Neu The Neu Bulletin (Erin LeCount, Florence Road, She’s In Parties and more!)

Kickstarting a darker next chapter, Erin LeCount has unveiled her starkly resonant new offering, ​‘808 HYMN’. Arriving a few short months after the Essex-born star’s self-produced EP, ​‘I Am Digital, I Am Divine’, it places cutting confessions against a backdrop of ruminating synths and haunting orchestral arrangements, capturing an unsettling reality that many women can relate to. After recently making her National Theatre debut composing the soundtrack for Inter Alia, and currently on her European headline tour, Erin LeCount’s next moves are ones that we should all be watching. (Emily Savage)

From taking over our FYPs to playing sold-out shows and jam-packed festival tents this summer, Florence Road are on a surefire trajectory skywards. Now returning with their latest single, ​‘Break The Girl’ (which has already caused a frenzy amongst fans on TikTok), the Irish quartet deliver one of their strongest releases to date. Recalling early Alanis Morissette and Wolf Alice, it sees lead singer Lily Aron’s emotionally raw vocals glide above a sea of luminous riffs and cathartic drumlines. Complete with an irresistibly hooky chorus, ​‘Break The Girl’ cements Florence Road as some of the scene’s fastest rising newcomers. (Emily Savage)

On latest track ​‘Fallen’, She’s In Parties employ ​’80s piano chords, a thrummy bass, and lo-fi beats to instantly pull us into their world. With lyrics delivered by frontwoman Katie Dillon in a satisfyingly off-kilter lilt, the single is as unconventional as it is catchy — and yet, there’s an instant familiarity within this band’s sonic landscape. Here, She’s In Parties have once again created an ultra-cool aesthetic, presenting it in a neatly-wrapped three minute package. (Phil Taylor)

Bouncing between skin-peeling fury and intricate chamber group arrangements, The Orchestra (For Now) have returned with their latest single, ​‘Hattrick’. Progressive and lucid, it jumps from fiercely distorted guitar passages of noise-rock rage before settling into theatrical piano breaks, all while morphing, frenetic drums evolve and code-switch across the diverse movements. With ​‘Hattrick’, The Orchestra (For Now) continue their run of form, producing a dense and shapeshifting shade of contemporary post-rock that captures the group’s talent for blending intensity with contemplation. (A. L. Noonan)

Gothic, smouldering and dark, DIY stalwarts Fuzz Lightyear are back with their latest single ​‘Sit Awake’. Ahead of the release of their upcoming EP ​‘Zero Guilt’, the Leeds noise quartet take on a colder and more bleak guise: with guitars reminiscent of the intricacy of John McGeoch atop thrumming hardcore basslines and pained sprechgesang vocals, they blend angular post-punk joltiness with gothic rock sensibilities. A coupling of spacy desolation and industrial clatter, ​‘Sit Awake’ is both dynamic and exposed in equal parts. (A. L. Noonan)

South London’s dexter in the newsagent has returned with ​‘Eighteen’, a hushed alt-pop ballad that drifts between early-2000s nostalgia and a distinctly modern edge. Whispered vocals and feather-light production create an atmosphere both intimate and cinematic, a continuation of the DIY sensibility that’s made her one of the UK’s most magnetic new voices. Following standout singles ​‘With u’ and ​‘Special’ — as well as a collab with Jim Legxacy — dexter once again proves her knack for balancing vulnerability with vision, hinting that even bigger things are on the horizon. (Gemma Cockrell)

A staple of the Atlanta DIY scene, experimental indie rock three-piece Sword II envision a fantastical future on the shoegaze-leaning ​‘Even If It’s Just a Dream’ — the first single of their upcoming album, ​‘Electric Hour’. Conjuring up images of a surreal, surgical miracle in graphic detail (“The needles penetrate the walls around our cells”) the song might give us nightmares if it wasn’t for the swirling synth arpeggios, the wistful acoustic guitar, and lead singer/​bassist Mari González’ swooning vocals. Think Galaxie 500 covering My Bloody Valentine tunes for a David Cronenberg film — the stuff that dreams are made of. (Attila Peter)

On their latest single ​‘TGIF’, chaotic electro-pop duo Disgusting Sisters drag the listener through the dual lives of London’s young workforce: fluorescent-lit days and hedonistic nights. Opening with a wolf howl and a spring-loaded bassline, the track unfolds like a rush-hour fever dream: spoken-word vocals cataloguing Oyster cards and office microwaves before snapping into an electric chorus of pounding beats, laser beams, and existential dread. Its structure mirrors the cycle of the working week: stripped-back repetition, mounting intensity, and an inevitable breaking point. Here, the 9‑to‑5 drains you dry, until Friday night hits and you’re compelled to unleash something darker, louder, and altogether unrestrained. (Lucy Ward) 

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, dexter in the newsagent, Disgusting Sisters, Erin LeCount, Florence Road, Fuzz Lightyear, Listen, She’s In Parties, Sword II, The Orchestra (For Now), Watch