It’s usually the case that some post-rock makes it onto this List somewhere. My favourite post-rock album of 2023 (by a distance) is this expansive offering by French band Where Mermaids Drown. The most memorable elements of Reminisce, for me at least, are situated at the heavier end of post-rock: indeed, on occasion the album veers pretty close to post-metal. However, the majority of Reminisce is actually dialled back to much more subdued, delicate mood-building – which is, I suppose, why the heavier moments land so impressively. Quiet or loud, it’s all emotionally driven and exploratory in the best traditions of the genre. Explosions in the Sky (a much more established post-rock band that released an album this year that’s nowhere near as good as this one) are a touchstone, albeit only in part. The one notable misstep of the poetry recital at the end of the opening track aside, this is pretty flawless stuff. Along with And So I Watch You from Afar’s Jettison from last year and MONO’s Innocence from the year before, Reminisce is likely to be on the shortlist for my favourite post-rock record of the decade, come 2030. A list that, admittedly, I am highly unlikely to write.