Neu The Neu Bulletin (Wunderhorse, VTSS, Tex and more!)

In the run up to September’s debut LP ‘Cub’, Jacob Slater has already served up widescreen Springsteen-isms with ‘Teal’, introverted Radiohead nods c/o ‘Butterflies’ and soft’n’fuzzy ‘90s alt-rock with ’17’. ‘Leader of the Pack’, however, shows Wunderhorse making a break for poll position, its bluesy riffs and scattershot vocal groove the sort of easy earworm that could propel Slater into wider waters. If ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ got booted around a bit, picked up a fair whack of social loathing and then went to drink the pain away in a south London boozer you’d probably end up somewhere near here. Which is far more fun than that sounds. (Lisa Wright)

Released ahead of a new EP called ‘Circulus Vitiosus’, out in September via Ninja Tune, Polish techno newcomer VTSS goes hard and without apology on new single ‘Incredibly Annoying’. There are traces of SOPHIE’s legacy all over the plasticy beats of the new track, with her vocals adding another string to her bow. It’s intense, deeply charismatic and feels like the emergence of a truly modern new voice. (Will Richards)

A song quite literally of two halves, ‘Sound of You’ introduces Swedish singer-songwriter Tex as an amorphous sonic entity, capable of entrancing with sultry, pitch-shifted croons one moment before unexpectedly dropping down several octaves and changing the tone entirely. What’s constant within ‘Sound of You’, however, is a sort of psychy Neo-soul lilt that could find Tex as a burgeoning kindred spirit to the Connan Mockasins of the world. Intriguing. (Lisa Wright)

Described as “sun shining, car driving, heartbreak music,” Jordan Nash’s ‘Fear and Loathing’, taken from a new EP called ‘Seventy One’, glistens with every single note. Feeling perfect to soundtrack the soaring apex of a coming-of-age movie, his dream-pop is unashamedly huge in sound but its emotional peaks are intimate and personal ones. (Will Richards)

Over the course of last year’s debut ‘Landscapes Unchanged’ EP, Manchester troupe Mewn proved themselves adept at straddling the worlds of big widescreen moments and quieter, more hushed intimacy. On the eight minutes-plus epic of their latest, ‘There Is No Substitute’ takes that baton and runs with it, beginning with a twinkling dawn chorus, slowly escalating via a route that’s like ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ glimpsed through a prettier Arcade Fire filter, before crescendoing into a bright explosion of colour. Amongst the current indie landscape, Mewn are doing something fairly singular. (Lisa Wright)