The Quietus

Keith Kahn-Harris looks back at a landmark release full of surprises and possibilities To push back a genre label is, all too often, a reliably generic move by artists desperately seeking to differentiate themselves from other artists who sound much the s…

As we hurtle through the final months of 2026, tQ's staffers select another round-up of everything we've loved over the last few weeks We are only a few weeks away from end-of-year chartmageddon, the point at which we will be forced, whether we like it or…

Andy Stott Late Loop The British electronic music producer proves himself, once again, a consummate perfectionist – but it's the subtle imperfections that make his music really sing It didn’t take Andy Stott long to find himself drawn towards the frayed e…

Pedro João Santos reports from the latest edition of Portugal’s premiere festival for experimental music, where stellar sets from Noémi Büchi, Tygapaw, Marta Salogni and more lead the way Malcolm Pardon and Gustaf Broms, photo by Adriano Ferreira Borges /…

Angus Batey looks back 35 years at the 360-degree attack of one of the most creatively independent yet offensive hip hop albums ever made.

Leo Chadburn's latest work expands outwards from a seventeenth-century manual of folk dances to a kinetic exploration of human movement, from St Vitus' chorea to raving at Castlemorton Common English Dancing Master is a dance album, but not in the sense y…

Maria W Horn Melting Pillars of Snow Melting Pillar of Snow is a dense exploration of time and decay that feels more like a static monument than a living listening experience Melting Pillars of Snow by Maria W Horn On Melting Pillars of Snow, Swedish comp…

From 80s synthpop and 90s trip hop through to mischievous, glitched-out electronics, Andy Stott talks through 13 records that hold significance to him ahead of the release of his new album, Late Loop Across a career that now spans more than two decades, A…

Dis Fig What To Make Of These Mortal Hands Her debut was called PURGE and it was about her.

Drukqs has long been one of John Doran's favourite LPs; with a reissue looming, he attempts to articulate why he loves this critically derided album so much Drukqs by Aphex Twin Rereading the contemporary reviews of Drukqs 25 years later is like rubbernec…

The festival of leftfield electronic music returns to Central London next month for its second edition Soho Electronic, the Central London festival championing leftfield electronic music, will return for its second edition next month.

They've also shared two tracks from the LP Photo by Harry Ward Factory Floor have shared details of their first studio album in 10 years, titled One Trip.

The album has been out-of-print for some time Photo by Andrew Catlin Throwing Muses' self-titled debut album is being reissued to mark its 40th anniversary.

Our electronic music editor tunes out the latest online culture war, and instead reviews 10 recent releases of an auteur-ish bent, spanning avant-pop, experimental electronics, fractured club music, dubwise mutations and form-bending DJing I've not yet ju…

Johnny Marr The Age of Everything Former Smiths guitarist settles some scores – with himself, and others When I spoke to Johnny Marr for Huck in 2019, all Morrissey talk was off the table.

@ Autosmile Philadelphia duo with an ungoogleable name create dreamy psychedelic worlds with Waterboys flutes adn Beach Boys harmonies Autosmile by @ It’s a great time and a nightmarish time to be an @ (pronounced ‘at’) fan.

It marks the band's first release for Jack White's Third Man Records The Flaming Lips have a new album on the way, titled The Teardrop Throbs.

Ahead of her curation of this year's Deep Time Festival, the Irish experimentalist gives Alastair Shuttleworth 10 entry points into a back catalogue which includes an opera with Barbie dolls, 12 fictional aliases and a board game for them to play Jennifer…

Oliver Leith Doom and the Dooms Based on transcriptions direct from tapes found at a jumble sale, the latest from Oliver Leith may be the ideal entry point to the British composer's oeuvre Steady pulse, parallel melodies.

He revealed that he is now in talks with a record label to produce an official box set of the group's material Kevin Martin has taken to Instagram to reveal that he's successfully blocked an unlicensed reissue of Possession, a 1992 album by GOD, the band…

The London party series is aiming to take over a complex formerly used by London College of Fashion Lost, the secretive London party series famed for its big-name lineups, has revealed its pursuing a 24-hour license for a new venue in the heart of Oxford…

Exploring the theme of Continuity, it will feature contributions from affiliates of the Príncipe label and tQ's own Jennifer Lucy Allan DJ Marfox, photo by Marta Pina Portuguese festival SQUARE has revealed the first details of the conference programme for

Robbie Williams’ hip hop pivot is widely seen as one of the most obnoxious failures in pop.

Rising Damp expert Sophie Sleigh-Johnson tunes in to the 70s pub sports telly series that celebrated regional specificity through a fug of cig smoke and the rituals of indoor combat Something was afoot in the corridors of Yorkshire TV during the early 70s,

Shit And Shine 0 aa Riot The ever-prolific Craig Clouse gives us four tracks of skipping needles and sporadic glitches, but it's the subtle details and small shifts that prove most beguiling for JR Moores 0 aa RIOT by SHIT AND SHINE Paul Du Noyer compared…

Discrepant founder Gonçalo F.

