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

A word from Del:
Thankyou to everyone who submitted a track to the inbox this week! I now have a radio show on ExileFM

Over to you Neil and Sherry!

SHERRY: It feels like it’s been a while since I last wrote a review, but I’m happy to be back. The weather is getting colder every day, and it feels like the right time to listen to music that makes you feel warm inside. After a short break, it’s great to hear all the new tracks that have been sent in. I’m glad I get to review them this week. The music is really good, and every track has something different to enjoy.

NEIL: Third week back from Fresh on the Net’s summer hiatus and Autumn is officially [and visibly] upon us. In the meantime, the high standard of tracks being submitted to us has shown no sign of dropping off. This weekend has seen another high quality Listening Post, something that was especially remarked upon by a great many voters, and it is our privilege to review the ten tracks those same readers have chosen. Sherry and I are rehearsing for a live show this coming Sunday so this gives us a chance to focus on other people’s music for a few hours. I have my coffee at the ready so let’s get to it!

AFRODREAM – Jambar

‘Afrobeat from Turin’ is how their music is described on their Instagram page. Multi-ethnic Italian combo Afrodream have been on our radar for a little while now and were fresh faves in June too. This summer saw them playing Glastonbury and they have been touring in August. The videos of happy crowds dancing their butts off at Afrodream live shows tell their own story. They are a band tailor-made for the sunshine and stages of the festival landscape.

NEIL:Jambar instantly grabs me with its effortless cross-rhythms, light-textured instrumental play and warm male vocal harmonies. It is both meditative and danceable, calming but energetic. When, on the back of a single percussion roll, the tempo and rhythmic configurations shift late on in the track and the horns up their game, it reinforces the evidence of their invigorating interband chemistry. This is beautiful, timeless and uplifting. Music to make you smile inside and out.

SHERRY: Like Neil said, this track has such a cool rhythm and really smooth male vocals. The voice actually reminds me of some South Indian singers I grew up listening to. There’s that same warmth and flow in the tone. The beat makes you want to move without even thinking about it. The switch in dynamic in the middle of the song is my favourite part. And the words in the lyrics are very catchy to listen to and repeat. I can imagine this playing at a medley party where everyone’s on their feet, dancing and smiling. It’s fun, energetic, and has that feel good vibe that makes you want to hit repeat.

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ALEXANDRA LEAVING – Gone Girl 2.0

What can we say about serial fresh fave Alexandra Leaving? One of the stars of 2024’s Fresh on the Net Live Day 1 at the Lower Third, the London-based West Midlander has been riding a wave, wowing audiences with her electrifying live shows and putting out consistently impressive material that, among other things, has made her a favourite with our readers. For sure, she can carry this momentum into 2026.

SHERRY: This track feels edgy right from the start; the kind of song that makes you sit up and listen. The lyrics have a strong energy to them, and the whole vibe is fierce, almost like an anthem for standing your ground. There’s so much confidence in the way it’s delivered, and it really shows off Alexandra’s bold style. It’s the type of song you can imagine blasting at full volume, with the energy hitting you straight away.

NEIL: Gone Girl 2.0 rebukes the song’s subject for ‘petitioning’ for her to be an imagined ideal of a girl and not who she actually is. Sometimes shifting into a sarcastic semi-spoken word but, at other times, passionate and edgy, Alex commands centre stage with her vocal performance. The guitars sizzle and saunter around her with crisp playing and production that encapsulates the energy and attitude behind the music. She injects some sardonic humour into the story line and tops it off with an infectious hook.

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HELLO MIDLANDS – The Bear

Uniqueness is hard to achieve [and thus to find] in an era when there has never been so much new music coming out every week. But Iain Simons’ project Hello Midlands burst into our lives a few years ago and quickly became a staple of the Trust The Doc Radio show with highly inventive music accompanying stories that champion the ordinary and the underdog in a way that reminded us of Victoria Wood and maybe a little of Steve Coogan too but in a musical form. About a year and a half ago, Iain and his amazing partner Ruth relocated from the Midlands to Brighton on the South Coast and they have been amazing supporters of grassroots gigs stretching from Brighton to London including ones we have put on. Brighton is also where Iain continues to put out his highly individual tracks in between a lot of travel and hard work. Fresh on the Net has also embraced Hello Midlands so it is great to see this ringing endorsement from our readers.

NEIL: The Bear continues Iain’s penchant for inventing great and unusual stories. In this case, it is a duty police officer who finds herself being called out in the middle of a stormy night to deal with a worried citizen who swears there is a bear on the loose. The track begins with a low growling drone and some high synth notes before swinging guitar and a stomping beat arrive. The vocals are part conversational and part melody as the story is set out in characteristically eloquent language. The track builds as the story unfurls. The chorus introduces some lovely harmonies while the contrasts of dynamic and texture add to the intensity and epic sense. Another heart-warmingly unique and thoroughly engaging track from Hello Midlands.

