The Forty-Five

For this month's cover story, @arusa.bsky.social meets @lexagates.bsky.social - New York rap's breakout star

thefortyfive.com/interviews/l...

5 Spanish artists every Rosalía Stan should know Loved 'Lux'? Check out these lesser-known Spanish artists making inventive music spanning genres

Loved Lux? Check out these lesser-known Spanish artists

The week's best new releases
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The 45 best songs of 2025 We asked our team of music critics for their favourite songs of the year – here's their list

Just in time to educate the fam, it's the best songs of 2025
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The 45 best albums of 2025 – as voted by The Forty-Five You need to hear these gems

Our cohort of some of the country's most opinionated music writers have voted – it's our albums of the year

Hemlocke Springs announces debut album 'The Apple Tree Under The Sea' Hemlocke Springs is back with brand new single 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Ankles' and a new album on the way.

Cannot wait for this

‘From The Pyre’ finds The Last Dinner Party playing the long game The London five-piece made their first move look easy. With From The Pyre, they prove it wasn’t a trick

Difficult second album who?

‘Long Fling’ review: a fresh, fun debut from Pip Blom and Personal Trainer Pip Blom and Willem Smit join forces for Long Fling – a playful, indie rock debut full of wit, chemistry and irresistibly catchy hooks.

A fun debut album well worth your time

Is Taylor Swift Doing Too Much? The Eras Tour made her the biggest pop star on the planet, but with the mixed reception to ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ – and the excessive influx of physical variants on offer – fans are wondering if it’...

Does our showgirl need an intermission?

Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball is the greatest pop show on earth Brilliantly bonkers in every way

No notes

5 of the best Tiny Desk sessions by female artists From Laura Gibson to Doechii, Tiny Desk Concerts have become a viral phenomenon. Here are our 10 favourite performances that prove it still has legs.

Where to begin with Tiny Desk

5 new tracks you need to hear this week Some big hitters from Sigrid, Magdalena Bay, Joy Crookes and more make up your weekly playlist

The week's best new releases

“Why does self-work feel so unsexy?”: The Beths get candid about growth For The Beths, humour and heartbreak go hand in hand. Their fourth album is their rawest yet – and Liz Stokes is ready to tell you why.

We met The Beths and they were cool!

Sir Chloe makes grunge strange again With new album ‘Swallow The Knife,’ Foote sheds the weight of major-label expectations and returns to the chaotic, cathartic rock that made her.

Ahead of her US and UK tours, get to know the weird world of @sirchloe.bsky.social

Charlotte Gainsbourg returns after eight years with new track 'Blurry Moon' Naturally, it's effortlessly cool

In collaboration with Saint Laurent and SebastiAn, Gainsbourg's return is very French

From burnout to ‘Belong’: Jay Som’s next chapter After six years away, Melina Duterte comes back with ‘Belong’ – an album about friendship, identity and finding your place.

For our September cover story, we went into the woods with Jay Som

Water From Your Eyes take us to another planet on their wildest album yet Seven albums in eight years –the prolific New York duo keep getting better

With their seventh album in just eight years, Rachel Brown and Nate Amos trade convention for chaos, delivering a restless, shape-shifting record that blurs the line between music and art

45s of the week: 5 must-listen tracks for your playlist This week's new releases come from Florence + The Machine, Flo Milli and coop, Lois and Anna von Hausswolff ft. Iggy Pop

Your brand new playlist

Laufey widens her world on new album ‘A Matter Of Time’ Laufey’s third album, ‘A Matter Of Time’ proves she’s more than a jazz revivalist. Read The Forty-Five review

Laufey brought jazz to Gen Z – now she's branching out

Wolf Alice reach full bloom on ‘70s-inspired soft rock album ‘The Clearing’ Wolf Alice once again prove they’re a band constantly evolving, and more willing than ever to push themselves into bold new territory

Wolf Al forever

Lucy Dacus just married thirteen couples under a full moon while Sleater-Kinney watched on Lucy Dacus just married thirteen couples under a full moon at her show in Troutdale's McMenamins Edgfield near Portland Oregon

Only in Portland

LA buzz-band The What Four release video for suburban summer anthem 'Nowhere Blues' LA band The What Four release their first ever video for single, Nowhere Blues. Check it out and catch them live

We love this band

Reneé Rapp bares her teeth on bold, bratty second album 'Bite Me' Reneé Rapp’s second album Bite Me blends bold pop, punk attitude, and razor-sharp lyrics. Read our 4-star review of the star’s fearless new record

Following the success of 'Snow Angel', Reneé Rapp returns with a fearless, hook-laden collection of pop anthems that prove she’s more than just a Regina George revival

Moira Mack wrote this song when Roe v Wade was overturned Moira Mack's 'She Will' is an understated but powerful protest song that was written on the day Roe v Wade was overturned. Listen here.

Protest music comes in many forms as Moira Mack demonstrates

Hayley Williams just surprise dropped a brand new solo track as a gift to public radio Listen to a brand new Hayley Williams solo track, gifted to a Nashville public radio station to say thanks for their service

The kind of surprise we like

Dear God, is Stomp Pop really back? From Brat Summer to Stomp Pop Hell: how we lost the charts in under a year

Powerpuff girls, unite – something terrible has happened to the charts

Wet Leg catch feels on loved-up second album 'Moisturizer' 'Moisturizer' finds Wet Leg deep in their feels, but these are love songs done the Wet Leg way – with wit and whimsy and a serious amount of overwhelm

Our review is late but new @wetleg.bsky.social is rather good

Listen to raunchy new Big Thief song, 'All Night All Day' New track 'All Night All Day' has Adrianne Lenker dreaming of a 24 hour sexy sesh. Listen to second single taken from their upcoming new album.

Today is a good day – for there's a new @bigthiefmusic.bsky.social song to listen to

Syd returns with her first new track in over three years – and it was worth the wait Syd returns with her first solo track in over three years. ‘Die For This’ is a slow-burning R&B gem, arriving ahead of tour dates with Billie Eilish and Renee Rapp.

Hopefully the marker of more to come