| Essential new singles, also ft. Lifeloose, Kickboy and debasement. | | mary in the junkyard by Daisy & Tomos Ayscough | Words: Isabel Kilevold, Grace Palmer, Brad Sked, Hazel Blacher | | | mary in the junkyard – 'Crash Landing' | | mary in the junkyard drift through warped melodies and soft echoes, revealing an ethereal fragility as they announce their debut album, 'Role Model Hermit'—set for release on July 3rd via AMF Records—accompanied by the release of 'Crash Landing'. The London-based trio move gently between vulnerability and abstraction, blending fuzzy instrumentals with Clari Freeman-Taylor's hypnotic vocals. The lyrics are both intimate and surreal: "You opened up like a coconut," a line that feels almost disarmingly playful at first glance, yet quietly devastating in its implication. There is a childlike whimsy in the image—something tactile, sweet, and oddly specific—but beneath it sits an admission of exposure. The trio has carved out a sound both delicate and deeply grounded. David Addison's drum groove sways beneath the earthy, resonant strings of Saya Barbaglia, while the melody unfolds with minimalist pacing, anchored by a warm, understated bassline that quietly guides its intricate layers. On 'Crash Landing', mary in the junkyard slip further into the whimsical, allowing vulnerability to emerge in an honest, unguarded form, where even the softest, most curious images carry the sharpest emotional edges. (Isabel Kilevold) | | Gelli Haha – 'Klouds Will Carry Me to Sleep' | | Hidden amongst the clouds lies a fairground, overflowing with whimsy and wonderment; unreal, unfathomable, and a little unhinged. This vaudevillian landscape is captured in Gelli Haha's (aka Ange Abaya) new single, 'Klouds Will Carry Me to Sleep' (via Innovative Leisure) – a hypnotic track that whisks you away into a land of make-believe. Vast and atmospheric rising synths introduce the song before bursting into a manic overlay of vocals, synth breaks and distortions. Reminiscent of '80s arcades, with a splash of '00s Pop, 'Klouds Will Carry Me to Sleep' embraces the fun and upbeat. Abstracting pop sensibilities through the spoken countdown and the sampled phrase, "listen to your heart", Abaya relinquishes herself to the freedom of kitsch. Finalising our journey through "the crowds, the club, the cumulus", we are brought back to Earth, where the symphonic overlays fall away. Finally carried to sleep, Abaya leaves us resting on a single synth line, rocking against the waves. Gelli Haha embarks on her US tour this Spring, with support from Big Sis. (Grace Palmer) | | Brighton newcomers Goodbye have had quite the week, sharing their debut EP 'These Things Take Time' and aptly titled final single 'Take Time'. Opening with a celestial Brian Jonestown Massacre-esque jangle, lead vocalist Sarah Ryan's sanguine vocals croon across the subdued stunner. At first ethereal and mesmerising, before launching into a leaden wall-of-noise, 'Take Time' is a gorgeous, seraphic shoegaze ballad. The track is utter melancholic bliss, a mammoth, candied euphony that builds into something so cathartic it echoes an out of body experience. Goodbye will be taking their soul-cleansing, dreamy shoegaze tirade to a whole bunch of cities very soon, including a return to The George Tavern on the 7th April and a hometown headline at Alphabet in Brighton on the 14th April. (Brad Sked) | | If Getdown Services and Peaches did a Jeff Goldblum and accidentally tag-teamed the teleportation machine from The Fly, what emerged from its retrofuturistic doors might not be too dissimilar to London newcomers Lifeloose. The intriguing new duo – formed of Aldi Ho and Josie Silverman – met whilst studying at Guildhall Music School and have since become staunch regulars on the London music circuit, forming part of a new underground emerging from the withering embers of Brat summer. Synthesising many of the tropes and aesthetics of early internet culture with a new subtlety and sense of humour, Lifeloose's self titled debut single 'Lifeloose' casts a woozy, wonky electro-pop spell. Murky analog loops descend like a fog, entwined with spectral vocals and a witchy synth line that wouldn't be out of place in a Skream early dubstep classic. Lifeloose claim that "The party's only just begun", and based on what we've heard from them so far, that's a statement I'm very much inclined to believe. (Hazel Blacher) | | KickBoy – 'Scared Of Needles' | | Those familiar with the whirlwind 'milk-punk' bedlam of South London's KickBoy are in for a surprise with their newest single 'Scared Of Needles'. Pivoting to a decidedly gentler, pop leaning indie-rock sound that lyrically explores the vulnerabilities that love exposes, the new track was produced by Home Counties' guitarist Conor Kearney at his Mile End studio. Still zipping with energy but softened by bright, clean production and anthemic indie accessibility, 'Scared Of Needles' teases KickBoy's upcoming EP 'KICK'N'MIX', due for release later this year. Lead vocalist and bassist Jamie Danish explains: "'Scared of Needles' is a hint of what's to come on the EP. Anyone who's listened to our music or seen us live knows this isn't what we normally sound like. That's the whole point. 'KICK'N'MIX'is going to be a total explosion of nonsensical genre blends which is exactly what we cultivate in our performances. This track is a standalone moment – but we wanted to hint to listeners that the band they followed for its unpredictability is staying true to form." (Hazel Blacher) | | deBasement – 'AFTERMARKET BASS (feat. Nikki Nair)' | | Teaming up with uptempo wizard and certified after-hours mischief facilitator Nikki Nair, LA's deBasement move even deeper towards the thronging, thumping nucleus of the club dancefloor on their new single 'AFTERMARKET BASS'. The queer dance duo – led by Alli Logout, also known for their work with punk outfit Special Interest – have returned with the first offering since 2025 single 'Aperol Spritz'. Shedding their skin of the extroverted Y2K electropop sound that defined their earlier releases, 'AFTERMARKET BASS' is a high octane slice of finessed, bassy club endurance perfectly engineered to incite raving in any and all locations. (Hazel Blacher) | | | | |
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