Songs of the Week - 06/04/2026
These are the essential tracks you need to check out this week!
Photo Credit: Jakob Furis
Giant Rooks - 'Want It Back'
Giant Rooks are back with 'Want It Back', the second single from their highly anticipated upcoming studio album. A bittersweet breakup anthem driven by crisp indie guitars and an irresistible beat, the song captures the quiet realisation that you have already moved on without even trying. It's an upbeat track that will undoubtedly go down a treat when Giant Rooks take over festival season this summer.
she's green - 'paper thin'
Dream-pop outfit she's green return with 'paper thin', the second preview of their upcoming EP 'Swallowtail' due July 10th. It's a delicately haunting track about lust being mistaken for love in a fading relationship. Built upon melancholic vocals and a hazy instrumental, this is a song that instantly hits emotionally. she's green are clearly a band on a serious upward trajectory and 'Swallowtail' looks set to be their most compelling body of work yet.
girli - 'Squirm'
girli has yet again proven why she is one of the UK's best artists with 'Squirm', the latest single from her upcoming third album 'it's just my opinion' out May 8th. The new release is one of girli's most infectiously chaotic tracks yet. It's a high energy pop-rock track about the spiral of an overwhelming crush tipping into obsession. Everything girli touches really is turning into gold at the moment, and if the rest of 'it's just my opinion' is this good, we could easily be looking at the album of the year.
DAYTIME TV - 'Pause'
Daytime TV have returned with their first music in nearly 2 years and done so in the most emphatic way. Comeback single 'Pause' is a visceral and darkly charged track that feels like a direct response to the chaos of the modern world. Fusing their signature arena-ready sound with an electronic pulse that carries a striking energy, DAYTIME TV have created a song you cannot help but move to.
The Meffs - 'Business'
Few bands in the UK punk scene right now are as exciting as The Meffs, and 'Business' is a reminder of exactly why. The title track from their upcoming second album of the same name out September 11th, it is a ferocious and defiant statement of identity from a duo who have never had any interest in fitting a mould. Hard-hitting and unapologetic, it calls out everything wrong with the music industry without ever losing the raucous energy that makes The Meffs so irresistible.
Maria - 'NOT UR TYPE'
'Not Ur Type' is a sharp and relatably written indie-pop track from one of the genre's most exciting artists, Maria. The song addresses the frustration of unwanted attention with real wit and clarity, using a rock-leaning sound to give it a confident edge that makes the message land perfectly. It is the kind of track that makes you immediately want to go back and listen again. MARIA is undoubtedly a performer to watch out for.
Phoebe Rea - 'It Is What It Is'
Phoebe Rea closes out her debut EP 'Anybody Else?' with 'It Is What It Is', a track that perfectly captures that all too relatable feeling of knowing you need to make a change but finding every possible reason not to. The chorus came from a freestyle session and you can feel that spontaneous energy throughout, giving the song a loose and infectious quality that captivates from the first note. It is a genuinely creative and relatable piece of songwriting from an artist who is already carving out a gripping artistic vision.
Girl Apocrypha - 'MADONNA'
Girl Apocrypha follows up her debut single 'Dealer' with 'MADONNA', a brilliantly unhinged alt-rock track that revels in its own absurdity. Growing from a synth-driven verse and almost spoken word vocals into an explosive chorus of crunching distorted guitars, it captures the tension between grit and gloss that makes Girl Apocrypha such an exciting prospect. Easily one of the most purely fun listens of the week.
SAFIRE - 'Bad Reputation'
SAFIRE returns with 'Bad Reputation', the second single from her "Liberation Era". It's a track that is fast, hook-heavy and utterly unapologetic. It radiates a fierce confidence and self-assurance that makes it feel like a statement of intent from an artist who knows exactly who she is and refuses to be pushed around, striking those same feelings into listeners. One of the most thrilling alternative pop tracks you will hear this week.
