This week featuring new music from lilo, Sheepish, Bishopskin and more…

Our weekly new music roundup is back with the year already well up and running with new releases and some very exciting announcements. Featuring this week we have new singles from lilo, Sheepish, Bishopskin and Babe Rainbow, a debut from Armando González Sosto and a welcome comeback from Ohtis.

Lilo – ‘It’s Not The Same In Winter’

Lilo have shared the exciting news that their debut album ‘Blood Ties’ will be out on 28^th March, with new single ‘It’s Not The Same In Winter’ released earlier this week. A subtle and tender piece, the single shows the best of the duo’s sensitivity for beautiful textures and immersive atmospheres, carried by their signature harmonies and wistful accents of piano. The lyrics capture a numbness experienced in the wake of a breakup, condensing into a tender plea, “I wish that I felt something”.  (Lloyd Bolton)

Sheepish – ‘High Note’

Sheepish’s ‘High Note’ provides a light and lively tonic to aerate the low, looming miasma of the fast-approaching Blue Monday. Chiefly led by the project’s ​driving creative force Charlie Bowles and his quirky, light-hearted lyricism, the tune playfully subverts winter’s imposing lethargy, melting away the season’s biting frost with its upbeat melodies and off-kilter rhythms. Serving as the first teaser from the London group’s upcoming EP ‘Goodbye Lemon’, due for release in February, ‘High Note’ utilises production techniques that emulate classic 60’s recordings, lyrically exploring themes of humility from a posthumous perspective. By marrying the angular abruptness of post-punk with the sanguine whimsy of modern psych, Sheepish have birthed a sonic entity that positively abounds with charm and energy. (Hazel Blacher)

Bishopskin – ‘Old Sock’

Heralding the followup to their lyrically mesmerising 2023 debut album ‘Babble’, Bishopskin are back with new single ‘Old Sock’. Bursting with the band’s folkloric signature and serving as a gentle exploration of the coexistence of divinity and human nature, lead singer Tiger Nicholson artfully guides us through deep and contemplative spiritual conundrums. We are carried on a journey of sacred rejuvenation, not only by his comforting yet eerily revealing vocals, but also by the delicate lilt of choral accompaniment and the push of James MacMillan’s trumpet. Released just days ahead of the band’s next headline show at MOTH Club on 24^th January, ‘Old Sock’ is sure to bring a capriciously exciting air to that performance. (Sophie Linehan)

Babe Rainbow – ‘Like cleopatra’

They might have a reputation as one of the world’s ‘chillest’ bands, but Byron Bay cosmonauts Babe Rainbow are secretly also one of the more prolific outfits around. That does feel fitting, however, given that their label home these days is on their Australian mates King Gizzard’s imprint, p(doom) records. The psychedelic hippy-freakout ensemble have returned again with another slice of goodness, ‘Like cleopatra’ delving into their more funk-leaning side. This single comes ahead of their next album, the excellently titled ‘Slipper imp and shakaerator’ out April 4th. Retaining their signature ‘breezy sound’, but with a George Clinton funk-twang, Babe Rainbow timeshift from the sun-drenched beach days to the humid late-nights, sipping margaritas under neon lights. (Brad Sked)

Ohtis – ‘Blankets on the Blinds’

‘Blankets on the Blinds’ is a welcome comeback from American singer-songwriter Ohtis, whose catalogue to date so far numbers the brilliant 2019 album ‘Curve of the Earth’ and the disquieted standalone 2021 single ‘Schatze’. Now, Ohtis reemerges as part of the newly launched label Joy Of Life International, started recently by The Golden Dregs’ Ben Woods. Under a gentle surface of arpeggiated guitar, ‘Blankets on the Blinds’ bubbles with a paranoid tension, each verse concluding it’s best to block out the outside world, “put some blankets on the blinds”. Where ‘Curve of the Earth’ had a fairly conventional country sound, this track has a more unique and modern style, without being too imposing: Arthur Russell and Sufjan Stevens come to mind in equal measure in the hushed, syncopated vocals and consciously rough edges to the production. Bonus points also for the choice of The Kinks’ ‘Nothin’ in this World Can Stop Me Worrying About That Girl’ for the b-side! (Lloyd Bolton)

Armando González Sosto – ‘thumbs up’

Oddity of the week goes to this gem from Armando González Sosto, also known for his work as Worm Grunting and with Lou Terry, as well as producing The Late Joe Bowman and MPTL Microplastics. ‘thumbs up’ is an ambient arrangement built around shadowy reverberations and oblique drum machine bursts. The sounds come from a series of recordings made experimenting on the modular setup of fellow producer Shaun Crook, and here are condensed and arranged to bring out a kind of brutal beauty. (Lloyd Bolton)