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

A word from Del: Hey everyone, welcome to another batch of tracks! You’re more than welcome to submit a track to my radio show on exile fm by dropping me an email with a bio and audio file to del.owusu@gmail.com – clean radio edits only.

Onto the faves!

I have hot chocolate and my headphones are fully charged.

Four lit in the green.

Let’s go.

JACOB COLEY – Treading Water

This starts off as a slow atmospheric build with cinematic sounds, but it pays off with some class musicianship on the bass and acoustic guitar. I get the feeling that the bass is either fretless or a double either way the way it’s played beautifully and it’s my favourite part of this song!

This could be classed as dreampop, the way it moves effortlessly through from bar to bar without stumbling because of the transitions in the song.

Lyrically my favourite part is the reflective last verse:

“Looking back,
Those dreams of falling endlessly
Were cries of for help that nobody could see,
It’s so sad
You used to blame it on yourself
For days on end cause no one was around.”

It’s like the writer can accept where things went wrong by being emotionally intelligent enough to go back and look.

Great work.

Jacob Coley is a singer songwriter from Cornwall who’s got the nod from BBC Introducing, he is originally from Manchester but now based down south.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

K..I.A. – Whirl

Off to Calgary we go for this track which is pure pop, if it was any more sweet my tea would be putting me in a coma right now. The track comes with a catchy chorus, that will be in your head for days, don’t say I didn’t warn you. It would be interesting to see what it would be like if this song was performed live and how the crowd would react to it, because that hook has the ability to get people singing along, and I could imagine this being on that a crowd would rally behind.

K.I.A. is a producer from Calgary, who has spent time in Tokyo and LA, you can also find music under the name of Shinjuku Zulu too.

Instagram

LOZENGE – Silver

I love the fake out intro where it made me think that it was just going to be a standard indie pop track but then you get hit by this wall of guitars. This is an indie rock track for the ages! This track is well crafted, from the way it starts off. I like the fact they used feedback to transition into all instruments coming in.

Lyrically I connected with this bit:

“Write a letter,
Seal it up,
Send it never
To no one.”

It’s something I do, I’ll write a letter or an email that will never get sent just to get things out of my mind, my journal is full of them on different topics.

This track had me playing air guitar for sure, and was rowdy enough for me to award Lozenge my one to watch.

Lozenge are from Leeds, this is a Tom Orell produced track and packs a punch. By the way the video for this looks like it’s shot on old tape I like that!

Instagram | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

POPPY PRESCOTT – Kids

When I first heard this, I loved the time signature on it, it’s what drew me to it! Plus that banjo…

But the star here is the melody especially in the chorus, it’s pretty and takes you through a sepia edged walk through Poppy Prescott’s hometown.

Yes this song is not about a toxic lover or friend it’s about Hastings, a town that according to legend was cursed by the occultist Aleister Crowley.

I love quirky stories like this.

Anyway, this is toasted and wrapped up tightly with a little bit of southern fried spice courtesy of a banjo, that really took me by surprise. The drums get a little solo just before the second verse which I thought was a nice touch, plus they are played on brushes! The beginning has an electronic feel to it but they come into their own by the time chorus comes around, plus the time signature is in 6/8….

Oh this track is easy.

This is my track of the week.

Poppy Prescott is from Hastings like I stated earlier, she’s co-headlined a tour across London and the South East, as well as having attended Chris Gifford’s songwriting camp, and played festivals like WOMAD.

Impressive.

Most impressive.

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

RETRO KID – Think I Know

RETRO KID comes to us with a track built around a hip hop/soul beat reminiscent of of 90s vibes, add to that a synth sound that’s been given a bit of a wobble, so it’s got a bit of a warble to it. Add to that the flute solo and processed vocal and you have a bit of a groovy track that makes you feel nostalgic.

Retrokid has certainly earned their name.

I love the piano solo at 2:50 interspersed with synth sounds and bells to give it some lift! It’s funny how you don’t think about these things as a listener but with my producer head on my first thought is that the “colour” – the additional flourishes and garnishes are what’s leading your ear in that direction, it works the same way with art and photography. There’s a “vanishing point” that’s drawing your eye to that subject in the picture.

So… Who’s Retro Kid? He’s Jake Juba, a UK born producer from Copenhagen who according to his soundcloud bio serves up lush loops for worn-out electro kids.

