Album reviews: Shawn Mendes plucks at the heartstrings; Flo fail to make a mark; Warmduscher are here to party

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Flo – Access All Areas ★★☆☆☆ “I would like to introduce you to a tenacious trio of talented young ladies,” intones Wicked star Cynthia Erivo at the beginning of Flo’s long-awaited debut, Access All Areas. Subsequent singles, though, have failed to chart – with the exception of last year’s “Fly Girl”, a Missy Elliot collaboration that peaked at No 38. AN Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Warmduscher – Too Cold to Hold ★★★★☆ Rabblerousers: Punk-rock band Warmduscher Warmduscher’s brilliant fifth album opens not with the Massachusetts drawl of frontman Clams Baker III, but with the Scottish burr of Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh. “Fifty hours overtime, can’t get no sleep.” On “Staying Alive”, over a snarling riff and slinky drumbeats, he snaps: “You wonder why your kids are high/ Told to study, work, and go and fight/ Far away from your tiny backyard/ Working three jobs just to say goodnight.” In an interview with The Independent, Baker and Hopcraft described Warmduscher as a “party band”.