‘Have the courage to walk away’: Bon Iver on romance, retirement and his rapturous new record

Riven with anxiety from years of touring, Justin Vernon found he couldn’t leave the house. Then a new relationship changed his concept of love. His radiant new album shares the revelations

Pulp: Spike Island review – Jarvis Cocker and co’s joyous second coming

The anthemic lead single from the band’s first album in 24 years casts a wary eye over their peak 90s fame – but also suggests that performing is irresistible

‘Goths don’t have sex – we just stare into the black sun’: Billy Corgan’s honest playlist

The Smashing Pumpkins songwriter and guitarist on overdoing karaoke, joining Pink Floyd on stage and his secret love of Katy Perry’s Roar

‘This weird dream just keeps going!’ Wet Leg on overnight success, sexual epiphanies and facing fears

The UK indie-rockers won two Grammys for their debut album. Ahead of their second, they explain how they protected one another amid sudden fame – and how queer love and Davina McCall inspired them

Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong review – revamped alt-rockers take a newer, weirder road

After losing their frontman, the band’s third studio album shows how resilient and adaptable they are, with luscious melodies, fantastical lyrics and lots of recorders

‘I would never be able to sing a song that a robot wrote’: Lucy Dacus on her new album’s themes of artistry and intimacy

As the indie singer-songwriter and Boygenius star releases her latest, highly personal solo record, she talks of her weariness of AI and digital art, the pressures of being in a public relationship, and her anger and fears in Trump’s US

Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie review – darkness haunts a gorgeous ruined palace of a record

Frightening fates await the protagonists of Dan Bejar’s 14th album, but the mercurial Canadian’s perspective and lavish instrumentation are a reminder of beauty’s potential

Lucy Dacus: Forever Is a Feeling review – Boygenius singer turns timidly tasteful

The Virginia songwriter gets lost in understatement on a loved-up album about her relationship with bandmate Julien Baker, shrouding sharp lyrics in shy melodies

‘They’re still under there, they never got out’: the Futureheads’ Barry Hyde commemorates his mining heritage

The musician was commissioned to create an album inspired by the north-east’s mining history – and then discovered his ancestors died in a local disaster

‘Saying you’re in a jangle-pop band is a red flag’: the Tubs talk speed, squalor and their glorious second album

As they embark on a UK tour, the band’s frontman recounts how terrible dates, struggles with OCD and a family tragedy all fed into their new record

A moment that changed me: I was an excruciatingly shy teenager. Then Courtney Love roared into my life

I swapped my drab clothes for charity-shop nightdresses, highlighted my hair with Sun In – and realised I didn’t need to apologise for being angry

‘The odd drunken detective has been sighted at gigs’: how Sea Power won legions of gamer fans

As they get ready to tour its mournful music, the band reflect on Disco Elysium, the video game whose soundtrack won them a Bafta – and plenty of new followers

Throwing Muses: Moonlight Concessions review – as ever, Kristin Hersh is astonishing

For their 11th album in a nearly 40-year career, the alt-rockers switch focus to acoustic guitars and cello – but their tumultuous tales are still charged with elemental power

One to watch: Divorce

Fresh from supporting Bombay Bicycle Club and Everything Everything, the Nottingham four-piece’s richly diverse sound is made for big-hearted storytelling

Sasami: Blood on the Silver Screen review – a quirky move to the mainstream

The US artist segues from industrial metal to radio-friendly pop most memorable for its vividly relatable lyrics