Further Listening: Dark Houses, Has A Shadow, Casper Skulls, Robocobra Quartet, Thos Henley, Hinds, This Becomes Us, TRAAMS, Gabriella Cohen, DTCV, Baba Naga, The Adventures Of The Silver Spaceman, Tomorrows, Jack River, Rodes Rollins, Nikolas Escudero, Penelope Isles, Jeffrey Lewis, Japandroids, Stars and Rabbit, Findlay, Wolf People, Lady Lamb, Middle Kids, Duke Garwood, Hawk, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, I Like Trains, The Sloppy Heads, Family Friends, COTE, Young Romance, Lowly, Rhain, Haybaby, QTY, Teleman and the new video from Margaret Glaspy.

5. Sigh Along To False Advertising

Whisper it quietly, but Manchester’s music scene is showing signs of a revival, the city seems to finally be moving on from Oasis and The Stone Roses and is producing some genuinely interesting bands, not least DIY, three-piece, guitar thrashers False Advertising. The trio have this week shared Sigh, the latest track lifted from their Brainless EP.

Along with bands like Doe and whenyoung, False Advertising are heavily indebted to the early 1990’s alt-rock sound, but providing it with a fresh energy and sparkling new ideas. Sigh is a perfect example, infusing their sound with some angular post-rock guitar work as singer, Jen Hingley relays her struggle with family tragedy, and learning to cope once your sense of normality has been entirely ripped apart.. Having supported the likes of Pins, Bob Mould and Menace Beach, and been included in the Too Pure singles club 2016 has been very promising for False Advertising, the band are celebrating that by heading out on tour later this month: well worth looking into.

Brainless EP is out now. Click HERE for all upcoming False Advertising shows.

4. Battling The Slumber

The latest signing to the increasingly reliable Sports Day Records, Slumbers are a talented trio of Rochester raised musicians, who rather creepily, (or have we just been watching too much of The Missing?) cite their interests as sleeping and being in basements. Slumbers are set to release their new EP, Come Over, later this month, and have this week shared the first taste of that record, Battle.

Fittingly lullaby-like, Battle starts off as a woozy, slice of odd-ball pop, pitched somewhere between Kimya Dawson and Girl Ray, but as the reedy saxophone drifts in mid-song, you’re washed away into an all together dreamier place, just as it threatens to break out into full-blown jazz it tastefully fades away, leaving the world a little better for its passing. Live, the trio have been known to don eye masks and pyjamas, listening to this it’s one slumber party you won’t want to miss (imagine that in an Alan Partridge voice for maximum affect)

Come Over is out November 25th via Sports Day Records. 

3. Empire Of The Sløtface

Even beyond their excellently stupid name, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy Norway pop-punk stars in the making, Sløtface. They’ve got a new EP coming out later this month, and this week the Stavanger quartet have shared the title track, Empire Records.

A bright and breezy slice of pop-punk, Empire Records is from the same school as Field Mouse or Tacocat. There is no wasted energy, here just pure pop-hooks, buzz-saw guitar lines, and a lyrical kiss-off to the idea of ageing and being expected to act your age. Garnering plenty of attention already, these talented lot look set for huge things, expect the name Sløtface to be worrying Radio presenters the world over in 2017.

Empire Records EP is out November 25 via Propeller Recordings. Click HERE for all upcoming Sløtface shows.

2. A Public Display Of Fast Eating

You might remember we mentioned EAT FAST in this very feature way back in April. At the time we didn’t really know anything about the mysterious scally-wags, so it’s quite nice to report not only are they back with a new single, Public Display Of Affection, but also with some information about who they actually are!

Starting out as the recording project of Newcastle-bred noise-make Adam Pearson, EAT FAST have now expanded into a four-piece, and things seem to be going rather nicely for them, with plenty of online and radio coverage coming their way. Listening to Public Display Of Affection, you can only imagine more hype coming their way – built around echo-drenched vocals, steady drums hit and fuzzy, ringing guitar chords, there’s a touch of No Age or Gentle Friendly about EAST FAST, but primarily they’re a primal thrill all their own making.

PDA is out now. EAST FAST play Kamio in London on November 24th.

1. Bruising Don’t Mind If You Like Their New Single

With famous fans (Meredith Graves and Andrew W.K),  and both internet and radio acclaim, Bruising seem like a band destined to take 2017 by storm. Before they get to that though, there’s the small matter of their rather brilliant new single, I Don’t Mind, which is coming out early next month via Beech Coma..

Recorded whilst the bands songwriters, front-woman Naomi Baguley and guitarist Ben Lewis were living in Berlin and Leeds respectively, I Don’t Mind is the result of a winning combination of loneliness and having plenty of time on your hands. Naomi has suggested the I Don’t Mind asks the listener to re-evaluate its titular saying, ‘“I don’t mind” is a sweet phrase’, Naomi explains ‘It’s supportive and comforting, not as passive as it seems. Whatever you are going through or whatever you need to be – I don’t mind’. Musically it’s a winning blend of sweet, hooky melodies, spliced through with surges of fuzzy, meandering guitars and pulsating rhythmic thrills. If there’s a more exciting band in the UK right now than Bruising can somebody let us know?

I Don’t Mind is out December 2nd via Beech Coma. Bruising tour the UK in December, click HERE for all dates.