Camille Camille - 'J'ai rêvé'
Camille Camille has announced her upcoming album 'Enchanted Sea' out May 29th with new single 'J'ai Rêvé', her first release in her native French. The song is a sailor's ballad born from the longing of a long-distance relationship, transforming something deeply personal into a joyful hymn to love and hope. It is genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in some time and has got me hooked on Camille Camille's music. It's left me counting down the days until 'Enchanted Sea' is released.
ugly ozo - 'jackpot'
Genre-blending outfit ugly ozo are on a serious roll and new single 'jackpot' may be their most irresistibly fun offering yet. The third single from their upcoming EP 'dive' out May 1st, it is a flirty and empowering track that crackles with the kind of electrifying hooks that have made ugly ozo one of the most talked about emerging acts in the country. This is a release that is as catchy as it is anthemic and it has not left my head since first listen.
Shania Hayes - 'Flourish'
Shaina Hayes offers the first glimpse of her upcoming third studio album with 'Flourish', a stunning folk-pop meditation on romance and growth. Inspired by Irish poet John O'Donohue's concept of becoming the fullest version of oneself, Hayes has transformed that idea into a warm and tender springtime love song that feels as natural and unhurried as the season itself. A quietly beautiful track from one of Canada's most compelling songwriters.
Luke White - 'Sunset Drive'
'Sunset Drive' is a deeply personal new track from Luke White that hits you square in the chest from the opening note. His vocals carry a raw weight that contrasts beautifully with the almost anthemic coming-of-age feel of the song, giving it a push and pull that makes it feel perfectly suited to this time of year. With every release, Luke White is still managing to get better and better, and on 'Sunset Drive' he may have reached a new peak. Although if releases continue to be this good (and I have no doubt they will), then the sky really is the limit.
BENNETT ELIOTT - 'The Way I Was Raised'
'The Way I Was Raised' sees Bennett Eliott tackle something genuinely profound with equal musical brilliance, exploring the idea that the coping mechanisms we develop as children can become the very things that hold us back in later life. It is a deeply honest and affecting piece of songwriting from an artist who seems to have a gift for turning complex emotional experiences into compelling indie-pop.
GEISTE - 'Altars'
'Altars' marks a new era for GEISTE, her first release since 2024 and the opening chapter of a journey building towards her debut album in 2027. The track explores the fear of intimacy and the struggle of letting someone in when old wounds have never quite healed, delivered with a deeply atmospheric quality that lingers long after it ends. GEISTE is an artist with a genuinely distinctive vision and this is a compelling reminder of why.
Splitting Edges - 'Shape'
Splitting Edges kick off what looks set to be a massive year for them with 'Shape', the first single from their upcoming third EP due this July. 'Shape' is a powerful and deeply felt track about knowing when it is time to let go of someone. Driven by raw guitars and a vocal hook that demands to be heard live, this is exactly the kind of track that is going to increase the attention in Splitting Edges.
Justine Beverley - 'Second Look'
Justine Beverley transforms a truly awful date into a fiercely self-assured anthem on 'Second Look'. Rooted in rich country-rock textures, the track is a sharp and honest story about trusting your instincts and knowing your worth the first time around. Fellow Scottish country artist and SBTM favourite Erin Ponsonby lends her backing vocals to the track, adding an extra layer of soul and grit to an already brilliant single. Justine Beverley is an artist whose talent is becoming impossible to ignore, a real exciting talent in the country scene.
Oli Bruce - 'Castle in the Sky'
Fresh from his debut album 'Figuring It Out', Oli Bruce returns with his first track of 2026 and one of his most moving to date. 'Castle In The Sky' is a gentle but affecting rock-tinged ballad that reflects on the stark divide between those who sail through life and those who struggle daily. There is a softness and vulnerability to his vocals that makes the message all the more affecting and it is hard not to feel every word of it.
Nerves - 'N26'
This week's Songs of the Week are rounded out by 'N26', the riotous new single from Nerves. This song is three brilliantly relentless minutes that confront the slow erosion of rural Irish towns and the suspension felt by younger generations left behind. It is an urgent and unapologetic track that never loses its sense of place. If this is the opening statement for 2026 from Nerves, the rest of the year is going to be very exciting indeed.
