New music guide The Neu Bulletin (Bad Nerves, Obongjayar, Many Voices Speak & more)

Sweden’s Many Voices Speak makes wide-spanning, emotion-wrung pop. ‘Blue Moon’, a track from debut EP ‘Away For All Time’, has a Twin Peaks-like ability to hypnotise. And like recent song ‘Video Child’, it always sounds like it’s going somewhere, ditching one path for another in constant transit.

Yelping their way through the pains of an unrequited love, Bad Nerves’ ‘Can’t Be Mine’ is an exercise in power-punk emotional exorcism. Sharing the same blindsiding lo-fi qualities as Yung and Eat Fast, they jump from hook to hook to hook like it’s a game of hopscotch. A debut headline show at London’s Sebright Arms on November 7th looks to be unmissable.

“The city don’t sleep”, bellows Obongjayar on his restless ‘Creeping’ single. The newcomer moved to the UK after growing up in Nigeria. And despite living in both Norwich and London, this track feels rooted to the latter. Every glitch of rich, multi-layered noise is a glimpse into the capital at night and the beauty of a frantic city hitting pause. It’s a sound that shares traits with King Krule, who’s already given this a co-sign.

In and out in under two minutes, Nail Polish don’t waste any time on needless introductions. A caterwauling, twisted cut of brash, noisy post-punk, ‘Authentic Living’ is the perfect introduction to the album it shares its name with, out this Friday (21st October) on Help Yourself and dealing in “anxiety, male privilege, street harassment, and existential dread.” Cheery stuff, then.

Spooky and swaying, Cindy Lou Gooden’s work under the Very Fresh moniker feels almost otherworldly. On ‘Hat Tree’, her confessional songwriting takes on a breezy tone. It’s not too much of a stretch to see it as the warped sister to Jeff Buckley’s ‘Hallelujah’, and it’s every bit as emotionally potent. Debut EP ‘Hey, It’s Me!’ is out November 4th via New Professor Music / Inflated Records.

Niall.G’s floaty, Connan Mockasin-style, tongue-in-cheek pop might sound familiar. It’s the project of Niall Galvin, who released his debut Only Real album back in 2015. Since then, he’s focused on releasing scrappy but charming demos via this new project. ‘Ms Laurent’ has the aesthetic of purple haze and the melodic charm of a lost Outkast would-be hit.

Darlings of the Toronto scene, New Fries deal in wonky, blown-out pop oddities. On ‘Mary Poppins’ Pockets’, they add electronics to the usual guitar-drums mix, lending things a dystopian edge - don’t be surprised to find this soundtracking a Twilight Zone reboot. Produced by Graham Walsh of Holy Fuck, the ‘More’ mini-LP lands on November 25th.

Taking the hazy melodies of Turnover and Real Estate and stripping back the sheen, on ‘Hologram’ Sophomore pushes his bedroom-bound ambitions even further. Linking up with previous Neu Pick ‘Shallow Grave’ in previewing Alex Sears’ debut album, it’s another dip into an anxious creative’s anything-goes musical mindset.

weslee’s mysterious slogan (“Who is weslee?”) feels stuck in the past, but her ‘Gassed’ single is a brilliantly smart dose of futuristic pop. All stop-start vocal samples and heady production, it’s led by a smoky vocal line that gives a glimpse of brilliance.

Tags: Many Voices Speak, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin