Exploring this Jackhammer Noise and Clubby Alt-Rock of the Band Ashnymph and This Week's Top Fresh Music

Hailing from London and Brighton
For fans of artists like Underworld, MGMT, or Animal Collective
On the horizon An as-yet-untitled EP, to be released in 2026

The two singles shared so far by the group Ashnymph resist simple labeling: their personal label of the sound as “subconscioussion” doesn’t offer many clues. Debut Saltspreader combined a heavy mechanical drumming – bandmember Will Wiffen has occasionally been spotted on stage sporting a shirt that bears the logo of Godflesh, icons of industrial metal – with old-school electronic keys and a guitar riff that subtly echoes the classic Stooges track I Wanna Be Your Dog, before transforming into a barrier of unsettling sound. Its intended effect, the group has mentioned, was to conjure highway journeys, “the endless movement of vehicles 24-hours a day over vast spans … orange lights at night”.

Its follow-up, Mr Invisible, occupies a space between nightclub tunes and left-field alt-rock. On one hand, the track’s rhythm, multiple entrancing electronic parts, and lyrics that appear either psychedelically smeared or mesmerizingly repeated in a way that recalls Dubnobasswithmyheadman-era Underworld all point towards the dance space. On the other, its intense performance-style shifts, brink-of-disorder feel and fuzz – “making everything sound crunchy is a personal mission,” Wiffen has said – distinguish it as very much the work of a band rather than a solitary home producer. They've performed around the self-made music community of south London for a short time, “any venue that cranks the volume”.

But each is thrilling and unique – mutually and contemporary releases – to make you wonder about the band's future direction. Whatever it is, on the evidence of Saltspreader and Mr Invisible, it’s probably not dull.

The Week's Fresh Highlights

Dry Cleaning's Hit My Head All Day
“I simply must have experiences”​, singer Florence Shaw declares on the group's captivating comeback, but across six minutes – with breath sounds keeping rhythm – you get the sense that she's unsure of the reason.

Azimuth by Danny L Harle with Caroline Polachek
Welding Evanescence goth drama to classic 90s trance – including the line “and I ask the rain” – Azimuth suggests reviving your rave outfits and heading south west to rave, right away.

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

Like That by Jordana
Critics praised her record Lively Premonition last year and the American artist further demonstrates her impressive hook-crafting ability as she expresses unrequited feelings.

Get a Life by Molly Nilsson
The solo Swedish pop act released her latest album Amateur this week, and this cut is incredible: a electronic guitar part surges ahead with punk speed as Nilsson demands we take control of life.

Artemas' Superstar
Post explorations of tired relationships on his megahit I Like the Way You Kiss Me and its accompanying release Yustyna, the British-Cypriot star is wretchedly in thrall to his current partner amid driving coldwave beats.

Jennifer Walton's Miss America
From one of the year’s standout debuts, a soft synth lament about Walton discovering her dad had died in an airport hotel, tracing her uncanny surroundings in tender incantations: “Retail area, shady transaction, nervous fits.”

Daniel Reynolds
Daniel Reynolds

A passionate designer and writer sharing insights on creativity and innovation.