Neu This Week In New Music (5th April 2014)

This week, it was difficult to tear ears away from one of the best debuts of the year, Playlounge’s ‘pilot’. Once time permitted, however, out stepped a flurry of exciting new tracks. First on the agenda was the magnificent return of Britain’s beastliest new band, Wolf Alice. Tirzah then upped her game with an intimate take from her new EP and fellow South Londoners Beaty Heart somehow became an even odder prospect with ‘Banana Bread’. That’s only the half of it, though. Below you’ll find the best new music happenings in the past seven days.

TRACK OF THE WEEK
Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile


Anyone who’s set eyes on the Mona Lisa portrait knows that those deep brown eyes follow you around, wherever you go, regardless of which angle you approach Da Vinci’s masterpiece with. ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ isn’t Wolf Alice’s masterpiece. It is however the kind of song that stays in the system. It sets its dead eyes on you wherever you happen to step. Try curing the itch - it won’t happen. Attempt to listen to any other song and this one will just remind you of its presence instead. Wolf Alice have that effect - they stay in the conscience long after they’ve made an initial impact. 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Holy Milk - Born and Die 


It seems a bit mad that Wolf Alice are becoming a bigger deal by the second and there’s nobody trailing in their wake. Holy Milk should, at this point, be up there in close quarters in ‘next big thing’ chatter. They sport a similarly dark, forceful take on alternative rock. The 90s staples are a little less clear-cut, maybe, with the New Cross group instead opting for playful Warpaint-style songwriting, but given ‘Born and Die’’s sinister take on things, there’s definitely room for these guys in all the most exciting new band talk. The video for this song sees an already terrifying effort getting driven down into even darker territory, a bit like choosing to watch a horror movie outside, alone and in a foggy forest. Don’t ever try that shit. In this clip, a tense family dinner party gets interrupted by something pressing and dark-as-hell. There’s no getting away from it and like the song itself, it lurks and hangs a shadow over proceedings instead of going in for the killer punch. But when it strikes, it makes a serious impact.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK
Ekkah


The best thing about ‘7AM’ is that it confirms that no, we weren’t hallucinating when Ekkah played their first ever gig back in January for a Neu Presents ‘Hello 2014’ show. The Birmingham via London group’s injection of summer-ready chant pop felt like peering into another dimension at the time. It was the equivalent of throwing a Solero into a boiling stew - winter wasn’t ready for it. But here’s the wake up call. The seasons are changing and Ekkah have finally unveiled their opening gambit. The song’s tagged a “Demo” - bands seem to be doing a lot of this, calling their debut track a rough edit even though it’s obviously amazing and doesn’t need any kind of disclaimer. As ‘7AM’ kicks into gear (which is essentially from the opening second), out steps a band ready to define the next few months.