SHERRY: The storytelling in this track is so impressive, it really keeps you hooked from start to finish. The way the words flow feels so natural, like you’re being pulled along with the story. I also love the changes in the music, the dynamic shifts that make the track feel alive and full of surprises. It’s clever, creative, and has that unique spark that makes Hello Midlands stand out.

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IZZY WHI – Cold Coffee

With no posts on her Instagram, no words in her Spotify profile, a TikTok link that’s broken and precious little on her Facebook page, digging out much in the way of history and background on Izzy Whi is something of a challenge. But her Spotify streams are impressive (34.3K and 14.9K for two tracks released in 2024). Clearly she is building a fanbase.

SHERRY: Cold Coffee has that soft-girl-core feel to it, gentle but with an edge of emotion that sticks with you. The chorus is really catchy and soothing, the kind of hook that settles in your head without trying too hard. I love how the guitar strumming adds warmth and gives the song a lovely flow, almost like it’s wrapping around the vocals. It’s the kind of track you’d want to play on a quiet morning, letting it set the mood while you sip your coffee.

NEIL: Cold Coffee begins with strummed acoustic guitar and Izzy’s yearning, expressive voice setting out the tune and rueful, reflective lyrics. As it develops, bass comes in along with quiet keys and double and triple tracking of the vocals, sometimes in unison, other times harmonised. Everything, including the percussion part, is understated and cleverly nuanced with just the vocals and strummed guitar as the track’s twin continuum. The chorus is particularly lovely, as Sherry has already described, melancholic but insistent. A really good example of how to take a very well written song and develop it into a sumptuous slice of melodic Indie Folk.

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LOWHOURS – Hemisphere

Brainchild of Southampton-based multi-instrumentalist Brad Dorey, Lowhours is/are a new name to us at FOTN. Brad’s music is described on the Soundcloud page as ‘… crafting detailed, emotionally rich compositions shaped by a distinctive dreamy style that seamlessly blends art rock, neo-psychedelia & dream pop’. It looks like this is quite a new project so it is impressive to have hit us with such a distinctive and detailed piece.

NEIL: This impressed me sufficiently at moderation stage to bag a review in the new edition of Trust The Doc (published by Sherry and I) which will be out on Tuesday and is free to download. It lives up very accurately to the above description. The song kicks off with a more electronic type of beat and an uptempo shuffling feel but, as the guitars and synths float into the mix, bringing harmonic extensions and striking counter melodies in response to Brad’s tuneful vocals (including some lovely falsetto), the full picture begins to emerge. Although it blends some interesting flavours, there is an unmistakable aura of shoegazey dream pop at the heart of this track and the imagination that has gone into the layering of the parts and the interweaving individual lines is highly evident, resulting in a track I feel inclined to lose myself in.

SHERRY: This song feels so dreamy, like watching snow fall in slow motion. It’s one of those tracks that paints pictures in your head as you listen, giving you little visuals with every note. The melody has a unique touch that makes it stand out, and it’s also really catchy in a gentle way. The husky falsetto vocals are mesmerising; soft but powerful at the same time. If you’re into music that feels ethereal and atmospheric, this is the kind of track you’d want to add straight to your playlist.

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LOWLI – What’s It All For?

Hailing from the picturesque Irish West Coast City of Galway, home of NewDad among others (trivia fact: a very long time ago Neil had a girlfriend called Roisin from Galway and stayed there twice with her family), Lowli is singer-songwriter Roisin Lowry. She is clearly an accomplished and respected act, having provided music for the Tourism Ireland campaign and played some cool festivals. She maintains a busy live itinerary around the country and describes her music as being influenced by neo-classicism and dark folk, namechecking Agnes Obel and Olufar Arnalds as influences.

SHERRY: What’s It All For? feels like a soothing piano ballad that draws you in right away. The vocals are so calming and beautiful, carrying a quiet emotion that stays with you as the song unfolds. The piano and strings together gives it a soft, flowing base, while the melodies rise and fall in a way that feels both gentle and powerful. If you’re into peaceful, emotional tracks that you can lose yourself in, this is one you’ll definitely want to save.

NEIL: On What’s It All For?, Roisin builds the track around a slow arpeggio based piano theme from which the remainder of the instrumental track emerges with some goose-bumping string play, fortifying the organic feel of the track. Her voice is in alto range and has a rich, slightly haunting tone that suits the subtle melancholy and lyrics soundtracking the uncertainties of a relationship. The artists who actually come to mind for me are Lana Del Rey and Mitski, mainly because of the deep dreamy but menacing repetitions of the melody. This is really quite beautiful and its lingering air of rueful calm will follow you around long after the track ends.

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MT JONES – Why I Cry

The first thing that strikes us about MT Jones is the question: Why were we not already aware of him? With over 20K Instagram followers, nearly 330K monthly Spotify listeners and a tour about to kick off though October and November taking him across the UK and Europe, he is clearly an artist who is blazing a trail.

