Radar Roundup – June 12, 2020: This week’s essential new music from Lecx Stacy, Pillow Queens and more

NME‘s Radar Roundup is your weekly reminder of the rule-breaking rising artists you cannot afford to ignore right now. From interviews to reviews and track recommendations, this is where you’ll met your favourite new artist.

Interviews

Each week, we meet the most exciting new names in the game. This week we meet Dublin’s Silverbacks, catch up with London punk duo Bob Vylan and chat with Earl Sweatshirt collaborator, Liv.e.

Silverbacks

The Dublin band’s upcoming debut album ‘Fad’ is full of excitable, guitar-giddy moments that call back to the likes of The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more – bands who made the instrument cool again at the turn of the millennium. Read the full interview Ali Shutler

Bob Vylan

Their new release ‘We Live Here’ flirts with hardcore, grime, hip-hop and beyond, but their frustration and outrage is constant and spectacular. Frontman Bobby Vylan tells NME about bypassing streaming services, the music industry’s scramble to cover their backs, and the being told that their message was “too extreme”. Read the full interview Thomas Smith

Liv.e

Liv.e’s songwriting has become sharper than ever. Fusing ’70s funk grooves with single-line refrains and building on previous releases, which featured soul and Southern hip-hop influences with hazy lofi production. Her upcoming album is set to be a dreamy, dazzling thing. Read the full interview Luke Morgan Britton

Reviews

Never let a killer release fly under the radar: get our verdict on DJ Boring’s first EP in two years, some grunge-pop treats from Coach Party and Bob Vylan’s ear-splitting new release.

DJ Boring – ‘Like Water’ EP

Originally created to be played exclusively in his live show, this collection was poised to be festival smashers only. Released as an act of fan service, the Melbourne-born London-based producer’s fun and energetic EP is the perfect lockdown gift for anyone suffering dancefloor deprivation. Key track: ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ Read the full review Ben Jolley

Coach Party – ‘Party Food’ EP

While Wolf Alice are away, Coach Party will play. Signed to the illustrious Chess Club and displaying a certain enthusiasm for a glitter-speckled rock-pop breakdown, the comparisons between the Isle Of Wight four-piece and their London forebearers has been something of an inevitability, even encouraged by the band themselves. Key track: ‘Oh Lola’ Read the full review Jenessa Williams

Bob Vylan – ‘We Live Here’ EP

Bob Vylan – the London duo with a potent mix of punk and grime – have always shouted loud about the systemic injustices here in the UK. Their direct and raw sound has already seen them collaborate with Slaves and assert themselves in the punk community. Key track: ‘We Live Here’ Read the full review Rhys Buchanan

New Bangers

NME’s New Bangers is our weekly updated playlist full of the essential new tunes you need in your life.

Lecx Stacy – ‘Crooked Smile’

Originally slated as the lead single for his 2021 debut album, US star Stacy felt compelled to drop the song following the the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. Acting as an “internal processing and grieving of police brutality and supremacy” set to pummelling beats and gritty bass – this is a furious, fearless offering. Thomas Smith

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Pillow Queens – ‘Handsome Wife’

Pretty much every Pillow Queens song feels like a world-beater. 2019’s ‘Brothers’ was gut-wrenching and new single ‘Handsome Wife’ has packs that similar peak-of-the-mountain anthem vibe. The first taste of their upcoming debut album ‘In Waiting’ – and accompanying isolation video – is stirring stuff. Thomas Smith

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Drug Store Romeos – ‘Quotations for Locations’

The Fleet trio’s hit rate so far is astounding. Like previous singles ‘Frame of Reference’ and ‘Now You’re Moving’, their lush new song ‘Quotations for Locations’ is more tender; restrained dreamy-indie pop with flashes of downtempto new wave and lead singer Sarah Downey’s soothing vocals. Thomas Smith

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

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