It's been a week packed with new music - from the brilliant MUNA to the return of Arcade Fire, via (what feels like) a million buzzy newcomers of all flavours. In order to help you cut through the noise, we've sifted through the pile and plucked out a few of the best. If you want more, scroll to the bottom and you'll find our weekly New Music Friday edit. Subscribe to the playlist on Spotify, and never miss out again.
MUNA - Anything But Me
Are MUNA the best band in the world? It's a competitive field, but nobody is getting more than 60 seconds into their new single 'Anything But Me' before they start pondering such lofty suggestions. It's not just the cooler-than-anyone-you-know synth-pop odyssey - though that doesn't hurt. It's the fact they come with the kind of whip-smart sass of those opening lyrics, conjuring up visions of all those evil exes, sat upon their tiny horses. Giddy up, fuckers. MUNA are coming through.
Arcade Fire - The Lightning I, II
Is there any chalice so poisoned as that of the dreaded 'return to form'? To return to something, one has to have slipped away from a pre-established position. To use that kind of phrasing around Arcade Fire might be slightly harsh - previous album 'Everything Now' had some highlights well worth revisiting - two-part epic 'The Lighting I, II' definitely sees the Canadian troupe returning to previously fertile fields. With the kind of rampant, ramshackle brilliance, it's a track with the same goosebump-on-goosebump energy that blessed their earliest moves. Maybe you can turn the clock back, after all. Someone start a mysterious poster campaign.
