London five-piece Evans the Death return with Vanilla, their most ambitious and experimental album to date, eschewing the more traditional pop structures and hooks of their first two albums, 2012’s self-titled debut and 2015’s critically acclaimed Expect Delays. While Expect Delays was a step towards something more interesting, more collaborative, experimental and abrasive - a bleak, introspective kind of album that still retained a pop sensibility - Vanilla sees the band veer in an ever more adventurous direction: more aggressive, extroverted and raw. A dark, howling, ragged storm of an album, impossible to categorise, Vanilla is anything but – a far cry from the bland, unimaginative music that pervades the airwaves. It is a brittle, brilliant new chapter in the story of a band who never fail to surprise.

Oakland's socialist punks are back with this new 4 song 7" EP entitled "Economy." On the A-side we have the super-tough title track, a modish and Marxist shout from the terraces. Kicked off by a sharp riff and Comrade M's mad cackle, "In A Crowd" is also a nod to the band's mod influences. It's a call to arms wrapped up in an incendiary, thrilling punk tune: a simply electric 85 seconds. On the flip the band collaborates with noted ranting poet Tim Wells. "Hoxton Market Forces," taken from Wells' latest book "Everything Crash," is a pin-sharp indictment of urban gentrification set to a roiling pop-art explosion of a tune. The EP wraps up with Wells reciting DH Lawrence's "The Oxford Voice" over a handclap-fueled glam stomper. Pure magic, and an excellent example of why Wells and Hard Left sought each other out. The tape version includes 3 songs from the band's two lathe cut singles. On Future Perfect.

Debut LP from Oakland's HARD LEFT. Classic-sounding '77 style punk with echoes of glam and hard mod, reference points might be SEX PISTOLS, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS, GENERATION X and NEWTOWN NEUROTICS. While there's also an Oi flavor here these guys and ladies are far from being yobbos; what sets Hard Left apart are their utopian leftist politics and the sheer quality of the tunes. Every song here is a shout-along anthem, the playing is loose without being sloppy, and the production is loud and dynamic. A ripper from start to finish. On Future Perfect.

Emotional Response are quickly asserting themselves as purveyors of good taste in all that is current and tasty in indie and punk. This 20 band compilation is no exception, highlighting the ongoing quality associated with the label. Vibrant sounds from around the globe. Featuring:- BAD DADDIES (California), GINNELS (IRELAND), TANGIBLE EXCITEMENT! (AUS/USA, featuring members of Gold-Bears and Summer Cats), KIDS ON A CRIME SPREE (Oakland), THE WANDA JUNES (Tuscon), LOGNHALSMOTTAGNINGEN (SWE/UK), VICTORIAN SLANG (Tuscon), HULABOY (UK/USA), MIA SCHOEN (AUS), HARD LEFT (Oakland), CANNANES (AUS), BRIGHT LIGHTS (Brooklyn), FRAU (London, UK), AMERICAN CULTURE (Denver), BAD GUYS (Portland), THE DEBUTANTES (IRELAND), GRRR! (AUS), THE HOW (UK/US), THE SAFE DISTANCE (UK/US), ROOIBUS ORBISON (New York featuring Rob Christiansen, Eggs/Sisterhood Of Convoluted Thinkers etc). COLOUR VINYL, LIMITED 500, WITH DOWNLOAD. More info and streaming here.

Limited to 600. Pro printed sleeves with hand-stamped labels and sleeves, artwork by Lorna Gilfedder... split release with Static Shock, with Download code. Slumberland group Sea Lions came over to the UK for the first time in July 2012 to play Indietracks and embarked on a tour with UK group Golden Grrrls. To commemorate the occasion they released a limited tour 7" which now sees a world wide release. Both bands contributed an original song and a cover version. Sea Lions take apart 'Nervous Breakdown' by Black Flag, turning it into a shamble-core nugget of shrill guitar versus Adrian Pillado's laconic vocal delivery and contributed 'On and Off' - as close to an anthem as Sea Lions get. Golden Grrrls tackle 'I Don't Want You Anyway' by kiwi group Look Blue Go Purple, remaining fairly faithful to the original with some added punk nrg, while their original is a garage pop bullet in the form of 'Billy,' which sees Ruari MacLean take lead vocal to counter the female backing. 4 songs as good as any you're going to hear this year. (LISTEN)

Gorgeous, melancholic pop in the lineage of New Order and Trembling Blue Stars. Ten lovely songs (and two interludes) that bring to mind rain-streaked streets and black-and-white movies. (LISTEN)