NEIL: This track is intriguing. The style of the instrumental play (guitar and bassline especially) is straight out of the early 1970s Soul canon. Think Curtis Mayfield’s We Got To Have Peace or Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On albeit that this is poppier than either of those tracks. He has the voice to match this music too; gritty, bluesy, soulful and able to rise dexterously into an impressive upper range. But he also infuses this very traditional approach with sounds and nuances that bring this bang into 2025. It’s a lovely combination and the strength of his songwriting demonstrates an obviously deep understanding of the music he draws on for inspiration.

SHERRY: Why I Cry has such a soulful feel that grabs you right away. The vocals are rich and full of emotion, the kind that makes you stop and really listen. Like Neil said, I love how the music blends that classic soul vibe with a fresh touch that makes it feel current. It’s smooth, heartfelt, and has a timeless quality to it. If you’re into soul-inspired tracks that carry both warmth and power, this is one you’ll want to keep on repeat.

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NADIA SHEIKH – Just A Shadow

No stranger to Fresh on the Net readers who keep voting her into the faves, the Spanish Londoner and popular Pop Rocker Nadia Sheikh has been building a formidable reputation over the past five years. This has included performing all over Europe, playing festival stages and picking up the plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio X and BBC Introducing as well as featuring in leading indie media such as The Line Of Best Fit and Clash Magazine. She has also found time to play at a gig curated by FOTN’s very own Tony Hardy. Incidentally it was a pleasure to meet her in person at Fresh on the Net Live in London.

SHERRY: Just A Shadow has that classic pop vibe that instantly grabs you. The chorus feels like an anthem you want to sing along to, full of energy and power. The style reminds me of artists like Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, or Demi Lovato; strong vocals and catchy hooks that stick with you. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to turn the volume up and just enjoy the ride.

NEIL: Just A Shadow is, in one sense, trademark Nadia Sheikh. She creates great dynamic contrasts between the more stripped back feel of the verses and the intensity of the chorus. The track bristles with energy, driven on by punchy, choppy fuzztone guitar chords and Nadia’s distinctive and powerful vocals. At the same time, it never loses its pop sensibility. Imagine Pink in a jam with Avril Lavigne while Lauran Hibberd adds some sarky humour. And, of course, Nadia knows how to pen a killa hook. This has it all in spades. Anthemic, as pointed out by Sherry.

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NOVELTY ISLAND – Apollo

Serial fresh faves stretching back to 2023, Liverpool’s Novelty Island have been patiently building a reputation with tours (including one they have just been undertaking), an appearance at Glastonbury and support from BBC 6 Music, Absolute Radio and various media including ours of course. Del is a big fan and has championed them for a while now. Hopefully they are on the crest of bigger, better things in 2026.

NEIL: Apollo begins with shimmery acoustic guitar playing single chords and some sweet male vocal harmonies before the intro brings a synth melody with strummed chords and beat. When the lead vocal comes in, it begins quite laid back with a Pop sensibility that reminds me a little of The La’s in a mash with Badly Drawn Boy while The Thrills throw ideas into the pot. These guys know how to build a track and, as the instrumental parts fill out, they control the dynamic contrasts, helped by a beckoning, engaging melody and a particularly lovely hook sung in octaves.

SHERRY: Apollo has such a bright, uplifting feel from the very start. The guitar and vocal harmonies are really sweet and easy to get lost in, and as the song builds, it pulls you along with a catchy melody that sticks in your head. The track feels fun and relaxed, but still carefully put together you can tell the band really know how to craft a song. If you’re into melodic pop with a warm, feel good vibe, this one is definitely worth a listen.

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PORCELAIN MOON – Seasons

Another act who will be familiar to FOTN readers is Porcelain Moon from Cape Town, South Africa. Emma Goode (Vocals, Piano) and Gerry Matthee (Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer) work out of their Soundborough Studios and have achieved notable commercial success at home. They were winners of an international competition that led to them using Abbey Road Studios and they have been gaining recognition from BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing. They had a number one on the 5FM Top 40 in August. They have also been impressing FOTN readers and have been a consistent favourite of Sherry and I at Trust The Doc too. It was us who reviewed them on their last visit to the faves (573, June 2025) and that was at least their third time.

SHERRY: Seasons has such a unique, almost siren like tone that draws you in straight away. The soft vocals are really impressive, and the lyrics feel poetic and full of meaning. The song really lives up to its title. As it builds, the layers create this beautiful, immersive world, and the ending feels epic, like it could be part of a movie soundtrack for a mythical film. If you’re into cinematic, dreamy tracks with emotional depth, this is definitely one to save and listen to again and again.

NEIL: Everything these two put out oozes class. Seasons is a slow burner that begins with a keyboard figure in open harmonics dominating the instrumental backdrop while Emma’s goose-bumping and highly distinctive voice starts to build the melody around it. Soon the track evolves in layers and an arc is constructed before our eyes, growing in texture, timbre and dynamics into a rich, sophisticated slice of cinematic (as Sherry has said) synth dream pop that benefits from the pair’s combined musicianship and mastery. It is a slower tempo track compared to other recent singles but the way it blossoms with such epic proportions is truly stunning. They never allow their standards to drop below excellent and their penchant for penning a penetrating melody, bathed in sophisticated harmonic language, is quite something to behold.

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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.