The irresistible indie of Fletchr Fletchr, the intricate effervescence of untitled (halo), the vibrant craft of Internet Girl, and the effortless technicality of LUXE: get to know the next best musicians in August’s New Noise.
August is always a long month. 31 days of events, festivals, beer gardens, and an increasing sense of dread at the impending long nights and cold mornings. Still, there’s been plenty of good music to see us through summer’s climax.
At the summit, there’s no denying Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend. Six years of waiting was worth it; it’s immediately one of the best, most affecting records of the year. There were some great collaborative hip hop projects – Denzel Curry & Kenneth Blume (Kenny Beats to his friends) returned with the excellent ii, while Erykah Badu and The Alchemist joined forces for Before the World Blows.
Time observing arguable pop misfires from Katseye, Stella Lefty, and Role Model is better spent congratulating two of Britain’s best new bands for wonderful debut albums (Westside Cowboy’s It Goes On and Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s Cannonball), or Ravyn Lenae and Cleo Sol on saccharine soulful symphonies.
As ever, there have been plenty of rising acts grabbing our attention. Speaking of British bands, Fletchr Fletchr are gaining stock in the increasingly competitive indie market. On the other side of the Atlantic, Los Angeles outfit untitled (halo) are also making plenty of noise, pushing genre sensibilities into obscure corners. Putting South African sounds and scenes on the map, Internet Girl are emerging as an undeniable stylistic smorgasbord impossible not to take notice of. And lastly, London polymath LUXE is
concocting orchestral-tinged electronica to aplomb.
Brighten your summer-ending blues and get to know the four acts a little better below…
Fletchr Fletchr
Cornish quartet Fletchr Fletchr lay their cards out on the table on their refreshingly thought-provoking sophomore EP, “On The Island We Call Home”, which was released via Polydor on 21st August. It’s an artistic coming-of-age since last year’s early promising debut EP, “We All Feel The Same”; both self-produced, the two projects hint at songwriting that encapsulates the anxiety of modern life, while glistening with the kind of vital hope that is easy to skip out on when tackling such encompassing topics. The music isn’t half bad either – sweeping guitars, crashing drums, moving bass, soaring vocals. Ticking all the boxes.
Why two Fletchrs? Why not three or four?
There’s actually about five Fletchrs at this point after spending so much time together! But that might start to sound a bit silly. The band initially started with Adam and me doing the pub circuit as a duo. We’d spent basically every day together since school, and we lived in my family home together as well. We felt like brothers, and everyone saw us that way too, so Fletchr Fletchr made sense.
British bands sound the best they’ve sounded in years right now – what do you put it down to?
I think with all the turmoil that’s been going on in the UK, it breeds bands. I think it also comes in waves, and this current one is inspired by bands from 20 years ago that we all grew up listening to. I think fans of bands haven’t had this much choice in so long, and it’s helping to fill out gigs because you don’t know who’s gonna be next up.
Your sophomore EP, “On The Island We Call Home” has just dropped. How are you feeling it being out in the world?
It’s feeling really good. It feels like all our ideas on the visual side now make perfect sense; if you start on the ‘FWMH’ music video, then watch ‘Streetlights’ and end on ‘Passenger’, it tells the stories tied within the new music. We’ve also got a live performance video that we’re working on, which is what these songs were meant for – playing live.
You’re heading out on the road this September – what’s on the Fletchr Fletchr rider?
Currently 100 beers, but we quickly learnt last year that’s not the greatest idea… so we might cut down to 80 and add some crisps and fruit for balance.
What do you want to achieve as a band?
We want to do it forever, keep making music and following this dream that we’ve had since we were kids.
untitled (halo)
untitled (halo) is the kind of band that feels emblematic of where music is today. Strange, beautiful, not for everyone. Searching for a new piece to the puzzle, trying to unlock something to cut through the banality that inevitably comes with oversaturation.
After two excellent EPs – 2023’s “towncryer” and 2024’s “headbanger” – the LA four-piece return to reintroduce themselves, sharper and more cerebral than before. New cut “aimee loud wood freestyle”, the first glimpse into a self-titled debut album coming on 6th November via Dirty Hit, is haunting yet firm and rich, like a ghostly peach bursting with juice, threatening to be too sour but never losing its saccharinity.
How did untitled (halo) first form?
On the floor of Ari’s apartment – Jay brought a demo, Ari did a freestyle, then Jack joined, then Nick joined later. We are all friends and wanted to just make music and art to make things for the sake of collaboration/friendship.
What is the most angelic thing about you as a band?
Staring into the sublime and trying to capture a brief moment in time that exists where the sun shines forever and at the end of the tunnel – all we have is each other.
