New music guide The Neu Bulletin (Whitney, EAT, Fake Laugh & more)

Back in June, Whitney introduced themselves as specialists in classic songwriting with a soulful twist. Former Smith Westerns members Max Kakacek and Julian Ehrlich emailed DIY about the project last summer, debut track ‘No Matter Where You Go’ coming off like UMO basking in sunshine after months of hibernation.

New song ’No Woman’ is in a different league. Newly signed to Secretly Canadian, Whitney already possess a timelessness you can’t teach. Ehrlich adopts a drum/vocals role, and instead of delivering thudded force through two different means, he uses both tools to create a soft sweetness. In a weird day, ‘No Woman’ sounds like a near namesake, Rhye’s ‘Woman’. Both songs are bright-thinking, new takes on a traditional soulful sound. It’s the kind of track that could get buried below the surface for decades, before floating upstream and being cherished by future generations.

Kamran Khan’s been a fixture in the world of instant fix guitar pop for the past two years. In-between touring with Oscar as part of his full band, he’s been wheeling out sweet numbers like ‘Mind Tricks’ for fun. Consider this in the same sphere to The Magic Gang’s doting but deadly invention, with nods to Stateside giants like Mac DeMarco. Khan always links everything with a ‘50s-nodding charm, like Buddy Holly raised in a broken digital age. He’s a star - half the world just doesn’t know it yet.

The Hour are one of several buzz bands to link their debut track with a phone number. Call them up on 07508425274 and presumably they’ll tell you all about their previous musical incarnations, and maybe why they smash up a Polo in their first video. If you’re more the reclusive type, ditch the hotline business and get immersed in ‘No One’s Going to Heaven’, a razor-sharp intro doused in thick bass and future-R&B intention.

There’s been a longing for bands like EAT. A group who can scrape out the bullshit and cut to the chase, go straight for the jugular without worrying about gimmicky build-up. On ‘Byker Drone’, the group’s debut album is an effortless guide in how to make the skywards sound like childsplay. Menace Beach if they were a little less… menacing, INHEAVEN if someone nicked their pedals - this is high-adrenaline and instantly loveable.

Sharp-witted and delivered with a blunt-edged fuzz, Witching Waves’ latest wraps their sucker punch noise-pop in a frayed rope, fit to snap from the tension - tied up as tight as its name suggests, ‘Twister’’s stabbing guitars poke right through the haze of their contemporaries.

“I ran for shelter, but I got hit,” croons Koen, the creative mind Klangstof on his debut single. That sense of vulnerability defines ‘Hostage’, as he pairs sparse guitars to a colder, electronic backbone - juxtaposition runs throughout, and it’s a gripping balance to behold.

Stirring and shivering, the instrumentation behind Emily Wells’ haunted vocal holds an otherworldly beauty. Religious imagery might abound in Wells’ lyrics, but there’s an overarching fragility to both ‘Don’t Use Me Up’ and her stunning upcoming album’ Promise’ that easily leaps any boundaries.

LCD and Formation might’ve dragged that dance-punk flavour (and its cowbell garnish) back onto the scene’s collective palette, but with ‘Obscene Dream’, Sego look set to drive it into new territory. Storming ahead with buzzsaw synths, it’s a floor filler in waiting from the off - when they pull it all back for a choppy guitar interlude or two, it’s instantly irresistible.

Tags: Fake Laugh, Whitney, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin