The Montreal-based trio Cola has always sounded like their music lives in a dystopia built by the creative freedoms of their own minds. Even on Deep in View and The Gloss, the band’s version of post-punk felt colder and more controlled than most of the groups around them. On Cost of Living Adjustment, that control starts to loosen. The songs are louder, rougher, and more willing to drag things out instead of cutting everything down to the basics.

Train on the Island sees Aldous Harding bring her luring essence to its fullest form through fragmented songwriting, changing-pace mumbles, and emotionally distant love songs. The album feels intimate, unpredictable, and fully deserving of album of the year conversations.

American Football return with "American Football LP4", a restrained record built on layered guitars and steady pacing, featuring vocal contributions from Brendan Yates and Caitlin De Marrais without leaning on big peaks.