To coincide with their 24 hour takeover of Best Fit, When Saints Go Machine hand selected and mixed this decadent selection of tracks that delves deep into their musical inspiration.

Thirty minutes of immersive house and electronica, the mix features cuts from the likes of Ben Click, Andy Stott, Container and Elbee Bad. Let it soundtrack your day below.

When Saints Go Machine’s new album Infinity Pool is out Monday 27 May.

Spooky atmospherics are carved open by some thick soulful ooohs, glitzy guitars and snapping snares on ‘Platoon’, the debut track from Chess Club Records’ new signing, Jungle.

Quickly gathering tempo, it becomes a sort of mildly stoned stamp through an undergrowth teeming with musky drum fills and flickering, reverb-slathered guitars by the mid-section. Although at the very heart of this groovy little safari lie those marvelously primal hoot and howl vocal harmonies; tempting us, luring us further into the sweat-drenched melody like the promise of lost gold among buzzing flora and fauna.

The elusive outfit will release ‘Platoon’ – and accompanying track ‘Drops’ – on 15 July via Chess Club Records.

Best Fit favourite MØ paid a visit to London’s prestigious Maida Vale studios recently to cut a live session for new music torchbearer Huw Stephens, broadcast last night on BBC Radio 1.

Performing new single ‘Waste Of Time’ alongside firm favourites ‘Maiden’ and ‘Pilgrim’, the young Dane continues to out perform her peers with effortless grace and swagger. Listen below.

London newcomer Scarper, debuts the first single, a lush, ambient mix of techno and 90s house off his forthcoming Unfurl EP.

Vintage synths create soft, fluffy melodies that sound like something a less moody Phil Collins or Paul Simon would have dreamed up. The first offering off labelhead, Scarper’s June release, ‘Bubblecloud’, winds through ambient keyboard keys and sharp metallic synths stabs taking listeners through a cloud-like existence all the way to the end. You lucky ducks get the very first listen here on Best Fit today.

Scarper’ Unfurl EP is out 24th June via Plexus Records.

Tracklist
01 Surfing The Cosmic Belt
02 New Blue Noon
03 Bubblecloud
04 Arabesque
05 Wavellite
06 Bubblecloud (Halftribe Remix)

West Londoner, Elliott Power,  shows he’s something of a complex character on debut track, ‘Sink/Swim’.

On the one hand we’ve got that sinister, Tricky-recalling vocal – a sort of clandestine threat, an assassins blade to the throat – while on the other we’ve got textured melodies; comprised of elastic popping synthesizers, muscular bass throbs and exotic hand percussion. Part trip-hop, part contemporary soul; it’s an intriguing amalgam and by the time we hit the smooth, RnB licked chorus, ’Sink/Swim’ is already bobbing away on the waves like a chest of 90′s encrusted lost treasure.

‘Sink/Swim’ is out 24 June via Marathon Artists, home to Jagwar Ma, Jamie Isaac and Childhood.

Making another step closer to a promised second studio album, Clare Maguire unveils a gorgeously touching demo.

With vocal maturity far beyond her 25 years, ‘Changing Faces’ is three and a half minutes of emotion and honesty. The Annie Lennox influence is clear, but the cold simplicity and gentle catchiness of its chorus ensures any thought of the Closing Ceremony is quickly dashed.

Her intonation and controlled dynamics make this a quite stunning Best Fit Premiere – stream it below.

The Berlin leg of The xx‘s Night + Day summer gig series took place over the weekend, with the likes of Chromatics, Mount Kimbie, Kindness and Mykki Blanco filling the bill.

Another of the supports was Jessie Ware, who returned as day swiftly became night to perform a collaborative rendition of Stardust‘s ‘The Music Sounds Better With You’, before morphing it into Modjo‘s ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’, all in front of a camera phone wielding crowd.

Watch the entirely unexpected performance below:

[via Gigwise]

Charli XCX isn’t ashamed of her pop sensibilities. Heck, she even proclaimed the Spice Girls and Britney to be her biggest influences recently.

It’s no surprise, then, that the goth-pop songstress chose to cover Backstreet Boys‘ classic (of sorts) ‘I Want It That Way’ at an in-store event in Chicago.

Watch that below, via Stereogum.

Hot on the heels of recent single ’The Road I Know’, Azure Blue returns today with another offering of wistful nostalgia.

Lifted from the forthcoming album Beyond the Dreams There’s Infinite Doubt, ‘Willows and Pines’ sees Tobias Isasksson in contemplative mode – the track’s soft and steady synth backing building throughout whilst Isaksson’s soft croon mourns a love gone sour.

‘Willows and Pines’ is available now via iTunes and Spotify. Stream in full below.

Jacques Greene and How To Dress Well join forces to prove there’s still life left in the future garage revival with new track ‘On Your Side’.

The Montreal producer will release a new EP next month and the titular track features falsetto vocals from Tom Krell. The pairings love for house music and R&B respectively is the song’s foundation with sampled ‘yeahs’ running throughout alongside an ever rising bass drum loop.

On Your Side EP is out 3 June digitally and 1 July on 12″ via LuckyMe.

VIRALS returns from a mini US tour to release a new free download ahead of performances at a number of Field Day events this weekend.

‘Wax-Work’ is the final teaser before Hencher begins work on a full length album and has the kind of inescapable kinetic energy that has become VIRALS’ signature  over the past year or so. It’s a power-pop blowout with a motoring riff that shoots straight for the sun.

Hencher and band will play live on Friday (24 May) at the first of three FREE Field Day parties we’re hosting at the Shacklewell Arms this weekend, as well as at Field Day itself on Saturday (25 May).

RSVP to our Field Day Parties here.

