Neu The Neu Bulletin (Chiedu Oraka, CATTY, Silver Gore and more!)

Chiedu Oraka storms back into the spotlight with ​‘Kid On The Estate’, a garage-fuelled, experimental banger that cements his status as Hull’s fiercest hip-hop export. Precision-engineered by Deezkid, it’s a floor-filler with razor-sharp flows and unflinching social poetry, reflecting the Black, working-class Northern experience with wit, grit and heart. Following his acclaimed ​‘Misfit’ mixtape, Oraka has proven he’s a force to be reckoned with, having recently been hand-picked to support none other than Coldplay. In all, this track is both a party starter and a manifesto: vivid, unfiltered and impossible to ignore. (Gemma Cockrell) 

Sprinting out the block with fuzz, fury and flirtation, Wales’ CATTY returns with her new single, ​‘Prized Possession’. A clarion call to be loved with burning ferocity, ​‘Prized Possession’ blends the vocal acrobatics and hook-writing of Cher with ​‘80s hair-metal guitar solos and low-lighting cabaret piano breaks. Dramatic and intoxicating, CATTY is seductive and dynamic in equal parts, balancing sass and sincerity across four minutes of exquisitely crafted power-pop reminiscent of the finer cuts of stadium filling anthems from the 2010s. (A. L. Noonan)

‘All The Good Men’ — this impassioned release from Silver Gore — positively shines with the new duo’s maximalist pop style. Anchored by Ethan P. Flynn’s breezy synths, Ava Gore’s lyrics detail her personal struggles in modern love, while a ringtone-esque instrumental break plays to our collective indie nostalgia in an intuitive, instinctive way. Landing alongside the news of their debut EP ​‘Dogs In Heaven’, it’s a single which suggests that this is a band who’ve arrived fully formed — and ready to make a statement. (Peter Martin) 

Industrial grind meets resurrected high-energy rave in Chalk’s latest offering. With ​‘Pain’, the Belfast outfit serve up another ample portion of block-rocking beats, aggressively swirling electronic noise, and huge basslines. That’s topped off, of course, with searingly observant words which drop through thick layers of filter, often to veer away into a scream or roar. Chalk neither take nor give any nonsense: they’re a band who get straight to the point and make a big mark doing so. Getting caught up in their maelstrom is unforgettably cathartic. (Phil Taylor)

Ahead of the release of their debut LP ​‘Micrographia’, Bug Teeth delicately excavate the morphing patterns of grief and loss on their latest single, ​‘Warp & Weft II’. Across shimmering guitar lines, pattering drums, and misty vocals, the track is expansive and psychedelic without drifting into tired and boorish cliches of the genre. Evoking the space and breadth of later Talk Talk or Fishmans, Bug Teeth are utterly careful and considered in their arrangements, creating a wholly tender and moving exploration of mourning and the healing that follows. (A. L. Noonan)

The final single lifted from her new EP ​‘Blown’, ​‘Forever’ sees Wigan’s finest shoegaze star Tasmin Stephens — aka TTSSFU — pursue a brighter sonic direction, while still retaining the DIY nature of her artistic DNA. The track feels distinctly similar to something The Cranberries or Cocteau Twins might come up with, and that chorus is of instant-classic proportions, expertly toeing the line between familiar and fantastically fresh. (Peter Martin)

On ​‘She Knows’, a shifting set of uncertain sounds give way to a firm bassline and beat, which are soon joined by vocals that are simultaneously intimate and euphorically high-flying. The track progresses with a sense of inevitability, pulling us with the protagonist into a gravity well of emotion that’s nostalgic yet celebratory, while the music gives off a kind of underwater shimmer. Sounding every bit the alternative pop goddess, Déyyess expresses a dizzying array of emotions in one anthemic, sub-three-minute rush, which unfolds as a story of barely requited yearning. (Phil Taylor)

Hailed as Australia’s best-kept secret, Melbourne indie-rock quartet The Belair Lip Bombs are back with ​‘Hey You’, the lead single of their forthcoming new album. If the title doesn’t grab your attention, the synth loop that drives the song definitely will. Scratch that — it’ll make you jump up and dance. Driven by a jubilant melody and full of spiky guitar riffs à la Television, the track finds frontwoman Maisie Everett brimming with emotion as she copes with a relationship gone sour, yet still somehow retaining her Chrissie Hynde-esque cool. (Attila Peter) 

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, Bug Teeth, CATTY, Chalk, Chiedu Oraka, Déyyess, Listen, Silver Gore, The Belair Lip Bombs, TTSSFU, Watch