Neu The Neu Bulletin (Alice Costelloe, Flip Top Head, KuleeAngee and more!) 

We’re less than a month out from Alice Costelloe​’s long-awaited debut album, ​‘Move On With The Year’, and the London singer-songwriter has now shared the record’s final single. Adorned with tambourine shakes and shimmering synths, ​‘How Can I’ treats us to a honeyed slice of indie-pop which skips along with an easy charm that stands in sharp contrast with the song’s subject matter — namely, Costelloe’s unconventional relationship with her estranged father. Drawing on influences such as Cate Le Bon and Andy Shauf, ​‘How Can I’ is a disarmingly revealing track and yet another intriguing LP teaser. (Attila Peter)

Brighton experimentalists Flip Top Head are back, having unveiled ​‘Porcelain Plugs’ — our final preview of their sophomore EP — in precisely the grand, eclectic manner we’ve come to expect from the six-piece. This latest cut is the pinnacle of art-rock, with intertwining guitar lines, free-flowing rhythms, and even homages to Sylvia Plath all tightly squeezed into its four minute runtime. With an Independent Venue Week tour on the horizon for later this month, FTH are kicking off the new year in commendable style. (Peter Martin)

Starting 2026 on a high, Scottish two piece KuleeAngee — consisting of Duncan Grant and Keshav Kanabar — return with their latest single ​’Pretty Love’, a pleasing blend of guitar-driven sound and acid house rhythms. Built around a rhythmic electronic beat, the track isn’t lyrically dense; but it doesn’t need to be, as it’s near-guaranteed to make you move. Perfect for a busy dance floor or a late night party, ​‘Pretty Love’ favours simplicity, encouraging listeners to feel good and enjoy the moment — an apt motto to take forward into the year ahead. (Izabella Draczkowska) 

Drawing from the neon sonic palette of art-pop stalwarts Caroline Polachek and Oklou, electronic sister duo SISTRA return with their latest single, ​‘Double Edged Sword.’ A skippy roller of hyperpop-inflected garage, here bubblegum vocals soar over an ocean of noise in the guise of blurred synth pads, while the sheen of sword swipes slice across the track. Stuttering ghetto-tech samples chatter beneath the sparkly haze of technicolour arrangements providing this dreary January with a dash of metallic brightness that is at once wholly desired and utterly refreshing. (A. L. Noonan)

The final preview to be lifted from her forthcoming debut LP ​‘At Home In My Mind’, ​‘Dream Of Mine’ showcases another compelling side to Halifax indie riser Ellur​’s quietly enigmatic songwriting. Dreamy yet grounded, it blends Americana-tinged warmth with confessional lyricism, exploring the tension between personal ambition and societal expectation. Ellur’s soft but resolute vocal delivery sits effortlessly against hazy guitars and understated production, giving space for the song’s emotional weight to fully land. (Gemma Cockrell)

Kenzo Jae​’s first release of 2026, ​‘mmpa’ combines two cultural phenomena that had a lasting impact on nearly every ​‘90s kid: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and OutKast. With gorgeous vocals and a sticky refrain that nods to hip-hop’s most melodic classics, the Bradford-born alternative rapper steps comfortably into more mainstream territory, turning a gloomy tale of drugs and fame into a highly addictive earworm. Calling Kenzo Jae a ​‘local hidden gem’ may soon feel like an understatement. (Gabriele Naddeo)

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, Alice Costelloe, Ellur, Flip Top Head, Kenzo Jae, KuleeAngee, Listen, SISTRA, Watch