Single Review: ‘Mobius’ – Cyn Cwsg
Single Review: ‘Mobius’ – Cyn Cwsg Chaotic, energetic and in the best of ways, unruly By Niamh Hughes 27 August 2026 If their previous single ‘Megan Plis’ showed Cyn Cwsg at their most delicate, ‘Mobius’ is the sound of the Welsh quartet throwing caution firmly out the window. The Cardiff-based band’s latest single is chaotic, energetic and in the best of ways, unruly, trading the softer restraint of their earlier release this summer for jagged guitars and heavy drums. There’s something immediately familiar about it too. The confidence of the track, specifically the vocal hooks, accompanied with indie rock guitar carries echoes of what is often referred to as the Cool Cymru era of the 90s and early 2000s – a spinoff from the Britpop fuelled Cool Britannia movement. Cyn Cwsg – Photo by Sam Stevens ‘Mobius’ shows an allegiance to the sounds and off kilter lyrics of the Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci but it does so in a way that doesn’t feel like a complete nostalgia exercise. Produced by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard frontman Tom Rees, whose production credits also include The Bug Club and Panic Shack, his own style of indie-rock music that almost bursts with excitement is definitely stamped on the track. ‘Mobius’ takes its name from the mathematical shape with only one side and edge, and while referenced indirectly in the lyrics, there’s also a fitting sense of circular chaos to this single. Ideas seem to chase each other around, building towards a final burst of mayhem as spiky guitars and punchy drums reach a triumphant finish. Speaking on the track, the band described it as “A juxtaposition of the mind and something too complex to comprehend (a bit like your brain). A concept of projectile madness echoed through guitar tones and mental drumming. Also just a song about the möbius strip.” ‘Mobius’ is one of those tracks that leaves you with the slightly frustrating feeling of wanting to hear it live. It has that restless energy but also infectious optimism that almost certainly demands a crowd. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Album Review: ‘It Goes On’ – Westside Cowboy
Album Review: ‘It Goes On’ – Westside Cowboy A technically brilliant and creatively fantastic piece of art By Cara Rawson 25 August 2026 Westside Cowboy, a band hailing from Manchester, have recently become the acclaimed indie band of the city. An opinion which has now only been expedited by the release of new album ‘It Goes On’. ‘It Goes On’ is the kind of album that makes you fall in love with the beauty of music again. The melodies are concise and filled with Aoife Anson O’Connell’s unique vocal harmonies. The guitars sound fresh and warrant a modern touch. The album is an ode to feeling too young for the world but tired enough to know where you are. The lyrics of ‘It Goes On’ don’t focus on being poetry; they don’t need to. They feel like an echo of the world, there is no grandiose meaning hidden between the words. They are exactly as they appear on the tin. It’s an honest expression from a band wanting to make something nice to listen to. It’s a clear, well-spoken album. Photo by Clementine Schneidermann ‘It Goes On’ is a marker of change for indie music in this decade. The fuzz and muffled sound of the rhythm section has moved to the bass while the guitar has become polished and melodic. The album holds its genre of alternative indie without trying to prove it. The drums maintain a soft percussion which works incredibly well with the driving bass. The guitars lead the build-ups and vocals accentuate in all the perfect places. All instruments play their part and converse with each other. It’s an album that entails a sense of togetherness. The soft intro of ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ with the electric guitar, vocals providing a catchy melody and Aoife Anson O’Connell showing her voice in perfect detail. The drums iconic rolls and fills create a song that nearly requires clapping along to. It’s a big sound that feels like you’re in the room with the band and an audience. Westside Cowboy have well and truly proven that they deserve every single one of their flowers within this album release. They have created a technically brilliant and creatively fantastic piece of art. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
EP Review: ‘never really here’ – Chest
EP Review: ‘never really here’ – Chest Five brilliant tracks, utilising different energies and sounds and styles, without a single wasted transition. By Sankavi Naresh 14 August 2026 Norwich-based indie band Chest are back with their EP, ‘never really here’. It’s frenetic and punchy, packed with standout hooks from beginning to end; there’s a wistful ache running through it, the kind I thought we’d lost to the 2010s. The EP opens with ‘SO BETTER NOW’, which is fast paced and guitar heavy from the first bar, building momentum, not allowing for wasted space. The last 30 seconds particularly stuck with me; the riffing builds and builds, allowing a neat transition into ‘GOSPEL’ which is slower and broodier, a proper gear change. Chest never seem to run out of fresh ideas; the hook “I haven’t slept in a couple hours” is an instant earworm that you’ll be humming without meaning to. The line “over and under, kicked out” runs through the track like a half remembered encounter, something you can’t quite place or shake. “I have a vision,” vocalist Joel Reader declares partway through; it feels prophetic. ‘MACHINE’ is aptly named, mechanical in the best way, tightly wound without ever tipping into clinical or cold. “It’s all a bit obscene” is