Singles for the week starting 8th October!

Olympic Swimmers
Knots
(Green White Violet )
****
A gentle piece of dreamy indie here, with softly confident female vocals crooning through marching drums and spiky guitar strums. Not much of a statement, but deffinitely a nice track to come in midway through a shuffle playlist.
Nicholas Burman


Chains of Love
He’s Leaving (With Me)
(Manimal Vinyl)
****
In the same way that Debbie Harry’s roots were in the 50s and took that influence to make her quintessential brand of greaser punk pop with Blondie, Chains of Love keep on keepin’ on that lineage with their own take on peroxide soul. Heavy vocals combined with fuzzy scuzzy low-fi guitars, JAMC-esque drums, and Crampsy death pop organ is these hotly-tipped Canadians’ blueprint for success. With a production which makes it sound like you’ve just dropped a well-aged 45 on the jukebox in your local, if you like the ‘modern’ sounds of Dum Dum Girls, Bleached or Vivian Girls, you’ll dig this.
Libby Moné


Yes Cadets
Le Mans
(Humming Records)
***
Perhaps pretty enough and repetitive enough to temporarily stick in even the most weathered of pop heads, it is fair to say that Yes Cadets have done a decent job with Le Mans. Their perfectly produced upbeat dream gaze number could quite easily go on to be hugely popular or maybe hugely forgettable. It would at least work nicely on a travel agency advert.
Oliver Grabowski


Lord Huron
Time to Run EP
([PIAS])
***
Need something to keep you warm in the dark months ahead? Lord Huron's debut EP isn't perfect but it is certainly enjoyable in places. 'The Man Who Lives Forever' sounds like it was recorded in a jungle given its rather exotic vibe and is the most effective song. The only thing that doesn't necessarily with this image is the twang of Ben Schneider's vocals but even that doesn't seem to spoil the party. If anything, it makes them stand out a bit from the twenty million other 'experimental pop' bands emerging out of nowhere.
Max Raymond


China Rats
(At Least Those) Kids Are Getting Fed
(Once Upon A time Records)
***
Looking for a tune to blow the Indie Disco apart (if you can find one nowadays)? Look no further. China Rats do well at doing noisy indie without relegating themselves to the landfill pile. There's an odd trend at the moment where this kind of music only become popular if it's played by hipsters too, so hopefully these guys will help kick that out of fashion.
Webbs Petherton

Andy Burrows
Because I Know That I Can
(Play It Again Sam)
****
Don't say he's that guy from Razorlight, because he's a very different character now. Far from being the man perched behind Johnny Borell's crotch, 'Because I Know That I Can' is a melancholic acoustic lead number with an upbeat lyricism (take the title as read). Far from sounding like a self help book from an indulgent indie star, he is in fact burning his own path to being known as Andy Burrows: that guy from Andy Burrows.
Nicholas Burman


Emperor Yes
Wasps
(Tape Club)
****
From behind the production desk and into the critically brutal limelight, London based producer, Ash Gardener unveils his debut outing with newly formed band, Emperor Yes. Everything about this single screams simplicity: the 4/4 drumbeat, the infectiously repetitive vocal line and its sweetly toned eletro-pop synth riff. ‘Wasps’ makes for a very satisfyingly uncomplicated listen.
Jack Wade