Retro Kid – Think I Know

Danish-based British artist Retro Kid (aka Jake Juba) starts our weekend with his delightful new single, ‘Think I Know’.

The song serves as a taster to the producer’s forthcoming EP and is inspired by Juba’s life as a father to a young son, who, at the age of three, is confident enough to know what he wants but still finds ways to make life ‘interesting’ for his dad.

“I think I know what I want… dry socks (and more than six hours of sleep).”

As Retro Kid, Juba has won acclaim for his distinctive approach to electronic music from outlets as prominent as Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing, Indie Shuffle, and EARMILK.

Retro Kid | Ones To Watch Playlist | Nordic Sound Playlist

New Music: Victor Longato

Victor Longato is an interesting newcomer to have come across our radars this week, who we’re quite excited to be sharing with you.

Longato is a South American–British talent with a style of work that fuses Jersey Club beats with electronic pop and R&B. The music is multi-dimensional and unexpected, with plenty of intriguing sonic textures.

‘Freaked’ is the artist’s debut single and is inspired by ‘the chaotic spiral of being ghosted’. In the short time since its release, it has raised Longato’s awareness over social media significantly, amassing thousands of views and plays across TikTok and Instagram.

An upcoming EP titled ‘Sensory Overload’ is on the way. Until then, be sure to follow this promising artist on his social channels!

Victor Longato | Ones To Watch Playlist

Awolk – Someone

Hailing from Canada’s Nova Scotia, Awolk (aka Jesse Thomas) is an musician who in recent years has gained quite some momentum with his songs, which showcases a very sincere and organic style of indie-pop.

New single ‘Someone’ is lifted from Awolk’s freshly released ‘Wild Rose’ EP (out now) and talks about “life’s ultimate risk” – that of being in love, regardless of its unpredictable outcomes. Elaborating on the new EP, Awolk says:

“From the first track to the last, the six track EP, Wild Rose, has a minimalist and vibey studio band feel, complimenting my previous records, while nodding to the future. My current songwriting is an intentional exploration into some of the most major events in my recent life.”

Since launching the Awolk project in 2018, Thomas has garnered millions of streams online and toured all across his home nation. You can explore more of his work right here.

Awolk | Ones To Watch Playlist

Myoon – Dreamer 

Myoon, the Parisian pop project of brothers Augustin and Charles Hurez, is back with a new single called ‘Dreamer’.

Fusing indie with disco and dreamy pop, this song captivates listeners with its catchy melody and polished production. Sonically, the duo cite New Order, Joy Division, Phoenix, and Justice as some of their inspirations, and you can indeed hear these influences on the song.

Myoon are currently working on a new EP, with a scheduled release planned for this spring. You can stream more of their work on Spotify right here, where they currently have more than 15k monthly listeners.

Myoon | Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Town Flesh

East x West is a new independent label with a focus on showcasing British-Estonian alternative artists. Despite only launching this year, they’ve already signed some interesting talents – one of which is a 5-piece outfit from Tallinn called Town Flesh.

‘There’s a Last Time for Everything’ (a spin on the classic saying ‘there’s a first time for everything’) is the band’s new single – and the label’s inaugural release.

The track presents listeners with a refreshingly original indie-rock sound that carries with it the rawness of 90s Britpop and the playfulness of 60s pop. The result is a song that is not only sonically unique but also unexpectedly charming – despite its pessimistic title!

East x West was started by Issy Hughes, who is known for their work with the BBC, and Sander Varusk from Estonia’s Raadio 2.

Town Flesh (East x West Records) | Ones To Watch Playlist

Sebastian Rydgren – how i wanna die

Nordic artist Sebastian Rydgren first came to mainstream prominence in 2022 after a series of performances on Swedish Idol, culminating in an impressive fourth place at the finals.

Since then, he’s grown to become one of his nation’s most interesting pop talents, with his new single, ‘how i wanna die’, standing out to us in particular.

Alongside its polished production (courtesy of Simon Karlsson), this song has a familiarity with its lyrics, which are inspired by the best days of our lives. Sometimes, we lose sight of the good things that life has to offer – and this track reminds us that the potential for joy is always out there.

“The song is about being in a phase of life where everything feels perfect. There’s nothing more you wish for or want to achieve. The track is about feeling content with yourself, your relationships, and the life you’re living. It captures a moment and a feeling you wish you could stay in forever. If the worst were to happen, at least you would die happy – ‘how I wanna die’.”

To date, Rydgren has amassed more than a million career streams on Spotify alone. A new EP is on the way, but in the meantime you can check out more of the artist’s work right here.

Sebastian Rydgren | Ones To Watch Playlist | Nordic Sound Playlist

Lime Garden – 23

Photo / Steve Gullick

“‘23’ the concept was born from a dream I had where I was talking to my younger self. In the dream I was essentially ripping into my own personality and lack of success. ‘23’ the song was born on a rainy January afternoon, a Happy Mondays–inspired jam paved the way for the main bassline.” – Chloe Howard, Lime Garden

New album ‘Maybe Not Tonight’ is out on the 10th April 2026 – pre-order here.

Lime Garden | Ones To Watch Playlist

Lime Garden 2026 Tour Dates

  • 2nd October – Bristol, Electric Bristol
  • 5th October – Oxford, The Bullingdon
  • 6th October – Cambridge, Junction 1
  • 9th October – Birkenhead, Future Yard
  • 10th October – Leeds, Stylus
  • 12th October – Newcastle, The Grove
  • 13th October – Edinburgh, Mash House
  • 14th October – Glasgow, Mono
  • 16th October – Manchester, Gorilla
  • 17th October – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 
  • 18th October – Norwich, Waterfront
  • 20th October – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
  • 21st October – London, Electric Brixton

East Sister – Mixtape

Photo / Joan Seiler

Acclaimed Swiss indie trio East Sister are back today with a mesmerising new single titled ‘Mixtape’.

Most of us have, at some point, curated a mixtape for someone who we love. And you’d be forgiven for thinking that was the subject of this song, but in fact, the track gives up on the idea of love and instead announces, “I want to fall in love with music; I don’t want to fall in love with people anymore.”

And just as a mixtape flows from one genre to another, the song also evolves sonically – from dreamy lo-fi pop to something more classical and melancholic. This really is quite a clever song and, ironically, would fit quite nicely into a mixtape itself!

East Sister | Ones To Watch Playlist

Bishu – DOOMSCROLL (feat. PROP)

One of Halifax Canada’s finest, Bishu, joins forces with British artist PROP on new single ‘DOOMSCROLL’.

This track is unashamedly chaotic, and we’re obsessed. Despite being under two minutes long, this frantic anthem instantly raises your heart rate with its intoxicating mix of alternative pop and indie.

We’ve been impressed with Bishu’s recent run of releases, and with the way it’s going, we can quite easily see this talent taking on the global mainstream very soon.

Bishu | PROP | Ones To Watch Playlist

Navah Sea + MAUDSLEY – Who Said

There’s always a risk when it comes to creating experimental pop… Sometimes it’s appreciated, while other times its deemed obscure and unrelatable. Fortunately, ‘Who Said’, by Navah Sea and MAUDSLEY hits the spot perfectly.

Serving as a taster to their collaborative upcoming EP, ‘Laugh About It’ (out on the 16th Feb), this song treats us to an eccentric production that intertwines indie with electronica and alternative pop.

It’s certainly bold, but it also has a playfulness to it that makes it easy to connect with. This is genre-bending done pretty nicely, in our opinion!

Navah Sea | MAUDSLEY | Ones To Watch Playlist

ONYVAA – State of Flow

This weekend’s anthem is by acclaimed Californian techno DJ and producer ONYVAA.

‘State of Flow’ carries with it a hypnotic beat that summons you to the dancefloor. The sound is energising, bold, immersive and actually quite unexpected.

And the good news is that if you loved this song, then you can also enjoy its B-side, ‘Between Worlds’, which you can listen to here.

ONYVAA recently played an incredible set beside the iconic Golden Gate Bridge set, and it’s pretty spectacular, so be sure to check that out too.

ONYVAA

Ashley Ray Simon – Vaya Con Dios

Photo / Renae Saxby

Portugal-based British artist Ashley Ray Simon is one of our favourite finds of the week. Despite being an active musician for quite some time, we only recently came across his beautiful work, and we’re really excited to be sharing it with you.

‘Vaya Con Dios’ was originally created back in 2019 but has now come back to life as part of the artist’s recently released debut EP, ‘How Well Do You Know This Place’.

The song itself is really quite stunning and exudes warmth and sincerity. Ashley’s emotive and soulful vocals flow over a stripped-back yet immersive sound that blends folk with indie. Adding to its sense of authenticity, the track was actually recorded live and in analogue alongside producer Rohin Brown.

You can experience ‘How Well Do You Know This Place’ in its entirety here.

