News Tracks: Robyn & Röyksopp, Brontide & More.

As Rebecca Black would say, it’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday, and the dilemma, of course, is which tracks shall we choose? The DIY writers all met up down the bus stop and had a good old debate about this very matter, and the result is this stonking array of new music from the past week.

Robyn & Röyksopp – Do It Again

Sweden’s first lady of pop, Robyn, is usually known for dancing on her own and creating feel-good musical gold, but as of late she’s teamed up with Norwegian electronica duo Röyksopp in one of the most well-matched Scandi-collabs imaginable. ‘Do It Again’ is a sleek, euphoric anthem with just the right level of lyrical innuendo, and Robyn & Röyksopp manage to make toxic heartbreak and poisonous relationships sound addictive. ‘We should not be friends,’ advises Robyn over a synthy breakdown, presumably having reached that moment of the night where you retreat to the edge of the floor for a good old moment of reflection and an ill-advised Jaegerbomb. ‘We’ll just do it again,’ she sings, before all dials get turned up and maxed out, and we’re back on the dancefloor all over again with her. (El Hunt)

Brontide – Cabin

Given the sprawling, interweaving blockbuster that was Brontide’s 2011 debut ‘Sans Souci’, it seems a little improper to be placing so much emphasis on ‘Cabin’ as a single track. However, taken as a taster of things to come, it’s impossible not to get excited by these three and a half minutes of loop-pedal wizardry. A snappy, crisp departure from the frenzied gloom of ‘Sans Souci’, the track is a jaunty exploration of the instrumental trio’s new, more musical ethos. With upcoming sophomore ‘Artery’ Brontide are looking set to take strides forward, dipping their toes into electronica and R’n’B and pushing the boundaries of their already seemingly limitless scope. (Tom Connick)

Blood Cultures – Meavy Hetal

Not much is known of Blood Cultures; besides the fact that he’s bloody brilliant, that is. Making use of beautifully tender lo-fi melodies, the New Jersey mystery continues to put out captivating music. Considerably more withdrawn and mellow than that of his previous output, ‘Meavy Hetal’ marks Blood Cultures’ third gorgeous track in a row. Whether he’s someone entirely new or a vet, the dude doesn’t seem interested in making himself known, but does make it evident that his music is more than capable doing the talking for him. (Joe Price)

Bite Me – ‘Black & Black & True For You’

Remember Bos Angeles? The very promising bleak surf pop group that were part of the revival of lo-fi music a few years back, well, it has been over a year now since Richard Board ended the band. In the meantime though, a corner of the web has served as a journal of Rich’s experiments under the Bite Me moniker alongside his friend Joshua Price. The darker direction that crept into his last songs with his old group - as heard on the end of ‘Taking Out The Trash’ - has plagued his new project’s material. Latest track, ‘Black & Black & True For You’ merges scribbles of garage rock with the occasional idyllic Felt-esque guitar twang, before the climax sees the frenzied refrain of “I’m glad you’re gone” howled frantically like it’s being engraved forcefully into a diary. We can’t wait for the next entry. (Samuel Cornforth)

XO – Holdin’ On (ft. RobLaw)

Like an intermediate skill level Sim tinkering and toying around with piano twinkles from Moonlight Sonata, ‘Holdin’ On’ begins with a beautifully tentative melody, and RobLaw’s wordless vocal notes, hesitating right on the edge of becoming something else for 50 drawn-out seconds held in a balance. Then like a scene in an alternative Glee show charting the work of rising young electro-whizzes in the UK, XO launches himself over the top of the grand piano in one well executed slide, along with pulsing low register synths, a deliciously light skipping beat, and little flourishes of guitar and piano ducking and diving underneath one another the whole way. It’s no real surprise that XO has been getting props from the likes of SOHN and T.Williams. Sunil Heera might be just 18, but his young age doesn’t even register as a factor,, not really. XO’s output to date indicates an artist who is fully confident in his sound already.(El Hunt)

Vic Mensa – Down On My Luck

Following his blazing freestyle atop the deep house juggernaut ‘When A Fire Starts To Burn’ from recent tourmates Disclosure, it’s not surprising to see Chi-Town MC Vic Mensa further channeling the spirit of the genre for his own material when you consider its rich history in Chicago. A hard-hitting reflection on the emotional trauma that comes hand in hand with increasing levels of fame, ‘Down On My Luck’ showcases Mensa injecting a much appreciated dose of soul and passion into the words he spits, without sacrificing the throbbing sense of urgency that is often present within his delivery. (Joshua Pauley)