Smith Westerns give yet another example of how guitar pop should be done, with their new song ’3am Spiritual’.

Taken from forthcoming album Soft Will ’3am Spiritual’ sees the Chicago teens arguably reach the peak of their powers, so far, with swaying melodies and an undercurrent of soft drums carrying the track before grand synths take hold.

There’s something communal and romantically nostalgic about this song, and if all that wasn’t enough, the real kicker comes with the keyboard, guitar noodling breakdown lifted, straight from the best 80s power ballads. Stream below.

Soft Will comes out on 24 June via Co-Op (Europe) 25 June via Mom+Pop (US).

Ok, on the basis that 2013 has already been a shriek-worthily good year for new music, you may think you have no room for Yet Another Potentially Favourite Popstar in your life but – and we mean this in the politest of ways – think again, for you may have inadvertently overlooked Tove Lo.

Harnessing the heritage of umpteen Swedish musical geniuses before her and adding an extra edgy twist of her own, Lo magics up pop that gets sufficiently naughty to hook you in but is simultaneously classy enough to have self-respect. Her main subject of exploration is love but she doesn’t get shy when it comes to putting relationships under the magnifying glass and observing their slightly less savoury aspects.

Lo’s career began with a rock flirtation in the guise of a band called Tremblebee, which she set up with her then guitarist boyfriend. After separating as a couple they kept the band going for a while longer but Lo then decided that she wanted her musical direction to veer off towards pop. With the remaining band members starting to get involved in other projects, Tremblebee fizzled out and Lo’s reinvention entered phase one. The result was last year’s infectious debut single, ‘Love Ballad’, which is the kind of song that gets A&R people rubbing their hands together as their eyes reflect $ signs and music lovers wanting to start blogs for.

When Lo’s second single, ‘Habits’ emerged and proved to be no less of a triumph, we simply had to corner her for a chat and find out more about her work.

Once you left Tremblebee, how long did it take you to get people to pay attention to your songs?

It took me a long time, I needed to find my expression first. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to just write or be an artist, although I love being on stage. I had a shed outside my cousin’s house where I had my studio. I just spent my days there writing and producing on my own. I guess after about a year of doing that Warner Chappell [publishing] noticed me and signed me as a songwriter.

Were you surprised by the almost-immediate widespread admiration for ‘Love Ballad’?

I didn’t know what to expect, I just released it and hoped for the best [laughs]. So I’m really happy with the attention it got.

What is your all-time favourite love ballad?

Oooh that’s a tricky one! I suppose a love ballad should be a happy one but I’m gonna say Veronica Maggio’s ‘Snälla bli min’. It’s so emotional I can only listen to two bars in and I start crying. Listen to it, it’s in Swedish but you’ll still get it.

I sure will. Now, let’s talk about the new single, ‘Habits’.

Well, after I finished ‘Love Ballad’ and released it, I went traveling and didn’t really think about what the next step would be. But when I was away I wrote ‘Habits’ and it just felt right for that one to be next. I never questioned it. Other people did, but I didn’t.

What are your writing and recording habits?

I write in a lot of different ways, depending on who I’m writing with. But when I write on my own I usually have a lyric and kind of a phrasing that I hear in my head. I then make a beat or just find my way on the piano with chords I like.  I experiment, sometimes change the whole lyric around but the thread is still there. I like having the story in place first. It inspires me… getting the mood of the song and that sort of thing.

How were your connections with Xenomania, Elof Loelv and Alexander Kronlund first forged?

Alex Kronlund is a funny story. When I just got signed to Warner Chappell I went with a producer friend to Alex’s birthday party. I didn’t know that many people but I got really drunk and hogged the stage with the live band. He called me a few days later and asked who I was. We had a few sessions and then he flew me over to LA for the first time. It was pretty overwhelming [laughs]. Xenomania happened through Warner Chappell. I went there on a “test run” first and it went really well so I keep going back. It’s a very cool and interesting way of writing the way they do it. I’ve never seen anything like it still! Elof I met through Icona Pop. I was really nervous the first time we wrote together because I had wanted to work with him for so long! Now we write together all the time and we’re at the point of finishing each other’s sentences!

Of the above three, whose method of music-making do you consider to resemble your own method the most?

It’s hard to say… I never write on my own the way that Xenomania write because that needs a lot more people involved. With Alex it’s all about fresh inspiration and getting our ideas out fast, leave it for a bit and then dive back in. Elof is more of a grinder. We can sit for hours finding the last word to make the song perfect. I love both ways. With every writer it’s a different relationships, you know? So I guess I’m a mix between the two, it all depends on the song I’m writing, what mood I’m in that day, etc.

Can you tell us a bit more about any of the songs you’ve written with these people recently?

With Xenomania I wrote ‘Something New‘. It’s the Brian Higgins way, he makes sure the music or the track is a hit. He brings in melody writers, we sing our hearts out, he picks the best melodies from each of us, puts it together and then gets lyrics on it! That place is all about keeping it inspiring, coming up with your best melodies to a specific track and then letting Brian glue it together. With Elof Loelv I wrote ‘We Got the World‘, which was actually one of the first songs I co-wrote with him. He had most of it already, though [laughs]. I was just excited to be part of finishing it off with [Icona Pop] and Coco Morier. In the beginning with Elof it was a lot of me coming in and finishing up all his genius ideas with him. Now we’ve done a lot from scratch and I can’t wait for it to come out! The best song I’ve written together with Alex Kronlund isn’t out yet so I’ll get back to you when it is. Won’t be too long now…

OK, definitely looking forward to that one. Now, have you done many live performances to date?

Yes, and I love playing live!