a catchy hook that takes a step back to examine just how strange it is to be this plugged in all the time. The track is restless. It feels tuned to something bigger, a sense of permanently being switched on, and having no way to switch off. ‘JULIA’ is a completely different register, melancholic and slower. There’s a reference to Julia’s mother that hints at hurt that runs deeper than what’s happening in the song. Reader calls out for Julia across the chorus, again and again, but the music tells you what the lyrics won’t say outright: she’s long gone and calling isn’t going to bring her back. Last but not least, ‘NUMB’ slows everything right down. It’s comforting and resigned all at once, weary but doesn’t indulge in self pity. It’s numb but never empty; we feel every underlying emotion beneath that numbness. Chest let the pain linger rather than looking away from it, echoing the same restraint ‘JULIA’ showed: small stretches with no vocals at all, the instruments are left to do the talking. A relationship has been abruptly severed here, and the track can’t quite move past it. The section beginning “I had the strangest dream” strikes a chord; it’s a line that stops you in your tracks, searching for something it already knows it’s lost. Five brilliant tracks, utilising different energies and sounds and styles, without a single wasted transition. ‘never really here’ knows exactly what it is; it’s a living, breathing entity in its own right and it thrums with hurt and confusion. You can hear it in the way ‘JULIA’ can’t stop calling out for someone that won’t answer, or the wordless stretches on ‘NUMB’ that say more than the lyrics do. Chest are definitely ones to watch. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
TGE Presents Truthpaste, Bert & Ninush @ The Old Blue Last
TGE PRESENTS TRUTHPASTE, BERT & NINUSH PHOTOS By Elijah Callingham 27 April 2026 Thursday 26th March marked the third of The Great Escape’s pre-festival showcases and consisted of an indie/alt/folk focused lineup. Lots of guitars, gentle vocals and beautiful songwriting. You can view the photos we took, listen to the artists, and read our thoughts on them below. Ninush Nina Lim has played with some of the best British artists out there as a violinist but her solo project Ninush explores a more gentle sound, reminiscent of Regina Spektor. Bert Brighton artist Bert played his recently released track ‘Bump’. On the night we spoke to him about it as well as his other favourite songs, which you can view over on our Instagram. Truthpaste Headliners Truthpaste have really been making their way up in the world recently. They work beautifully as an ensemble, ending the night on a high note.
Bert Recommends
Artist Playlist : Bert Alternative,Indie A playlist featuring music made or selected by indie artist Bert, plus some related suggestions from the TNAM team. Watch the full interview over on our Instagram! TNAM.UK Playlist {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
The Best UK Festivals This Spring
The Best UK Festivals This Spring By Caitlin Taylor 8 April 2026 From Brighton to Salford, here are the best fest festivals the UK has to offer before June hits. If you want to be in the know before anyone else – and support local venues and independent artists – buy a ticket to one, or two, or three. Outertown, Bristol Saturday, 11th April It’s the five year anniversary of Bristol’s own Outertown festival and they’re supplying us with a killer lineup to celebrate. Buy a ticket so that there can be many more to come! Top Picks: wing!, ashnymph, Ninush View this post on Instagram A post shared by Outer Town Festival (@outertownbristol) Buy Tickets Here Homegrown, Brighton Saturday, 11th April Some properly obscure artists on this lineup from the first of two Brighton based festival on this list. Hopefully the sun stays shining and the wind stays calm this weekend so you can sit on the beach with an ice cream in between discovering some new sounds. Top Picks: AtticOmattic, Eva Lunny, Rainy Day Cafe View this post on Instagram A post shared by Homegrown Festival (@homegrownbrighton) Buy Tickets Here Sounds From The City, Salford Sunday, 3rd May If you know, you know. Salford is the place to be for exciting music at the moment. London isn’t the centre of the world – get up North and have your mind blown. Top Picks – Slag, Lancer, Pollyfromthedirt View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sounds From The Other City (@sftoc) Buy Tickets Here The Great Escape, Brighton 13th-16th May The second Brighton-based multi-venue festival on this list, TGE is a staple in the calendar for new music. We’re biased because we have our own stage here for the second year in a row alongside our good friends at Still Listening but there’s also hundreds of other amazing artists to check out. Top Picks: Internet Cafe, KEYAH/BLU, SILVERWINGKILLER View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Great Escape Festival (@greatescapefest) Buy Tickets Here
Beth Jones Recommends
Artist Playlist : Beth Jones Folk,Folk Pop,Indie A playlist featuring music made or selected by folk singer Beth Jones, plus some related suggestions from the TNAM team. Watch the full interview over on our Instagram! TNAM.UK Playlist {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Artist Playlist: hey, nothing
Artist Playlist : hey, nothing Folk,Folk Pop,Indie,Indie Pop,Rock Music from/selected by/inspired by hey, nothing – with help from the TNAM team. Find our original interview from Pitchfork festival over on our Instagram! TNAM.UK Playlist {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
So Wide Awake’s Off… Where Should You Go Instead?
