This week's essential new releases, also featuring Night Swimming, cruush, Dorothy and Butch Kassidy.
deathcrash by Matthew Weinberger | Words: Brad Sked, Isabel Kilevold, Marty HIll, Hazel Blacher
deathcrash – 'Triumph'
Released via forward-thinking imprint untitled (recs), London quartet deathcrash - Noah Bennett (drums), Patrick Fitzgerald (bass), Matthew Weinberger (guitar) and Tiernan Banks (vocals/guitar) - have shared their latest single 'Triumph'. A wonderfully heady, downtempo wall of noise, the track coalesces emo, post-rock and grunge in a way befitting to soundtrack a Tony Hawks game during a bout of sorrow. Despite its melancholic undertones, in places it feels cathartic, almost euphoric. Glorious stuff from the outfit, who have also announced a UK tour in 2026, that will see the four-piece powerhouses return to the capital at The Garage on 16th April. (Brad Sked)
Pem – 'to earth will you tell me when we land'
'to earth will you tell me when we land' orbits through hushed constellations of keys and strings, led by a voice trembling under the weight of gravity. Following the single's release, Pem announces her upcoming EP, 'other ways of landing', out 30 January via Fascination Street Records. Minimalist arrangements of soft keys shimmer beneath the quiet quiver of her vocals, while gentle strings add texture to the ethereal, alternative ballad. Subtle, deliberate percussion anchors the weightlessness of the track; each beat lands like a slow heartbeat, grounding the song's celestial drift. The song's vulnerable lyricism draws from the intimacy of folk storytelling, weaving cosmic distance with human fragility. 'to earth will you tell me when we land' is intimate yet expansive — full of emotional distance and gravitational pull. "And isn't it strange / The way that people get closer / From that far away" is delivered with raw emotion yet crystalline clarity, anchoring Pem's otherworldly sound in a quality that feels achingly human. (Isabel Kilevold)
Night Swimming – 'Submarine'
Night Swimming descend beneath the surface on 'Submarine' with a wash of reverb and restrained percussion, carrying a pulse that feels half-submerged. The Bath-based dream-pop outfit craft a sound where static hums and echoes drift through wavering light. Drawing on the hazy edges of shoegaze and the intimacy of indie rock, they layer textures that feel suspended — both weightless and heavy with emotion. Meg Jones' voice glides through the mix with an otherworldly pitch, each syllable dissolving into shimmer. Beneath, percussion ripples with steady restraint, anchoring the drift. Guitars blur into reverb, and melodies glint and fade like reflections on moving water. The result is immersive yet fragile, balancing tension and tenderness. The bridge resonates with an eerie familiarity as Jones sings, "Undone by nights that gleam and glean / Strange how it's always here waiting." The lyric lingers, each note a ripple spreading outward until it disappears into silence. With 'Submarine', Night Swimming blur memory into motion, crafting a sound that breathes between stillness and surrender. (Isabel Kilevold)
cruush – 'Rupert Giles'
Aside from the reality that they formed seven years ago, everything about Manchester four-piece cruush feels new. Having updated their line-up and enlisting Sickroom Studios' Owen Turner's for production, it's clear that they are taking a huge leap forward on their new single 'Rupert Giles', which immediately feels like their best song yet. The layers of distortion and feedback that dominated their early work are much more fragmented here, and using them to punctuate rather than overpower allows the brilliant songwriting that sits underneath to come to the fore. It feels as though the band are now drawing from a much more eclectic pool of influences, experimenting with how they can apply more subtle elements of shoegaze to their work with flair and conviction. (Marty Hill)
Dorothy – 'I want to be out at sea'
A glistening sonic catharsis that lapses through time in faint, ocean-like whispers, Dorothy's 'I want to be out at sea' is a soul-warming soup that gleams in shades of crystal aquamarine, restorative like a deep exhale of coastal air. The single from the newly formed London supergroup - featuring Marco Pini (of Sorry and RIP Magic), heka and Saint Jude - arrives via Angel Tapes (a subsidiary of US based label Fire Talk), following on aesthetically from their recent debut '50s song' in a less delineated and more pensive form. Abstracted vocals and guitars wash over a fog of synth drones that ebb and flow with intensity, delicate and dense all at once. Unfolding like the hazy, far away memories that form those formative vignettes of comfort and safety in our subconscious, the track is enswathed in a soft ambience that flickers gently, like the glow of hope that forms from grief where joy and sorrow entwine. A gorgeous and compelling collaboration between three highly accomplished artists in their own right. (Hazel Blacher)
Butch Kassidy – 'Like Fire'
In a demanding industry, where immediacy is king and insistence from labels, management, press and agents alike often pushes artists to adhere to a breakneck release schedule in the name of momentum, London outfit Butch Kassidy have absolutely rejected standard convention and the norm. Following up from their debut single 'Heath', released nearly 5 years ago, the five-piece are finally back with surprise new single 'Like Fire'. A visceral, searing cacophony of noise and post-rock, 'Like Fire' is potent enough to liquidate one to a pulp. An outfit that has maintained their mystery and allure since their emergence on the London scene - largely a testament to their impactful live shows - Butch Kassidy's return is a welcome one, so whether it's another five years from now or not, here's to more. (Brad Sked)
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