Savages: Adore Life review – the looser, lighter sound of a band moving forward
Savages sound a little less icy and a little less serious on their second album – there are even a few jokes this time
Kiran Leonard review – oddly beautiful indie from a singular new talent
Saddleworth’s anti-Jake Bugg is a gawky but compelling presence as he ditches the 20-ish instruments he plays on his debut album for a four-piece band
Hinds: Leave Me Alone review – ragged lo-fi charm
The all-female Spanish quartet’s debut is the antithesis of polished – and all the better for it
Villagers: Where Have You Been All My Life? review – accomplished but unoriginal
Conor O’Brien’s fourth, a live album of sorts, mostly fails to recapture the zip of his early work
Dilly Dally review – a white-hot force on a winter’s night
Katie Monks’s bloodcurdling vocals, combined with the band’s fierce riffs, pack a powerful, sweaty punch
Tigercats/Flowers review – shaking up the twee party
Tigercats are best when they cut loose from brittle indie with vivid polyrhythms, while Flowers just steer off cuteness in their romantic 60s pop
Guadalupe Plata: Guadalupe Plata review – it’s not all hearts and flowers
You can bet these Andalusian hard-rockers have a lot of Birthday Party and Gallon Drunk records in their collections
Hinds: Leave Me Alone review – a riotous rush of girl-gang energy
They may be ramshackle, but this Spanish fourpiece also have plenty of tunes and bags of charm
Cage the Elephant: Tell Me I’m Pretty review – hard-punching, well-oiled rock
Produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, the Kentucky band’s fourth album is packed full of riffs from the Stones and Kinks playbook
Hidden gems of 2015: great records you may have missed
From the thrill of Brittany Howard’s alter ego to joy on the Wirral, our critics pick some of this year’s under-the-radar releases
Fufanu: Few More Days to Go review – thrillingly malevolent and catchy tunes
Lyrics about employment drudgery rage and brood over walls of glacial electronics that recall Joy Division and Bauhaus
Beach Slang: The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us review – loud, punky alt-rock done right
Full of songs hanging their hooks out on massive guitar lines, this terrific debut album sounds like a forgotten underground classic from 1989
Nadia Reid: Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs review – introspection and oomph on indie-soul debut
New Zealander Nadia Reid’s indie-soul debut album is a charming, assured treat
Girl Band: Holding Hands with Jamie review – thumping, crashing sound and fury from Dublin punks
Life’s many struggles are audible on this howling debut
Daylight Versions: the Leaf Library review – melancholy wonder on delightful debut
The London quintet concern themselves with the twilight natural world, wrapped up in warm brass and the glowing valves of vintage synths