ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

This is hands down the album of the year, so there. Distilling down everything that’s great about rock’n’roll from the last 40 years, Norwegian force of nature Ida Maria and her band have made a debut packed with hit singles, dripping with heartbreaking emotion and exploding with the joys of life, love, booze, sex and drugs. ‘Oh My God’ is The Stooges fronted by Janis Joplin, ‘I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked’ is early Strokes meets vintage AC/DC with an Abba melody, and so it goes on.

Maria’s unhinged voice is unimaginably powerful, teetering on the verge of collapse throughout, yet remaining utterly accessible and striking, and her songwriting is, without exception, direct, forceful, perceptive genius.

Ten songs, 31 minutes: rock’n’roll perfection.