Rob Hakimian
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(he/him) Arsenal season ticket. News editor @ncedigital. Editor @BeatsPerMinute. Music interviews/reviews all over. Stoke Newington. Available for artist biogs
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Articles by Rob Hakimian
BPM Curates: September 2026
September is always stacked. The summer lull of album releases is over and the late flurry of new albums announced for release before the end of the year rolls in. Appropriately, we have an absolutely stuffed edition of our monthly playlist, which will ensure you’re up to date all the latest essentials. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist. Andy Stott – “Something in mind” (feat.
Festival Review: End Of The Road – 3-6 September 2026
As we sat in the unmoving line of traffic snaking through the countryside, with the car park supposedly some three miles or so off, everyone was thinking the same things: “This doesn’t usually happen” and “Are we going to make it in time for Geese?!” Sometimes it takes something to go wrong for you to realise how you take for granted the fact that it normally happens so smoothly.
Live Review: Blood Orange and more at Rally, London, 29 August 2026
Returning to Southwark Park for a fourth year, Rally Festival has spawned and sustained an individual vibe even in its short lifespan. It’s said to be inspired by “DIY culture and grassroots movements”, and even as the acts on the bill get bigger each year that still remains prominent, from the aesthetic of the stages to the diversity of the lineup. Of course there are corporate elements, but it’s far less prominent than some other London day festivals.
BPM Curates: August 2026
And just like that, summer was over. But you’re not ready to let go of the memories and the feeling just yet – and it wants to stick with you too. Music is intrinsically linked with memory, and we’ve put together a playlist of tracks that have been accompanying us over the glorious days of sunshine and have shared them with you below. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
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Coco & Clair Clair deliver no-fucks-given bop “One One”
Atlanta duo Coco & Clair Clair have dropped off their second new single in just over a week, following “Coldplay” with “One One”. A typically sassy cut, “One One” is addressed to an ex of some five years past whom they’re clearly not still mad at: “Let me get this straight I wasn’t the right one / five years later see you’ve got a dumb dumb.” Anyway, Coco & Clair Clair are now sipping gin in London, have got a new bae and “hope you’re doing well but, shit – not really”.
June McDoom announces debut album with handspun heartstrummer “Without You”
June McDoom grew up in a Jamaican household in South Florida and brings all that – and much more – to her music. She’ll get to display that on a braoder scale with the release of her debut album Follow The Light, which is arriving on 16 October through Jagjaguwar.
BPM Curates: July 2026
School’s out! But work goes on for the rest of the world… thankfully even when stuck inside at desks we have the world of music to escape into and live in paradisic splendour – or perhaps you want a different kind of transformation; to imagine yourself as a boss taking on the man? Or something else entirely? Here’s another set of tracks that might just do that for you. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Overlooked 2026: The Best Albums We Didn’t Review from January to June
As you read this, there is ever more music out there which you will probably never get around to hearing. At least, that’s the way we feel at BPM. We try our best to cover as many albums as possible, but there simply aren’t enough hours in a lifetime to hear it all – especially not before the conversation has moved on. However, we want to hit pause for a moment – rewind, even.
BPM Curates: June 2026
And like that, another half year is over. But it’s been a joyous one, musically at least – right up to and including June. Some early shouts for Song of the Summer have come from all corners, including worldwide sensations, indie starlets and nightclub legends. We’ve collected some of them and a bunch of leftfield options too. Fill your heads with the early sounds of summer (for you Northern Hemisphere types).
This Is Lorelei immortalises a karaoke legend on “Billy Came Back”, from new album
Nate Amos – aka This Is Lorelei – has announced his new album The Singer In My Band for release on 11 September through Matador. The first taste of the record is “Billy Came Back”, about which Amos says: “‘Billy Came Back’ stewed for months before I picked up a guitar to work it out – I kept forgetting about it but it always came back.
Live Review: Ana Roxanne at The ICA, London, 4 June 2026
There’s something perfect about Ana Roxanne playing in the round, as she did at London’s the ICA on Thursday night. Her music, while delicate and minimal, is experiential – it lightly cloaks the listener and invites them into an inner circle. Roxanne and her bandmates gave that feeling weight and atmosphere with their hour-long masterclass on this occasion.
BPM Curates: May 2026
It’s time to get turnt. Whatever your poison of choice is – or even if you prefer to stay pure – you need a soundtrack. We’ve got one here for you that’ll open up a dozen doors into a variety of sound worlds ready to explore. We’ve picked out a few of the ones that have most excited us during this dark and dreary month. Enjoy our BPM Curates playlist for May below. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Gilla Band battle with self-perception on “Giraffe”
Dublin quartet Gilla Band are back with their first new music in four years in the form of a single called “Giraffe”. The band’s vocalist Dara Kiely says: “In this track, the first few sections represent what my general headspace is like. It can be a very scattered and sometimes lonely place. Feeling unloved and finding it difficult to articulate what I’m actually thinking. “The outro on the other hand indirectly details a kind of confirmation that affection towards me does exist.
