Loyle Carner – ‘Yesterday’s Gone’

Very few family portraits come as richly-detailed as ‘Yesterday’s Gone’. Poetry, spoken word and cutting hip-hop verses all share the same space.

We said: “British hip-hop has often been dismissed as lacking the bite, punch and 
sheer skills of its American counterpart, but 22-year-old Ben Coyle-Larner has stacks of talent, some seriously good tunes and some highly decent connections – he’s already supported everyone from MF Doom and Nas to Kate Tempest and Joey Badass… British hip-hop finally got serious – and Loyle Carner is leading the charge.”

Early odds: 10/1

Glass Animals – ‘How to be a Human Being’

The Oxford four-piece’s wild second LP tells the story of 11 different characters, all with their own unique story.

We said: “Following up the hushed, humid rainforest vibes of their debut ‘Zaba’, the Oxford indie quartet pulled out all the stops to create this album about the characters they’d met on the road, shedding none of their eye for detail. Opener ‘Life Itself’ was their first out-and-out banger, but the big tunes continued to come. ‘Season 2 Episode 3’, about a sofa-bound slacker, nodded to videogame sound effects; ‘Mama’s Gun’ brought mind-numbed, murderous intent out with a Carpenters sample; ‘Pork Soda’, perhaps the best of the lot, gave us the line “Pineapples are in my head / Got nobody ‘cos I’m braindead”. Inspired.”

Early odds: 12/1

Alt-J – ‘Relaxer’

Shunning the norm of releasing 20-plus track epics, these former Mercury winners keep it short and sweet on a weird, twisted third LP.

We said: “By the time you get to the cinematic, religion-nodding album closer ‘Pleader’, you’ve had the pleasure – if an often uneasy one – of listening to a tight 40 minutes of music that builds a very modern wall of sound. Great album, if not entirely relaxing.”

Early odds: 8/1 

Sampha – ‘Process’

After years collaborating with the likes of Drake and Kanye West, Sampha’s first solo full-length is well worth the wait. Densely-packed songs are matched with intimate family portraits, like on standout ‘(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano’.

We said: “Is ‘Process’ worth the three-and-a-half-year wait since his last EP? Yes – absolutely. It’s a finely crafted and devastating take on the loss of his mother to cancer, as well as his inner turmoil at how success has dragged him away from his roots. The ‘process’ of the title refers to that of grieving as much as it does making music. Not that there’s much distinction shown in these 10 therapeutic songs about love, remorse and ambition.”

Early odds: 4/1