Songs of the Week - 01/06/2026
These are the essential tracks you need to check out this week!
Photo Credit: Adam Powell
Julia Wolf - 'Deep End'
Few singers have come with quite as much hype as Julia Wolf over the last year or so, and new single 'Deep End' proves exactly why. A track that hits with the kind of weight that only comes from writing about something truly lived in, it still manages to feel relatable to so many. It tackles the lengths you go to keep a connection alive even as confusion and doubt close in around you, and Wolf delivers every lyric with a vocal clarity that is hard to shake long after the song ends.
Keo - 'That's Me'
KEO have just announced what may be the most hotly anticipated debut album of the decade so far with 'Put A Smile On For Me', paired with the release of new single 'That's Me' to set the tone immediately. Short, volatile and adrenaline-fuelled, it tears through guilt and self-recognition in a way nobody does quite like KEO. Serrated guitars and a ragged vocal drive a brutally honest admission of toxic behaviour home. Emotionally ugly and deeply human, this is a band with absolutely nothing to hide.
Nieve Ella - 'Bite Back'
Nieve Ella continues her powerful new era with one of the most visceral and self-assured tracks of her career, 'Bite Back'. It contains the stellar vocals and dynamic backing Nieve has become known for, but most notably features some of her best lyrical work to date too. It traces the slow transformation from humiliation into something far more feral. The result is a track that somehow feels like another step forward from an artist who can seemingly do no wrong right now.
Rosie Carney - 'but me'
Rosie Carney releases 'doomsday night tapes', a deeply personal reimagination of her February album, with brand new bonus track 'but me' as its centrepiece. A stark and sobering song about the realisation that nobody is coming to save you and that the energy you have been giving to the wrong people is time you will never get back. It is an incredibly vulnerable piece of writing delivered with the quiet intensity that makes Rosie Carney such a generational talent.
Au/Ra - 'rewire'
Au/Ra shares 'rewire', the climactic moment from her forthcoming album 'heartcore' out June 26th. It is a genuinely extraordinary piece of music, not that this should come as a surprise given the brilliance of her recent releases. Described as her final shout into the void, the vocals carry a raw and unfiltered fragility that makes the whole thing feel desperately intimate. However the song still has that signature Au/Ra style, being delivered with an anthemic electronic edge.
SISTRA - 'In Two'
SISTRA have just released their debut album 'She Won't Let Go', a deeply personal and conceptually rich record imagining the pair emotionally trapped in their childhood home as they try to grow beyond it. Across eight incredible tracks the duo crackle with the tension between self-doubt and towering ambition, but for me the pick of the bunch is 'In Two', an expert piece of alt-pop songwriting that captures that push and pull perfectly.
Kat Penkin - 'Pandemonium'
Kat Penkin has taken her music to a whole new level in 2026, with February's 'Lady Friend' still being one of the best modern pop releases I have heard. Follow up single 'Pandemonium' has more than matched its predecessor though, reflecting on a toxic relationship in the most vibrant way, dancing through the messiness with an infectious energy that is impossible to resist. And as if the song itself was not good enough, the panda themed social media promotion has been nothing short of spectacular.
Bridget Barkan - 'Red Carpet'
Bridget Barkan continues her excellent string of solo releases with 'Red Carpet', a gloriously camp and joyful funk track about dismantling the need for external validation. This is a real anthem of self-empoweing, deciding you are the thing you have been searching for all along. Full of sass, big horns and an irresistible groove, it is the kind of song that makes you want to walk into a room like you own it.
Iz Divine - 'Who Do You Think You Are'
Iz Divine makes a commanding return with 'Who Do You Think You Are'. A bold soul-driven track built around the declaration that she is done asking for permission to take up space, it showcases the kind of powerhouse vocal that stops you in your tracks. The string-backed live instrumentation breathes a real energy in the song, but the real swagger comes from Iz Divines's delivery. It is the sound of someone who has decided the obstacles in front of them are simply confirmation of their own strength, turning that into the most brilliant song.
