As we plough face first into the beginning of the premature bit of the beginning of Christmas before Advent and anything really starts but the John Lewis and Sainsbury’s adverts are on now and the decorations are going up in some idiot’s houses and the high street and despite having warnings for months now, people are actually booking Christmas lunches for the teams at work at the local Chef and Brewer, we’re still just carrying on as normal as there’s still new music being released and I haven’t even started thinking about my Top 10’s of the year, let alone ruddy bloody Chrimbo pressies.
Here’s aforementioned new music. TRACKS. OF. THE. WEEK. No sleigh bells ring-ting-tingerling just yet. Merry November you filthy animals.
Bored Marsh – Dogooder
Why we love it: because Bored Marsh have delivered an autumnal, melancholic next slice from their upcoming second EP. The titular new single ‘DoGooder’ continues the heavier, angrier bent on this record, however there is calm amongst the stormy, turbulent seas.
There’s an Echo and the Bunnymen reverb heavy verse, maybe even some Joy Division bleak, disparate atmospherics. The chorus roars like a wounded wild cat “Seek and you many find/if you give it away/I’ve been around/I’ve been the same/but you feed me to the night”.
The EP is out on 21 November, and they’ve just today announced that it will be available, along with their debut EP, Idiot EP, released last year, on oxblood red vinyl. They’re calling the collection Particles (2 EPs) and you can get your mits on it the week after on, 28 November. (Jim Auton)
Sex Mask – Cold
Why we love it: Sex Mask release their new EP Body Broker at the end of this month and have hared the explosive lead single ‘Cold’. ‘Cold’ scampers across the vista on the back of nagging guitars and nimble basslines, diving headlong into a shot of volatile ruminative vocals underpinned by hook-laden instrumentation, it hints at early Bad Seeds, Joy Division or The Chameleons. It sounds like someone scrambling at the end of the world, and it’s utterly unstoppable.
Sex Mask is the self-contained writing/production unit – comprised of Vicente Moncada on drums/production, Wry Gray on vocals and lyrics, and Kaya Martin on guitars and synths – have only released a handful of singles to date but have amassed a devout following and widespread acclaim in the process.
Speaking on the single Wry Gray said, “Cold was written several years ago somewhere near the base of Mt Fuji. I was very unwell, bedridden and all the doctors were under the belief my state was induced by the influence of a rare neurotoxin I had picked up from eating fresh frogs and crabs in stormwater drains all over Japan’s suburban tunnel systems. I was filling glass jars with may beetles, aging them until they became like preserves.”
The track is an introduction to the new Body Broker EP, which sees the band expand further on their multi-faceted sonic template. It also features a guest contribution from Noah Learmonth of fast-rising hometown friends Radio Free Alice, who the band will tour with this autumn. (Bill Cummings)
Looney Bergonzi – Hole Foods
Why we love it: Bristol collective Looney Bergonzi recently released their debut EP Looney Bergonzi, EP1 via BWGiBWGAN (Why Horses?), alongside a brilliant new single ‘Hole Foods‘.
