The Smile: A Light for Attracting Attention review – Radiohead spinoff offers no alarms, some surprises

Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood team with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner for a debut that may not be head-spinningly different, but is still exceptional

Arcade Fire: We review – goodbye cod reggae, hello stadium singalongs

After a weak 2017 predecessor, the band’s new album returns to well-trodden territory. Its peevish lyrics are irritating, but it should avert a slide down festival bills

Liverpool Sound City review – mirth, mania and future megastars at resurgent festival

This irreverent, energetic music festival is back in its rightful form – but its reliance on guitar acts undersells city’s vibrancy

Let’s Eat Grandma: Two Ribbons review – an unforgettably powerful study of friendship

Written amid grief and separation, the duo’s third album uses beautiful melodies and Top 40 choruses to consider their evolving bond

Fontaines DC: Skinty Fia review – boldly embracing a state of confusion

On their third album, the Dublin alt-rockers trade in their punky full-pelt approach for measured, compelling insights

Bob Vylan: Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life review – no-holds-barred social commentary

A second album of bolshy rap-rock takes aim at not-so-Great Britain – and its message couldn’t be timelier

Wet Leg: Wet Leg review – going beyond the chaise longue on nuanced debut

With millennial angst and humour to spare, the duo’s quarter-life crisis album has a much broader remit than their repetitive breakout single

The Psychedelic Furs review – suave, sinister rockers are pretty in black

Frontman Richard Butler is now 65, but his nicotine rasp remains a thing of wonder and the band’s pop smarts mean they have aged well

Wet Leg: Wet Leg review – absurdist delights and damp squibs

The ribald charms of theIsle of Wight duo’s first two singles have been replaced by indie rock about rubbish exes on their surprisingly conventional debut

Pillow Queens: Leave the Light On review – brooding, atmospheric indie

The classy second album from the Dublin alt-rock four-piece is steeped in hard-won wisdom and catharsis

Father John Misty: Chloë and the Next 20th Century review – pop’s funniest storyteller is back at his best

Josh Tillman’s stunningly melodic, sepia-tinged new songs are so much more than knowing facsimiles of vintage styles

The Weather Station review – emotional release rains down

Climate grief finds catharsis in Tamara Lindeman’s urgent, emotive songs, in which the gravity of her fear bumps up against vivacious, eclectic sounds

Nilüfer Yanya: Painless review – refined indie pop with a disquieting lyrical edge

The London songwriter roots the sound of her accomplished second album in classic alt-rock, its beautiful melodies contrasting with mysteriously bleak vignettes

Alt-J: The Dream review – a stroll around the curiosity shop

The ambitious British indie crooners embrace an American sound while confronting crypto and Covid on their enjoyable fourth album

Spoon: Lucifer on the Sofa review – timeless perfection from US indie stalwarts

Ten albums and nearly three decades in, Spoon still sound fresh, with swing and swagger – and there isn’t a dull moment