You’ve got your debut album dropping in November – how is it an artistic growth from your previous EPs?
New DLC expansion pack, sonically, thematically and tonally familiar.
What can we expect from the album?
A time capsule of emotions from 2023 to the present. Deep emotions, heart, forgiveness. Embracing fading memories.
Describe your live show in three words?
California Melancholy Music.
Internet Girl
A stylistic criss-cross of vibrant R&B, anthemic punk, immersive electronic and mind-boggling rap, South African trio Internet Girl earn the buzzword ‘alternative’. Unique in their production approach and essential in their songwriting and performance – thanks to the deeply captivating Ntsika – the group formed in 2019 and have gone from strength to strength since. They’ve released several acclaimed projects in the past five years and have collaborated with the likes of Lancey Foux and Ezekiel. They’ve just shared a high-energy first single of the year, “ALL THE SAME”, and will be heading on a North American and European tour this autumn.
How is the South African rap scene? Why should we be taking notice?
The UG rap scene in SA is one of the most exciting in the world. Guys like Brotherkupa are really paving their own lane by tapping into South African vernacular & culture, taking old school South African genres & making it super fresh. It’s almost its own genre at this point, and it’s unapologetically African, not trying to impress anyone overseas. It’s a sound you can only find here, and it’s thriving whether you’re taking notice or not.
What works so well musically and personally between the three of us?
Man, we’ve been friends for so long, so our minds are almost one at this point. But I think a big hurdle for us was being able to be honest with each other if something isn’t working. Also learning not to take criticism personally. Once we overcame that, it became easier to play to our strengths. It helps that we all want to succeed really badly.
Talk us through your new single, “ALL THE SAME” – what’s the motive and meaning?
This one we really just wanted a sexy dance song. Some shit people can dance to. We’ve never really had a record that you can just dance and vibe out. There are no hidden motifs, just swag on this one. Neese made the beat during a writing trip, and when we heard the Spanish vocals, we immediately knew that we had a chorus.
What artists/groups would you file yourself next to sonically?
It’s a hard one to answer, it’s different artists at different phases. Gun to my head, I would say someone like Teezo [Touchdown] because it’s hard to say what genre he’s making, but when you hear it, you know it’s Teezo. He’s a bajillion times better at that though lol.
Who is the ultimate internet girl?
Hahaha, I really don’t know how to answer that. But to avoid not answering the question, I guess the ultimate internet girl is someone trying to set the stage with something to prove. And someone who goes all in to be remembered after they’re gone.
LUXE
Not unlike the indie scene, electronic music is one of the most compelling and competitive scenes in the UK right now. It’s difficult to stand out, with so much new talent bubbling around. You have to have a specific modus operandi in order to keep your head above water. And LUXE is a strong swimmer. Merging rousing club ideals with classical music methods, the producer, composer and DJ offers up a distinct, daring and deft style that sits parallel but divergent to her contemporaries. July’s EP “IN TALES BETWEEN” is an effortless artistic manifesto.
Why and how did you first become interested in producing and DJing?
I started going out to clubs and experiencing dance floors quite early on, and that pretty quickly turned into wanting to have a go myself – a pull to learn, explore, meet new people, and keep discovering more music. I think what drew me to the scene was that everyone felt like they were actually being themselves. There was more room for expression there than anywhere else in life.
You are formally trained in flute, piano and voice – how does your classical tutelage shape your production identity?
My background writing and composing in the classical space shapes my production in a few ways, but most clearly in how intuitive and impulsive that early experimentation always felt – working things out acoustically, by instinct. That’s carried straight into how I work in a DAW: a lot of instinct, a lot of improvisation, ideas pulled from as close to the root as I can get. That’s generally how I create, whatever the medium.
Your new EP “IN TALES BETWEEN” is dazzling and progressive. How would you define it yourself, in terms of tone and intention?
The tone comes from a vulnerable place – I’m exploring what it’s been like finding my feet personally and creatively, with reflections on being a woman and everything that comes with that woven into the fabric of it, unavoidably so given I live with PMDD. It’s about the darker side of that too, and learning to work with that energy, to embody its power while keeping ten toes on the ground. The intention was to let myself sit outside my comfort zone and lean into something more varied, vulnerable and honest, away from the straight-up four-to-the-floor people know me for. There’s always more of that coming too – dance remixes incoming.
What has been a DJ set that you’ve always remembered? One which has stood out?
My set on the beach stage at Dekmantel Selectors last year was a special one.
Who’s your dream b2b?
CCL.
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Words – Ben Tibbits