If cost was not an issue, what kind of stage setup would you ideally love to have at a Tove Lo show?

I know exactly what I’d want! I’d want Thomas Canto making his “light art” live on stage with me, writing the lyrics with his lights. Everything else is completely dark at first and then BOOM in the chorus and you see me and my band standing on smaller stages in different heights on this big, big stage and we all have our individual “light painter” who draws things around us in the air. Maybe I’ll get two of those, since I’m the artist [laughs].

And finally, can you give us a clue about what your next single is going to be?

Well, it’s the follow up from ‘Habits’ where I’m kind of okay…

Right. Is the video likely to be as eye-popping as the one for ‘Habits’?

Well, step one is that I’ve just sent pieces of my diary to a painter who is going to freely interpret it. That’s all I’m giving away for now!

Manchester band Kult Country released their debut 7″ ‘Slowburn’ / ‘Amongst The Dead Forever’ in April and now one side of that record has its own video.

Since carving out a name for themselves with their arduously crafted shoegaze swamp, Kult Country have found themselves on the bill for likes of Beacons this summer.

The new release is a doubleheader of loud, gloomy, reverb heavy ambling with crunchy guitars and drawn out cries. During ‘Slowbun’ in particular, there’s a point at which it’s easy to feel as though you’re about to be engulfed by a torrent of noise as it all comes together.

Watch the dark, crackling video  - created by William Rensoli, Joseph Radonich & Jack Exton - below.

Hot Chip member and man behind one of the best, if not the best, dancefloor fillers in the past few years, Joe Goddard returns with another sublime team-up.

Following on from his solo outing with Valentina in the form of the aforementioned ‘Gabriel’, Goddard has unleashed this new number ‘She Burns’, with folk singer and arranger Mara Carlyle.

Bubbling under the surface with post-dub bass bursts and swirls, the producer perfectly compliments Carlyle’s emphatic tones. Take a listen to the track, set to feature on forthcoming EP Taking Over, below:

[via Clash]

Two of our favourite worlds collide on emerging disco-house music stars Behling & Simpson’s edits of R&B honey Ciara’s ‘Surgeon’. 

The track that originally appeared on Jackmaster’s 2012 “Master Mix”, is finally seeing a proper vinyl release, which also includes a stellar version of Ciara’s ‘Goodies’.

The Bristol duo have been steadily climbing the ranks of the house music world with their smoothed out boogie beats, with recent releases on some of cult favourite dance labels, Futureboogie and Outernational.

For their Ciara series, Behling & Simpson roll out their signature chunky slink, adding slow rolling punches and pops, sparse stabs of rumbling bass in a variety of forms and these wild alarms that emerge twirling and sputtering through an ether of funky beats. Keeping the bpms turnt down (for once), and adding whirring vintage synths and slightly Caribbean sounding percussion, ‘Surgeon’ is transformed into a sparkling disco-in-slow-motion we don’t ever want to leave.

“Behling & Simpson vs Ciara” limited edition vinyl is out now, get it from Rubadub Records.

Stockholm duo Eliot Grace have been quietly beavering away for twelve months on a handful of tracks made public via their SoundCloud, but it’s with ‘Rebecka’ that the pair really intend to take off. Sweeping, grandiose pop boasting a forceful romantic tug at the heart strings and a hook that’s borderline inescapable.

The first ‘official’ single from the group, ‘Rebecka’ is doused in sweeping eighties production that’s so on point right now, but comes from such an honest and true place, you can’t fail to fall under its charms.

Take a listen below.

A new track from The Weeknd just dropped via his Twitter a few moments ago.

‘Kiss Land’ retains some of the darkly sexual tones of Echoes of Silence (the last part of Trilogy) wrapped up in a slickly-produced track that nearly hits the eight minute mark. The sense of urgency, panic and paranoia that Abel Tesfaye evokes so well still remains although all signs would point to the next record – due out later this year – being a complex listen, to say the least.

Listen to ‘Kiss Land’ below.

Drenge’s 2012 demos ‘Dogmeat’ and ‘People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck’, were mere skipping stones of concentrated fuzzy, fuck you rock ‘n roll, compared to this year’s apocalyptic asteroid-sized debut, ‘Bloodsports’.

Crowned Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record in the World on Radio 1 just moments ago, new single, ‘Backwaters’, will firmly place the brothers Loveless, and their spittle-soaked work into critical context.

In all likelihood, said context will be ‘GUITAR MUSIC REVIVAL’. The painfully clumsy and shamelessly bland pseudo-genre recycled across pop criticism every year.  A throwaway tag in most cases but – if/when applied here – an insult to the considered depth of Drenge’s scratchy, gut-busting guitar tones on this ode to shit towns up and down the UK. They’ve got the two-piece dynamic totally nailed down now: Eoin attends to guitar-god solos, Rory rains down upon his kit with eye-wincing ferocity. ‘Backwaters’ bounds along on a QOTSA rifling combo of rubbery guitar, tinny snare whips and open hi-hats.The duo bare their bloodied gums at the 1.50 mark; a snarling crunching riff compliments their warped harmonies, a sort of slit-throat gurgling, ‘I got missin’ teethhh, gotta lot of those’.

‘Backwaters’ culminates with Eoin’s cold, calculated baritone cutting across the malaise of feedback and ‘verb like a rebellious loudhailer announcement; it’s a call to arms in the ‘guitar music’ nanny state, a one-fingered salute to all the patronizing penmen who have uttered that slovenly term in the last twelve months. These Loveless boys aren’t interested in serving as kindling for your ‘revival’. Hell, they’re interested in little more than carving their names into the garage-rock Wall of Fame with broken beer bottles. Cherish them.

