Arctic Monkeys Flirt With Art Rock, Taylor Swift Fights The Demons In Her Head And Labrinth Soothes The Soul

If you didn't have time to listen to new music last week, you should definitely catch up on new releases from the legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers, Swedish provocateur Tove Lo or rising star, rapper Lil Baby.

You won't be bored by with the albums of the charming singer Zella Day or the British singer with a sharp vocabulary named M.I.A. And if you're in the mood for something tougher, definitely try the record Pain Remains by the deathcore band Lorna Shore or Aurora Leaking from an Open Wound by Full of Hell. But move on to the latest.

1. Arctic Monkeys – The Car

The British indie-rockers are celebrating an important anniversary this year. They have been tearing down stages and letting the people under them drain their souls for two decades now. Fans usually leave their performances sweaty and exhausted, but at the same time the happiest in the world. The newest, seventh record is a departure from the energetic garage rock and punk rebellion that characterized the band's earlier work.

"Monkeys" have softened, calmed down and flirt more with nobler artrock. From their newest album, you can feel the etherealness, but also a darker atmosphere and detours into other spheres. In small hints, you can hear the influence of progressive legends like Queen or Pink Floyd, but at the same time, simple pop and catchy choruses typical of the cult band. However, what the quartet from Sheffield clearly has left are beautiful and striking lyrics.

2. Taylor Swift – Midnights

As the singer revealed on social networks, Midnights tells the stories of her thirteen sleepless nights (it's no coincidence that the album has exactly thirteen songs). Before she returned to sweet dreams, she went through several horrors and first had to defeat her own demons in her head.

"We are awake in fear, unrest and tears. We look at the walls and drink until they speak back to us. We're writhing in our self-made cages and praying that - at this very moment - we don't make some fatal mistake that would change our lives," the winner of eleven Grammy awards explained her state at the time, which she returns to on the record.

3. Labrinth – Ends & Begins

This will sooth your the soul. Labrinth is God. Few people can convey such a constellation of emotions to a person as this 33-year-old Londoner. You certainly know him as the author of the music for the popular series Euphoria. The songs Forever or Formula were absolute perfection.

Ends & Begins is a playful, imaginative, production-mature (listening to it on high-quality headphones or speakers is essential — you'll discover many more sounds) and original mix of smart electronics, rap, R&B and soul. As Labrinth himself told Entertainment Weekly, he has complete creative freedom and therefore does exactly what he wants. Nothing and no one prevents him from doing so. And you hear it too (in the best sense of the word).

4. Architects – The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit

It may sound unbelievable, but these five metalheads from Brighton, England, are releasing their tenth album. Since the beginning of their career, they have been releasing records at annual, maximum two-year intervals, while the quality of the music paradoxically does not decrease, as it usually is the case with most bands with this level of productivity.

The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit is neither a worship-worthy masterpiece nor an orthodox, uncompromising, sled-dropping metalcore blast. However, it can be seen that the sharp Brits know how to make hits with punchy and catchy choruses that will play in your head for a week after listening.

5. Brutus – Unison Life

Anyone who has ever seen this Belgian trio live knows that they can perform an incredibly emotional and explosive show on stage. A cathartic experience is guaranteed. The piercing singing of the charismatic Stefanie Mannaerts will captivate and disarm everyone in an instant. It's fascinating how she's always screaming her vocal chords while smacking her drum kit for dear life.

Brutus opened the gates of the underground with the record Burst in 2017 and since then released two more albums Nest and Live in Ghent. Unison Life is their fourth studio album and once again all lovers of melancholic post-rock and faster and more furious post-hardcore will find their own. Again, there are transitions from the quietest passages to the loudest, furious rhythm changes and dynamic walls of sound.