Cate Le Bon – Pompeii (LP, Mexican Summer)

Pompeii Cate Le Bon s sixth full-length studio album and the follow up to 2019 s Mercury-nominated Reward bears a storied title summoning apocalypse but the metaphor eclipses any dissection of immediacy says Le Bon. Sonically minimal in parts its lyrics jog between self-reflection and direct address. Written primarily on bass and composed entirely alone in an uninterrupted vacuum Le Bon plays every instrument (except drums and saxophones) and recorded the album largely by herself with long-term collaborator and co-producer Samur Khouja in Cardiff Wales.