1. Glass Animals – ‘Golden Antlers’
Oh no, Oxford seem to have done it again. Following in the footsteps of contemporaries that include Foals, Stornoway and Fixers, Glass Animals are a group that pluck out the finer bits of psychedelic and then warp together some low-key electronic murmurs. The band construct some delicate rhythms and ‘Golden Antlers’ is an exquisite piece of dark minimalist electronica, with a passive build up, a signature of its roots in late night radio shows and its similarly ghostly DJs. The band – recently signed to new label Kaya Kaya – have their EP Leaflings out now.
2. Febueder – ‘Kneecap Treaty’
We’re going fairly local with this next band. Having recently performed at WADE, Febueder are an indie-electronic act with a hell of a lot of potential. Taking their cues most clearly from bands like Foals, the collective are a shimmering three-piece from Surrey and are not afraid to mess around with new styles and rhythms. Soaring vocals, rolling, synth led strokes and intermittent guitars are the order of the day on ‘Kneecap Treaty’ which combine into a holistic experience and give you a sense of a band that really know what they’re doing. Look out for their debut EP Smithereen Display which is currently being recorded.
3. Alpine – ‘Gasoline’
From their upcoming LP, A is for Alpine, the Melbourne-based indie-electronic six-piece, Alpine have just realised ‘Gasoline’. Unlike the fiery implications of its name, the track is an outstanding dreamy summer tune from the off. Plucked guitar arpeggios punctuate a beautiful skyline created by Phoebe Baker’s succulent vocals, culminating in an outstanding chorus flooded by a cascade of sublime synth chords. The beauty of ‘Gasoline’ grows as it continues and becomes more and more startling with each listen. Their magical full debut album is due for release on August 10 through Ivy League Records.
4. Angel Haze – ‘New York’
New York is churning them out at the moment. First Nicki Minaj, then Azealia Banks, and it looks like Angel Haze is going to be the next female New York rapper on the scene. Earlier this week she dropped her single, coincidentally, called ‘New York’. Her confident rap skills and lyrical speed is enough to make anyone sit up and take notice of this girl, not only because she has made a name for herself just from posting her demos online, but because she’s only 20 years old. In fact, Pitchfork have already given it the accolade of being “Best New Track”. The track can be downloaded here, and is taken from her forthcoming Reservation EP.
Contributions from David Martin, Alex Rogers and Howell Davies.
