Royal Blood: Trouble’s Coming
It’s not only trouble but a new album on it way from the noisy duo, who have an album out in spring. This new single is tight, crisp radio-friendly single with a bit beat, the guitar and kick drum working together to lay down a groove and a workmanlike chorus. The wild guitar sound has gone and it’s more dance-heavy, French band Justice springing to mind, and a repeated “over and over” suggesting a nod to Hot Chip. One to play loud and sing along to in the car. Royal Blood have sold 2m albums thus far a won a Brit award for best British group plus further accolades at the NME and Kerrang! Awards.

Hello Cosmos: Fuse
Loud is the way forward this week but Fuse, the new song from a band who are new to us, taking off where Royal Blood leave off: nice bass line opens before a riff heavy but lively opening section, the drums almost garage. The vocals are a surprise: they’re spoken and not sung, frontman Ben Robinson accented certain words to suggest he’s talking to ITALICS you. Says the blurb on Bandcamp: “Beamed from an alternative universe in which The Fall were produced by DFA Records’ Tim Goldsworthy,” which, as they’ve had longer to think about it, sums it up better than could we. Robinson says: “Fuse is about getting a little older, the world getting on top of you, too much television and screen time, too much infuriation and self-doubt that the media makes worse. Then a fuse is lit, leading to a bomb that explodes with a psychedelic wonderland of a night out.” A definite grower and curiously addictive; single of the week if we had one, and they’re Mancs, too. Listen for free on Bandcamp, hello-cosmos.bandcamp.com

Retro Champ: A Place For My Head
If you’re missing the lack of new Linkin Park songs, St Louis rapper Retro Champ has released this cover of LP’s A Place For My Head, taken from the band’s multi-platinum Hybrid Theory, which turns 20 this year. Says Retro: “ I wanted to do something special; I grew up listening to Linkin Park. They really inspired me when I was coming up.” It’s a faithful cover and the co-singer even sounds a bit like Chester (RIP). A decent cover. Champ himself has an EP out soon.