Neu The Neu Bulletin (Opus Kink, Chiedu Oraka, The New Eves and more!) 

Opus Kink are back, having just unleashed ​‘I’m A Pretty Showboy’ — a swaggering, surrealist blast of horn-fuelled, punk-jazz mayhem. Premiered by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, the track is a flamboyant, tightly wound riot: equal parts theatre, threat and groove. Angus Rogers spits poetry laced with contempt and absurdity, backed by thunderous rhythms and deranged brass. It’s chaotic, charismatic and unmistakably Opus Kink, as their wild cabaret-punk vision grows ever more intoxicating. (Gemma Cockrell) 

Forget statement of intent — ​‘Last Laugh’ is a statement of triumph from Hull’s Chiedu Oraka, landing just ahead of his aptly-titled new EP ​‘Undeniable’. Produced by heavyweight duo Dot Inc (Knucks, Ghetts, Giggs), the track crackles with purpose, pairing razor-sharp flows with Oraka’s signature social poetry. It’s a blistering clap-back to doubters, fuelled by lived experience and delivered with Northern grit. Fresh from opening for Coldplay and winning ​‘Best Newcomer’ at the Northern Music Awards, ​‘Last Laugh’ cements Oraka as one of UK rap’s most urgent, essential voices. (Gemma Cockrell) 

Hot on the heels of their highly-acclaimed debut LP, The New Eves are back with a brace of singles that picks up exactly where the Brighton-based quartet left off on ​‘The New Eve Is Rising’. Recorded only a week after the album’s release, ​‘Red Brick’ is yet another spellbinding track with a swirling rhythm section that guides you towards a frantic finale, all complete with the band’s signature howls. Listening, it’s as if The New Eves are hosting a seance to evoke the spirits of The Velvet Underground and The Raincoats, and you’re seated next to Patti Smith, holding her hand – altogether, a transcendent experience. (Attila Peter) 

Westside Cowboy are marking their signing to Island Records imprint Adventure Recordings with ​‘Don’t Throw Rocks’ — the evocative first single from upcoming sophomore EP ​‘So Much Country ​’Till We Get There’. Co-produced by Loren Humphrey (Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey), the track is a slow-burning stunner, soaked in golden-hour melancholia and driven by layered vocal harmonies from Jimmy Murphy and Aoife Anson O’Connell. Hazy yet precise, it captures the band’s signature ​‘Britainicana’ sound with fresh clarity, as they continue their journey to becoming one of the UK’s most vital new acts. (Gemma Cockrell)

The use of romantic strings to introduce ​‘Make You Love Me’ is a typically CATTY approach: a flash of something unusual to throw preconceptions awry. What follows next sounds like the beginnings of a peppy modern pop track, underpinned with a vibey bassline – but no sooner has this Welsh independent singer-songwriter got through the first verse that the song explodes into an intense, roaring chorus, rich with fierce guitars. CATTY’s vocals reach inexplicable heights with operatic zeal here, before she provides some moments of calm… and a huge ending. It’s dramatic, wildly impressive and nigh-on unforgettable. (Phil Taylor)

Up-and-coming seven-piece The Orchestra (For Now) continue honing their self-described ​“London prog” sound on ​‘Deplore You / Farmers Market’, the second single to be lifted from their forthcoming EP, ​‘Plan 76’. Described by the band as ​“an experiment in restraint”, the track finds the group stripping back, shedding their trademark densely-layered instrumentation for gentle piano and gorgeous strings – until they can no longer contain themselves. At that moment, pandemonium ensues: the band let rip and singer Joe Scarisbrick unleashes guttural roars that will make you jump. Fittingly, ​‘Plan 76’ drops on Halloween. We’re in for a treat. (Attila Peter)

Norwegian songwriter Iris Caltwait strikes gold with new single ​‘Serpentine’, taken from her upcoming album ​‘Again, for the First Time’. Soft, muted guitar and innocent vocals mask the weight of the lyrics, as biblical imagery twists through (think serpentine angels, Judas’s betrayal, and echoes of Adam and Eve). Statements about being swallowed whole and silenced (“You stepped on my toes / And I stayed quiet”) are reflected by restrained instrumentation, as she delicately but determinedly finds her voice. In her own words: ​“I wasn’t afraid to get angry. Now I’ve had to relearn getting mad, and reconnect with indignation.” (Lucy Ward)

Bug Teeth​’s latest single ​‘Thin Circle’ furthers the group’s journey into a sonically distinctive outfit. Blending distinct plagal harmonies with electronic artefacts reminiscent of The Postal Service, the track never threatens to rest on one motif. Instead, it constantly pushes the envelope, with evolving Euclidean textures and rotary percussion that sporadically orbit the stereo field. The synthesised staccato quirks, 303 injections and bowed strings sound like a computer start-up theme, infected with an effervescent and beautiful malware. Another exciting taste of their ever-intriguing debut LP, ​‘Micrographia’. (Ross Williams)

Back with the second instalment of their upcoming EP, Lucky Iris are pushing their creative boundaries on ​‘play me like a speaker’. Built on a combination of upbeat synth and perfectly processed vocals, the three-minute stretch is best described simply as intense: bending to wild extremes, by the time the track has reached its halfway point, its bursting-at-the-seams energy is almost palpable. One to satisfy those of us who revel in ear-ringing, dingy nightclub bangers. (Minty Slater-Mearns)

Tags: Neu, Neu Bulletin, Bug Teeth, CATTY, Chiedu Oraka, Iris Caltwait, Listen, Lucky Iris, Opus Kink, The New Eves, The Orchestra (For Now), Watch, Westside Cowboy