BPM Curates: April 2026
It’s an absolutely stuffed edition of our monthly playlist – spring has truly spring and brought with it a raft of amazing new music in all genres. We’ve picked out some of the many highlights for you below. We’ve picked out a few of the ones that have most excited us during this dark and dreary month. Enjoy our BPM Curates playlist for March below. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Boards of Canada reveal details of first album in 13 years
Cult Scottish act Boards of Canada have confirmed heir new album Inferno will be released on 29 May through Warp. It will be their first album since 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest and their fifth overall. While they have not yet released an official track, they have shared another tantalising teaser video confirming Inferno, which you can see below. Other details are scant, aside from the album artwork (above) and the 18-strong tracklist, which you can see beneath the teaser trailer.
BPM Curates: March 2026
A quarter of the year down and it feels like the music hype machine is only just warming up. We’ve picked out some tasty morcels that it has thrown out this month, promising many more feasts in the coming months. We’ve picked out a few of the ones that have most excited us during this dark and dreary month. Enjoy our BPM Curates playlist for March below. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
NISTA more than halves major projects portfolio to 81 schemes
The government body in charge of infrastructure has slashed its major projects portfolio from 213 schemes to 81. The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) said projects need to meet three requirements to be included in the newly shaven list, Construction News’ sister title New Civil Engineer has reported. The government’s major projects portfolio (GMPP) covers projects across the public sector including education, science, transport, environment, defence and justice.
Beth Orton returns with elemental poetry on “The Ground Above”
English songwriter Beth Orton has released a new single called “The Ground Above”, her first new music since the sensational 2022 album Weather Alive. The new track is an eight minute salvo in which we hear Orton in full control of her abilities.
Portrayal of Guilt swirl new sounds into their hardcore whirlpool on “Object of Pain” and “Death From Above”
Texas hardcore innovators Portrayal of Guilt have a new album called …Beginning Of The End arriving next month and they have shared a pair of new tracks from it; “Object of Pain” and “Death From Above”. The first couplet of singles released earlier this month – “Ecstasy” and “Human Terror” – gave us some insight into the band’s new twists on modern hardcore – and that continues with the new pairing.
Iceage deliver a jangly ode to fatal love on “Star”
Danish quintet Iceage have delivered their first new music in five years with the new single “Star”, out on Mexican Summer. In the interim since their great 2021 album Seek Shelter, vocalist Elias Rønnenfelt has delivered a few solo projects, but “Star” immediately reminds us why he works best as the leader of this unit.
Album Review: Joshua Idehen – I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
[Heavenly Recordings; 2026] “It’s bittersweetly ironic that my career is taking off at a point where sometimes I do feel like, shit, we might be at war,” Joshua Idehen told The Guardian last October.
BPM Curates: February 2026
February may be the shortest month, but it’s no less packed with great new tracks as we head towards a spring that’s going to be spring with new albums. Pop, hip-hop, drone, electronic – we’ve got a bit of everything among our selections this time around. We’ve picked out a few of the ones that have most excited us during this dark and dreary month. Enjoy our BPM Curates playlist for February below.
Track-By-Track: TVAM tells about his danceable broken dream of a record, Ruins
TVAM‘s third record Ruins in a tower that you’re invited to scale. Manchester-based musician and producer Joe Oxley has created a monolith of interiority; a bastion of his thoughts about the world around him and how it makes him feel. There are towering walls of guitar, dazzling synth arrays that illuminate the terrain and pulverising beats that assail you as you approach. The influence of 80s pop looms large, with elements of goth lurking in the shadows.
Bournemouth stadium redevelopment to start in the summer
Construction to double the capacity of AFC Bournemouth’s stadium is due to start this summer. The club has started preparatory work for the redevelopment of the Vitality Stadium, with initial enabling works now underway, Construction News’ sister title New Civil Engineer has reported. It comes after Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council gave planning approval in January for the scheme, which data provider Glenigan has estimated at £85m.
Ana Roxanne lets us peek inside her quiet heart on “Keepsake”, announces new album
Ana Roxanne has announced that she’ll be releasing a new album called Poem 1 through Kranky on 1 May. She’s also shared the first single from it, “Keepsake”. A slow and romantic piano ballad, “Keepsake” foregrounds Roxanne’s crystalline voice as she works through feelings of longing and nostalgia. In the contemplative atmosphere rendered purely by her voice and keys, the world seems to slow down, allowing us to see and feel inside her feelings as she recalls someone now gone, unreachable.
black midi alum My New Band Believe share the itching “Numerology”, announce album
Cameron Picton – formerly bassist and sometime vocalist of black midi – has announced the debut album from his new project My New Band Believe. It’s a self-titled record that will be out on 10 April through Rough Trade. Alongside the album announcement they have shared a new single – but not one that will be on the album, of course; that would be too simple! “Numerology” is a high-energy piece with blistering almost flamenco guitars forming a backbone to Picton’s woozily psychedelic musings.
Lip Critic deliver electro punk oddity “Legs In A Snare”, announce new album
NYC band Lip Critic will release a new album called Theft World on 1 May through Partisan. Along with the announcement, they have shared the lead single and video “Legs In A Snare”. The track finds frontman Bret Kaser entangled in a state of psychological torment, wondering “Am I still the one you want?” As Lip Critic provide off-the-wall electro-pop stylings, he continues to spiral – physically buckling, pleading for clarity, wondering how long he can go on.
BPM Curates: January 2026
And just like that, the first month of 2026 was gone. Thankfully, it had the good grace to drop off some great new tunes – and promises of exciting new albums in the coming months – while it zipped past. We’ve picked out a few of the ones that have most excited us during this dark and dreary month. Enjoy our BPM Curates playlist for January below. Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Questions asked about Government’s new ‘road maintenance ratings map’
A new government traffic‑light rating system now allows drivers to see how their local highway authority (LHA) is performing on pothole repairs and road maintenance, but the methodology behind it has been questioned by stakeholders. The online map, described by ministers as the first of its kind, grades 154 LHAs red, amber or green.
National Grid publishes revised plans for UK-Netherlands LionLink interconnector
National Grid Ventures (NGV) has published a refined set of proposals for LionLink, a planned subsea and underground electricity interconnector that would link an offshore wind farm and cross‑border transmission between the UK and the Netherlands. The company has opened an eight‑week statutory consultation on the updated designs, running from 13 January to 10 March 2026, ahead of a formal application for a development consent order (DCO).
‘Still much to do’: Rail industry assesses reform progress in government’s first 18 months
Eighteen months after taking office, the Government has made some progress on rail reform but risks leaving the rail supply sector in limbo unless it provides clearer timetables and investment signals, the Railway Industry Association (Ria) warns. The trade body, which represents manufacturers, contractors and other suppliers to the rail industry, published its third six‑monthly assessment of government rail policy since the 2024 general election on Friday.
Crystal Palace secures final homes on route to new Selhurst Park main stand
Crystal Palace Football Club has completed the purchase of six houses on Wooderson Close, clearing the last residential obstacle to the redevelopment of Selhurst Park’s main stand. The homes have been vacated and will be prepared for demolition as part of the first phase of work on a replacement for the current stand, which dates from 1924. The club says the new Main Stand will increase capacity and introduce modern facilities while the rest of the ground remains in use.
Long-term rail strategy will have 30-year horizon but remain susceptible to government whims
The UK’s forthcoming long-term rail strategy will cover a 30-year period, but this will not be written in law due to the changeability of government priorities, according to the rail minister The Railways Bill was laid before Parliament in early November. It starts the process of reforming Britain’s railways to bring the management of track and train under Great British Railways (GBR), a new state-owned railway company that will act as a “guiding mind” for the sector.
£500M Derby tram scheme with 4 lines proposed
A campaign group has proposed a four-line tram network for Derby, saying it could shift tens of thousands of car journeys to public transport, easing congestion and supporting city-centre regeneration. The Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA) submitted the plan to the East Midlands Combined Authority’s (EMCCA) mayoral transport consultation.
Laing JV to deliver five stations on Sydney Metro West line, including first rail to Five Dock
Laing O’Rourke, as part of the MetroVista consortium led by Malaysian engineer Gamuda, has been appointed to deliver the Stations Package West for the Sydney Metro West project. The contract covers design and construction work for five new underground stations and associated precincts at Westmead, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and The Bays.
Expert design team appointed for Belfast moveable active travel bridge over River Lagan
Belfast City Council has appointed an expert design team to take forward early-stage work on a proposed moveable active‑travel bridge across the River Lagan, after securing funding from the Department for Infrastructure. Global engineering firm Arup and bridge designer Knight Architects will lead a multidisciplinary integrated design team, supported by Eadon Consulting (mechanical and electrical engineering) and Cumming Group (cost consultancy).
£61M West Coast Main Line digital upgrade programme in Carlisle completed
Rail services on a key section of the West Coast Main Line have become more reliable after the completion of an extensive resignalling programme in Carlisle. The Kingmoor resignalling project, budgeted at £61M, replaced signalling equipment that dated back to the 1960s with modern digital systems. Work began in April 2025 and was carried out by Siemens Mobility as principal contractor.
£115M Ebbsfleet Central infrastructure opportunity tendered
Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) has officially launched a major tender for the procurement of contractors to deliver the Phase 1a infrastructure works at Ebbsfleet Central. Ebbsfleet Central is the forthcoming civic and commercial nucleus of the Ebbsfleet Garden City project in North Kent. This announcement marks a significant step forward in the ongoing regeneration initiative that aims to create a pioneering 21st-century Garden City anchored by Ebbsfleet International Train Station.
Subsidence is not just a mining issue – it’s a national infrastructure wake-up call | New Civil Engineer
When the Government issued its 2025 Subsidence Security Guidance, it was framed as a technical requirement for mining operators, but the document carries far wider significance. Tom Kavanagh is general manager at Mainmark UK Its central message – that long-term ground movement must be assessed, monitored, modelled and financially secured – applies to the entire UK infrastructure sector.
Robyn details new album and drops off duo of tracks “Talk To Me” and “Sexistential”
Robyn has confirmed that her new album is called Sexistential and will be released on 27 March through Young. She has been teasing the record since releasing “Dopamine” last year (one of BPM’s Top 50 Songs of 2025) and has now delivered another pair of pop pearls, “Talk To Me” and the album’s title track. The Swedish star describes her ninth album as being “like a spaceship coming through the atmosphere at a really high speed and crash landing”.
AI in construction: An opportunity to improve processes, not replace them
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t about replacing people on construction sites; it’s about giving them better information, stronger safeguards and more time to do their jobs safely and productively. Simon Meyer is digital transformation director at MSite However, the recent Skills England report is right: construction is facing a significant AI skills gap.
Interview: Mott MacDonald chief executive on engaging all employees in the business’ success
Mott MacDonald’s move to enhance its employee ownership model has the potential to “fundamentally change” it and “create a great business”, according to its chair and chief executive. James Harris is chair and chief executive of Mott MacDonald The company operates in over 100 countries worldwide, offering engineering and technical expertise to projects across civil engineering sectors.
Mandy, Indiana deliver infectious rhythmic bite on “Cursive”
UK-based quartet Mandy, Indiana have a new album called URGH coming out in a month and following on from lead single “Magazine” (one of our Top 50 Songs of 2025) they have now shared a second single called “Cursive”. Talking about the track, synth player Simon said: “‘Cursive’ is probably our most collaborative track to-date. Whilst Scott and Valentine often offer the initial impetus behind most of our songs, ‘Cursive’ was built up from a number of Alex’s rhythmic sketches and my bass sequence.
Construction has evolved over the past decade – error reduction must keep up | New Civil Engineer
Back in 2015, after a meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE’s) best practice group, a handful of like-minded individuals decided it was time to tackle a question that had been overlooked for too long: how much was avoidable error undermining productivity in construction? From this, the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI) was born.
‘Not really where you want to be’: Ground preparation for Lower Thames Crossing tunnelling
Work is ongoing to overcome sub-optimal ground conditions in preparation for the start of tunnelling on the Lower Thames Crossing in late 2028, according to the project’s tunnels director. The Lower Thames Crossing is a major new road and tunnel project in the UK, intended to alleviate congestion at the Dartford Crossing and enhance connectivity between the South East, Midlands, and North.
HS2 extends Water Orton viaducts over railway using cantilever construction method
Engineers have completed two key spans of viaduct over an existing main line near Water Orton in Warwickshire, marking progress on one of the most intricate sections of the HS2 scheme. The newly finished structures form part of the so‑called Delta Junction, a triangular network of flyovers and underpasses being constructed to the east of Birmingham to link the high‑speed line with the conventional rail network and with HS2’s Birmingham spur.
DfT readies rejuvenated £350M transport technical expertise framework procurement
The Department for Transport (DfT) has signalled plans to launch a new procurement framework to secure expert technical and commercial advice across the transport sector, in a move designed to replace an existing arrangement due to expire in 2027. The framework, to be called STARFour, is described in a pipeline notice as the fourth-generation successor to STARThree and earlier Specialist Technical Advisory for Rail (STAR) arrangements.
£7M improvement of North Lanarkshire rail freight hub completed
Network Rail has completed a £7M programme of upgrades at Mossend freight yard in North Lanarkshire, reinforcing one of Scotland’s busiest rail freight hubs and aiming to improve reliability for both goods and passenger trains. Mossend, which handles more than 80% of the country’s rail freight, is home to three major depots and sits on a crucial corridor for moving materials and finished goods across Scotland and beyond.
Amey completes relocation of National Highways’ northeast operations centre in Wakefield
Amey has delivered National Highways’ new Northeast Regional Operations Centre, completing a multi-year project intended to reduce the roads agency’s environmental footprint and modernise its traffic management facilities. The centre at Kestrel House in Wakefield, which for two decades coordinated emergency response, breakdown detection and traffic signage across the region, had become “no longer fit for purpose”, prompting the move.
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