Plus essential new releases from Slow Cooked, Folk Bitch Trio, Divorce, Pynch and Slowhandclap.

Fcukers – ‘Play Me’

Exuding the same blasé confidence as those hotties that you just watched the bouncer let skip past the hour-long queue, ‘Play Me’ sees NYC’s Fcukers continue to make ‘cool’ look as effortless as rolling out of bed, slapping on a pair of wraparound sunglasses and snapping a couple of washed out, red-eyed selfies on an obsolete digicam. Arriving off the back of last year’s debut EP ‘Baggy$$’, which featured a stylistic assortment of indie dance nostalgia at the axis of Y2K’s cultural resurgence, their new single, co-written by Kenny Beats, turns up the tempo for a sizzling, skankable foray into drum and bass. That said, the track’s home-brewed DIY accessibility and colourful dubstep ‘wub wubs’ might alienate purists of the aforementioned genre, rendering it closer to an indie sleaze/dance pop anthem fit for an uptempo, late night boogie. Balancing their untouchable, razor sharp aura with a catchy, drive time radio pep, ‘Play Me’ is yet more proof that Fcukers are an act well on their way to becoming a household name. (Hazel Blacher)

Silver Gore – ‘Dogs In Heaven’

To all the readers in search of an artist worthy enough to fill the Jockstrap-shaped hole in their bereft alt-kid heart: it’s time to get acquainted with the technicolour world of Silver Gore. The new collaborative project between Ethan P. Flynn and Ava Gore has been stirring up intrigue and whispers since their appearance at the Great Escape earlier this year, and their debut single ‘Dogs In Heaven’ substantiates the buzz that has been quietly mounting around them, arriving this week via Island Records. Set against a vivid, twinkling backdrop of hyper-melodic, rapid-fire synth bell arpeggiators and quaint sound effects that bare apt resemblance to canine-like howls, here classically trained Gore showcases her impressive vocal range across a succinct 2 minutes. Said to be inspired by repeated watches of 1989 animated film  ‘All Dogs Go To Heaven’, the track was supposedly written and recorded in one sitting, with the duo aiming to capture “exactly how we’re feeling in a moment”. Administering listeners with a nourishing dose of off-kilter, genre bending alt-pop, ‘Dogs In Heaven’ glimmers with the sort of wide-eyed, child-like wonder that keeps you coming back for more. (Hazel Blacher)

Slow Cooked – ‘Vest Poets’ / ‘Gammon’

Originally hailing from West Yorkshire and now residing in South London, cellist and songwriter in Slow Cooked has returned with double offering ‘Vest Poets’ and ‘Gammon’. A-side ‘Vest Poets’ launches into a turbo-charged, angst-filled art-rock and krautrock beast, before departing off-course into a slower, more graceful second half. ‘Gammon’ picks up where ‘Vest Poets’ left off with its similarly stripped back stylings. The second track is a delicate delight that remains stunningly grand and cinematic, filled with delicate orchestral accompaniments such as piano and cellos that build with a subtle elegance. If you’re in the market for a monumental, Nick Cave-esque splendour of a ballad, then ‘Gammon’ will leave nothing to be desired. (Brad Sked)

Folk Bitch Trio – ‘Hotel TV’

In the glow of ‘Hotel TV’, Folk Bitch Trio hum the ache of midnight guilt through the static of desire. The Melbourne-based trio have carved out a distinct and well-deserved space in the contemporary music scene while staying rooted in folk tradition, and their new single ‘Hotel TV’ plays like a late-night confession. It’s a dreamy, emotionally raw track about having a “filthy dream” about someone else while lying next to your partner. A gritty guitar line delivers a gentle melody, creating a tension that mirrors the contrast between sharp-edged lyrics and soft humming, and there’s a feeling of catharsis in the way that humour seeps through the track’s emotional landscape. On ‘Hotel TV’, Folk Bitch Trio reclaim folk as a genre that goes beyond solemn introspection, where emotional chaos, disillusionment, and honesty can meet softness, playfulness, and humility. (Isabel Kilevold)

Divorce – ‘O Calamity’

Hot on the heels of their genre-bending debut album ‘Drive to Goldenhammer’, alt-country/indie outfit Divorce have returned with ‘O Calamity’, a tender serenade from a fractured psyche. The track harbours itself in a space of emotional peace, emerging from vulnerability like a squirrel surfacing from its winter hibernation. With caution, co-vocalists Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow wade into lyrical self-reflection, and their voices tiptoe beside a delicately plucked acoustic guitar, operating in soothing harmony at the track’s gentle chorus. The Nottingham four-piece are said to have first met atop a hill, which is a fitting origin story for a band breezing through the UK indie scene like a breath of fresh air. Riding the momentum of their successful first run, the band are set to hit the road again this November for the second leg of their ‘Drive to Goldenhammer’ UK tour. (Josh Parsonage)

Pynch – ‘Post Punk/New Wave’

In welcome news, London DIY merchants Pynch have returned, sharing ‘Post Punk / New Wave’ along with news of their new sophomore album ‘Beautiful Noise’ set for release 3rd October via their own imprint Chillburn Recordings. Echoing Pavement and Teenage Fanclub, ‘Post Punk / New Wave’ is a feast of lo-fi indie goodness laced with jangly guitars and honeyed harmonies, launching into an anthemic can spiller for the festival days. Truly glorious stuff. The quartet have also shared news of a UK tour, stopping off for a hometown show in London on the 17th October at Colours. (Brad Sked)

Slowhandclap – ‘Disarm’

Packing an angsty, abrasive punch that instantly jostles your nervous system into pint-spilling mosh mode, Slowhandclap’s ‘Disarm’ prickles with fury and sparky attitude. Serving as a sort of pseudo introduction to the Manchester four piece, who have just one other single to their name, the new track is a thrilling onslaught of bristly post-punk braced with window-shattering noise rock distortion. Lyrically, it is fraught with personal and political strife, which vocalist Sam Bullock explains: “The track speaks about feeling like you’re under someone’s control, being made to feel like you owe something and the power that asserts over you. It can apply to individual relationships, as well as the gaslighting a nation projects in the form of patriotism”. Slowhandclap will be playing their first London show on the 31st July at the Windmill, supporting Stratford Rise. (Hazel Blacher)