Discovering this Jackhammer Noise and Clubby Alternative Rock of the Band Ashnymph and This Week's Top Fresh Music

Originating in the UK cities of London and Brighton
For fans of Underworld, MGMT, Animal Collective
On the horizon An as-yet-untitled EP, to be released in 2026

Both tracks released up to now by the group Ashnymph defy easy classification: their personal label of the sound as “subconscioussion” leaves listeners guessing. Debut Saltspreader combined a pounding industrial rhythm – member Will Wiffen has sometimes been seen on stage wearing a T-shirt that bears the logo of the trailblazing band Godflesh – with retro-style synths and a riff that partly brings to mind the enduring garage rock anthem I Wanna Be Your Dog, before transforming into a wall of disquieting noise. The desired impact, the trio have suggested, was to evoke motorway travel, “the ceaseless flow of vehicles all day long over vast spans … nighttime orange glows”.

Its follow-up, Mr Invisible, sits somewhere between nightclub tunes and left-field alt-rock. On one hand, the song's beat, strata of mesmerizing synths, and lyrics that appear either psychedelically smeared or hypnotically looped in a way that recalls Dubnobasswithmyheadman-era Underworld all point towards the dance space. Conversely, its powerful concert-like energy, edge-of-chaos quality and distortion – “getting that crisp distortion is a lifelong ambition,” Wiffen noted – mark it out as clearly a group effort rather than a solitary home producer. They've gigged around the independent music circuit in south London for a short time, “any venue that cranks the volume”.

But the two tracks are vibrant and distinct – from one another and contemporary releases – to make you wonder about Ashnymph's upcoming moves. Whatever it is, on the evidence of Saltspreader and Mr Invisible, it’s unlikely to be boring.

This Week’s Best New Tracks

Dry Cleaning's Hit My Head All Day
“I really require adventures”​, vocalist Florence Shaw states on their enchanting new track, but over six minutes – with exhales setting the pace – you feel that she's unsure of the reason.

Danny L Harle's Azimuth featuring Caroline Polachek
Merging gothic intensity to peak 90s trance – even the words “and I ask the rain” – Azimuth suggests dusting off your best Cyberdog wear and heading south west to rave, right away.

Robyn's Acne Studios mix
The music by Robyn for the Acne Studios' spring/summer 2026 presentation hints at her next record, including Soulwax-worthy grinding guitar, Benny Benassi-style thrust and the words “my body’s a spaceship with the ovaries on hyperdrive”.

Like That by Jordana
We loved her soft rock album Lively Premonition last year and the US singer-songwriter further demonstrates her stunning facility for chorus writing as she sings about a futile crush.

Get a Life by Molly Nilsson
The solo Swedish pop act released her latest album Amateur this week, and this cut is remarkable: a synth-guitar melody thrusts forward rapidly as Nilsson demands we seize the day.

Artemas – Superstar
After documenting jaded love and sex on his hit single I Like the Way You Kiss Me and its underrated parent mixtape Yustyna, the British-Cypriot star is completely captivated by his new flame amid icy synth-driven sound.

Miss America by Jennifer Walton
From one of the year’s standout debuts, a crushed synth hymnal about Walton discovering her dad had died in an hotel near an airport, tracing her uncanny surroundings in softly sung lines: “Shopping plaza, illegal trade, anxiety episodes.”

Mary Rodriguez
Mary Rodriguez

A Toronto-based writer passionate about urban culture and sustainable living, sharing personal stories and expert insights.