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Known for their unique blend of post-punk, classical, and electronic influences, the band has developed a cult following since their formation in 2006 by twin brothers Jack and George Barnett. ‘Crooked Wing‘ is expected to expand on the band’s signature atmospheric soundscapes and evocative lyricism.

These New Puritans first gained widespread attention with their 2008 debut album ‘Beat Pyramid‘, but it was their 2010 release ‘Hidden‘ that cemented their status as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking bands. The album, featuring brass and percussive elements alongside eerie electronic undertones, was critically acclaimed for its avant-garde approach. Their most recognised track from this second debut album is ‘We Want War’, which has gained over 1 million listens on Spotify and Youtube.

The band has already released two tracks from this upcoming album, ‘Bells’ and ‘Industrial Love Song’. ‘Bells’ originated from a field recording of a bell in a small Orthodox Greek church, which became the foundation of the track. The song features a rich sonic palette, including organs, ancient bells, and pitched percussion, creating a powerful and immersive listening experience.

‘Industrial Love Song’ is a collaboration with Caroline Polachek. The narrative explores themes of connection and longing, reflecting on the human-like qualities of machines. The accompanying music video, directed by Harley Weir, visually complements the song’s themes.

Fans eager for a preview of the album won’t have to wait long as the band is set to release the lead single in early April. Alongside the album announcement, These New Puritans are expected to tour UK and Europe later in 2025, with dates possibly expected to be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the band is going to perform at the EartH in Hackney, London on June 12. Tickets are available to purchase on DICE. For further updates, you can visit the band’s Instagram.

.@charli_xcx had the best reponse to the Brits’ failure to nominate any women for best artist. pic.twitter.com/zCkHN2FP50

— Mark Savage (@mrdiscopop) February 12, 2023

Charli has now made waves with her decision to part with Atlantic Records, whom she signed a five album deal with at just 16 years old. The details of her new record deal have not yet been revealed, but Charli did tease fans with a glimpse of her “brand new recording contract” in her ‘In the Bag’ video for British Vogue.

Charli reveals that she has signed a two album deal, stating in the video “We’re in business!” Rumours subsequently began to circulate that she had signed with Dirty Hit, an independent label home to No Rome, Pale Waves and Charli’s boyfriend George Daniel’s band, The 1975.

Charli has previously worked with numerous artists signed with Dirty Hit, most recently teaming up with George Daniel to remix Caroline Polachek’s new single, ‘Welcome To My Island’, so it wasn’t surprising that fans thought she may have signed with Dirty Hit herself.

However, she quickly put these rumours to rest, replying to a fan on Twitter saying “i’m too expensive for them.”

i’m too expensive for them https://t.co/1ZXWeqERfJ

— Charli (@charli_xcx) February 22, 2023

Speaking to NME in October 2022, Charli revealed that she wasn’t sure about becoming an independent artist, saying, “I like not having to foot the bill for everything at the beginning, that’s quite scary. Especially when you want to do things on the kind of scale that I did on the last record. I’m still exploring, definitely.”

She concluded that, “there’s so many interesting options that would work for me.”

Charli’s latest album CRASH released in March 2022 debuted at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming her first album to top the chart. CRASH also became her highest charting album in the US to date, debuting at No.7 on the Billboard 200.

Following this success, Charli expressed her confusion surrounding the lack of recognition for female artists at the Brits, tweeting “i only came to speak the truth hunny.’

i only came to speak the truth hunny: https://t.co/vJj5hYrPYS — Charli (@charli_xcx) February 12, 2023

Despite her lack of nomination for Best Artist, Charli was later seen wearing a very on-brand tongue in cheek outfit, with a slogan t-shirt reading ‘REAL WINNER.’

REAL WINNER pic.twitter.com/GKuWS9m3UV

— CHARLI XCX UPDATES (@FckyeahCharli) February 12, 2023

Fans are eagerly awaiting news on Charli’s plans for 2023, with hints at further collaborations and even a potential book being on the horizon.

Stream Charli XCX’s latest album here.

Polachek is set to release her upcoming album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You next month, from which she has released singles since 2021. Due to the pandemic, her European tour for 2019 album Pang was interrupted, leading her to start work on her next project. Since then, she has brought out several singles, including ‘Bunny Is A Rider’ and most recently ‘Welcome To My Island’, accompanied by a music video. After a long time away from the stage, fans can surely expect Polachek to bring her all this summer.

For Alex G, this will be a stop on his European tour. He will tour the UK from March before heading to Europe for a mix of headline shows and festival appearances. His ninth studio album God Save The Animals was released at the end of last year and was well-received by multiple publications.

Black Country New Road will be joining Wide Awake after a UK tour and a quick stint to Japan.  At the beginning of 2022, lead singer Isaac Wood left the band after struggles with his mental health. Bassist Tyler Hyde stated in an NME interview that: “It’s taught us that it’s really important to relieve people of responsibility in order to keep everyone in check and to actually live up to this thing that we have been saying about everyone holding the same responsibilities“. Since his departure, the band have released another album, Ants From Up There. Last year, the band also released a limited edition exclusive vinyl EP of covers, one of which was a Caroline Polachek track (‘So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings’).

Wide Awake Festival is advertised as a celebration of independent music and counterculture, and features not only established artists but a wide range of up-and-coming talent also. It is set to be a varied and eclectic mix of genres. The festival boasts seven stages, 40+ artists, a craft beer fair, street food, album signings and zine fairs. Los Bi7chos, Blondshell, Tirzah, CIVIC, CLAMM, JJUUJJUU, Nice Biscuit, and Wasted Youth will also be joining the line-up.

Tickets for Wide Awake are on sale now, and you can catch them here.

Polachek’s forthcoming trip to Europea and the United Kingdom seems to have been a long time coming, as these shows will see the singer supporting her latest full-length album Pang, which was released all the way back in 2019. Polacheck only performed one UK date in 2021, at London’s Roundhouse. Polachek will be joined on the upcoming tour by French producer Oklou.

Tickets will go on sale at 10AM BST on Friday May 20^th. UK fans will be able to sign up for pre-sale access, and general sale tickets can be purchased here.

Polachek has a productive and jam-packed year in terms of live performance ahead of her, having appeared recently at Coachella in the US and a good portion of Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” tour, and is slated to perform numerous festivals later this year including Glastonbury, Latitude, All Points East Festival and Primavera Sound in Sao Paolo, Argentina, Chile and Porto. More information on Polachek’s tour dates and festival appearances can be found here.

Caroline Polachek found her success as a musician prior to the birth of her solo career, as the frontwoman of synthpop outfit Chairlift. The project emerged in the mid-2000s as a collaboration between Polachek and Aaron Pfenning, after the pair met at The University of Colorado. They relocated to New York and added Patrick Wimberly to the line-up in early 2007. Chairlift released three studio albums before announcing their breakup in 2016, which was followed by a farewell tour in 2017.

Polachek’s solo efforts commenced three years prior to Chairlift’s breakup announcement, when she would perform live sets under the name Ramona Lisa. Polachek made her very first album, Arcadia, entirely on her laptop, utilising MIDI instrumentation and recording vocals using the laptop’s built-in microphone. Polachek has since released two albums, 2017’s Drawing the Target Around the Arrow and 2019’s Pang.

Polachek released a single last year entitled “Bunny Is A Rider” and on February 9^th of this year, she released another single entitled “Billions”. You can listen to these singles, as well as the rest of Polachek’s musical catalogue via streaming services.

27/10/2022- Chalk- Brighton
28/10- Leeds Beckett Students Union- Leeds
29/10- Albert Hall- Manchester
31/10- O2 Academy Brixton- London
02/11- The Marble Factory- Bristol

However, that’s not all. The label will also be hosting a showcase of their artists at the soon-to-be-reopened KOKO venue in London, Camden High Street. It’s been a tough time for KOKO as of recent, what with fires, water damage and pandemics helping keep it closed since 2019 and costing £70 million to fix up. But it should be in tip-top shape as of this April when the place is finally set to reopen.

And after all that effort, I think they deserve a bit of music. The PC Music showcase will reportedly be “the label’s biggest flagship event to date“, and is set to take place the month after their ‘vol.3’ compilation is released (on June 15^th). And that’s not the only thing KOKO has to look forward to. Artists such as Pete Doherty, Remi Wolf, Jorja Smith and many others are also set to play at the newly refurbished venue. If you want to see more details about what’s happening at KOKO, you can look here.

PC Music has been keeping itself busy recently aside from compilation-business. A number of recent releases include Caroline Polachek’s recent single “Billions“, which was released last February. Hyd’s self-titled EP is another thing fans of the label should probably look out for. And then there’s Charli XCX, whose run of singles lately is sure to excite fans everywhere in wait for her upcoming album, Crash, which is due out on March 18th. If you want to read more about some of her recent releases, you can look here and here.

PC Music Vol. 3 Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. EASYFUN – “Be Your USA”
   2. Hannah Diamond – “Invisible”
   3. Tommy Cash – “Pussy Money Weed”
   4. felicita – “marzipan” (feat. Caroline Polachek)
   5. Danny L Harle – “Blue Angel” (feat. Clairo)
   6. umru & Laura Les – “popular”
   7. Lil Data – “Burnnn”
   8. Planet 1999 – “Party”
   9. Namasenda – “Dare (AM)”
   10. A. G. Cook – “Lifeline“

Disc 2

1. A. G. Cook – “Xcxoplex” (with Charli XCX)
   2. Namasenda – “☆” (feat. Oklou)
   3. caro♡ – “over u”
   4. Hyd – “Skin 2 Skin”
   5. umru feat. Tommy Cash & 645AR – “check1”
   6. Ö – “Good Things on the Way”
   7. ???????
   8. ???????
   9. Hannah Diamond – “Staring At The Ceiling”
   10. ???????