Instagram

SONNY SIMINSKI – I’ve Seen My Own Ghost

In glorious 3/4 time we have a track that carries a very sobering thought – seeing your own ghost. The melody is haunting, and even noted by our very own Grubby, it’s a cool melody but I take this in the literal sense it leaves you feeling kind cold. Please don’t take that as a bad thing, songs are meant to make you feel something whether it’s anger, happiness warmth, like you’ve come home or someone’s come home to you. This conveys the feeling of cold weather, that haunting walking through a wood and coming to the meadow somewhere in the Middle Ages, but you can still hear and feel the modern world somewhere in the background.

Apparently this is a demo recording made on a multitrack set up in a bedroom, I wouldn’t have guessed – this sounds like a fully realised track. That just goes to show the skills that Sonny Siminski has.

With this in mind, this track gets my chef’s kiss.

According to his bio: Sonny Siminski is a UK-based indie folk singer-songwriter known for his intimate, lo-fi aesthetic and introspective, narrative-driven music. His sound blends elements of folk, pop, and indie rock, often described as a “first aid kit to life’s trials and tribulations”.

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

STAY LUNAR – Here With You

A return to FOTN for a band that were my ones to watch way back in 2023, I’ve reviewed them a couple of times now. They described themselves as making sad music on small stages.

This track for me goes at a fair pace with the guitars and synths providing a catchy backdrop, The drums have an off beat thing going, and in amongst this the vocals are delivered deadpan, but that’s part of the whole appeal of Stay Lunar, they are very on brand with this!

This song is essentially about missing someone, the first verse gets to the point by stating that when the writer is not around the subject of this song they consider their life choices and intrusive thoughts come through as they’re marking time.

This is an indie rock anthem in the making.

Stay Lunar are a quintet from Bristol, have been together since 2019, and it looks like my prediction for them making sad music on large stages has come true, because they’ve been supporting The Lottery Winners!

Excuse me while I take a self congratulatory sip of tea.

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE JOJO MAN BAND – Fame

Can I let you into a little secret?

Well. Not so much of a secret.

More of an easter egg.

The Jojo Man Band’s “It Will Be” is the track I play on my shows whenever I start at a new station. It’s been that way since I joined Islington Radio, and when I joined Exile FM it’s my party starter. Anyway, Nick’s back is back with a track that starts with a piano part that sounds spooky and dark with its progression but then the it suits the subject matter of the price of fame, and how it can’t help with your mental health, and it’s very true. We can name at least one famous person that has succumbed to the dark side of fame as a result. Nick comes in solidly with a guitar solo, horns, processed vocals, and as always Nick’s delivering tunes that make you think.

So who are The Jojo Man Band? Well, they are led by Nick Woodgate, a London born and bred singer songwriter, the musical force is strong in his family, coming from a merry band of musicians, including his brother Woody Woodgate, drummer of Madness – Nick’s actually written some ace tunes for them too.

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube | Bandcamp

VERUSHKA – Holding On

Bringing a great soul/jazz flavour to the faves this week we’ve got Verushka from London and this had me from the get go. I had a feeling it might be a hit with our listeners, and sure enough it was.

This track starts off with a drum beat, Verushka’s vocals come in with the electric piano and it just fits beautifully!

While this song talks about is in contrast to the jamfest music wise. This talks about holding despite what could be construed as being in a dark place, but despite all of this Verushka holds on.

My favourite part of this track is at 2:39, where the piano gets a little bit of an instrumental break, it reminds me of early 90s Bob James, and then suddenly… it stops.

Beautiful!

Verushka is a London based artist who describes her sound as alternative soul and jazz with electronic shades plus warm vocals and catchy melodies.

Indeed.

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X

WUZY BAMBUSSY – By Candlelight

To close out the faves this week, we have something that has theatrics, drama, blues and neo soul thrown at it! This would get you singing into a hairbrush like it’s 1978 and Kate Bush is performing on TOTP. The glitching guitar that punctuates the track really caught my ear, it’s as well as the striking vocals. This could easily be in a musical, I just can’t decide which one yet!

The lyrics are pure poetry:

Cold lightning
from my fingertips tonight
Walk by me, feel the power,
Recognise
That Dreams don’t die
Just overnight
So Dance with me
By candlelight

Fabulous.

Wuzy Bambussy are a collective from the west country led by Nicolai Jones, and they perform quite a heady mix of different genres.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

PS from TR: 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 – or on my BBC Introducing Mixtape – 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.