‘Hole Foods’ is a suitably ghostly and quirky earworm, elastic that whispers flights of fancy into your ear, surreal entwined girl/boy melody interweaves these subtle stripped-back non-pop trinkets, abstract lyrics build up stories that are at once vivid and unsettling. They mine similar worlds as the offbeat pop of Tune-Yards, the stripped back hauntings of Young Marble Giants, and the arty offerings of Cate Le Bon. Infinately promising and utterly beguiling, they cast a spell on you. (Bill Cummings)
OneDa- Superstar
Why we love it: Award winning Manchester rapper and poet OneDa‘s ‘Superstar’ is fierce and uplifting anthem that celebrates identity and self-worth. Fusing her signature hip-hop and drum & bass style with afro-trap energy and gritty bars, ‘Superstar’ exudes star-quality. The track gives props to the iconic adidas Superstar trainer. Set to feature in the 1×1 Superstar campaign that is celebrating the sneaker OneDa explains their personal affinity saying, “The Superstar kicks represent passion, resilience, hard work and power—everything I believe I possess as an artist and individual being. ‘Superstar’ is more than a track — it’s a mission statement. (Carmel Walsh)
Keyside – Rock My Love
Why we love it: Because it’s a smart, shimmering earworm infused with heartbreak, healing and hooks Liverpool risers, Keyside have done it again, following the road from desolation to redemption with the contagious melodies of ‘Rock My Love.’ Rich with poetic metaphor, meticulous riffs and addictive chord progressions, the Liverpool four-piece release a vital message on redemption through art. Lead singer Parker says of the single: “The character in the song has hit rock bottom, struggling with addiction and unemployed, but she finds a way to live again through a love of photography. It’s autobiographical in some ways as music has been a path to lead me away from being lost on dark roads” Drawing on a deep well of personal experience to tell urgent tales from Britain’s frontline, the song rallies against hopelessness. The beautiful contradiction of Keyside and their gloriously upbeat, socially conscious song writing radiates across ‘Rock My Love.’ The sky is the limit for these Liverpool troubadours. (Carmel Walsh)
Chasing Abbey – Íorónta’
Why we love it: Soulful, shamanic and hypnotic, ‘Íorónta’ is the latest addition to Chasing Abbey’s revolutionary new sound that blends traditional Irish music with edgy electronic production showcasing the Irish language in all its glory. The ground breaking track carries all the spellbinding, powerful draíocht of the Celtic past into the 21st Century, like a bronze age sword that’s been dug up, polished and ready to battle again. ‘Íorónta’ is the third single in a string of quick releases and follows up from the massive success of ‘Arís is Arís’ which claimed the number 1 spot on the Spotify viral chart and remained in top 5 in the Shazam chart for multiple weeks cementing Chasing Abbey as the godfathers of electronic Celtic music. The band comprise of an award-winning trio from Tullamore, Ireland with multiple platinum singles to their name. Chasing Abbey are famed for their high-energy, electrifying performances. They are on tour in Ireland, the UK and Australia soon. Check them out! (Carmel Walsh)
Ona Mafalda – Reset
Why we love it: Bi-lingual artist, Ona Mafalda is a rising star in the Spanish scene borderless combination of influences from across the Mediterranean, Balkans, Europe, and US (where she studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music).
Born from the need to reset and start from scratch, the new record ‘Reset’ is inspired by the music that has accompanied Ona since childhood – now reinvented in her own language. The lead track is a frantic earworm that skips and grooves and is infused with a rushing melody sung in Spanish, it’s a shedding of the skin, it’s a odee to starting again, it’s so catchy.
The raw new sound – recorded in the UK with a swathe of producers including Mac Wetha (Dirty Hit), Dan Holloway (Lava La Rue, Dylan), Sour Sync, and Khotton – exudes authenticity, strength, and vulnerability in equal measure, reflecting the voice of a generation unafraid to begin again.She’s performed across the likes of Primavera, Eurosonic, and The Great Escape, and on 19th Nov will come over to London for a one-off headline showcase at The Victoria. (Bill Cummings)
Louis O’Hara – Magpie
Why we love it: Louis O’Hara announces the release of his debut album, A Peaceful Kind of Fun, out 7th November 2025 on Libertino Records. The news arrives alongside the release of ‘Magpie’, the album’s latest single. It hypnotises with a well-worn melody backed by a swaying strum and sighing woodwind, it’s wistful and plaintive yet also romantic, it reminds one of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci‘s more sedate moments, or the heart and the sleeve melodies of Sweet Baboo, it vividly depicts O’Hara’s ability to carve beautifully realised, touching, delicate melodic heart on the sleeve gems.
‘A Peaceful Kind of Fun’ is a 14-track collection that distils West Walian O’Hara’s poetic lyricism, tender folk roots, and subtle chamber-pop flourishes into a deeply personal yet quietly universal debut. Recorded with his band His Burley Chassis and produced by James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, Young Fathers, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis) in Spain, the album is shaped by themes of memory, loss, joy, and the places and people that anchor a life.
“The album gathers together fragments of memory, relationships, and place, weaving them into songs that honour the connections which shape a life. Moving between moments of joy, loss, and reflection, A Peaceful Kind of Fun lingers on the small details that stay with us – the echoes of childhood, the presence of family, the landscapes of home.” (Bill Cummings)
