Essential new music, also including Shaking Hand, Ninush, Of Iryn and Ugly.

Flip Top Head – ‘Trilateral Machine’

Jointly announcing their upcoming sophomore EP of the same name, Flip Top Head have emerged with emphatic new single ‘Trilateral Machine’. Enlisting the production wizardry of Theo Verney (credits on Lime Garden and English Teacher), the announcement marks a welcome return from the Brighton sextet following the lofty reception of last year’s debut ‘Up Like A Weather Balloon’. ‘Trilateral Machine’ is a polished, vaulting art-rock excursion that lopes elegantly through expansive polyrhythmic splendour, enswathed by lead singer Bowie Bartlett’s immaculate, crystalline vocals that pirouette with the firm delicacy of spun glass. The single is said to recycle old lyrics from a song called ‘If I Could Atomize’ by Elliot, Bowie’s late Dad’s band, and Flip Top Head elaborate, “The message, we hope, is one of empowerment – in overcoming unexpected obstacles and finding comfort along the way”. The ‘Trilateral Machine EP’ is due for release on 23rd January via Blitzcat Records. (Hazel Blacher)

Lifeguard – ‘Ultra Violence’

Hot off the heels of this year’s Matador debut ‘Ripped and Torn’, Chicago’s Lifeguard make a boisterous return this week with rip-roaring new single ‘Ultra Violence’. One half of a 7″ maxi single due in the new year, ‘Ultra Violence’ returns to the kind of deranged, untethered punk-rock blasts that characterised their earlier EPs. Recorded in their own rehearsal space, the sparks of this tight-knit three-piece flare up in vibrant force, and the lo-fi textures (recalling Kai Slater’s own Sharp Pins project) show up all their most  most alluring virtues: cool as fuck, referencing the late 70s, thrashing guitar strings like nothing else matters. I.e. everything that you’d want a hot-blooded and youthful garage rock outfit to be. We’re told the said maxi single ‘Ultra violence / Appetite” consists of 11 tracks in 13 minutes. We’ll wait to see how that turns out… (Elvis Thirlwell)

Shaking Hand – ‘In For a… Pound!’

The second single from Shaking Hand’s upcoming self-titled debut album finds the Manchester trio continuing to experiment with and resist structure. In many ways it feels untrue to call this post-rock, a label you’d feel pretty comfortable filing the band’s previous work under. ‘Mantras’, our first taste of the album, was a sprawling and patient effort, but here things are much more immediate: this new one builds and jolts with sharp post-punk guitar strikes and monosyllabism before temporarily submitting to an abrasive collage of Sonic Youth-indebted noise. We knew before ‘In For a… Pound!’ that Shaking Hand can pen slow burn epics, but we now know that they can pack as much ambition into much less time, which only strengthens their claim as one of the most exciting new guitar bands in the country as we head into the new year. (Marty Hill)

Ninush – ‘I Don’t Mind’

In a warm swirl of strings, lightness, and gentle wit, Ninush announces her debut EP ‘The Flowers I See You In’ – set for release on 6^th February via The Bird Records – with the release of ‘I Don’t Mind’. Rather than striving for impact through volume, Ninush opts for delicacy, crafting an alternative-pop gem that merges her playful lyricism with intricate string arrangements. ‘I Don’t Mind’ dances on an upbeat melodic pattern, its whimsical energy carried by Nina Lim’s soft vocal delivery – at once intimate and teasing. A quiet whistle threads through the arrangement, while violins introduce an elegant texture that gradually blossoms into catharsis. The strings do not merely ornament the track; they serve as its emotional spine. Lyrically, she plays with imagery and emotion, balancing humour with vulnerability. The refrain is wrapped in gentle harmonies: “If you had something to tell me / I’d still like to talk about it / I don’t mind.” With ‘I Don’t Mind’, Ninush embodies her ability to fuse complex instrumentation with effortless charm, transforming small moments into something lush, vivid, and lingering. (Isabel Kilevold)

Of Iyrn – ‘Nada Mais’

The sophomore single from London-via-West-Midlands outfit Of Iyrn (pronounced: “of eye-urn”), ‘Nada Mais’ delivers a smouldering and epic romance.  Produced by Joseph Futak (Lilo, Sunglasz Vendor, Clementine March) and released via prolific London grassroots label Joy of Life International, ‘Nada Mais’, put simply, is gorgeous. Recalling the expansive, experimental compositions of the Tropicalia classics without straying too far from a British, homespun affectation, Alec Madeley’s vocal (sung entirely in Portuguese), croons like honey above a refined arrangement which builds and blooms into wonders ever more anthemic and rapturous – there’s choirs, strings, reeds, nylon guitars, the works. It’s sexy as hell.  If ‘Nada Mais’ by Of Iyrn walked up to you in a bar and offered you a drink, you’d go weak at the knees, your heart rate would sky-rocket, and you’d be sliding into its DMs. (Elvis Thirlwell)

Ugly – ‘Gallowine’

Building on the buzz surrounding Ugly’s long-awaited debut album ‘The South Facade’, the London-based sextet have revealed first single, ‘Gallowine’, an early taster of what’s to come. If ‘Gallowine’ is a glimpse of what the album will hold, you can bet that it will be thoroughly enjoyable and totally unpredictable. The track doesn’t give us any time to ponder, kicking in almost immediately with two differing melodies that intertwine, and this bouncy tone remains the focal point of the song, maintaining the flow and keeping the listener on tenterhooks. Although the sound is hard to define, at points it plays out like a jubilant theme song from an 80’s movie, in all the best ways. Despite how chaotic it seems on the surface, ‘Gallowine’ manages to be so re-playable, so additive, and if this is an indication of what’s to come on ‘The South Façade’, we’re all in for a treat. (Pearse Connick)