It's hard to know if MIA would be better or worse off without her attention-seeking gene. At this stage of the game, it's such a given that controversy and kerfuffle go hand-in-hand with Maya Arulpragasam that she wouldn't know herself without the fuss. On MIA's fourth album, released some three and a half years after Maya thanks to all manner of delays, divisiveness and truculence are present and correct, but so too is plenty of electrifying, sparky, pop with a sublime edge. MIA is a musical super-sharpshooter with an incredible ear for hard-bodied pop tracks (Bad Girls, Come Walk With Me, Exodus) that boil and steam the most mutant genres into submission. As MIA wades casually through such memes as Instagram and nefarious banks, you'll find yourself smitten with her poise and panache all over again. miauk.com
Download: Bad Girls, Come Walk With Me, Exodus