From Cate Le Bon and Black Country, New Road to A Place To Bury Strangers and Animal Collective, here is all of the new noise you may have missed from this week.

Cate Le Bon – Pompeii (Mexican Summer)

Prolific Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon is back with her sixth solo record. From her roots as a writer of guitar ballads paired with her one-of-a-kind voice, Le Bon has transformed her sound into something genre-defying. Twenty-nineteen’s Reward was surely one of the strangest, most mind-altering experiences of the year, and that streak is continued with Pompeii.

It’s yet another instant classic, and one that’s sure to go down as one of this year’s best.  Le Bon’s ability to capture such a diverse range of moods is this record’s strong suit. “French Boys” is a track that oozes with 80s swagger, and “Wheel” plays like a futuristic version of a Kinks ballad. Cate Le Bon continually finds a way to top her previous releases.

Pompeii is out on Mexican Summer.

Find out more about Cate Le Bon here.

Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)

Just a few days before the highly anticipated release of this sophomore record, lead singer and guitarist of Black Country, New Road, Isaac Wood, announced his departure from the band. The news comes as a shock and a disappointment, but his contribution to the group’s music will be forever captured on this record, which truly is a magnum opus.

Ants From Up There is something entirely different than the band’s debut. The heavy, Slint-inspired riffs are entirely stripped in favor of acoustic ballads; chaotic, classical music compositions; and long, ambient passages. The band’s debut was bold for a first release, but this record somehow seems even bolder by not only pushing musical boundaries but defying expectations as well.

Ants From Up There is out on Ninja Tune Records.

Find out more about Black Country, New Road here.

A Place To Bury Strangers – See Through You (Dedstrange)

Oliver Ackermann has fronted A Place To Bury Strangers since the late 2000s, but now returns with the addition of drummer Sandra Fedowitz and Bassist John Fedowitz. Everybody wants to be in the loudest band around, but A Place To Bury Strangers truly are the loudest fucking band around. Period.

See Through You is probably best described as a directed wall of sound in that it beats the listener into a pulp but has enough direction to keep you interested. It’s hypnotic, drenched in reverb, distorted, and crusty to an extreme. Play this one loud.

See Through You is out on Dedstrange.

Find out more about A Place To Bury Strangers here.

Animal Collective – Time Skiffs (Domino Recording Co.)

Animal Collective have been in something of a slump in recent years, despite a lot of excellent solo efforts from members Avey Tare, Panda Bear, and Geologist. Time Skiffs was billed as the band’s first real release in six years and it’s a genuinely solid record.

It’s not one that experiments too heavily, but it does hark back to the bands’ mid-2000s era, bringing a bold take on indie pop. There’s a lot of fun to be had here. There are quite a few very danceable, groovy tracks and a number of more psychedelic tunes that bring a level of washed out spaciness.

Time Skiffs is out on Domino Records.

Find out more about Animal Collective here.

Featured image courtesy of Back Country, New Road