Album review overview: Kodaline, Phoebe Green and more

Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are way too many to listen to them all, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why today we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews.

Quavo – Qröme Life

Quavo completely changes course on his third solo album by handing production over to Pharrell Williams, and that is immediately the biggest strength of “Qröme Life”. After “Rocket Power”, which was entirely focused on the loss of Takeoff, this record sounds lighter and more focused on lifestyle, fashion and self-confidence. Singles “Trance (Walk It Down)” and “BACKWARDS”, featuring T.I., show that Quavo is willing to step outside his comfort zone, while “HAAVIN” already set the tone for the album. With guests such as Future, Offset, A$AP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator and Justin Timberlake, the record covers a broad spectrum, from Atlanta trap to pop crossover. Because one producer shapes the whole thing, the record feels more consistent than Quavo’s earlier projects, which more often suffered from an abundance of different sounds. The melodic hooks he is known for remain intact, even though not every track is equally memorable. A solid next step in his solo career after the Migos era. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (7/10) (Quality Control)

Twin Atlantic – Separation From The Animals

Sam McTrusty packed his bags after 2024’s “Meltdown” and moved to Toronto, and that distance can be heard on Twin Atlantic’s eighth album. “Separation From The Animals” is the most personal work the Scottish band has ever made. Opener “Your, The End” immediately sets the tone with a piano part by bassist Ross McNae that McTrusty says made him cry while recording the vocals. “In Your Eyes” is about a relationship in which nothing ever feels good enough, and that feeling drips from every note. The band reaches back to influences from the sixties and seventies, without losing their distinctive arena rock DNA. “The Risk Of Love Is Always Loss” and “Save Your Breath” bring strings and a broader sound, while “Confidant” shows their raw, Nirvana-inspired side. Closing track “Feel It All” brings all the pain and loss to rest. All four founding members played together on a record again for the first time in years, and you can feel that in the energy. A band that knows exactly what they want to say. (Daniel Harris) (8/10) (Dance To The Radio)

Master Peace – if i don’t love you, who will?

Peace Okezie, better known as Master Peace, shows on his second album that he feels increasingly at home in his own skin. “if i don’t love you, who will?” builds on the success of his Ivor Novello Award-winning debut and turns young love in all its forms into sharp, energetic tracks. Singles “Love Hate”, featuring Thomas Day, and “sucker punch!” show how effortlessly Master Peace switches between indie, punk and pop without it sounding forced. “new boyfriend” and “back at me” have the typical bravado that had already earned him comparisons with Franz Ferdinand and The Streets, while “falling in love with you friends” feels more vulnerable. “stay on me!” closes the record with just enough doubt to prevent the whole thing from sounding overly self-confident. Yet the record occasionally lacks the sharpness of his best singles, and some songs feel like filler between the highlights. Anyone who loved his debut will find enough that feels familiar here, but it is not quite a genuine next step yet. (William Brown) (7/10) (Big Family)

Phoebe Green – Premature Nostalgia

Phoebe Green wrote her second album together with her sister Lucy Green, also known as Elucyve, in their shared flat in Manchester and the family home in Lytham St Annes. “Premature Nostalgia” is darker and more experimental than her debut “Lucky Me”, with influences from Imogen Heap, Jockstrap and FKA twigs clearly coming through. Opening track “Showing Off” and the single “There’s Always Someone Kicking The Seat” set the tone with twisted electronics and ghostly harmonies. Green herself calls the latter song her only true breakup song, written in the same way as “Reinvent”. “I Don’t Play It Cool, I Play It Steaming”, featuring Katherine Parlour of Picture Parlour, and “Clothes Still On” showcase the metallic textures and field recordings from Manchester’s industrial landscape that characterise the record. “Happy Birthday” and “Silver” bring a little more calm to the whole. The record revolves around the idea that you already miss a moment before it is over, and that theme is developed consistently and with a great sense of detail. Closing track “Gum For The Aftertaste” leaves a pleasant aftertaste. (Daniel Harris) (7/10) (The Green Dream Machine)

Kodaline – We Were Only Young

“We Were Only Young” is the swansong of Irish band Kodaline, who thirteen years ago scored a worldwide hit with the catchy video for “All I Want”. The subsequent debut “In A Perfect World” confirmed that success and produced another major hit with “High Hopes”. However, it proved difficult to give the success of the debut a fitting follow-up. The subsequent albums failed to match that same level of appreciation. With “We Were Only Young”, Kodaline are now saying goodbye, followed by a farewell tour that will bring the band to the Netherlands in November. For fans, therefore, one last chance to see the Irishmen live. Musically, the album brings little that is new. It is once again friendly strumming about love and missed opportunities. “Back To Me” also seems to have been written directly for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Kodaline have mastered the trick of making music sound heartbreaking, but that is also where the pitfall lies. When the emotional registers are repeatedly opened up, a lack of credibility and musical repetition lurks. Perhaps the band members themselves also came to that conclusion: there does not seem to be much progress left in them. Just a beautiful adventure to look back on later with the grandchildren. (Bart van de Sande) (6/10) (Concord)