The Neu Bulletin The Neu Bulletin (Smoothboi Ezra, The Goa Express, Anwar and more!)

Forgive the terrible moniker and trust us that Ireland’s Smoothboi Ezra is not in fact a cringeworthy wide boy rapper, but a 19-year-old songwriter with a knack for Phoebe Bridgers-esque storytelling and piquant, evocative indie folk. “The worst year of your life started when you met me/ You say I shouldn’t take it personally,” goes ‘Stuck’ over delicately-picked, sparse acoustic guitar; the ingredients are minimal, but the effect is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. (Lisa Wright)

While Pennines-bred gang The Goa Express are better known for their often frantic garage-psych hybrid, latest cut ‘Second Time’ has them showing their softer side. The’ve slowed things down, got a little wistful, and ended up sonically somewhere in the post-baggy, pre-Britpop wilderness. Which is to say, it’s some mid-paced evocative storytelling backed by wholesome, jangly guitars. (Emma Swann)

Not one to let his pop star gf get all the musical cred, Anwar has dropped new single ‘Off@Night’. Kicking off with some intense guitar before sliding into a more emo-rap vibe, the track explores the feeling of frustration of not being able to get the right words out. The first glimpse into his forthcoming EP, it might not quite have us ‘Levitating’ yet (get it?), but it’s an intriguing glimpse at what’s yet to come. (Elly Watson)

That Social Haul are fronted by erstwhile TRAAMS bassist Leigh Padley gives away more than a little about the trio’s sound. So, if insistent post-punk rhythms and yelped staccato vocals aren’t your bag, you’re best scrolling down. For those who still find plenty to enjoy in the motorik pulse, ‘The Ease’ combines that familiar hypnotic repetition with a pleasantly distorted garage rock, not-quite-singalong chorus. (Emma Swann)

One of the latest bands proving that the Leeds music scene is where it’s at, English Teacher’s mesmerising new single ‘R&B’ is a fantastic new one blending sharp percussion with post-punk punches as Lily Fontaine’s sing-speak vocals immediately draw you in. Exploring “cyclical, productivity-diminishing paradox of low self-esteem and imposter syndrome-induced writer’s block that then fuels low self-esteem and imposter syndrome”, it’s an engaging and thrilling new offering from the group. Top marks all round. (Elly Watson)

There’s something satisfyingly steeling about the motivational, repeated “OK”s at the heart of this latest from Amsterdam’s Mia Nicolai. A breezy indie pop ode to self-betterment, it’s a pared back moment in a track that otherwise thrives on bright hooks and summery, hooky jangles. ‘People Pleaser’ might paint its subject matter as a negative, but musically it should please the people much more positively. (Lisa Wright)

Tags: Anwar, English Teacher, Ezra Williams, Mia Nicolai, Social Haul, The Goa Express, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin