This Week's Releases

Savages — Adore Life (Matador/Remote Control) 

Given the immense hype revolving around Savages, "that this young band could not only fulfil this hype but blow it out of the water is a remarkable achievement". Losing its "overt Joy Division-reminiscent post-punk", Savages now embrace "a fierce noise-rock aesthetic". All in all, "Adore Life is an unapologetic and brave record, serving as a reminder of the power of guitar-driven rock'n'roll". We gave it four-and-a-half stars.

RUFUS — Bloom (Sweat It Out/Sony)

Said to be a "product of isolation and saturation", songs like You Were Right and Brighter "dive straight into the deep sea", "their songs working best when these concepts are brought into full synergy". The songs without this tension "lapse into the indistinguishable background", but "the boys deserve credit for experimenting within their genre". We gave them three-and-a-half stars.

Fat White Family — Songs For Our Mothers (Without Conset/[PIAS] Australia)

Nothing shocks our reviewer anymore, from Leonardo DiCaprio getting "raped by a bear" or "Sunn O)))'s brutal experiments at unimaginable volumes". Fat White Family here is less shocking, "an assortment of lumbering grooves that gradually pull you in, in a surprisingly seductive way". Giving the album three-and-a-half stars, our reviewer writes, "It's like an occult movie where you know something terrible is happening just out of focus, but you don't know what it is".