New music guide The Neu Bulletin (Ecca Vandal, Motherhood, Gold Fir & more)

Following a staggeringly well-received debut EP and tour with Queens of the Stone Age (which she was hand-picked for), Ecca Vandal has released new single ‘Broke Days, Party Nights’, an uncompromising, superbly confident steamroll through wonky rock’n’roll. “I hope people feel energised by it,” she says in a press release, and there’s absolutely no trouble for that at all. (Will Richards)

It’s mid-August, so surely there’s not enough time to squeeze another “song of the summer” contender in, right? Wrong. Liverpool four-piece Motherhood have just barged their way in with a late contender thanks to the shimmering ‘Save Me’, a slice of fine-tuned yet playful indie-pop that’s filled with soaring guitar lines, little synth glimmers and surging backing vocals that keep it riding high all the way through. Oh yeah, and it’s got a bit of a knockout hook too. They’ve raised a belter here. (Eugenie Johnson)

Trying to pigeonhole Dylan Cartlidge’s debut track ‘Love Spoons’ is like trying to pass a camel through the eye of a needle: you just can’t do it. If you had to try and find some words to describe it, then it sits somewhere in a (very) grey area between hip hop, rap, neo-soul and rock, all sitting atop a rubbery, buoyant bassline and Dylan’s own elastic wordplay. Though there’s a distinct hint of OutKast, with ‘Love Spoons’ as a base he could probably shoot off in any direction he fancied. And he’d probably make it equally as hypnotising. (Eugenie Johnson)

“It’s about trying to be bold and to enjoy the writing process as much as possible”, say London duo Gold Fir about their process. Well, they certainly sound like they’re having a lot of fun on their new single ‘Night Walk’. Set against a bouncy beat and stabs of euphoric synths, as well as vocal harmonies that harks back to the best disco-funk tunes, it nods to dance music’s past while keeping a contemporary, polished sheen. The pair only known as James and Mabel evoke vibrant nightlife, and this could be the first of many floor-fillers. (Eugenie Johnson)

According to Dead Naked Hippies’ Lucy Jowett, the Leeds band’s new track is “our gut reaction to those who are sucked so far into the system they’ve forgotten they’re alive. It’s an optimistic outlook into leaving them behind”. Well, they might want back out after this visceral number. Jammed with searing riffs and propelled by Lucy’s intense yet gripping howls, it’s scuzzy post-punk that manages to be both doom-laden and yet tinged with an element of hope. (Eugenie Johnson)

Tags: Ecca Vandal, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin