These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s John Michie this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

A word from Del:
Hey everyone! Welcome back to another top week of faves, Thanks also to all the artists that submitted tracks last week. I’d like to ask a favour of those who have made the faves. While you cannot submit a track for 90 days please do come and support your fellow artists at the listening post. They’ll love you for it!

As always, if you’d like to be featured on my Islington Radio show, send me an audio file and a bio to my email, clean radio edits only!

Over to you John!

CONSCIOUS ROUTE & CHRIS GREIVE – Get To Like Mine

On Get To Like Mine, London-born, Edinburgh-based rapper, poet, and singer-songwriter Conscious Route joins forces with trombonist Chris Greive to serve up a hypnotic slice of jazz-infused hip-hop. Having already earned nods from BBC Introducing Scotland, our very own Tom Robinson’s Fresh On The Net, and BBC 6 Music’s Introducing Mixtape, Conscious Route brings sharp lyrical focus to a track that’s as sparse as it is slick. Against Greive’s woozy, off-centre, elegant brass lines and the swaying, skeletal beats, he unpacks the pressures of growing up in an environment riddled with poverty, limited opportunities, and low expectations. But there’s resilience here too. This is the sound of someone who’s not only survived but learned to thrive, weaving his personal history into a message of compassion, clarity, and hard-won self-worth.

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ELLEN BETH ABDI – Sad Chord

On Sad Chord, Manchester’s genre-defying Ellen Beth Abdi delivers a track that’s both quietly audacious and instantly addictive. A seasoned figure on the city’s alternative scene… having toured with New Order, supported The Stone Roses at Wembley, and lent her vocals and keys to A Certain Ratio all by 27, Abdi now pivots into her own richly textured world. The track opens with hypnotic arpeggiating synths and breezy keys before sliding into a sultry, swaying groove underpinned by deep bass and 80s-tinged pop layers. The track is more than an understated banger, it is an ear worm that leaves its mark.

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LYVES – For Eden

On For Eden, Lyves, aka Francesca Bergami, delivers a spellbinding masterclass in emotional subtlety and sonic depth. Having already racked up over 60 million streams, graced COLORS with her breakout Darkest Hour, and supported Coldplay across Europe, it’s clear she’s no newcomer, but this track feels like an arrival of a different kind. A gentle piano pulse and atmospheric synths lay the foundation, as warm bass and melting guitar textures swirl around her like clouds struck by sunlight. Midway through, drums lift the track into a new dimension, but it’s Lyves’ vocal that truly stuns. Breathy, expressive, and soaked in reverb, each line lands with aching resonance. For Eden is a vivid, slow-burning beauty.

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MAEBH – Tulips Pink

Maebh, pronounced May-ve, crafts something quietly transcendent on her latest offering Tulips Pink. Weaving her folk roots and instinctual, solitary process into a song that feels like it’s been whispered from another world. Hailing from Newcastle and Cumbria, and shaped by Irish fiddle and traditional Northumbrian song, Maebh’s touch is both delicate and deliberate. Reverb soaked piano sets a reflective, almost meditative tone, as the track gently unfurls along a minimalist path. Elegant, tender strings swell just beneath the surface. Never grandiose, always graceful. While her sublime vocals float above in soft, layered harmonies. It’s music that doesn’t beg for attention, but earns it through pure, understated beauty.

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MANTA RAY – Back Home

Manta Ray, aka Matthew Grumball and Joe McRoberts, from Shipston-on-Stour, channel dusty backroads and the spirit of 60s blues rock in Back Home. It’s a track that simmers with slow-burning menace and understated swagger. Built on a muted, circular guitar groove and the unrelenting push of drums, it oozes tension, like something cooked up under a setting sun with one eye on an approaching storm. The duo keeps things minimal but loaded, letting the track twist and stretch just enough to suggest it might erupt at any second. But instead of bursting, it rides the edge, slipping into a pocket so slick and sly it almost feels dangerous. Subtle, gritty, and impossible to shake.

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MAYA LAKHANI – Fall For Me

On Fall For Me, British Indian rock artist Maya Lakhani proves she’s more than just a name on an impressive CV. Though with Glastonbury sets, BBC Live Lounge sessions, and nods from everyone from Radio 1 to Rolling Stone, that lists already stacked. Musically, she delivers a rich, slow-burning alt-rock anthem with this swaggering anthemic track. Driven by a steady drum beat that will get your head nodding and gritty, textured guitars the music feels nothing short of massive. Airy vocal harmonies drift over the top, giving the track an epic, windswept quality… like a 90s alt-rock fever dream laced with the emotional weight of early-2000s stadium melancholia. It’s moody, melodic, and epically massive.

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MIMIKA ORCHESTRA – Dispet / Defiance

Dispet / Defiance by Mimika Orchestra is a cinematic fever dream… This track is incredibly hard to put into words. Part theatre score, part jazz séance… where slow-burning funk grooves meet avant-garde bravado. Formed in London by Croatian composer Mak Murtić and vocalist Maja Rivić, the ensemble gives of the vibe that they don’t play songs but instead conjure entire worlds. Here, trumpets elegantly dance and swirl as if under a smoky spotlight. While slick, down-tempo rhythms hold the composition in a place that can only be described as hypnotically cool. On top vocals are delivered with theatrical flair. It’s the kind of track you might stumble across in a surreal Eastern European reimagining of Lalo Schifrin’s Dirty Harry film score… performed live, naturally, in a velvet-draped theatre thick with incense. Bold, brilliant, and completely uncategorisable.

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RED LIGHT FACTORY – Riot Act

Conceived in the industrial heartlands of Greater Manchester, duo Harry Lavin and Ben Warwick, aka Red Light Factory, bring a raw, no-frills energy with Riot Act. The track hits us unapologetically with the gritty urgency and swagger of the post-punk revival movement of the early noughties. Punchy rhythms designed to get a crowd bouncing in a dive bar in tandem, and raw rhythm guitars chug non-stop. It has all the unmistakable hallmarks of youthful rebellion which makes indie rock what it is. With a vocal brimming with youthful cockiness and observational wit… and a driving guitar solo acting as the icing on the cake, Riot Act is a no-nonsense anthem that everyone will love.

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THE DEEP BLUE – Margo And The Sea

The Deep Blue’s Margo And The Sea is a delicate, meditative gem that gently unfolds with soft piano, and ambient textural layering. Musically, it is rich with a rare serene beauty that effortlessly draws you in from the very first note. The tender vocals are undeniably the star of the show on this composition. With a graceful sense of sophistication and extremely well executed backing vocal layers it is not hard to get lost in the performance. As shimmering acoustic guitar enters, the harmonies grow in strength. Intimate, reflective, the track is a one not to be missed.

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THE VORGS – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

The Vorgs’ Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is a high-octane track that again propels us straight back into the gritty energy of post-punk revival. With its pokey, angular guitars, toe-tapping drum beat, and cheeky backing vocals, the track is an infectious earworm drenched in youthful swagger. It’s a perfect blend of modern attitude and retro influences, creating a sound that feels both familiar and electrifying. With its raucous energy and instantly memorable chorus, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is a track that demands to be played loud.

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PS from Del: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t been picked for the Listening Post, our team has definitely listened to it and there’s no need to send it again: feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. The same goes if you were picked for the Listening Post but didn’t feature in our Fresh Faves.

But if we’ve recently featured you in our Fresh Faves – please wait three months before sending us another track, so we have space to help other deserving artists… For more info see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.