Neu The Neu Bulletin (Flat Party, Brooke Combe, EFÉ and more!)

Flat Party​’s latest single ​‘Madonna’ is a brooding, art-pop triumph that solidifies their bold approach ahead of forthcoming EP ​‘It’s All Been Done Before’. With sharp, unsettling lyrics tackling themes of sexual manipulation and toxic masculinity, the track is both provocative and sonically captivating, balancing aggressive distortion with glimmering synths to create an intense atmosphere that crescendos into an unnerving finale. Lines like ​“I’ll make you feel like Madonna, baby” are delivered with dark theatrical flair and are underpinned by jagged guitar lines, blending krautrock and industrial elements to evoke a relentless, hypnotic feel. (Gemma Cockrell)

After collaborating with indie giants Courteeners on their latest album, neo-soul riser Brooke Combe has now teamed up with Jungle’s Tom McFarland for her latest single, ​‘Shaken By The Wind’. Gradually building from a piano intro to a thumping chorus — Combe’s vocals always the standout — the track effortlessly showcases just why she’s so sought after. Her’s is a sound that feels like a throwback, yet is still strikingly contemporary. (Christopher Connor)

It’s been a few months since we last heard from Dublin’s EFÉ. Where her earlier 2024 singles built upon dreamy, soulful tones to incorporate grittier textures, showcasing her ability to shape-shift through genres, ​‘you say that i’m crazy’ marks a soft, welcome return. A minimal waltz formed of lo-fi vocals, delicate strumming, wispy synths, a plush bassline, and fluttery birdsong, it makes for a picturesque soundscape. The lyrics, however, tell an aching, alternative story: ​“Feeling so ruthless / How could you do this? / Everything remains / Now that I’m insane / Yeah you say that I’m crazy / But feels like a part of me dies”. Blossoming with ethereal cadence, this is yet another dazzling offering from EFÉ. (Kayla Sandiford)

Arriving alongside the news of her forthcoming EP ​‘15’ (due early next year via Leeds-based label Dance To The Radio), Annie-Dog​’s latest continues to hone her idiosyncratic brand of alt-pop. A hazy deep-dive into the Dublin riser’s shape-shifting sonic world, ​‘Little Italy’ sees distorted guitars and oscillating synths propel the track, overlaid by vocoder-splashed vocals. Balancing touches of nostalgia and longing between delightfully hooky arrangements, it’s an enticing taste of what’s yet to come from Annie-Dog. (Emily Savage)

Accompanying the announcement of debut EP ​‘nightdriving’ — arriving next week, no less — the new single from cult South London slowcore trio lobby has been 18 months in the making, and was clearly worth the wait. Featuring members of Goat Girl and Leather.head in their line-up, here the band serve up a sumptuous two-part mini-epic. From aloof, ponderous beginnings, ​‘folding out”s quizzical violin scratches, banjo plucks and sultry saxophone strains lead us through uncertain mists towards a shoegazing, rapturous destination, soon ripping off the blindfold and revealing the sparkle of the world’s most glorious treasures. (Elvis Thirlwell)

Few people, we’d bet, could resist the suddenly rising peal of synths which open ​‘FSM’, the sparkling, ​’80s-flecked latest single from retro/​modern alchemists She’s In Parties. It’s a track which reflects the band’s shoegaze beginnings even as they give way to a fresher sound, and is full of beautifully evocative instrumental touches: harmonic guitars drenched in reverb; timeless analogue synths, which peep over the parapet before dropping demurely back again; and a bass line which burbles along happily, just beneath those other layers. The vocals, meanwhile, veer from sweet to declamatory, mediating on personal and societal anxieties and the curse of social media. Like some of the best art, this is a song to be enjoyed on many levels – it’s wise, thought-provoking, and also good fun. (Phil Taylor)

Aging is an aspect of the human condition often glossed over in art — in fact, the majority of us exist in a state of acute denial over our interminable decay and looming mortality. Tackling this subject head on, Flip Top Head​’s ​‘I Can’t Wait Until I’m Old’ addresses the complex relationship we hold with our elderly selves in a stirring, seismic package of ambitious orchestral post-rock structures, elevated further by vocalist Bowie Bartlett’s enchanting lyrical repetitions. Forming part of their upcoming debut EP ​‘Up Like A Weather Balloon’, here the Brighton six-piece continue to forge their own unique path, striking a delicate balance between experimental and accessible, and prompting us all to consider the question ​“at what point does one stop wishing to be older?” (Hazel Blacher) 

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, Annie-Dog, Brooke Combe, EFÉ, Flat Party, Flip Top Head, Listen, lobby, She’s In Parties, Watch