New music guide The Neu Bulletin (Wyldest, Mattokìnd, Gang of Youths & more)

DIY’s essential, weekly guide to the best new music.

9th August 2017

Neu Bulletins are DIY’s guide to the best new music. They contain every single thing that’s been played at full volume in the office, whether that’s a small handful or a gazillion acts. Just depends how good the week’s been.

Alongside our weekly round-up of discoveries, there are also Neu Picks. These are the very best songs / bands to have caught our attention, and there’s a new one every weekday. Catch up with the most recent picks here.

Wyldest - -45

London trio Wyldest make melancholic, winding music perfect for hiding with on cold, sodden days like these. New cut ‘-45’, taken from upcoming EP ‘Hitchhiker’ on Hand In Hive’, is a warm, swirling cut helmed by Zoe Mead’s instantly affecting vocals. “This loneliness is making me high / This darkness, I’m taking my time”, she sings, and there’s a defiance to the sadness shown here - a determination to get better and see the light. For that, Wyldest are a band to take comfort in. (Will Richards)

Mattokìnd – Scenescape

“We associate ourselves to electronic music but not to any specific scene”, say Berlin based duo Jae and Cristiano, aka Mattokìnd. If their single ‘Scenescape’ is anything to go by, that’s certainly true. Sitting somewhere between ambient and cerebral dance music, the pair also manage to bridge the gap between the glacial iciness of electronica and slightly warmer, organic instrumentation. It’s a bold opening statement that’s already garnered attention from Ableton and Michael Tan (known for working with Blanck Mass), and one that’s putting them at the forefront of a new kind of electronic ‘Scenescape’. (Eugenie Johnson)

James Leonard Hewitson – Sometimes

After taking something of a big step forward with his single ‘The Screen’ late last year, it’s been a bit of a wait to hear anything new from Hartlepool singer-songwriter James Leonard Hewitson. Yet praise be! He’s back with another slice of poppy lo-fi goodness. ‘Sometimes’ wraps its plain, straight-talking look at the often complex subject of the modern human condition (“sometimes all I need is nobody/ sometimes all I need is somebody”) around strident chords and a good layer of fuzz. Coupled with ‘Experience Song’, it’s proof that good things come to those who wait. But maybe it’d be nice not to wait so long for the next one… (Eugenie Johnson)

Gang of Youths - The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadow

Gang of Youths are making strides in their native Australia, but only now coming to the attention of the UK. New cut ‘The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows’ won’t do their chances on these shores any harm, and is a six-minute beast that’s as complex and emotion-heavy as its title suggests. A booming baritone that recalls The National’s Matt Berninger is laid over lush, crisp instrumentation, and there’s hints of an anthem amongst the gloom. When the track bursts out into a driving chorus and bombastic synth-led outro, Gang of Youths feel like they’ve finally arrived. (Will Richards)

Wild Ones – Paresthesia

Considering the polish that comes with Wild Ones’ tracks, sometimes you need a reminder that the Portland electro-pop collective are still partly a DIY venture. With their album ‘Mirror Touch’ (an LP surrounding a form of synaesthesia that lets one person feel the sensations experienced by another) due out on Topshelf Records on 6th October, they’re previewing it with ‘Paresthesia’. On it, lead vocalist Danielle Sullivan’s warm vocals blend with the intense, yet still pop-influenced percussion and synths that swirl around her. The condition of paresthesia is known to cause pins and needles; this is certainly spine-tingling. (Eugenie Johnson)

Tags: Wyldest, Listen, Features, Neu, Neu Bulletin