Ashley Ray Simon | Ones To Watch Playlist

Pale Puma – Will You Always Be Cold?

For those unfamiliar with Pale Puma, this emerging Dutch outfit is the project of singer-songwriter Django Duijns.

Pale Puma crafts a distinctive sound that blends fuzzy indie with dreamy pop, with new single ‘Will You Always Be Cold?’ being a great introduction for new listeners. The track feels in line with the likes of The Smiths and balances a modern production with an essence of nostalgia.

Pale Puma has released one album to date, 2023’s ‘Haunted By The Dreams That Were Never My Own’ (listen here). His work has also been picked up by outlets like Indie Music Nation and Iggy Magazine.

Pale Puma | Ones To Watch Playlist

Forgotten Garden – Overlord

Forgotten Garden return today with a powerful piece of work that tackles themes of greed, in the form of their new single, ‘Overlord’.

Released at a time that feels more relevant than ever, this track encourages us to remember the damaging and toxic consequences of chasing wealth and the corruption it can cause.

“The concept of greed resonates throughout the song as the protagonist always wants more money despite being very rich. Having amassed so much wealth the empowered subject of the song believes themselves to be ‘above the law’. Naturally though they hide their nefarious activities and live life as a ‘smokescreen gangster'”.

Alongside its thoughtful lyrics, the song also showcases Forgotten Garden’s signature style of sound, which incorporates pop and rock into indie productions.

Forgotten Garden is the Scottish-Portuguese musical project of Inês Rebelo and Danny Elliott, who have been active since 2019. In that time, they’ve gone on to accumulate thousands of followers across social media, while also amassing more than 800k career streams.

Forgotten Garden | Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: MUSYS

French outfit MUSYS is so new that we really struggled to find out much about who they are, but that hasn’t stopped us from wanting to feature them on the site.

It seems that ‘Sitting in the dark’ is their first single, and it’s really quite wonderful. Melancholic, sincere and pensive, this song presents us with a thoughtful production that fuses electronic pop with soft indie tones.

The intention is for the track to feel like ‘a tired heartbeat that still refuses to give up’, and we can absolutely feel that essence. For anyone who is experiencing loneliness from a broken heart, this song is your new comfort.

MUSYS | Ones To Watch Playlist

New Music: Natalie Reigo

Photo / Kitty Lingmerth Kopia

Natalie Reigo is a hugely promising newcomer from Sweden, who has already won us over with her charming style of R&B-pop.

‘Til The Moment’s Gone’ is Natalie’s anthemic new single and is inspired by the pressures of not missing out on life… and experiencing that all-too-familiar FOMO feeling.

“When I wrote it, it helped me through the feeling of FOMO and feeling like I should be somewhere else just because other people are!”

Natalie’s vocals are beautifully expressive and soulful, while the production is polished and sleek. Still only 19-years old and already amassing more than 1.5 million career streams on Spotify, it’s clear that this is a Nordic talent to keep an eye on.

Natalie Reigo | Ones To Watch Playlist | Nordic Sound Playlist

Arlo Parks – 2SIDED

Photo / Joshua Gordon

TRACK OF THE WEEK

“At its core ‘2SIDED’ is about yearning and tension. It’s about being struck by a bolt of desire and building up the courage to put language to that feeling, to make it real.”

Arlo Parks

Arlo Parks UK Store Dates April 2026

  • 2nd April – Rough Trade x fabric, London
  • 4th April – Crash x Wardrobe, Leeds
  • 6th April – Rough Trade Nottingham x Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
  • 8th April – Banquet x Circuit, London
  • 9th April – Resident x CHALK, Brighton
  • 11th April – Truck x O2 Academy, Oxford
  • 12th April – Vinilo x The 1865, Southampton

Tiwayo – Up For Soul

We’ve always expressed a love for classic soul, so today’s release of ‘Up For Soul’ by emerging Parisian outfit Tiwayo has really set us up for a good day.

The song offers a glimpse of what fans can expect from the upcoming album ‘Outsider’ (produced by Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas fame) and treats us to an uplifting fusion of indie R&B and retro-inspired soul.

“The lyrics play with my everyday reality as a musician. It’s about the highs and lows, the constant self-stimulation, the fragile nature of this work – all wrapped in 70s soul clichés that really fit.”

Tiwayo’s music has garnered praise from global names like Norah Jones and Marcus Miller. He currently commands close to 90k listeners on Spotify and has amassed more than ten million career streams to date.

Tiwayo | Ones To Watch Playlist