New music guide: The Neu Bulletin (LANY, Girl Ray, SAFIA & more)

DIY’s essential, weekly guide to the best new music.

16th March 2016

Neu Bulletins are DIY’s guide to the best new music. They contain every single thing that’s been played at full volume in the office, whether that’s a small handful or a gazillion acts. Just depends how good the week’s been.

Alongside our weekly round-up of discoveries, there are also Neu Picks. These are the very best songs / bands to have caught our attention, and there’s a new one every weekday. Catch up with the most recent picks here.

(Photo: LANY)

LANY - Where The Hell Are My Friends

Dazzling neon marks the arrival of LANY’s debut single. The American group deal in the huge pop hooks of M83 and co., all wrapped up in a moody nighttime drive aesthetic. “Am I starting to hate California?” they ask, but it seems unlikely - this is tailor made for the glitz and glamour of West Coast excess.

Girl Ray - I’ll Make This Fun

North London trio Girl Ray have provided a dose of fun from the off. Their simple, no-bullshit delivery is schooled in U.S. college rock staples, but it packs a modern-day punch that could soundtrack break-ups and house parties in tandem. There’s the makings of a special band, here, and new track ‘I’ll Make This Fun’ is another vital dose of their honest indie-pop.

SAFIA - Make Them Wheels Roll

Poking through their new age electronica with an almost Alt-J-esque warped croon, SAFIA’s latest adds plentiful exotic fruit to the cocktail of modern pop production. Half dancehall, half oddball indie-pop, it’s even the hardiest puzzle addict’s worst nightmare on paper, but the trio execute it effortlessly.

Katie Von Schleicher - Bleaksploitation

Who cares if vocals sound like they’re coming from the sewers, or that guitar parts have been frazzled out of shape into digital distress. With New York musician Katie Von Schleicher’s latest, it doesn’t matter how the melody’s dressed up, it’s there - plain to see. ‘Bleaksploitation’ is earnest pop for the wonderfully doomed generation; fucked if they take risks, equally fucked if they don’t. The album came out last November on Ba Da Bing Records.

Katrine Stochholm - En Dejlig Aften

Katrine Stochholm is best known for her work in Danish trip-hop force Under Byen. Her solo run, however, enters markedly different territory. Comparisons to Björk’s delicate hum of ‘Vespertine’ aren’t far off, but there’s also drip-drip gorgeousness at play here, similar to Nils Frahm’s most gentle recordings. Like dipping toes in the ocean after a miserable winter, it opens new doors and lays out a new path.

Coast Modern - Animals

Behold, the latest band to pen giant anthem-worthy numbers for fun, like it’s some simple game they teach in schools. This LA duo are currently doing the rounds at SXSW, but for anyone thousands of miles away from their buzzworthy rule, let ‘Animals’ serve as a reminder that not every gigantic hook’s been written yet.

Tags: Girl Ray, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin