Nam Kyung Un – Jenny (19 April 2026)

Nam Kyung Un is a South Korean singer-songwriter who tends to make albums that are more blues-influenced. Some noted that there’s a very retro kind of vibe in the music which country-wide publication Tune Up had attributed to his focus on making songs that are “timeless” with intergenerational reach. Jenny is the album that aims to represent that quality. How successful it is in garnering new attention however is much to debate. The production as a whole might possess a cleanliness to enforce its broad appeal, but it comes at the cost of many missed opportunities. Even the worthwhile cohesion to be found in the more ambitious tracks like ‘Monsoon’ has a waviness that could be compared to shoegaze that is otherwise sadly never explored upon. What is left isn’t bad to the point of boomer-slop, but rather it’s a dull project that skips out on the newfound ores too many times. 1.8/5

Highlight Pick: ‘Monsoon’

The Burner Phones – The Burner Phones (1 January 2026)

The Burner Phones is the side project of two anonymous French musicians, Atomiste and Megouste, of whom the former had also released Some of Us Go, Some of Us Stay this year. I won’t elaborate any more on how I feel about the other album for this article because as a smidge of hint, I can’t say that I like it to say the least. If I have to say that I don’t like that record to say the least, then it’s safe to say that hating The Burner Phones might come off as an understatement. The self-titled record tries to convey a sense of hauntological uneasiness through its use of drones as well as its tense addition of jazz composition and a varied array of instrumentations. It is too eclectic. There are times when the organs come off more like synths which neuter the impression of a declining mental health all the while the mentioned feedback from the drones simply irritates rather than disturb. Needless to say, there’s a lot about this record that is worth improving on. And the first is that it needs to find a footing that allows everything to not feel so disjointed. 0.7/5

Highlight Pick: ‘XXXXXXXXXX_____________’