Neu The Neu Bulletin (Pixey, Blue Bendy, EFÉ and more!)

Pixey is upscaling! Against her mellow indie-pop backdrop, 'The Thrill of It' goes off like a firework. Launching straight in with glossy, layered vocals, she delivers an anthem that harks back to pop’s early 2010s golden era - think shiny synths, high production, Taylor Swift’s '1989'. Pixey creates a starry atmosphere laden with reverb and sparkle, but pausing to listen more intently reveals that at the centre of the supernova lies a longing to indulge in hedonistic habits ‘just for the thrill of it’. (Ims Taylor)

Arriving as the lead single from their upcoming debut album, 'So Medieval', ‘Come on Baby, Dig!’ sees Blue Bendy return with more attitude than ever before. The track holds a lively and upbeat jazz-inspired groove that's destined to get crowds moving, with a playful, inquisitive melody to match. Both captivating and intriguing, ‘Come on Baby, Dig!’’s lyrics - a heartfelt dedication to past love and a memorable journey to the city - are delivered by vocalist Arthur Nolan in half-whispered deadpan. A near perfect listen that only builds excitement for 'So Medieval'. (Katie Macbeth)

Irish pop starlet EFÉ took something of a respite break following the release of her sunshine-fuelled 'VITAMIN-C' EP in the summer of 2022. Her keenly-awaited return finally landed this week with ‘Truth’, the potential first taste of a new era yet to unfold. From gentle beginnings – EFÉ’s airy vocals over the warmth of a guitar, the music video an Edenic scene of butterflies and flowers – comes the snarl of a chorus underpinned by nods to '00s grunge. It’s a surprising edge to remind you why EFÉ’s take on dreamy alt-pop is so special, and promises big things from her next project. (Caitlin Chatterton)

On 'loner', Night Tapes seamlessly blend crisp catchiness with woozy universality. The intro sprawls into being, but the listener's immersion is broken by the sharp backbeat and buoyant guitar line; even though they simmer underneath the still-dreamy vocals, alongside numerous other misty layers keeping things soft and dense, the track still feels pacey. Sink into it or speed along with it, Night Tapes give you the option - and either is equally exciting. (Ims Taylor)

pencil’s second single 'The Window' (released on Moshi Moshi) is a uniquely constructed track woven from fragments of an overheard conversation about the London suburb of Walthamstow, with references to items which Kamran Khan found in the window of a taxidermy shop. As the first song that pencil rehearsed when their fifth and final member, violinist Coco Inman, joined the band in early 2022, ‘The Window’ demonstrates just how valuable this addition of strings is to pencil’s wistful and comforting sound; although noticeably less prominent here than on debut single ‘The Giant’, their influence cannot be understated. (Gemma Cockrell)

Lloyd Wayne (otherwise known as Compton White) leans into eclectic experimentation on his first offering in over seven years, ‘Saviour’. Penned while the multi-hyphenate was left stranded in Cyprus, it draws on the melting pot of influences that is World Music, blending together crooning chord progressions, ambient panpipes, and acoustic chimes. As the track nears its end, contemporary elements begin to emerge, with vocoded leading vocals further diversifying the fabricated sound collage. Clocking in at just under four minutes, it’s a relatively short – but nonetheless engrossing - insight into Wayne’s renewed creative vision. (Emily Savage)

Lana Lubany stuns on her retrospective comeback ‘make it better’, a gorgeous ballad talking about hardship and the feelings it entails. She strips it back to let the lyrics speak for themselves (“the more I try the more I feel stuck”), ending with a poignantly poetic outro: “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger / but I don’t feel strong right now / so I’ll just go to sleep”. Paired with a visualiser reminiscing on Lana’s childhood videos, the song exhibits a touching, different side to the singer compared to her prior upbeat releases. (Amrit Virdi)

Taken from their upcoming EP 'Hide and Seek' (due out on 19th April via Young and Aspiring), Moonpools’ latest single ‘Never Mind’ is less guitar-driven than their 2022 EP ‘Damaged Goods’, but still maintains elements of the sound that the band have honed since their 2019 debut - a balance of wistful, dreamy indie-pop tones with a compelling and powerful urgency. In the latter half of the track, the vocals fall away entirely, leaving the instrumental to come to the forefront and bring the song to a natural close. Colourful, rousing synths tower over one another in a euphoric and cathartic release, conveying the vast emotion that fed into the track without any need for it to be put into words. (Gemma Cockrell)

‘Intro 98’ is a climatic song that expertly exhibits Brighton's Flip Top Head’s particular variation of orchestral post-punk. Reminiscent of bands such as Broken Social Scene, this track builds tension from the get go: church-like spoken words and distorted guitars escalate into an uptempo, explosive confession of social discontent, while the release arrives with soaring instrumentation and glimmering ad-lib echoes. (Millie Tempo)

With only two songs to their name to date, London five-piece Dog Race have added a brilliant third with the release of ‘It’s The Squeeze’. And their latest is another captivating, pulsating, Gothic-inspired listen: a 45-second haunting riff kicks of proceedings, before the uniquely dramatic vocals of Katie Healy completely steal the show. Self-described by the band as “a cold sweat invocation of modern anxieties and personal suffocation”, the breathless manner in which the track ends can’t fail to make you sit up and take notice. (Matthew McLister)

Tags: Blue Bendy, Dog Race, EFÉ, Flip Top Head, Lana Lubany, Lloyd Wayne, Moonpools, Night Tapes, pencil, Pixey, Listen, Watch, Neu, Neu Bulletin