Earlier this week, BBC Radio 6 Music were running through the “best musical collaborations of all-time” to mark Daft Punk’s new, and cameo-heavy, Random Access Memories. It’s a shame that this new Mount Kimbie track has surfaced mere days too late, as it’s already strong enough for such inclusion.

Featuring London wordsmith King Krule, ‘You Took Your Time’ wraps Archie Marshall’s moody nasally snarls in sludge-thick bass, warped arpeggios and ringing echoes. It’s the latest track from the electronic duo’s upcoming LP, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, out 28 May via Warp.

Listen to ‘You Took Your Time’ below:

Premiering over on The Guardian, Swedish production legend Dan Lissvik transforms NONONO‘s current single ‘Like The Wind’ into a dub heavy summer smash.

‘Like The Wind (Lissvik Remix)’ is available exclusively on the 12″ edition of NONONO’s debut release for our signature label Best Fit Recordings. Pre-order a copy now for shipping in June.

Alt-rock duo Pølterghøst claim to hail from Nibelheim, and while we’re aware that’s a fictional region in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and also home to the protagonist from Final Fantasy VII; there’s something to be said of their astute awareness of Germanic opera. Although it’s more likely the product of several stoned all-nighters, spent accruing an intricate knowledge of video game narratives.

Formed by Fanzine members, Jock and Kit, Pølterghøst aired their debut track, ‘Holy Smoke’, this week. A chugging slab of Dog Man Star indebted rock, packed with sudden breaks and crunching spit’n'sweat-flecked guitar riffs. Even Jock’s louche drawl packs a punch reminiscent of Brett Anderson in his amoral, debauched pomp.

Cresting atop a squalling, sleazy solo before draining away with Jock’s final wiry declarations; ‘Holy Smoke’ heralds an edgy, glammy, utterly thrilling turn of pace from the Londoners.

Bringing a new kind of sexy back, a stark, exposed experience in song form, singer/songwriter, and producer Indiana rips through our understanding of all that is good in the world, and in the process, shakes us to the core.

Through her sparse, and slightly corrupted tales, the young starlet paints a dark, haunting picture of the world as she sees it – she isn’t asking you to come hither or fawn. Instead, she’s doing so much more, she’s baring her soul. Evoking a pain that has touched us all on some level drips through harsh percussion as haunting choir notes writhe and creep behind Indiana’s shrill, sultry cries – a feeling that’s almost too intimate to be sung aloud. Beneath a bassline that speaks to your body in all the right places, the Nottingham singer’s take on soul flirts recklessly with R&B, crawling on its knees towards you ensuring your eyes (and ears) are locked for every move.

The odds that this young starlet has ever been to Indiana are slim, but we can’t be mad – her sexy, brooding music is too captivating to care what it’s called. Best Fit was lucky enough to nab one of the first introductions with her, so read on as we talk inspirations, Frank Ocean, the future, and so much more.

You possess this sense of raw emotion, in your recordings and your live performances, that other artists lack. It’s something that feels very tangible. Can you talk about where that comes from?

I think I’ve learnt to channel my emotion. I lost my Dad when I was 17 in a very traumatic way and my childhood leading up to that moment was pretty tough. It wasn’t until I discovered music that I learnt how to deal with the stuff I’ve been through. I think you can hear the pain in my voice, it’s like a release. I’m not bottling it up anymore and acting out… I use it as a tool. Some people say Dad left me, but he left me with a gift… it just took me a while to discover it.

Your music is soulful and a bit bluesy, with pop and R&B elements scattered throughout. Where do you draw your musical influences from?

I love James Blake, I love his voice and production. The xx, Portishead and Gary Numan have all played a part in creating my sound.

Do you have a particular process for writing and recording songs?

Not really, it can start from anywhere. From a beat in the studio to a chord progression on the piano. It rarely starts with a lyric. Normally I’ll hear something of someone else’s and want to interpret it in my own way.

Your cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Swim Good’ was completely unexpected but truly brilliant. Are you a big Frank Ocean fan?

Yes. I still have channel orange on repeat in my car. He takes chances with his music, he’s inventive, creative, innovative… I like to think I am too. Hopefully I can pull it off as well as Frank!

What other artists are you currently a big fan of?

I do like Clean Bandits stuff. Their stuff is fresh and exciting.

Did you have any music idols as a kid?

Me and my sister used to make up dances to Michael Jackson songs… but who didn’t?

How long have you been singing and writing music?

About 2 years now.

You were discovered by Grammy-nominated composer and songwriter, John Beck. What has it been like to work with him?

Ha, its funny I just know him as John. It’s been amazing. I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible. I owe so much to him. But equally, if we didn’t connect the way we do, we wouldn’t still be working together. We have something, he brings out something in me I never knew was there and I think that works both ways.

When you were working with John Beck on your first song ‘Blind As I Am’ were you going by “Indiana”, or another name?

My birth name is Lauren, I was still deciding what to call myself. I had a YouTube page called musicbyl (urgh) which is where John found my cover of Gabriel. Thankfully I discovered Indiana before we finished ‘Blind As I Am’.

You call yourself, a “Raider of Arks”. What’s the story behind that?

It’s just a nod to Indiana Jones, which is where Indiana came from.

Congrats on signing with Sony! What can listeners expect from your debut album?

Cheers! And… All killer no filler!

Any collaborations on your album or in the near future?

No not as of yet,  I’d love some remixes of my stuff though.

What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned so far in your music career?

I haven’t really learnt any industry lessons, but I have properly grown as a person. Discovering my voice and songwriting has changed so much about me.  I’m so much more creative than I ever thought. I’m now a singer/songwriter as well as producer, short film writer, designer, director… it’s crazy!

