Round-up This Week In New Music (4th April 2015)

DIY and Neu round-up the best new discoveries, from Anna B Savage to Show Me The Body.

Words: Jamie Milton
4th April 2015

DIY and Neu’s new music round-ups arrive in two forms - first there’s all our Have You Heard’s from the past week, where the biggest tracks get another glance. Then there’s This Week in New Music, where Neu takes a look at the early days excitement; debut tracks that turned heads; brand new discoveries; premieres that landed first on DIY. All that stuff.

Looking ahead, festival season’s closer than you might think. Glastonbury’s line-up will be announced in no time, and Live At Leeds (1st-4th May) sees things kicking off with new music showcases first on the agenda. We’ve just confirmed a bill at beloved venue Brudenell Social Club, where Slaves are joined by The Magic Gang, Black Honey and Spring King for a fuzz-heavy get together. A couple of names eased into festival season by making big steps, this week. Georgia - an experimental specialist making her trade on disjointed percussive pop - announced a deal with Domino, upping her game with new single ‘Move Systems’. Tei Shi - a future fixture of the forthcoming summer - led the way by streaming her ‘Verde’ EP. And Leon Bridges, a Texas songwriter with the whole world watching, didn’t waste any time in announcing his debut album ‘Coming Home’.

Other highlights arrived from Okay Kaya’s debut video for ‘Damn, Gravity’, Chlöe Black’s anti-dull direct pop getting another dose with ‘Cruel Intentions’, and Priest’s worship-ready new song, ‘Broken’.

That’s a few of our favourites from the past seven days - here’s the rest:

THIS WEEK IN DIY PREMIERES:

Spring King, Neon Waltz, Bop English

Spring King have been on the brink of big things for a while now. From Tarek Musa’s early days - where he’d record bandmates one at a time in a tiny converted bathroom space - to now, where rowdy shows are gaining a reputation (and a slot on the Courtney Barnett tour), this has always been a band capable of making a storm. It’d be easy to write off their barmy rock ’n roll as by-the-numbers, but time and time again they’ve added dynamism to fizzing punk. None less so than on ‘They’re Coming After You’, a paranoid number always looking over its shoulder. Everything’s coming up Spring King.

You could say the same for Caithness’ Neon Waltz, newly signed to Atlantic and ready to put substance behind the not-that-subdued rush of hype. Gigs in castles and grandiose pop is their game, and from a collection of early recordings, they debuted ‘Perfect Frame’ on DIY.

Bop English isn’t exactly new to the game. As the frontman of White Denim, James Petralli’s delivery is more signature than the average leader, with snarling, pace-setting vocals never drowning in the Texas group’s bold displays. With his solo project, he sets the agenda entirely by himself. New song ‘Struck Matches’ - taken from a ‘Constant Bop’ LP - suggests he’s just as effective on his own as he is when backed by endless thrash.

TRACK OF THE WEEK:

Anna B Savage - II

It’s rare for a new artist to come out all guns blazing, but Anna B Savage doesn’t sound like someone willing to waste time. On ‘II’, the latest song to be lifted from her debut EP, the UK songwriter shifts gear and changes mentality at every opportunity. More at ease with chaos than anything remotely routine, her fidgety delivery is a sleepless beast. Urgency won’t do her any harm, either. We’re witnessing the very fast rise of an exciting new voice.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK:

Show Me The Body

Calling something “progressive” can sometimes be a reductive term. It’s a go-to tag for music that meanders, for instance. And it’s often a default phrase for anything remotely uncool, in the most cynical sense. The truth is, Queens/Western Massachusetts group Show Me The Body are ruthlessly cool. They progress, too. Snapping hardcore in half and giving punk a dose of new meds, their brutally raw form (on record and on stage) is a different kind of rush. As part of Ratking’s Letter Racer collective, they’re in the perfect place to continue progressing, all while putting a spin on that old term.

Tags: Anna B Savage, Listen, Features, Neu