New music guide The Neu Bulletin (Grace Lightman, Pet Grotesque, Suzi Wu & more)

Grace Lightman’s latest single ‘Fangs’ was a graceful but at times vicious debut on new label Handsome Dad, and we said “there’s clearly a bloodthirsty attitude to Lightman’s latest twists and turns, and they’re simply irresistible,” with the track as our Neu Pick. It’s flip side, ‘Halloween Is Over’, is just as compelling, a slinky, trip-hop-influenced cut that brings further evidence that Grace Lightman is indeed one to watch. (Will Richards)

Though ‘Clear Fog’ doesn’t mark the first we’ve ever heard from Pet Grotesque at DIY HQ, it’s the most promising thing the South Londoner’s put his bonkers mind to. “Giddy up boy the cavalry’s coming,” he cries, atop guitars that twang along like strands of spaghetti slurping down the wall, villainous cackling sat low in the mix, and bizarreness reigning supreme. Taken from his first full length ‘Good Egg’ - out this very month - Pet Grotesque is a twisted pop purveyor worth watching. (El Hunt)

“We all do stupid things at that time of our lives, not thinking about the longer-term implications”, Irish indie rockers The Academic say. But releasing their new single ‘Bear Claws’ isn’t a stupid move, and the only long-term implication here is that it’s likely to give them one heck of a boost. Light and airy, but with a scuzzy, rapid-fire guitar solo still hiding in there ready to pounce, it’s also got a killer hook that once it’s in your brain, will probably refuse to leave. (Eugenie Johnson)

Crunking cyclical bursts, and a sugary-sweet top melody underpin ‘Analogue’ - the latest to come from Chicago’s Born Days ahead of new EP ‘Be True’ (out on 28th July). Though the pianos tinkle delicately along, white picket fences and singing skylarks dotting the landscape, there’s a love of darkness at the heart of everything Melissa Harris does. “How do we choose? How do we know?” she asks over and over, the answers notably absent, and menace lingering in the shadows. (El Hunt)

Suzi Wu is the latest signing to Lucky Number (Dream Wife, Hinds), and as first impressions go, ‘Teenage Witch’ is a pretty striking one. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust / the guys are fuckboys, girls are sluts” goes the track’s first line, and it doesn’t get any less bratty from there. Snarling and sweet at the same time, ‘Teenage Witch’ flits manically between lo-fi indie rock and something approaching in-yer-face rapping; it’s a track that marries these elements perfectly, and leaves the door wide open for Suzi Wu to go in any direction from here. (Will Richards)

If you just had a cursory listen to the opening of London-via-Berlin producer GRIP TIGHT’s new one, it’s easy to think that it’s a minimalistic, ephemeral piece of electronica. Its gentle synth pulse and short, snapping beats, coupled with his own languid vocals, make it seem featherweight. But with the added voice of KBY (of Peggy Sue and a capella group Deep Throat Choir), as well as the gradual introduction of numerous different sounds all layered on top of each other, it transforms itself into a full-blooded and soulful slice of contemporary electro-pop. It’s the perfect way to get to know his work. (Eugenie Johnson)

Tags: Suzi Wu, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin