Hailing from the other side of the world (Brisbane, to be precise), Velociraptor are one of the most visceral and exciting guitar bands to emerge from either hemisphere for absolutely ages. The twelve-piece garage pop band not only seem to have a knack for penning high-octane, fuzzy pop songs, but they also boast a hoard of fantastic nicknames (Daniel ‘Sand In Your Eyes’ Dunne and Jesse ‘Hawkwind Foxington III’ Hawkins to name just a couple). As well as that, both members of fellow Australians DZ Deathrays are also present in the Velociraptor line up. Interested? Check out ‘In The Springtime’ (which I first heard on Jen Long’s BBC Radio 1 show) below.

New York-based trio Yellow Ostrich have recently unveiled the Matthew Lessner-directed video for the fantastic ‘Marathon Runner’. You can watch the video below, and can download the track for free here. Can’t say fairer than that.

Without a doubt one of the best live acts I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the last few months (at The Line Of Best Fit‘s show at Islington’s Buffalo Bar) Sleep Party People combine typically Scandinavian electronic dream-pop with a slightly more sinister form of shoegaze, even slowcore – and any other meaningless genres that you feel like throwing in. Oh, and they wear rabbit masks. Check out ‘Chin’ (out now on the ever-brilliant Blood and Biscuits) below.

Hailing from Atlanta, Gringo Star are set to release ‘Shadow’, the first single from their upcoming album ‘Count Yer Lucky Stars’. I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with promoting this record – but I’m an honest kinda guy, so I wouldn’t be telling you about this track if I didn’t genuinely think it was great. Gringo Star have been compared to The Kinks, The Yardbirds and, unsurprisingly, The Beatles – comparisons that I reckon sum them up pretty well.