Features Tracks: Yuck, Autre Ne Veut, Forest Swords, And More

The UK’s long-overdue heatwave is going strong, and it has brought a slew of fantastic new releases in its sunshiney trajectory. The DIY writers set down mojitos, tore themselves away from the sun-loungers and perused the internet for the finest new music. This line-up has more to tempt you with than a fully stocked ice cream van whizzing past and parking up opposite your house. What’s more, this feature is free, will not melt in the sun, and you don’t even have to take a tanning break to enjoy it.

Yuck - Rebirth

Having lost their frontman Daniel Blumberg to his new project Hebronix, Yuck were in need of a definitive push forward, and the aptly named ‘Rebirth’ does just that. The intro, a tumbling haze of reverby guitar swelling against a backdrop of rising drone is My Bloody Valentine as yuck. That’s not the only nod to shoegaze here though. As Max Bloom’s deliciously laidback vocals are carried forward on Ride-esque drums, and euphoric synths welcome in Cocteau Twin comparisons, this isn’t just a change in direction for Yuck. It’s a triumphant and exciting rebirth. (El Hunt)

Autre Ne Veut- On & On

It’s as if each wave of critical acclaim is spurring Arthur Ashin aka Autre Ne Veut on even further. Recent LP ‘Anxiety’ benefited from the most extreme of hyperbole, even if about 90% of it was completely spot on. It’s led him towards ‘On & On’, a one-off single on the Adult Swim singles compilation that places his ultra-ambitious Prince-chanelling pop in its most immediate light to date. Deranged, bass-bursting synths and curveball percussion almost steal the show, but again it all falls back Ashin’s own vocals, hysterical in their sheer fandom of all things glossy and emotion-ridden. (Jamie Milton)

Roman Fortune- Grind

Atlanta’s very own Rome Fortune made a splash with his ‘Beautiful Pimp’ mixtape earlier this year and he’s back with a summer-infused track ‘Grind’ to add fuel to this already flaming hot British summer we’ve been blessed with (jinx, touch wood). On a first listen, the hackneyed four-to-the-floor beat isn’t exactly the most reassuring of openings, but Fortune and his happy little helpers FKi, effortlessly and continuously switch up the tempo, continually jumping between rhythms and crossing genres with every riff. Props to FKi for the beautifully woven Toro Y Moi sample, layering ‘Grind’ with heavy house-fuelled beats and addictive, synth harmonies. This is definitely a soundtrack to the long summer afternoons. While they last, that is. (Elliot Ramsey)

Forest Swords - The Weight Of Gold

Over the past few years producer Forest Swords has been quietly releasing stunningly diverse electronic music of the hypnagogic persuasion – now he’s gearing up for the release of his debut album, ‘Engravings’. If you thought he couldn’t top the fully-formed vision of 2010’s EP ‘Dagger Paths’, ‘The Weight of Gold’ will surely convince you otherwise, and picks up more or less where Barnes left off. As haunting foghorns and fractured, incomprehensible vocal refrains sound against a skittering percussion section that forever evolves, it’s incredible, magical, boundary pushing stuff. It’s worth its own weight in gold, actually. (El Hunt)

Zorch - Mutwa

Straight from Zorch’s upcoming album, ‘Mutwa’ can only be described as a musical composition based on a final boss of an arcade game, and with such otherworldly sounds resonating from the speakers – it is safe to assume it must be an alien life form. The creature even seems to make a last ditch attempt toward the end before being ultimately put down. The band’s unique blend of analogue synth and acoustic drums is stunning; such an easy thing to get wrong, but these guys nail it, time after time. When you realise they’re a two piece the only questions left to ask are, ‘are their instruments extensions of their body’ and ‘where do they hide their second pair of hands’? ‘Mutwa’ might’ve passed you by when it quietly surfaced a while back online, but don’t let the album ‘Zzoorrcchh’ do the same. It’s out on Sargent House on 23rd July.. (Joe Dickinson)

Drenge- Face Like A Skull

Normally there’s nothing worse for a band’s image than a seal of approval from Whitehall – The Smiths have been trying to get arch villain David Cameron to take their music off his iPod for quite some time now. A mention from West Bromwich East’s newest tastemaker Tom Watson hasn’t done Drenge much harm though, and their latest release ‘Face Like A Skull’ isn’t any cosy, smooth talking party manifesto. Gritty, thrashing and entrenched firmly in dark shadow, you won’t catch BoJo listening to this next time he commutes into work with ‘the commoners’ for a bit of easy PR. (El Hunt)