Here are five of the biggest releases this month

Now that Christmas music has officially been banished for another year, there’s lots of great music on the way this month alone.

Here are five albums that you should keep an eye out for in January…

IGGY POP - ‘Every Loser’ [January 6th]

The Godfather of Punk returns with his 19th solo album at the ripe old age of 75. Does he still have it? ‘Every Loser’ will prove an interesting listen: while the likes of Bob Dylan are still churning out acclaimed records into their ninth decade, could Pop’s energetic punk prowess have dimmed with age? The roll-call of guest names on this Andrew Watt-produced album certainly helps: Travis Barker, Duff McKagan, Dave Navarro and the late Taylor Hawkins are among the rock heavyweights featured.

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GABRIELLE APLIN - ‘Phosphorescent’ [January 6th]

Ten years have passed since Gabrielle Aplin rose to fame after soundtracking a John Lewis Christmas ad (she covered Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’, FYI). The English musician has proven herself by now, and her fourth album is a very promising mix of sparkling pop songs and tracks influenced by the likes of Carole King and The Carpenters.

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GAZ COOMBES - ‘Turn the Car Around' [January 13th]

The Supergrass frontman marks ten years as a solo artist with his fourth solo album. ‘Turn the Car Around’ follows on from the Mercury- and Ivor Novello-nominated ‘Matador’ and ‘The World’s Strongest Man’, was recorded in his own “gloriously ramshackle Oxfordshire outhouse studio”, and is described by Coombes as “a record of feeling, an album that captures the ups and downs of modern life and all the small print in between.”

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THE MURDER CAPITAL - ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ [January 20th]

Having made quite an impression with their 2019 debut ‘When I Have Fears’, the Dublin-based post-punk band return with their long-awaited second album. ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ apparently sees the five-piece explore new sonic territories, with a more industrial slant and electronic elements brought more to the fore.

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SAM SMITH - ‘Gloria’ [January 27th]

The follow-up to 2020’s ‘Love Goes’ sees Sam Smith collaborating with the likes of Canadian singer Jessie Reyez (who features on two tracks here), as well as Kim Petras and rather surprisingly, Ed Sheeran - who features on closing track ‘Who We Love’. Smith also co-wrote with Northern Irish musician Foy Vance and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid; are they embracing their mainstream pop roots like never before on album #4? Lyrical themes include "sex, lies, passion, self-expression, and imperfection”, while Smith has described it as a ‘coming of age’ album.