A bumper edition of our new music roundup, this week featuring Wombo, Bug Teeth, Jessica Winter, Velvetine and more.

Having been in the midst of the whirlwind that is The Great Escape last week, we’ve put together a bumper edition of the vital new singles released in the past two weeks, featuring Wombo, Bug Teeth, Jessica Winter, Velvetine, MPTL Microplastics, Midnight Rodeo, Blue Bayou, Oral Habit and Phil Langero.

Wombo – ‘Danger In Fives’

Returning with their first single since the release of 2023 EP ‘Slab’, ‘Danger In Fives’ sees Wombo getting right back to doing what they do best, and the Kentucky group’s no nonsense, silky smooth sonic trifecta of enigmatic, serpentine indie rock is more polished and concise than ever before. Announcing the track in tandem with their dually titled new album ‘Danger In Fives’, due for release this August, here the Fire Talk signees explore a relationship to life’s “loops and cycles” and their interpretation of it. Cyclically repeating the cryptic phrase “See through mind said to me “the danger comes in fives”, lead singer and bassist Sydney Chadwick’s engrossing, velvety vocal intonations melt coolly into the track’s elusive, meandering groove and minimalist instrumentation. (Hazel Blacher)

Bug Teeth – ‘Topiary’

In attempts to make sense of loss, art is a common salve for both creatives and consumers. As much as art can act as a balm in times of hardship, it can equally act as a means for understanding and a tool for processing. With Bug Teeth’s latest release ‘Topiary’, each of these meanings ring true. Following the sudden loss of their mother, Bug Teeth’s PJ Johnson is explosive and pensive in equal measure on ‘Topiary’. Envisioning the passing of time and impending mortality, Johnson notes over modal inflections: ‘birds in the trees, the topiary sings, And I, antique form, am crumbling walls.’ Melding vocals reminiscent of Broadcast’s Trish Keenan with bold garage rock guitars, ‘Topiary’ is equal parts tender introspection and cathartic release. (A. L. Noonan)

Jessica Winter – ‘Wannabee’

London via Portsmouth artist and producer Jessica Winter has ditched her more synth-driven pop stylings for a much more anthemic indie-meets-grunge pop affair on latest offering ‘Wannabe’. Speaking on the track’s lyrical themes, Winter said, “I wrote this song after a lengthy doom scroll. Got bored of feeling less than and the daily comparison. This song is a friendly reminder to stay in your own lane and to remember you are just as alien as everybody else,”. A pint-spiller for the sun-baked festival days, ‘Wannabe’ arrives ahead of Winter’s fittingly titled debut album ‘My First Album’ out July 11^th via Lucky Number Music. (Brad Sked)

Velvetine – ‘Just This Once’

Fresh off the back of their performance at our stage at The Great Escape, Velvetine have dropped ‘Just This Once’, the latest single taken from their debut EP ‘Wisteria’ (due for release on 10th July). The vocal hook seems to evoke a teenage tension, negotiations with oneself to bare one’s soul, to experiment, to take a risk, “just this once”.  The ensuing slamming of drums and the band’s signature enormous guitar sound seems to suggest the emotional enormity of such moments, or perhaps the danger of the reckless behaviour with which the characters experiment. As the song progresses, they reflect that once “wasn’t enough” before the song speeds to a raging climax, guttural bass giving the whole thing an industrial rush like a speeding car after dark before we are left, uncertainly, with the fuzzy dregs of a distorted guitar. (Lloyd Bolton)

MPTL Microplastics – ‘No More Dying’

‘No More Dying’ is perhaps MPTL Microplastic’s most destructive single to date. Captured with impressive fidelity by Armando González Sosto, lyrics about the institutional brutalisation of the British police force sear above a doomily spiralling guitar/mandolin riff, and while the pots, pans and fire extinguishers of percussionist Leo Peace clatter around the whole thing, each hit a pellet of sound. The refrain, “no more dying”, is quoted from Frank O’Hara’s ‘Ode to Joy’, but for contemporary listeners it will doubtless also call to mind the desperate rallying cries heard at the protests against Israel’s war on Palestine. Indeed, the song’s response to British policing draws directly on singer Joey Hollis’ experiences being held for a protest against British involvement in the sale of arms to Israel. The single releases along with the more tender ‘Wound Nurse’, a beautiful exploration of the abject inspired in part by Stephen Dwoskin’s ‘Intoxicated By Illness’. (Lloyd Bolton)

Midnight Rodeo – ‘Daisy’

Whirling with the sort of late-night vivacity one might unleash when situated directly beneath the shimmering, roving reflections of the disco ball, Midnight Rodeo’s ‘Daisy’ winds and wiggles with a spellbinding, infectious uninhibitedness. Lyrically probing the emotional impact of “that moment in a relationship when you realise you no longer want to be in it and deserve better”, the new single sees the Nottingham 5-piece steer their dreamy, synth-blushed psychedelia into a livelier direction, and here it abounds with vaulting basslines, twangy guitars and seriously hooky chorus melodies. ‘Daisy’ serves as the second preview from Midnight Rodeo’s upcoming debut album ‘Chaos Era’, due for release this July via FatCat Records. (Hazel Blacher)

Blue Bayou – ‘Hide & Seek’

Channeling the influences of south-east asian music – via the athletic funk of  Dutch groups like The Mausokvic dance band or YĪN YĪN – the new single from Oxford’s Blue Bayou surges through it’s frolicsome 4-minute span like a Mario Kart winner powered by a star. Buoyant, bubbly, and insatiably bright, ‘Hide & Seek’ is driven by a Jeff Lynne/E.L.O pop philosophy of all-out, maximalist production, and positively abounds with sonic riches – be they disco strings, twinkling arpeggiators or stacked trumpet blasts. Opening for The Klittens and Brown Horse in their hometown, also working with producer Chris Barker (Willie J Healey), Blue Bayou vivaciously emerge as a fresh talent from a city that always has a knack of throwing up fascinating new artists. (Elvis Thirlwell)

Oral Habit – ‘Garage Frock’

If you attended The Great Escape and/or Alternative Escape in Brighton last week, you likely witnessed first-hand the burgeoning local music scene and remarkable range of talent fostered within the BN1 postcode and its surrounding areas. One such act from the East Sussex treasure trove that caught our attention is psychedelic garage-rock three-piece, Oral Habit. The Brighton shredders are back with another snotty, fuzz-filled garage-psych tune ‘Garage Frock’, that calls to mind Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall. Perfect for enjoying at barbeques or beach parties (which is aspirational in this increasingly inconsistent UK May heat wave), if you can’t catch them live any time soon, delve into their newest musical offerings and you won’t be disappointed. (Brad Sked)

Phil Langero – ‘Single Ladies’

A heady brew of industrial acid-psychedelia and drone, Phil Langero has unleashed a mind-warping marvel into our mortal realm with his new track ‘Single Ladies’. Langero is otherwise known as one half of the folk duo Moundabout, and on this latest solo endeavour, the Irish artist crafts a 7-plus-minute instrumental of surrealistic experimental noise which serves as a taster from his upcoming album ‘Practical Dancing (for the Modern Man)’. ‘Single Ladies’ arrives via Rocket Recordings, and given that the Bristol imprint has released the likes of Goat, Pig x 7, MIEN and Smote, Langero’s latest radical offering feels right at home amongst its peers. (Brad Sked)