What can we expect from Indiana in 2013?

More music, videos, clothes and probably a dozen hairstyles.

Any closing words/shout outs?

I’m part-owner of the clothing label, Some Kind Of Nature. I’m one of the designers, check out my stuff!

The risque clip to IS TROPICAL‘s recent single, ‘Dancing Anymore’, what we pre-emptively labelled “video of the year”, has racked up a whopping 800k views on Vimeo, having been banned from Youtube within a hour of its initial uploading. Compare this to the 74,359 listens on Soundcloud, under 10% of its Megaforce-directed treatment, and the London trio could be slated as shock over substance.

But as ever with the French film team’s work (MIA, Yeah Yeah Yeahs et al), they sure know how to pick ‘em, their stamp of approval becoming almost synonymous with forward-thinking dance-pop. And the new record from IS TROPICAL, I’m Leaving out on Kitsune come Monday (20 May), is no different. Combining elements of noise-rock, tribal beat, 70s psych and Parisian-inspired electro, the ten tracks are just as striking as the image of a teenager imagining fellatio from a mermaid.

Listen to the album in full below, exclusively on Best Fit, and pre-order it now. IS TROPICAL are playing The Great Escape (Thursday at 9PM at Komedia) and will host album launch show at Hoxton Gallery on Thursday 23 May.

Channelling the spirit of golden-era Fleetwood Mac in a way unlike any other band around right now, the incredibly talented Milo Greene offer a considered, sun-kissed take on classic seventies rock n roll. 

The LA quintet, who play London’s Scala tonight and Brighton’s Great Escape showcase festival tomorrow, are a testament to musicianship and skilled harmonies. Their self-titled debut long–player dropped in January and we’re offering a stunning live version of the opening track  ’What’s The Matter’ – also released in EP form this week – which you can grab below.

A mainstay here at Best Fit, MØ returns with ‘Waste of Time’ – the fourth track we’ve now seen aired online from the Danish singer songwriter.

And, as per this years hype machine, you should expect close comparisons to the likes of Grimes and Lana Del Ray. But this doesn’t feel like another bloggers track – its wholesome, catchy, and shows a warm vocalist who shouldn’t fall feat to the prey of hipster labels.

Unlike most of the torrents of deadpan, dark, egotistical music that seems to be catching the eyes of the hipster elite in 2013, MØ shows something all the more interesting.

Guitarist Robbie Stern’s roots in precocious indie-pop outfit Cajun Dance Party really come to the fore on ‘This Could Be A Bridge’, the latest offering from London duo Post Louis.

Where former bandmates Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom immediately went on to peddle big chunks of sunbaked fuzz in Yuck; Robbie has – until now – been biding his time. Buddying up with singer Stephanie to record incisive 90′s indebted alt-rock under the  Post Louis banner; the duo aired debut ‘Oldsmobile’ last month, a track resplendent with calming looped vocals and subtle percussion.

Five years has passed since the release of CDP’s debut, The Colourful Life, and Stern still retains a familiar sense of wonderment in his dexterous soloing on ‘This Could Be A Bridge’. Said guitarwork provides the ideal foil for Stephanie’s uncomplicated cooing; a dainty little murmur which grows in stature alongside chiming cymbals and layers of yawning reverb as the melody beefs up.

They mightn’t be ready to break the alt-rock mould  just yet but their gentle bending of the genre’s conventions is pure, buttery bliss for now.

West Londoner Freddie Dickson‘s debut cut ‘Shut Us Down’ hinted that he had the guts and guile to mix it with the likes of Lana Del Rey and Frank Ocean in the cinematic-pop stakes. Well, the 24-year-old has just inked a deal with Heart Throb Records to release his first four-track EP of the same name and is now streaming another track, ‘The End’, ahead of its 20 May release.

A darkly compelling lullaby anchored around a simple, stylized guitar motif; ‘To The End’ homes in on Dickson’s broken-boned lyricism more than its scarred flesh instrumentation. Hollowed-out beats and pulsating bass notes clot with the youngster’s breathy croon; sparse and functional,  it’s the narrative that mesmerizes.

Dickson’s story blooms from a milky twilight waltz into the broken and bruised finale via an emotionally charged middle eight. Like thumbing through a blotted neo-noir comic; there was never going to be a happy ending here.

London scuzz-pop duo Crushed Beaks are releasing their debut EP, Tropes, on 16 September via ASL Records.  Eschewing the wistfully meandering 70′s indie-pop of ‘Breakdown’ for grittier textures, here’s the free-to-download title-track from that short-player.

Where the aforementioned release was permeated by reverb thickened riffs and Matt Poile’s navel-gazing vocal hooks; this one finds Crushed Beaks focusing their energy on intermittent blasts of gurgling guitars which pinball off juddering toms and shunted cymbals. Poile’s washed-out ‘wooah’s swept along on the chugging torrent right until the sudden, nonchalant climax. Garage-rock with muscle and melody in equal measure.

Listen to ‘Tropes’ below:

Crushed Beaks play London’s Lexington on September 13. Tickets are on sale now for £6.

Patience is a quality that many music aficionados often lack. Why stick around and search one whole track for the hook buried within when you can plough through ten tuneless intros in the same time? ‘Far Away’, the new song from Fat Possum signatures, Mean Lady, takes a whole precious minute to get going but when it does, the rewards are bountiful and even more sweet.

The Baltimore trio whisk us away from an intro of flickering piano chords and disorientating synth swells to a far more pleasantly upbeat plane. The chintzy pianos taking on a grander, more crystalline quality; pricking away at wafts of Eastern strings and fidgety percussion.

Vocalist Katie Dill puts on a typically assured show, her dulcet repetitions of “I Will Call Your Name” swaying like foam atop Sam Nobles’ cool tropical waves of melody. We doubt Mean Lady care about the turnaround in our weather of late but we’ll thank them anyway for helping out with the soundtrack.

‘Far Away’ will feature on Mean Lady’s debut LP Love Now. Out 23 July via Fat Possum.

At the beginning of the year a track emerged online that whipped-up a gentle, but nonetheless concentrated, buzz. In a world where pop (that tricky word) seems to be dominated by talented, soulful female songwriters, Josef Salvat is quietly flying the flag for the boys. 

Offering-up intelligent, thought-provoking ballads with added punch through warm layers of sound and a voice that packs both power and poise, ‘This Life’ announced the Australian-born Londoner onto the scene, but the track stood alone and relatively little appeared about the man behind the music.

With great interest comes great expectation though, and following this first track, on top of the weight of the male pop saviour tag, couldn’t be simple, but a second song has followed and emphatically justified this buzz – Josef Salvat deserves our attention.

So we heard you’re busy recording?

Busy doing more tracks, for what specifically, I’m not sure. I mean I have a lot of songs – I write them, and then demo them, and it’s about turning those demos into something that’s listenable for everybody else. What shape that’s going to take? I’m not sure. Whether it’s an album or an EP – I don’t know.

How do you go about the songwriting process?

Well, I’ve been writing for 11 years; I wrote my first song when I was 13.

Do you still play that song?

The first song I wrote was actually pretty good! But there was a lot of shit that came after that. I don’t necessarily play stuff from when I was a teen, but I do mine it occasionally for musical ideas, not lyrical ideas, but musical ideas for sure.

‘Hustler’ was written in 2009, so it was a while ago, whereas ‘This Life’ was written last year. ‘Hustler’ is a song that is essentially relevant to me, I don’t feel dishonest reproducing it now as opposed to four years ago – I’m comfortable with it.

It does feel very honest – how did it come about? What more you can say about it?

I guess essentially it was an exploration. Everybody has their self-destructive elements, so I guess I was struggling from that a bit at the time. It was written very quickly, in like 20 minutes, whereas ‘This Life’ was more of a construction, which is funny because I think they sound the opposite.

How has it felt getting all that attention over the Internet? How do you feel about the way the industry works now from your point of view?

Obviously it’s really exciting; it’s great to get some recognition and validation and to go, “Okay I can do this”, but at the same time I do think, it’s a shame.

It’s not gonna change the way I write, or how I think about it, and at the end of the day it’s like as quickly as it’s whipped up it can die, so I’m under no illusions about that; you’re only as good as your next song.

I just think it’s a shame because I think people don’t really get time to develop themselves properly. It seems like you can put one good song out there and then everybody thinks it’s all about that. Maybe your next song isn’t as great, then you’re used goods. Whereas I feel back in the day, you had like two or three albums, you had time to make mistakes and fuck around before you were under such scrutiny.

Do you think that puts extra pressure on your songwriting?

I just don’t know if there’s a one-size-fits all approach. We’ve put out two songs and I think whatever comes next will be something more. I think that’s the only way to do it now, unless you’re picked up by a record label when you’re really young and then they develop you. But I don’t know how that works, because that’s not how I did it.

I feel lucky because I was able to develop a style of songwriting outside external influence. I had to answer my own questions. I’ve never done a co-write or that kind of stuff. I am really looking forward to getting to, but it’s meant I’ve had to rely on my own devices, which means I’m confident with what I have to offer. I’m happy about my situation but I don’t know how easy it is to create it – if you have that luxury, the luxury of time, you should definitely take it!

So are you working with anyone else at all at the moment?

Well Rich Cooper produced ‘This Life’, I’m working with him. He’s produced a bunch of other stuff which is in the live set. I haven’t done a co-write because I guess a sound is developing, but I wouldn’t say that I have one specific sound.

The two tracks are quite different – was that a conscious decision?   

I don’t think I can help it! Once I get one song done I don’t want to write another the same because then I feel like, oh shit that’s done, i’m fucked! So every song is quite different. I do think ‘This Life’ and ‘Hustler’ are darker and more down-beat, which is a word that’s tossed around a lot.

Before heading down to Brighton for UK showcase festival The Great Escape festival this week, brand new Kissability signings, Glitches have unveiled their new single ‘Only Time Will Tell’.

The East London three-piece, often reported to live above a night club in close proximity to the, erm, African mafia, have constructed a song a world away from that urban setting. Opening with shimmering guitar lines and bursting, suddenly, into festival-ripe anthemic indie pop. There’s an immediate emotional resonance here from the hopeful vocals and soaring repeated refrain of “only time will tell”. Listen below.

The band will be playing at the Metro Hub stage at The Great Escape on Thursday 16 May.

‘Gigantic’ and ‘Texas’ may have been the tracks from her (Best Fit Recordings-released) debut EP that first showcased Eddi Front‘s unique knack for capturing tenderness over jewellery box lullabies, but it was her cover of Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ that proved how her sound was so strong that it could be artfully transported to another’s words.

And now here is the New York songstress again to prove the point with a pair of slightly haphazard (one track is claimed to have even been recorded in a living room), but nonetheless brilliant, covers – namely ‘Nobody Does It Better’ originally by Carly Simon and Christopher Cross‘ ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best You Can Do)’.

Listen to both songs below, and purchase her self-titled EP here.

Current Best Fit obsession Tove Lo caught up with Swedish music bible PSL to cut this stripped back version of recent single and bonafide ear worm ‘Habits’.

Ignore the smoky room and poor light and just breath in the wonderfully emotive take on perhaps the finest pop song of the year so far.