Ferris & Sylvester - '5-4-3-2-1'
Ferris & Sylvester preview their upcoming third album 'It's A Joy To Be Alive', out August 14th, with '5-4-3-2-1', a stomping blues number that crackles with a frenetic garage-rock energy. It is a pointed and furious account of a power imbalance between a corporate executive and a female employee, delivered in a way that is irresistibly catchy without ever losing the important meaning underneath. This is a band I had not heard before this single and I am already desperate for August to arrive.
MAX RAD - 'Empty Spaces'
MAX RAD shares 'Empty Spaces', a standout single from his recently released second album 'a love letter'. The whole record is a very impressive body of work, but this particular song delivers a beautifully sweet piece of writing about falling in love during those carefree early days, when you are finding yourself just as much as you are finding each other. It is genre-diverse, blending an almost folk warmth wrapped in dance music, showing MAX RAD at his most experimental and euphoric.
LALA HAYDEN - 'Queen Of Midnight'
LALA HAYDEN has just released her most fully realised work to date with new EP 'Queen of Midnight'. Written across her pregnancy and into early motherhood, it documents the parts of that experience that rarely make it into pop music, notably the fear and disorienting solitude of those middle of the night moments. This is summed up perfectly by the title track, a song that manages to be unflinching and deeply moving throughout whilst maintaining an upbeat sound. A genuinely unique and important body of work from an artist at the very top of her game.
megg - 'Idiot'
megg announces her upcoming deluxe project 'Low Life Club Deluxe', out June 26th, with lead single 'Idiot'. It is a gloriously chaotic and self-aware pop-punk track about accepting that nobody really has it figured out. Massive melodies and reckless energy collide to create something that is as cathartic as it is fun. This song had me instantly hooked and is the perfect introduction to megg's music for new listeners.
Box Blonde - 'London's All Over Me'
Box Blonde's new release 'London's All Over Me' is nothing short of an atmospheric masterpiece. Her ethereal vocals are perfectly balanced against a bittersweet backing track. Lyrically the song addresses the way someone lingers on you long after they have gone, their absence woven into the city around you. It is an all too relatable experience wrapped in a grey and romantic atmosphere that perfectly mirrors the feeling of heartache you cannot quite shake.
Dea Doyle - 'Marina'
Dea Doyle makes her return to music with 'Marina', her first release in over two years and easily one of the most tracks she has put out. The song is deeply moving tribute to her late aunt, the person she describes as her biggest inspiration. It manages to be warm and aching in equal measure, capturing how even joyful moments are coloured by absence but also that the people we lose never really leave us. It is a profoundly stunning piece of songwriting.
George Crump ft. ALY - 'Got To Know You'
George Crump releases their debut EP 'Butterflies' today, filled with five sensational collaborative tracks, rounded out with the brilliant 'Got To Know You'. The warm and hook-driven synth-pop track sees George join up with ALY to create a song filled with catchy heartfelt storytelling. It is my personal pick but do yourself a favour and listen to the whole EP because every single track deserves your time.
Emily O'Neal - 'Dylan's Basement'
Emily O'Neal shares 'Dylan's Basement', the fourth single from her upcoming EP . It is a sharp and self-aware reality check about wasted potential and the urgent need for change. The song captures that feeling of living the same day on repeat, making the same mistakes and desperately wanting to break free from it all. It is delivered with a wit and directness that makes it impossible not to immediately love this song.
Scampi Chips Dip & Campari - 'Floorfiller Miss'
Scampi Chips Dip & Campari not only have one of the best band names I have ever come across, but also release huge bangers. They recently dropped new single 'Floorfiller Miss', the third track from their forthcoming debut album, and it arrives like a punch to the jaw. Furious and funny in equal measure, it tears through bad dates and bruised egos with four voices sneering in perfect unison over pounding drums and sharp guitars. A punk-fuelled release that has not left my mind since first listen.
Katherine Aly - 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL [for the player]'
This week's Songs of the Week are rounded out by Katherine Aly's irresistible return track 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL [for the player]'. It is a sharp and euphoric alt-pop track designed to snap you out of a situationship haze and have you dancing through the clarity on the other side. Pulsing electronics and distorted guitars collide under pointed and witty vocals to create something that is as empowering as it is brilliantly fun. There could not have been a more perfect song to return with and I hope this is an exciting platform for even more brilliance on the horizon.
