Neu The Neu Bulletin (Special Interest, Surya Sen, Klara Keller and more!)

Inspired by the story of political prisoners The Angola Three, who served the longest sentence of solitary confinement in history, Special Interest’s Rough Trade debut packs a heavyweight thematic punch alongside its throbbing dance-punk backbone. Pinned around a grizzled bassline and calling to mind Gossip at their most raw and insatiable, if vocalist Alli Logout’s ragged howl doesn’t grab you by the throat then the quartet’s way with a wickedly pummelling hook will have you by the feet regardless. (Lisa Wright)

Released at the end of last month, Surya Sen’s debut mixtape ‘At What Cost’ is a bubbling cauldron of beats, cultures and ideas – it feels brilliantly alive. The latest single taken from it, ‘Buccho Ni Ba Bhai’, sees the producer swapping between English and Bengali languages to reflect both sides of his heritage. Behind him is an addictive, bubbling beat, making this song a thought-provoking commentary, but also a bloody good time. (Will Richards)

For her newest, Stockholm-based Klara Keller enlisted the skills of Phoenix’ touring members Thomas Hedlund and Robin Coudert, and you can see why the two parties may have struck up a friendship; though ‘Sad Thinking Of You’ ambles along on gentle mid-tempos, there’s a sparkling Gallic charm present throughout. Atop the breezy ‘English Riviera’-era Metronomy keyboard toots, however, Klara’s vocal is pushed up in the mix - louder, more discordant, less polished than you might expect. It’s the sort of curious choice that suggests maybe there are interesting things to come from the Swede. (Lisa Wright)

After Kim Petras stopped traffic on the Met Gala’s red carpet with her iconic horse outfit (inspiring that year’s festivities to be dubbed the “Ket Gala”), it was only a matter of time before someone immortalised the outfit in a song, and dance-pop artist/DJ Alex Chapman has delivered the goods. Dropping new track ‘Horsey’, it’s a glitchy club-ready banger, that is equal parts weird and wonderful, introducing the world to what Alex is all about: “dance music, having fun, and high-quality stupidity.” (Elly Watson)

Victoria Canal says that she didn’t think she’d ever let anyone hear her “scarily honest” new song ‘own me’, a track that dissects grief and the reckoning that comes with it. On the stark piano ballad, the risk feels immediately worth it, with the Spanish-American singer-songwriter laying out her unfiltered feelings, backed by gorgeous stacks of backing vocals from the Lorde songbook. Sometimes taking the leap is the best thing to do. (Will Richards)