Stream the PSL session above and, just for reference, watch the official video for ‘Habits’ below.

Following up one of the best songs of 2013 (‘Before I Ever Met You’, if you were wondering) – LA siren Banks returns today with a sultry new late night jam.

Produced by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, ‘Warm Water’ is more reserved than the pop starlet’s previous offerings but nonetheless bewitching.

Stream ‘Warm Water’ below. Grab it via iTunes from 27 May.

Huw Costin‘s time as the frontman in Nottingham desert-rock four piece Earth the Californian Love Dream is almost imperceptible among the swirling intelligent-pop soundscapes of his solo work.

You may recall ‘Something/Nothing’, which our friends at The Quietus premiered last month, a track that was sonic-Escher: a looping-back-on-itself vocal and rumbling instrumentation that engendered the serene in a quite spectacular way.

Next up to tease Costin’s second long-player Something/Nothing (which drops on 10 June via SpecialSoundUnit) - is a new track ‘Disconnected’. More traditional in structure and possessing a folkier slant, the track finds its USP at around the one minute mark when there’s a glorious build-up/breakdown reminiscent of latter-day Radiohead.

Watch the video below, by Midlands-based animator Emma Reading who also brought ‘Something/Nothing’ to life, only on Best Fit.

You might remember Brooke Candy from her star turn in the clip for Grimes‘ ‘Genesis’  – Candy was the one wearing that chrome-plated armour and platforms.

The 23-year old Californian also popped up on Charli XCX‘s track ‘Cloud Aura’ last year and made a splash herself with a string of equally bold tracks (remember ‘I Wanna Fuck Right Now’ from back in February?).

‘Pussy Make The Rules’ doesn’t mince its meaning for a moment and the visuals to accompany the track hit home Candy’s rhetoric with a spiked 4 X 7.  Crystallising the sexually confrontational à la Lil Kim, with the same absurdity that makes Nick Minaj and the Gaga so interesting, Candy’s set at next weekend’s Great Escape festival in Brighton is sure to be one of the event’s more colourful moments.

Watch the clip for ‘Pussy Makes The Rules’ below.

After her set at The Great Escape next week, Candy heads to London for a headline show at XOYO on 22 May.

Newcastle ambient rock outfit Grandfather Birds haven’t been hibernating in their year-long absence; more squirreling away the intricate little acorns of 90′s alt that flourished on their sprawling April comeback track.

Where ‘Spithope‘ trod tentatively into unknown, exploring themes of disorientation and detachment via thick layers of haunting tremolo, b-side ‘Things Beneath The Water’ warmly embraces their more direct side, last heard on 2011′s Radio 1 approved single ‘Higher Bridges’. Softly insistent guitar tolls and thudding kicks cleanse our palates of  the a-side’s strung-out vibes in an instant.

Matt Saxon’s sinewy enunciations afford the increasingly more frenetic melody a certain pop-centric tautness. His esoteric musings and subtle barbs – ‘maybe there’ll be a day when, I’m talking and you’re listening’ - lulling in the creases between shuddering cymbal crescendos  and  chirruping guitars. ‘Things Beneath The Water’ confirms  Grandfather Birds’ penchant for embedding strong hooks in high-intensity structures has lost none of its appeal.

The ‘Spithope’ single is available as a free download here.

Premiering on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show this evening, this new one from Katy B featured, aptly, as her ‘Special Delivery’.

It certainly feels as much; this first track to emerge since her Danger EP at the end of 2012 is a typically seductive, late-night outing for everyone’s favourite London garage rejuvenator.

Filled with her sultry vocals, particularly crisp production and a heady balearic hue, it continues where she left off and its appearance is timed to perfection; a soundtrack to imminent parties into the early hours.

It’s Friday night – celebrate with this brand new banger from dub-step’s leading-lady.

Just ahead of their record release show in London, Dublin duo Solar Bears put together a selection of tunes near and dear to them exclusively for Best Fit.

From dance music legends The Chemical Brothers, to newcomers Letherette, this mix spans the electronic music spectrum. When we spoke to John and Rian about the mix, they filled us in on why these particular tracks are so special. Memories of playing with Simian Mobile Disco in 2012, to a longtime admiration for LFO, each song holds a unique place in their heart.

If you’re in London on June 4th, be sure to stop by The Nest in Dalston to catch Solar Bears enigmatic live set celebrating the release of their new album Supermigration, out now on Planet Mu. Watch the the pair’s recent Yours Truly session below and you’ll see what we mean.

Tracklisting:
Letherette – D & T (Clark Remix)
Mr Oizo – WC
Simian Mobile Disco – Interference
LFO – Freak
The Chemical Brothers – Under the Influence
Carte Blanche – The Molecules

Cut from their forthcoming double a-side single ‘Break You’/'Goodbye’, Ligers‘ brand new video encapsulates their sound perfectly: all hazy, kaleidoscopic light flashes and bright, pop colours.

The slower of the two tracks, ‘Goodbye’ is marked by gentle, cyclic guitar rhythms, powerful wide-ranging vocals courtesy of singer Liz Stott and broad, classic indie pop strokes. Filmed by Elva Rodriquez at the bands studio in Kilburn, this early outing aligns the London four-piece with a pained, nostalgic and straight-cut sound we can’t wait to hear develop.

‘Break You’/'Goodbye’ is due out on 27 May via the band’s own label MEME.

With his new album IV Play, an album title with a sixth-form level pun included, due later this month, R&B man The-Dream has offered up new single ‘High Art’ featuring Jay-Z.

The title of this one refers to smoking weed and writing a song about it, rather than – you know – going to the latest Lichtenstein exhibition. Listen to it in full beneath:

Neo-soul shivers run up the spine of Oxfordshire quartet Glass Animals’ sultry new single, ‘Black Mambo’.

