Category: songs

[song] John Maus – Pick It Up

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At the end of September, we’ll get Later Than You Think, a new album by John Maus. Set to be released on Young, it is described as a collection exploring themes of justice, confession, rebirth, transformation, and spiritual warfare.

Maus live in Turin’24

We have already heard some brilliant songs from it, and with his latest single, “Pick It Up”, he keeps the momentum going.

With it, John takes a surprising detour from the urgency and pulse that defined his earlier released tracks. It unfolds as a slow burner, letting atmosphere take the lead over rhythm. Its layered synths and restrained pacing give it a drifting, almost weightless quality, while Maus’s vocals feel more vulnerable than usual—less commanding, more fragile, exposing a side of him rarely seen.

The song carries an understated beauty, its emotional pull lying not in grand gestures but in the subtle textures and quiet ache at its core. It’s a deeply atmospheric piece that lingers, marking one of the most affecting moments in his catalogue so far.

Listen below and pre-order the record here.

[song] Legss – See No Evil

acute.pop

London band Legss, who recently caught attention with “909” and “Gloss”, are back with another striking release titled “See No Evil”.

This song, part of the band’s upcoming debut album Unreal (set to release on September 12), finds the group experimenting with fresh ground. Known for their jagged, brooding edge, they step into brighter territory here, crafting what they call their “angsty late-summer pop anthem”. The result is nothing short of brilliant.

Listen below and pre-order the LP here.

[song] Bathing Suits – I Can Be A Freak

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Photo by Matt Auger

Listening to “I Can Be A Freak” by Leeds’ Bathing Suits feels like falling into a trance where distortion, synths, and pounding drums completely take over. The track mixes industrial post-punk grit with techno intensity, holding you captive in its chaotic rhythm.

Freyja Blevins’ snarling vocals, paired with a warped sample of Estelle’s “Freak”, turn the song into something sweaty, elaborate, and totally unhinged. It’s less a single than a full-body immersion, an ecstatic, noisy surrender where you can’t help but lose yourself.

Check it out below, and grab the cassette release here.

[song] Crippling Alcoholism – bedrot

acute.pop

A month from now, Camgirl, the new album by Crippling Alcoholism, will be released on Portrayal of Guilt. We’ve already heard two brilliant tracks from it, and now the band continues their hot streak of singles with the latest, “bedrot”.

In this frantic yet mesmerising piece, jagged noise rock guitars and murky, gothic post-punk basslines intertwine like shadow and substance. At the same time, atmospheric synths drift through the chaos, offering moments of fragile beauty amid the grim. And when the chorus hits, by far the biggest and punchiest of their career, it lands like a tidal wave, surging with brute, cathartic force.

Check it out below and pre-order the record on Bandcamp.

[song] Nerves – Don’t Let Go

acute.pop
Photo by Erin Plaice

With their new EP Iarmhaireacht arriving August 15, West Irish noise rock quartet Nerves release the final single from it, titled “Don’t Let Go”.

A six-minute descent into the band’s industrialised, emotionally charged soundscape, the track, shaped by the meticulous hand of producer Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), is a jagged jewel of cascading noise and shadow. It drags you into its dystopian orbit and doesn’t let go, leaving you breathless, suspended in its abrasive, haunting beauty.

Speaking about it, frontman Kyle Thornton says: “The lyrics live in a place of total loss, but there’s something in the music that suggests hope, that maybe things can only get better from here. It’s that final act of denial you make before accepting that something is really over. Or maybe a final act of defiance. It depends how you hear it”.

Listen below.