So Wide Awake’s Off… Where Should You Go Instead? Our fave London festivals having a break in 2026, hopefully these others fill that hole in your heart By Caitlin Taylor 8 March 2026 So Wide Awake is officially not happening… Luckily it’s just a one off for 2026, but it still leaves a gaping hole in the UK market. The festival, founded and curated by Keith Miller and LNZRT, is THE London day event for alternative, underground music. Since 2021, they’ve provided stages for some of our favourites; The New Eves, The Itch, Shygirl, Mary in the Junkyard, Hannah Diamond, Jasmine.4.T, Acopia, and many, many more. It will be sorely missed this summer, but here’s a selection of other events that can maybe help you stave off the WA cravings. RALLY We’ve been big fans of RALLY since its inception. A decently new entry to the scene, the 2025 installment was one of our favourite festivals of that year with captivating performances from Moin, MIKE and Bassvictim, all while managing to have a decent Guinness on tap in the middle of Southwark park. This year, the lineup has been curated by Dev Hynes (Blood Orange himself) leading to some incredibly fun bookings. Top Picks – YHWH Nailgun, spirit blue and Smerz View this post on Instagram A post shared by RALLY (@rally.rally.rally) DOT TO DOT Hitting 2026 with a killer lineup is Dot to Dot (or D2D), a festival with a strong focus on new music. Whether you’re in Bristol or Nottingham, you’ll have the chance to catch some of the best rising artists. Top Picks – Fcukers, Lucia & the Best Boys, Middleman and Sarah Meth View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dot To Dot Festival (@d2dfest) END OF THE ROAD An institution of the British festival scene, this year’s lineup features some Wide Awake alumni including CMAT, Fat Dog and Working Men’s Club. It’s a nature focused event, located in Dorset full of great music and is more family focused than others on this list. Many of their standout bookings likely would’ve been on the WA lineup this year if it wasn’t off. Top Picks – RIP Magic, Prewn, Silver Gore and Little Grandad View this post on Instagram A post shared by End Of The Road (@endoftheroad) LIDO Kicking things off last year, LIDO joined the London scene as the younger sibling of the very well established All Points East. In 2026, the standout day to us is Friday June 12th with everyone’s favourite new popstar CMAT as the headliner. Even more artists are soon to be announced. Top Picks – Katy J Pearson, Getdown Services and Junior Brother View this post on Instagram A post shared by cmat (@cmatbaby) CROSS THE TRACKS If you go to Wide Awake for the atmosphere as much as the music, then its sister festival Cross The Tracks is a must-visit. With more of a focus on genres like jazz, funk and soul, it’s lineups are always impressive and this year is no different. Top Picks – Joy Crookes, Bel Cobain, Obongjayar, and Lizzie Berchie View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cross The Tracks (@xthetracks) Find our review of the previous Wide Awake here
The Best of Jan & Feb 2026
The Best of Jan & Feb 2026 Staff picks of the best music released so far in 2026. People’s Playlist by Caitlin Taylor Add Your Heading Text Here You Might Also Like Recent Posts