Bad Bunny blasting bigotry against Puerto Ricans, Davido’s uplifting vibes and a blast from trip-hop’s past. Here’s what has caught your ear this year
Read the Guardian’s best albums of the year so far
Constellations for the Lonely is a fabulous return for Doves: textured, layered and, as ever, occupying a space and sound all their own. From the futuristic reflection of Renegade to the soulful Cold Dreaming to the thought provoking A Drop in the Ocean, and the devastating realisation of loss in Last Year’s Man ... This is a band confronting the past, to channel hope and find redemption by coming through challenges that can only be overcome through genuine friendship. Steven, Wolverhampton
This is a timely release, coming mere months after the abhorrent anti-Puerto Rican “floating island of garbage” comments by Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally. Bad Bunny’s response at the time was fierce, rebuking all that was Trump, Republican, bigoted, and his first music since feels like a follow-up. In DTMF, Bunny refuses to cede space or stand down. Either from his position as a mainstay of the US mainstream music world or as a proud Puerto Rican. He crafts an album of one summer anthem after another, built to be listened to by everyone while unmistakably a product of the music of his home. Alex, Belfast
