This Week In New Music (20th September 2014) • Neu • DIY Magazine

In Neu’s weekly round up of the best new music, we look back on the past seven days of DIY discoveries, hype-affirming singles and promising debuts that flew into the radar.

Below, we pick out the best track and discovery of the week respectively, as well as selecting some of the finest premieres DIY’s been privileged to host. That’s not forgetting some fine new numbers from Aussie crooner Josef Salvat, Florida dream duo SALES and the mystical ‘Mama Says’ from XL signing Ibeyi.

THE WEEK’S BEST PREMIERES:La Plage, Sulky Boy, Hugh, Cloud Castle Lake

It’s been a stellar week on Neu & DIY for head-turning premieres. La Plage’s ‘Rendez Vous’ remains firmly lodged in the memory, boasting Phoenix-like clipped guitars and French dialect vocals lifted straight from Thomas Mars’ daydreams. With Sulky Boy’s ‘French Kiss’, out stepped another talent from Brighton (again associated with The Magic Gang, with their own Paeris Giles production this track), a romantic with fine intentions. No sulking to be found here, this was an optimistic slice of guitar pop. London collective HUGH have been promising up to now, but their ‘One of These Days’ track represented a big step up, and Cloud Castle Lake nearly stole the week’s agenda by unveiling their fantastic debut ‘Dandelion’ EP in full.

Keep track of all DIY’s premieres here.

TRACK OF THE WEEK:Oceaán — Grip

Before this release, the talk around Oliver Cean stuck with the fact that he began as a stone cold producer, before turning his attention to pop songwriting. Previous tracks married two distinct worlds, vocals remaining at the forefront. Looking in from the outside, it could seem as if Cean’s backtracked. ‘Grip’ is fairly vocal free, and there’s zero chance of this bursting into view with top 10 intentions. But this track offers something different. 2014’s clearly been a year where this Manchester producer has strengthened his ability in every way imaginable. ‘Grip’ showcases astounding build, the kind of buzzsaw synths that threaten to explode the senses, and don’t be mistaken: Vocals are indeed there - they’re just running around in circles, performing neat tricks, backflipping over convention. Whichever way he goes from here - all-out songwriting or deep house production like on ‘Grip - Cean’s got everything solved.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK:Sylas — Hollow

Few word-of-mouth recommendations come more trustworthy than when they’re from Brian Eno. There’s a reason why the legendary producer finds solace in Sylas, too. Here’s a production duo - anonymous for now - that put all their faith in every space. Linking up with Blake, Jaar, fellow giants in the game, ‘Hollow’ is the ultimate in assured debut tracks, giving zero fucks about who’s listening in but inviting a giant beckoning crowd in the process.

Tags: Features, Neu, Listen, Oceaán