Neu Bulletin The Neu Bulletin (Nxdia, Chloe Slater, Jacob Alon and more!) 

Across previous singles ​‘She Likes a Boy’ and ​‘Feel Anything’, Nxdia proved their knack for writing TikTok-ready hooks, setting them within slick bouts of pop-punk documenting unrequited attraction and drinking to oblivion respectively. Their latest cut ​‘Boy Clothes’ follows the same prescription; written for the ​“do I want to be them or be WITH them” crowd (according to Nxdia’s Instagram), the track revels in the euphoria of baggy jeans, men’s VO5 and aftershave, at the same time as delivering one of their catchiest tunes yet. (Caitlin Chatterton)

Chloe Slater has several bones to pick — and for good reason. Across last year’s ​‘You Can’t Put A Price On Fun’ EP she took aim at jarring nepo babies, the perils of the rental market, and shallow-as-a-puddle celebrity, among other things. On new track ​‘Sucker’ (taken from her latest project ​‘Love Me Please’), she’s now gunning for the American Dream, veneers and all. Cloaked in guitar, the sing-along chorus and thumping bridge make for a crowd-ready anthem — a manifesto made catchy, by all accounts. (Caitlin Chatterton) 

There’s something so honest, beautifully intimate, and fragile about Jacob Alon​’s latest single ​‘Liquid Gold 25’. Following on from their mystical debut track ​‘Fairy In A Bottle’ — a release that saw them perform on Later… with Jools Holland — the Scottish folk songwriter coos about loneliness and love over feathery acoustic guitar, lacing together a song that sounds like lilting poetry. Their lyrics are carefully chosen metaphors that represent, in delicate juxtaposition, the hope that comes after pain: ​“A tempered glass guarding another world / Brings a comforting cold to your fingers,” Jacob sighs. Here, as with every single so far, it’s hard not to melt into their silvery voice. (Sophie McVinnie)

Having charmed those in the know with last year’s ​‘Kabutomushi’ EP, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Mei Semones has returned with new single ​‘Dumb Feeling’, which arrives alongside news of her forthcoming debut album, ​‘Animaru’. A graceful, bossa-nova-injected track with intricate string arrangements and brief visits to the traditional indie-rock form in its chorus, this is a soft and playful love letter to New York City that’ll swiftly win you over. (Amber Lashley) 

Rich, earthy, and overwhelmingly honest: three things which define Fiona-Lee​’s approach to songwriting, and which are best exemplified by her latest release, ​‘To Make Me Feel Good’. Taken from her imminent EP ​‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’, it’s a punchy, soaring song which sees her firmly challenging societal conventions and their effect on mental health. A beautifully written number, it rises from a stark introduction where the singer-songwriter’s versatile voice stands alone, into a triumphant series of ever-energising choruses that leave us as joyful as they do her. (Phil Taylor)

The latest single from Mandrake Handshake (and another preview of forthcoming album ​‘Earth-Sized Worlds’), ​‘Hypersonic Super-Asterid’ is a full-throttled track that finds the collective firing on all cylinders. Clocking in at an epic eight and a half minutes, it’s grandiose but never outstays its welcome, offering several members of the collective their own moment in the spotlight via shades of modern-edged psych and prog-rock. They’re aiming for the cosmos, and they’re finding their target. (Chris Connor) 

Psuedo-supergroup The NONE are back with ​‘My People’ — a scorching preview of upcoming EP ​‘CARE’, and a record which ditches the click track and goes straight for the jugular. Since releasing their debut project ​‘MATTER’, the band have spent months honing their chaotic chemistry on the road with Metz and Les Savy Fav, and that energy is all over ​‘My People’. Built around a gnarly bassline that lurches and snaps like a live wire, and accentuated by Kai Whyte’s vocals — which tear through the mix like a siren over a collapsing city — the track captures everything that makes this band so electrifying. Here, Gordon Moakes (of Bloc Party) and co. aren’t just making noise rock — they’re weaponising it. With ​‘CARE’ dropping exclusively on Bandcamp, The NONE are making listeners come to them, but trust us — this is worth it. (Gemma Cockrell) 

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, Chloe Slater, Fiona-Lee, Jacob Alon, Listen, Mandrake Handshake, Mei Semones, Nxdia, The NONE, Watch