Richard Foster considers the life of an artist who died on the day that The Damned's 'New rose' was released, and considers an unusual continuum in weird British culture Those familiar with the popular British TV series Doctor Who will be aware that the u…

Darran Anderson looks at Pulp's (one-time) farewell LP, as fine as any of their others, and asks, why did it fall by the wayside?

The London experimental folk outliers’ triumphant third album is a demonstration of traditional music at its most progressive, outward-looking and migratory Photo credit: Brad Gilbert The hammered dulcimer originated in Persia as the santur, perhaps as ma…

Reigns Antigeist Wessex duo grow into a quartet, get amped, still full of doom The Antigeist by Reigns Somerset is a real epicentre of modern druidry and all things occult.

It features archival visual material and original essay from the band's members, in addition to contributions by Debbie Harry, Lorde and others Talking Heads are publishing a book that will look back over their history and impact on the music world.

The band, Whait, will put their first album out in February Photo by Eleanor Petry Wendy Eisenberg has surprise released a companion album to their self-titled LP from earlier this year.

The UK artist will oversee the programming for next year's edition of the event at London's Southbank Centre Photo by Jordan Hemingway FKA twigs has been confirmed as the curator of next year's Meltdown festival.

Matt Carmichael speaks to Gail Tasker about his lush combination of jazz and folk, Held In The Dark, which will be performed with a full septet at three shows next month including a set for EFG London Jazz Festival Photo by Camille Lemoine Matt Carmichael…

Ye Gods Los Visited by the ghost of gothmas past, Antoni Maiovvi whips out his magic circle for a true grimoire of an album Los by Ye Gods When Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman tells you to do something, you should probably do it.

The Electro Quartet Nature’s World With Studio G An album of electronic library music from the early 80s breaths the air of sunnier climes Nature's World With Studio G by Various Artists 1982 was an odd year.

Wyndham Wallace looks at the oft-neglected follow-up to FGTH's debut, Liverpool which was released in 1986 Compare and contrast: "The world is my oyster," the opening words to Frankie Goes To Hollywood's debut album, 1984's Welcome To The Pleasuredome.

Ian Winwood looks back 40 years to his first contact with an imperial and imperious Slayer and their third album's "frenzied scream of wall-eyed mayhem" On the weekend before Christmas, in 2020, I sent a friend a text message comprised of just three words.

Claire Sawers talks to director Jeanie Finlay about her hard-hitting, emotionally resonant documentary about toxic pollution of UK waters, which doubles as love letter to the north east Stan Rennie takes a tea break, by Jeanie Finlay “I’m sick as a chip”,…

Your latest guide to the British underground comes with bananas mashcore from a huge crew of Rotherham children, a demonstration of the discombobulatory potential of the human voice, and much more V.I.V.E.K Unfathomable amounts of music are being recorded…

Storefront Church Blue Movie When he's not playing session for Perfume Genius and Phoebe Bridgers, Lukas Frank is getting seedy with Storefront Church Blue Movie by Storefront Church God knows if they were handing out fivers for every time the phrase ‘it’s

The lead single, 'Random Violence', is a tribute to the late Optimo (Espacio) DJ JD Twitch Photo by Fiona Garden Hot Chip have shared details of their ninth studio album, A Long Way From Kansas.

From her deep roots in choral music to the "fucking queen" Mariah Carey, Dis Fig takes us through the vast range of influences behind new LP What To Make Of These Mortal Hands, and compile them into a special 20-track playlist available exclusively for tQ…

Matthew Herbert The UK Has More Food Banks Than Branches Of McDonalds The British producer (fka Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain) returns to the politics of food with an album that doubles as a direct call to action theukhasmorefoodbanksthanbranchesofmcdonalds…

Derek Walmsley asks Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson some big questions before they hang up their hats for the last time.

In this month’s antidote to the algorithm, Kamyar Salavati explores the evolution of Iran’s experimental electronic music scene Siavash Amini by Ashkan Norouzkhani I regret not being there, but fellow music critics still remember the shock of buying a tic…

The Avalanches No Bad Memories Avalanches weave a satire on branding and tech enshittification complete with skits by Mike Patton and Haley Joel Osment On arrival, Australian plunderphonics crew The Avalanches only had eyes for record racks, bringing in a…

The duo have also announced an extensive UK and European tour for spring 2027 Photo by Manja Williams Orbital have shared details of a new album, titled Other.

Towards A Cosmic Music - Noise Minimalism, Norway, 1991-2001 features tracks by Deathprod, Lasse Marhaug and more Deathprod Smalltown Supersound will explore Norway's 90s minimal noise scene on a new compilation, Towards A Cosmic Music - Noise Minimalism,…

Both albums have been remastered for their new vinyl pressings Photo by Kirk R.