Sleigh Bells - Bunky Becky Birthday Boy 

There’s a joyfully nostalgic thread that runs through this sixth album from Sleigh Bells. It’s there in its title, which nods to both vocalist Alexis Krauss’ late dog Riz who would often be out on tour with the band (‘Bunky Becky’), and her young son Wilder (‘Birthday Boy’). It’s dead centre of the blistering ‘Wanna Start A Band’, with its euphorically huge riffs and percussive clicks doing an excellent job at channelling the all-out aural assault that characterised their breakthrough and 2010 debut, ‘Treats’. Elsewhere, they pair their trademark hard-and-soft contrast – a sound which, in hindsight, could be deemed proto-hyperpop – with a litany of references that bring to mind Dua Lipa’s concept of ‘Future Nostalgia’, or a reverse Back To The Future Part II, in which Alexis and bandmate Derek Miller present an imagined late-21st Century past via a vivid 2025 lens. ‘Badly’ channels mall rock with its ‘80s power pop riff; ‘Blasted Shadow’ pairs quintessential Sleigh Bells with hints of ‘90s FM radio stalwarts; closer ‘Pulse Drips Quiet’ does similar with drivetime rock. ‘Life Was Real’ pairs the slicker sound presented on 2013’s ‘Bitter Rivals’ with pure emo guitars deliciously, while even bigger standout ‘This Summer’ acts as a true centrepiece, its pop-punk riffs and metallic middle eight combining with militantly carefree lyrics (“Kicking and thrashing, send us home packing”) for a full Y2K MTV2 moment. A notable mention, too, should go to ‘Hi Someday’, where ‘80s goth meets new wave on a fickle mood-switcher of a track that somehow feels epic despite its relatively diminutive sub-four minute length. An excellent example of weaving in references while retaining a singular artistic identity and still sounding completely fresh.