The week’s essential releases, featuring Alien Chicks, Heartworms, Terra Twin and more.

Our key releases of the week, with new EP announcements from Alien Chicks and YHWH Nailgun, our pick from Heartworms’ debut album and new tracks from Mandrake Handshake, Natalie Wildgoose and Terra Twin.

Alien Chicks

‘Donkeyhead’ rails against the daily grind, verses churning with deliberate repetition over lyrics about getting up every day and looking in the mirror with an increasing sense of alienation. The song’s pummeling rhythm expresses this gnashing, soul-crushing mundanity, restating the case that Alien Chicks are one of the best groups at capturing the ails of modern life. The track comes as the band announce the release of their second EP, ‘Forbidden Fruit’, due this May. (Lloyd Bolton)

Mandrake Handshake – ‘Hypersonic Super-Astrid’

Ahead of their debut album ‘Earth-Sized Worlds’, out 21st February, London / Oxford psychonauts have shared an 8-plus minute interstellar ride in ‘Hypersonic Super-Astrid’. Evoking the whimsical spirit of 60s cult legends Ultimate Spinach, alongside Dungen and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, the song is undercut with a bewitching motorik groove.  ‘Hypersonic Super-Astrid’ brings one into a trance from the glorious alchemy brewed by these psych rock shamans. Mandrake Handshake will also be celebrating the release of their debut album, with a headline show at No90 in Hackney Wick, London – with support from Karma Sheen and fellow London via Oxford outfit Lost Lyra. (Brad Sked)

Heartworms – ‘Mad Catch’

A standout from Heartworms’ debut album, which released today, ‘Mad Catch’ is a pop highlight among a record of atmospheric and tonally darker moments. It is a song about online dating, speaking to a modern discontent with a uniquely timeless outlook and revealing Jojo Orme’s ability to provide devastatingly cutting lyrics when she wants to. Released on Speedy Wunderground, ‘Glutton For Punishment’ is a exciting debut from one of the most vital new voices in British music. (Donovan Livesey)

YHWH Nailgun – ‘Sickle Walk’

Exhilarating, experimental New York art rockers YHWH Nailgun have returned with ‘Sickle Walk’. The single come with news of their debut album ‘45 Pounds’, out in March via AD93 in the UK and Many Hats in the US. The short and not so sweet ‘Sickle Walk’ is a shard of barbed disquieting brilliance, capturing the feeling of the adrenaline rush during a claustrophobic anxiety attack. Blending Gilla Band and Death Grips, ‘Sickle Walk’s caustic cacophony is eviscerating and intense, capturing the vehemence of the YHWH Nailgun live experience. Said outfit will also be playing a UK show at ICA in London on the 2nd April with Brighton folk-garage-rock-punk quartet The New Eves. (Brad Sked)

Natalie Wildgoose – ‘Angel’

‘Angel’ is the latest single taken from Natalie Wildgoose’s new EP ‘Come Into The Garden’. There is a rustic quality to the production on this track from the London-via-Yorkshire artist, which pairs with an original cadence to create something uncannily intimate that is nonetheless transportive on a cinematic scale. There is a ghostly quality to this reverb-coloured lullaby, a feeling of a siren’s song from the other side, suiting lyrics that dismiss the experiential distinction between what is real and what is not. (Lloyd Bolton)

Terra Twin – ‘No Ghost!’

Closing the band’s excellent sophomore EP, ‘No Ghost!’ slows things down into an epic ballad of alienation. “Some days your coat don’t fit right”, it opens, sharp, melodic bass playing off against an expansive vocal croon. The rousing chorus is made by its echoes in a melodic guitar line, and that guitar then takes centre stage with a wonderfully contorted sounding solo. Terra Twin are among the bands setting the pace for an original take on alt rock in Britain and ‘Static Separation’ feels like another big step forward. (Lloyd Bolton)