Neu The Neu Bulletin (O., Eaves Wilder, Human Interest and more!)

The Speedy Wunderground poster kids behind O. – drummer Tash Keary and baritone saxophonist Joseph Henwood – got a lot of people excited this week with the announcement of their long-awaited debut EP ‘Slice’, set for release in November. The titular track, released alongside Tuesday’s announcement, marries Henwood’s ever-escalating sax to some frantic drums from Keary. It’s a build that takes its time, commands absolute attention, and deserves to be played as loud as humanly possible. (Caitlin Chatterton)

‘Grounded’ comes hot on the heels of last month’s ‘Step Up’. It’s the second single East London’s Human Interest have shared from their debut studio EP, ‘Empathy Lives in Outer Space’, queued up for release in November. The creaking acoustic guitar and airy melody border on unsettling, as the lyrics mourn a lover who went to war and left behind their partner, a conscientious objector. A twisted lullaby, it’s disarmingly touching – although the music video's latex balaclava doesn’t exactly help with the whole unnerving vibe. (Caitlin Chatterton)

Joining the late-summer-sun-soaked Alvvayses and Wolf Alices of the world, Eaves Wilder’s latest offering 'Freefall' is a hazy stunner. All the lush layers of laissez-faire guitar, dreamy delivery and glimmering production effects are woven together to create a sort of sonic mist with Wilder swirling in the middle of it all, her vocals beaming out from the eye of a gorgeous storm. The freefall she’s describing sounds inviting - a letting-go of everything negative and plunging into a hopeful contentment. (Ims Taylor)

Hot on the heels of supporting Geese on their UK tour this month, Folly Group have this week
announced their debut album, 'Down There!', which is due for release in January. Introducing both the rock and electronic elements that are set to feature on the album, lead single and album opener ‘Big Ground’ discusses the concept of anxiety and dread that can eat you alive, leaving you wishing you could be swallowed up by the ground. It even features percussionist Kai Akinde-Hummel ‘playing’ a metal chair that the band found in the studio. What's not to like? (Katie Macbeth)

For a pair of initial singles, Atka's 'Desiring Machines' and 'Lenny' function exactly as they ought to, giving the listener a tangible sense of who she is - as a person, as well as an artist - without laying all her cards on the table upfront. The latter is particularly intriguing, with its skittering, industrial percussive touches that are counterbalanced by Atka's rich, yearning vocal. Lyrically, the track's power lies in its simplicity, distilling all the swirling complexity of loving someone down to its core: "there's no one / yeah no one like you" / "I need you / I always will". (Daisy Carter)

HONESTY have arrived, making their entrance with an ambitious double A-side showcasing all the sharp capabilities they have in their arsenal. 'U&I' is a minimalistic, high-contrast cut that morphs from flickering living-room beats to expansive, stratospheric strings in its outro, and their ambition is equally as sprawling. Freshly signed to Partisan, the pair are out to prove their skills, as 'TUNE IN TUNE OUT' seamlessly fades in with a Gregorian chant and a lower, darker, more ambient tone than 'U&I'. HONESTY’s deftness within the confines of minimalism is still heavily showcased, and here they've created yet another intensely vivid atmosphere. (Ims Taylor)

Equal parts otherworldly, Let’s Eat Grandma-esque mysticism and ‘90s shoegazey rumble, ‘Wolves’ showcases Cruel Sister (the project of Dublin’s Faith Nico) as a pleasingly fresh take on the gauzey guitar bands of old. There’s a splash of Grimes’ ethereal vocal style to be found, but by the time Nico lets it all out with a howl at the end, ‘Wolves’ is in a pack of its own. (Lisa Wright)

Manchester newcomers Duvet are, judging from their output to date, a pretty far cry from the soft cosiness of their namesake. With the evocatively named 'Sweaty Dog', they've presented a slice of sticky-floored post-punk that celebrates being messily, emphatically trashed in all its visceral glory. The track's frantic guitars and shout-sing vocal delivery capture the carnage of finding oneself in yet another random bar at 3am, drunk on adrenaline and who knows what else, as you dance not so much like nobody's watching, but like nobody else is there at all. (Daisy Carter)

Alt-rock sensation Aziya stuns with the final track from her new EP, ‘Lonely Castles’. ‘mars retrograde’ completes the much-awaited body of work, following a string of singles including ‘atomic’, ‘chain’, and most recently, ‘wundagirl’. Euphorically grungy, thumping basslines and gritty guitars provide an intense backdrop to her soaring leading vocals. With a mesmerising mixture of candid storytelling and enigmatic metaphors, ‘mars retrograde’ is an intricate exploration of love’s complexity, securing Aziya’s latest project as some of her most impressive work to date. (Emily Savage)

An alt supergroup featuring members of Crack Cloud, Pottery and N0V3L, it should come as little surprise that Mock Media’s latest balances dynamics - tight and loose; intense and free - with tried-and-tested skill. And whilst we don’t condone their chosen moniker (some media outlets are actually very nice, thankyouverymuch), the way in which ‘Madness’ veers from jagged, angular beginnings into a rootin’, tootin’, jangly hoe-down is pleasing enough to let it slide. (Lisa Wright)

Tags: Atka, Aziya, Cruel Sister, Duvet, Eaves Wilder, Folly Group, HONESTY, Human Interest, Mock Media, O., Listen, Neu, Neu Bulletin