Neu The Neu Bulletin (HotWax, Talk Show, STONE and more!)

HotWax have absolutely boomed to success over the last few months. Barely out of school before they were gracing huge festival stages, the Hastings three piece really are rock’s new wonder kids. And with ‘Phone Machine’ they’re proving once again why the hype is real. Similar to earlier tracks ‘Rip It Out’ and ‘A Thousand Times’, ‘Phone Machine’ is a rollercoaster of wordy verses into huge soaring climaxes, busy with wild basslines and big guitar riffs. They’re at the best when the whole band goes mental, and ‘Phone Machine’ is sure to be rattling sound systems of UK venues soon. (Lucy Harbron)

The first taste of what’s to come from their debut album, set for release next year, ‘Closer’ is a hybrid of genres, taking inspiration from electronica and industrial and combining it with rock. Produced by Remi Kabaka of Gorillaz, the track leans heavily into the rawness of Talk Show’s 2022 EP ‘Touch The Ground’ whilst allowing vocalist Harrison Swan to find how much more powerful it can be to whisper rather than shout. ‘Closer’ arrives accompanied by its music video, influenced by the night club in Blade and Happy Mondays’ visual for ‘Rope For Luck’. (Katie Macbeth)

Our favourite Liverpudlian trouble makers return as STONE share ‘If You Wanna’. Their most radio friendly, singalong-able track to date, ‘If You Wanna’ still pulls from the same Stone Roses school of inspiration but adds some pop into the mix – making a tune built for big stages. With plenty of their signature sharp-witted lyricism that’s hooked the world’s attention, the song tackles modern society’s many health drainers, asking “can anybody be well? / With all the smartphones that drain our health.” Sung out by front man Fin Power, this is undoubtedly his finest vocal performance to date, with the band as tight as ever around him. Feel good but with a solid message, STONE are continuing their reign as the voice of the underdogs. (Lucy Harbron)

We’re putting it out there now: 2023 is the year that new bands are getting maximal. Where pop supergroup FIZZ are leading the charge with musical theatre-adjacent, unashamedly OTT eccentricities, ‘Backseat Baby’ positions London-based Americans Cosmorat as the cooler, sassier kids at the back of the bus. As a debut, it still throws everything on the table - playground chanty vocals; whisper-to-shout dynamics; cooing harmonies - but there’s a swagger present too that suggests their next offering could be literally anything. (Lisa Wright)

Fresh off the Barbie set, and having appeared in music videos alongside Rihanna (as well as in films and musicals like Cats and Hustlers), now the multi-talented METTE turns her hand to her own solo music for a pop moment on ‘FOR THE PEOPLE’. It opens with a smooth, bubblegum-bright couple of lines, but soon devolves into a darker, dancier cut, her voice husky and understated above a pulsing synth bass. It’s impressive how much infectious energy she whips up with only a couple of layers of sound, but the minimalist production gives way to focus on METTE’s suave precision and easy knack for a hook. (Ims Taylor)

Although they originally hail from Leeds, L’objectif are channelling slacker Cali punk to the max on ‘ITSA’ - a sprawling, swaggering cut of sunny guitar indie. Saul Kane’s vocal are delightfully affected, playing the rockstar convincingly and throwing it back to the very best of B-town 2016 indie dreams, all backed up by muted, sparkly melodies and grooving chord progressions. It’s all very cool, as L’objectif are, and sounds massive, as L’objectif look like they’re aiming to be. (Ims Taylor)

London artist MAY has unveiled her third single to date: the oscillating, almost spooky cut ‘Interiya’. Atop a sullen drumbeat, MAY’s airy vocals shift in and out of focus against a wall of alarms, emergency sirens and car horns; it’s a veritable sensory overload simulator. The moment of true panic never arises though – MAY keeps her cool for the duration of the track, which skulks its way through musings on heady experiences of euphoria. (Caitlin Chatterton)

DAMEDAME*, it seems, are keeping their cards close to their chest. They’ve hardly a social media presence to speak of, and the comment section of their singular Instagram post is populated with side-eye emojis. ‘A STRANGER’ is their debut single, and it’s landed straight on the official soundtrack for EA Sports FC 24 (the next FIFA game, to you and me). But beyond the intrigue lies a propulsive statement of intent: swirling layers of vocals and distorted electric riffs surround the track’s rapid heartbeat of a drum line, conjuring vignettes of hazy nights and heady intoxication. Your move, DAMEDAME*. (Daisy Carter)

Another slice of unforgiving punk from the Dublin five-piece, ‘Nausea’ seamlessly combines elements of noise-rock, punk, and shoegaze to create a unique, alarming backdrop for vocalist Dan Hoff’s politically fuelled lyricisms. Examining the impact that modern jobs, which have been created because of social media and the internet, have on the mental health of those who do them day to day, ‘Nausea’ is held together by an ongoing siren and shrieking guitars. The track arrives as Gurriers’ third release and comes before the band’s Dublin headline in October. (Katie Macbeth)

Viji’s latest cut is the final release ahead of her debut album ‘So Vanilla’. ‘Karaoke’ is quick to build a heavy blanket of sound around her voice, the soggy bassline built upon by shimmering guitars and, towards the end, guttural screaming. The track’s music video – filmed on the streets of Streatham – sees Viji splattered in blood just as the screams kick in, a deliciously camp flourish to a song born from the silliness of a jam session. (Caitlin Chatterton)

It might be almost twenty years since New Found Glory released their iconic punk single ‘It’s All Downhill From Here’, but it’s a sentiment that never really gets old. Ask Dolores Forever, who’ve bottled that same feeling of discontent for their supercharged new single, which dances with the existentialism of youth and then some. “Everybody you know is gonna be dead / But it’s okay, we’ll have robots / And there’ll be no more water left / Just Diet Coke, is that a detox?” the pair sing, giving voice to the neverending list of anxieties we find ourselves facing on a daily basis. Luckily, ‘Why Are You Not Scared Yet?’ doubles as a certified banger; at least there’ll be a good soundtrack to the end of the world. (Sarah Jamieson)

The flagship single to launch their forthcoming EP ‘A Small Crowd Gathered To Watch Me’ (due out in December), ‘Big Money’ is the latest cut from Glaswegian five-piece Humour. Ambitious in scope and original in subject matter, it explores concepts of colonialism and capitalist greed via the character of a 19th century rubber baron. Frontman Andreas Christodoulidis’ anguished, almost frantic vocals foreground a textured wall of feedback-fueled breakdowns, while the track’s monochromatic visuals evoke a modern day Mr Kurtz. Heart of Darkness indeed. (Daisy Carter)

Tags: Cosmorat, DAMEDAME, Dolores Forever, Gurriers, HotWax, Humour, L’objectif, May, Mette, STONE, Talk Show, Viji, Listen, Neu, Neu Bulletin