The Death of Pop – Circles

Following up last October’s ‘Tasteless’ – a seemingly never-ending journey through shimmery beach-washed guitars and lax, male vocals (and, which has to be one of their best tracks yet) – comes more 90’s echoing ‘janglegaze’ from the London quartet. ‘Circles’ instantly toys with a more psychedelic sound; wizened organ noises prevail throughout the opening, before lashings of reverb coat the whole thing in a warm layer of off-kilter-pop fuzziness. The dual vocals are fascinatingly disorienting, almost becoming another instrument amidst the dense shoegazy soundscape. Accompanied by an equally dizzying video, this track is living proof that this band just keep getting better and better. (Laura Eley)

Kutosis – Crystal Beach

Accompanying details of upcoming album ‘Dream It Away’’s June release, Kutosis released ‘Crystal Beach’ this week, stretching their legs further into the sunnier climes of their new surf-pop sound. Owing more to Real Estate and Surfer Blood than to the jagged guitarwork of their previous guise, ‘Crystal Beach’ builds on the groundwork laid by last year’s ‘Fear of Flying’, and – as evidenced in the trippy accompanying video – looks set to help the Cardiff trio soundtrack beach parties at all corners of the country. (Tom Connick)

Tobacco – Father Sister Berzerker

Tom Fec has put us in for a wild ride in the lead-up to his latest album, ‘Ultima II Massage’. The boyishly catchy ‘Eruption’ was perhaps his poppiest track as Tobacco yet, whilst ‘Streaker’ was perhaps his most outré. ‘Father Sister Berzerker’ takes neither of previous single’s approaches, opting for a trance-inducing dash uninterested in pulverising or allowing familiarity. Simply put: if Bob Ross were to make a painting about this song, it’d probably be a watercolour of a vhs tape on fire, surrounded by orchids. No one does ugly and pretty combined better than Fec. (Joe Price)

Dios Mio – Stories

One of London’s most promising upcoming bands, Dios Mio have really upped their game with new single ‘Stories’, which we premiered on Monday. It’s a beautifully haunting slice of grungy pop music, propelled by a gushing, glistening guitar melody. With front woman Helena Coan’s powerful yet strikingly elegant vocal, it comes across something like Wild Nothing meets Wolf Alice. There’s a certain darkened, majestic quality to the track - heightened by the shadowy percussion and soaring vocals leading up to the crescendo, which comes across perfectly in their flawless live show. An utterly encapsulating band; definitely keep an eye on this quartet.(Laura Eley)

Manic Street Preachers – Walk Me To The Bridge

Those expecting the sedate, melancholic Manics, as heard on last years rather brilliant ‘Rewind the Film’, will be shocked to discover the disco-tinged direction of this lead single to the forthcoming LP, ‘Futurology’. Remarkably, this will be the Manic’s 12th single, and it sounds like a band revitalised and exploring new boundaries. ‘Walk Me To The Bridge’ is tailor-made to get people dancing and is a slice of Krautrock delight. Ever the romanticist, Nicky Wire gets a reference to ‘singing loud at the indie-disco’ into the song, and if people don’t find their toes tapping to this or find themselves humming the chorus for hours after, then they have better self-control then I do. Manic Street Preachers Version 3.0 have arrived; strap in, belt up, and enjoy this welcome shift in musical direction, for it is bloomin’ brilliant. (Joe Sweeting)

JuegoTheNinety – Hurt (ft. Ralph French)

As a panicked flurry of words, JuegoTheNinety’s ‘Hurt’ is a commitment of said word to tape. Bringing to mind possession and the feeling a deep cut, the eerie Ralph French-produced beat swirls into demonic cacophony when colliding with Juego’s unflinchingly gruff lyricism. Embodying the darkest thoughts conceivable, ‘Hurt’ makes all of Juego’s fiction terrifyingly believable. This is Odd Future if they could still evoke that fear they once did, or ‘Yeezus’ if it fully utilised the boom-bap apocalypse its beatsmiths had crafted. (Joe Price)