Sing-songy storytelling slinks across bouncy xylophone notes and slow, jazzy drums, while drips of hollow coo’s dance with the candlelight shadows projected on the wall.

The band that wow’d us in 2012 with their fantastic Leaflings EP, Glass Animals continue to evolve their blend of billowing hip hop beats and inviting tales told after the lights have been turned out, and all tied together by stunningly polished production, and still managing to sounds like nothing else we’ve ever heard. If they’re not on your list of acts to watch in 2013, you’re doing it wrong.

‘Black Mambo’ / ‘Exxus’ is out next month on Paul Epworth‘s Wolf Tone label.

Electro-pop pace-setter, MØ, is yet to put a foot wrong and, while we haven’t had anything new from the energetic Dane for some time, a remix from the equally excellent MS MR will quell our appetite, at least for the moment. 

Filled with all the heady, restlessness of the original, the New York duo have subtly subdued the verses to emphasise the “for the hell of it” chourses. Teaming the revved up sound with flickering images of marble sculpture lets the mind wander and throws new light on Karen Marie Ørsted’s wonderful debut ‘Pilgrim’.

It’s hard to believe that siblings, Sasha and Theo, aka Wardell, dropped their debut track ‘Opossum‘ over two years ago now.

As great as it is, we feel like they’ve left us craving another installment of breezy Beach House-on-a-sugar-rush pop for far too long. We weren’t about to give up on the LA duo but few could deny that ‘Call It What You Want’ has come at the perfect time.

A magical little ditty which finds Sasha sucking in the haziest West Coast fumes straight out of Beth Cosetino’s lungs while Theo explores Girls‘ penchant for sprawled-out guitar filigrees. Huddled together under an umbrella of glistening harmonies, calypso organs and surfy percussive patterns; it’s comforting to hear the duo – like fellow LA fam-band Haim - sounding so completely in sync with one another.

You can hide in the shade this summer but you still won’t escape a baking from Wardell’s feel-good rays.

‘Call It What You Want’ will feature on The Brother/Sister EP. Out 3 June via National Anthem.

Photo by Jason Williamson

Brighton-based multi-instrumentalist Cosmo Sheldrake‘s debut drop ‘Rich’ was one of the finest tracks to be selected Song of the Day at Best Fit last month. The London-born biologist’s son returned again this week with another new track, similarly jam-packed with found sound claps, clicks and rustles called ‘The Fly’.

Verses from William Blake’s poem of the same name are cut with twinkly bells, twanging banjo and twitchy samples: including some smashed Welsh slates, personally recorded by Cosmo himself. It’s that childlike approach to sonic exploration which really endears the 22-year-old. Dabbling in everything from hip-hop breaks through to jazz, it’s clear that he’s still keen to experiment and improvise.

Tinkering with baroque instrumentation and ultra-contemporary layering and looping techniques,  Cosmo has landed upon a wonderfully rustic yet no less refreshing mural of Romantic Age Britain. Give ‘The Fly’  a chance. There’s something very special behind all the buzz.

Responsible for a very early ‘song of the summer’ contender with the brilliant ‘Move‘, Mausi continue to bring the fun with this vibe-filled mash-up, recorded in session for Radio 1.

The exciting Newcastle via Milan outfit recorded the Solange and Destiny’s Child cover at Maida Vale and with its warm, loungey chord progression, uplifting disco beat and typically soulful vocal, it is an inspired bootleg that continues to show just how damn cool they are.

Dip your toe in with this sun-kissed take on the Knowles sisters’ works below.

Revealed just a few hours ago via BBC Radio 1xtra, here’s the official audio for ‘Weatherman’ – the brand new single from Essex newcomer Dream Mclean, lifted from the debut EP of the same name.

A fusion of dark, brooding beats and Mclean’s witty social commentary spark shout outs to Twitter, casual sex and groupies; the lyrical theme echoing that of a light hearted equivalent to ‘Over’ - Drake’s 2010 ode to future stardom – yet delivered in a very typically British way.

Dream Mclean’s Weatherman EP is released as a free download via Chase and Status imprint MTA Records on 22 May with Mclean set to perform at London’s XOYO on the same day.

East London’s Midnight Davis seems to have a bit of a fixation on the superstars of the MTV generation; specifically those at the peak of their powers circa-1987.

Following on from his rather disturbed ‘cover’ of INXS mega-hit and guaranteed panty dropper ‘Need You Tonight’ from last year, the elusive producer has had a pop at Terence Trent D’Arby‘s ‘Sign Your Name’.

Claustrophobic and slightly haunting, Midnight Davis has stripped away the sass of the original in favour of something that sounds akin to what a stalker would listen to in between acts of blatant voyeurism. ie: a bit f–king creepy and unsettling. The sound of a restraining order waiting to happen.

Watch out for a new Midnight Davis EP later this year, for now – get your laughing gear around this. 1987 represent!

Heavy on the autobiographical, (broken) heart on sleeve emotion that helped propel The Weeknd to the mainstream, if ‘Fucked Up’ is anything to go by, 19 year old Londoner Joel Compass may well be next in line for similar accolades.

Lifted from Compass’ debut EP Astronaut, due to be released through Black Butter in June, ‘Fucked Up’ tells the tale of a regret stained one night stand; whilst one girl is passed out unconscious in Compass’ bed, his girlfriend is persistently calling him up on the phone seeking an explanation to his whereabouts.

An antidote to Drake‘s ‘Marvin’s Room’ perhaps. Either way, it’s nothing short of magnificent. Stream ‘Fucked Up’ below.