Neu Bulletin The Neu Bulletin (Grandmas House, Jesswar, Emerson Snowe and more!)

Forgive, if you can, the fact that Bristol trio Grandmas House have decided to flagrantly ignore the rules of punctuation in their chosen moniker (grrrr), and concentrate instead on their latest: a snarling, sarcasm-dripping slice of grizzled grunge punk that makes a star of singer Yasmin Berndt’s 50-a-day throaty rasp. “I am charming, I am confident/ When I wear my suit jacket, you want to be me,” she begins with a practically audible eye roll; add some dirgy bass and a sort of general ‘angry Courtney Barnett’ vibe and ‘Always Happy’’s onto a winner. (Lisa Wright)

After commanding our attention with raw AF track ‘Venom’, Fijian rapper Jesswar is back with new bone-shaker ‘Medusa’, proving that she’s got a knack for producing snake-themed bangers. Spitting fiery lyrics about her drive for greatness - “I’mma be on that TV mama / 7 rings and a brand new burner” - over an unflinching beat, it’s a ferocious new’un that proves Jesswar is someone you shouldn’t be sleeping on. (Elly Watson)

With a brand new EP on the way, Emerson Snowe is getting us hyped, sharing new track ‘Frankenstein’. All blissful melodies and dazzling vocals, the soaring synths perfectly compliment the jangly pop bop, as Emerson sings “Bring me to life!” like the song’s titular monster, it’s an effortlessly charming track that you’ll instantly fall in love with. (Elly Watson)

If you’re after turning your permitted daily walk into something from a Gilmore Girls cut-scene, or transforming your shower warbling to an X Factor montage complete with emotional ‘journey’ (if, of course, your journey was little more than ‘from the sofa’, Nashville-based Madi Diaz should probably jump up your ‘must-listen’ list, as heartstring-tugging ballad ‘Man in Me’ will do the job. Soaring and yearning in all the right places, if a quiet emotional rollercoaster is your bag, this is it. (Bella Martin)

There’s a listless quality to ‘Blindness’ - the newest from Lisbon-born, London-based Maripool (aka Natasha Simões) - that makes complete sense when paired with its spring 2020, OG lockdown origins. Full of soft, lulling vocals and bright, Mac DeMarco-esque guitars, you can picture its gentle lilt soundtracking days spent in increasingly sunny bedrooms, simultaneously bored but hopeful for the imminent freedom about to be restored. Oh, us poor unsuspecting fools. (Lisa Wright)

Beneath the purposefully rickety, Violent Femmes-nodding lollop of Holiday Ghosts’ debut for FatCat Records lies an all-too-familiar, chilling story. Yes, the duo might possess some of the same lo-fi charm that the Moldy Peaches traded on before them (albeit slightly more fleshed out), but their tale of an errant landlord, “chilling in Spain” while their house falls to bits will strike fear and/ or rage into the hearts of many. Bonus points for how well you can swap out ‘Herandi’ for much-loved, meme-friendly gorilla Harambe. RIP. (Lisa Wright)

With each of their musical offerings, Copenhagen quintet Boundaries seem to become more and more mesmerising; on their latest track ‘Harness’ they continue that theme. An atmospheric slice of darkness - which gets taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘Maidan’ - it swirls with a satisfying moodiness, while the vocals of frontman Mads Grene build to become more hypnotic and commanding as the song goes on. It’s not all just about the uneasy tension here though: there’s a real gripping power at ‘Harness” heart. (Sarah Jamieson)

Tags: Boundaries, Emerson Snowe, Grandmas House, Holiday Ghosts, Jesswar, Madi Diaz, Maripool, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin