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

A word from Del: Hey everyone, welcome to another week of faves! Thanks to all the artists who submitted tracks. To the ones who have made the faves just a reminder – you cannot submit another track for 90 days, so please hold off until this embargo passes.

Secondly you’re more than welcome to submit a track for my show on Exile FM, please send an audio file and a bio to del.owusu@gmail.com – clean radio edits only thankyou!

Over to Neil.

Spring is almost officially upon us; a time for optimism and hope [and we sure could do with plenty of both right now!]. I am not going to bang on about the insane events in the wider world this time but Fresh on the Net plays a part in commenting on issues in grassroots, independent music and there are debates raging there too that we will be commenting on soon. Look out for articles on this as the Easter break looms. In the meantime, we put 25 tracks up for public scrutiny over the weekend as always and our ever-discerning readers have made their choices. It is my privilege this week to review the winning ten. So here goes.

ALEXANDRA LEAVING – I Was Wrong

As a serial fresh fave, the London-based West Midlander Alexandra Leaving scarcely needs much introduction. A regular on BBC Introducing and a hard working live performer, she blew the lid off The Lower Third at our festival Fresh on the Net Live in 2024 and that was with a stripped down version of her band. 2025 has seen her getting out and about around the UK, culminating in a show at Notting Hill Arts Centre. Expect to see plenty more of her in 2026.

I Was Wrong is a slow burner that builds both texturally and dynamically around a strong melody and smart instrumental interplay. In trademark Alexandra Leaving fashion, she dishes it out to someone who turned out to be a major disappointment while the guitars fizz and flutter around her distinctive voice. The anthemic chorus rounds off a fine track.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

CHARLIE FORREST – On The Wings Of A Dove

Charlie Forrest was signed by Lewis Recordings after they saw him supporting The Clash’s Paul Simonon at a gig at Bush Hall in West London. He has an EP launch gig in April at The Social in London’s West End and recently played an acoustic set at Rough Trade East. He also played the popular Sebright Arms last month.

There is a definite nod to Pink Floyd’s Breathe in the verses of On The Wings Of A Dove (and no, it’s not the Madness hit!) with its slow, brooding feel and its IIm – V chord pattern. Charlie’s voice is quite stunning. We over-use the term ‘haunting’ when writing about music but his voice actually justifies that description. There is an element of Neil Young about both that voice and the general arrangement, constructed around strummed acoustic guitar but surrounded by a rich array of timbres and textures. The West Coast-style harmonies add to the general aura. This is a truly gorgeous track.

Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp

HOLLY P – Side Quest

From Cardiff, the capital city of Wales (if you honestly didn’t know!), comes Holly P. The small number of posts and videos on her Instagram and YouTube channels suggest she is quite a new artist (at least under this name) but the line-up of personnel involved in the video making shows she is taking things seriously and plans to cook up a storm in 2026.

Side Quest is an uptempo tuneful slice of Alt Pop with vibrant guitars, close harmonies on the hook and a busy lyrical style that underlines the energy and intensity behind her creativity. Comparisons are not easy but there is more than a hint of the poppier end of the nineties Rock spectrum (a la Avril Lavigne meets Blink 182) about this but it is contemporary and cool too and Holly’s rapid-fire vocal delivery is infectious.

Instagram | YouTube

KI – Respair

Hailing from Seattle in the state of Washington, USA (not to be confused with D.C.), Kī has worked with some upcoming songwriters in Nashville, honing her skills and developing music that speaks to issues of loneliness and reflection. Her Instagram also reveals a strong social conscience and innate belief in love and humanity which is good to see. The response to Respair from our readers shows she has seriously connected with them too.

Respair has an aura of melancholy. Picking guitar and airy synths dominate the dreamy instrumental backdrop to her distinctive, expressive vocals. There are echoes of singers like Ellie Goulding, Arlo Parks and others in her vocal sound but her style has classic singer-songwriter elements too. ‘Give me rain to wash away the pain’ she sings in a chorus that is dynamic and yearning. This is beautifully written and performed, developing cleverly with the introduction of sounds and harmonies while retaining its appealing translucence.

Official | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp

KING ZEPHA – Prez

The link will take you to the Soundcloud page of Property Of The Lost which won’t help you find any information about King Zepha. With some digging, I discovered he is essentially a singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Leeds with a kicking live band. They are playing extensive live dates across the UK and Europe (although mostly UK) stretching from April to August.

Prez is a jazz-infused Ska tune that is mostly instrumental except for the Mambo No 5 pastiche in the closing stages. So he is clearly referencing Cuban legend Perez Prado (although also Louis Bega’s vocalisation of the track). It is, in essence, a throwback to Studio One Bluebeat and Rocksteady although with considerably more polish and Latin Jazz chops than the average Skatalites recording. It has some great Dave & Ansell Collins style organ (or perhaps that should be Harry J) plus cool horn stabs and the musicianship throughout the band is evident. Fun retro party music for sure. I bet they are great live.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

KORDA KORDER – I Was Your Witness

From Brighton (the South Coast’s indisputable capital of new music), Korda Korder have already had praise from the BBC’s new music stalwart Huw Stephens and Radio X’s John Kennedy, two leading champions of new music in the UK plus lavish praise from BBC 6 Music’s King of Indie himself, Steve Lamacq. The self-described ‘indie witches’ have also been previous fresh faves and my friends at The Zine asked ‘is this the best new band in the UK’?

A tale of teenage love turned sour, I Was Your Witness is a mid-tempo track that starts softly but grows into a dreamy but punchy slice of melodic Alt Rock with a female vocal that is melancholy and emotion-shredding. ‘It was hell/Now I can’t even say your name’ she sings in a yearning, rueful tone, talking of being just eighteen and naive when she fell for the scoundrel in this tale. In her 2024 fresh faves review of another Korda Korder track, Poppy referred to a ghostly quality and I hear that again in I Was Your Witness. This is utterly goose-bumping.

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X

MELANIE BAKER – HAHA!

Despite her Soundcloud page suggesting she is from the Lake District in the far North West of England, the weight of evidence suggests Melanie Baker, an artist who has videos on TikTok with mind-boggling levels of engagement, is actually from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the far North East! She is about to embark on a tour of UK Record Stores followed, in May, by an impressive UK tour. Her Spotify profile explains that she mixes the absurd and the witty with more serious subjects, channelling ‘… warmth, exploring queer identity, remorse, love, anxiety, anger and pain’.

HaHa! builds from single chords and a striking melody into a post-Grunge pop rocker. A lovely loud wailing organ figure plays off against fuzztone guitars and driving bass and drums. The shouts of ‘ha ha’ add to the atmosphere while Melanie’s vocal style is punky but melodic and she has a rich tone that cuts through the mix. She also clearly has a penchant for penning an insistent tune and surrounding it with an agreeable wall of sound.

Official | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X | YouTube

MY BEST UNBEATEN BROTHER – Psychic Night At The Croydon Toby Carvery

Croydon’s My Best Unbeaten Brother are a trio who describe themselves as ‘Post-Punk, Post-Rock, Post-Brexit’. Featured by our very own Tom Robinson back when he still hosted the BBC Introducing Mixtape show on BBC 6 Music, they have recently played at the New Cross Inn down the road from me (and Del too).

Psychic Night At The Croydon Toby Carvery, as the title suggests, mixes sardonic humour with a rueful observationist take on human frailty. Part spoken word, part sung, it kicks off with a two-string bass riff before going into a kind of lo–fi Post-Punk influenced combination of guitar, bass and drums accompanying a lyric-led track. It has a sadness about it that is touching and relatable.

Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp

SISTER GHOST – Shes Wild

Sister Ghost, brainchild of singer, writer and multi-instrumenalist Shannon Delores O’Neill from Derry in Northern Ireland, are very much on my radar. I reviewed their last single in the February edition (Ed 113) of Trust The Doc and here they are with a new single. The band has supported, I kid you not, Fontaines D.C, Snow Patrol, Pussy Riot and other big names. Shannon started the project, playing all instruments and recording on an old 8-track before developing the band into one of Ireland’s highly respected live acts.

She’s Wild is an exuberant Punk Pop treat with shades of early New Wave and Grunge mixing with more contemporary vibes like Dream Wife in a duel with Honeyblood while Goat Girl bring chops. Delores’s distinctive vocals ride atop a sea of sizzling, seething guitars and driving rhythm section and the chorus will grab you firmly by the ears.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

TEMPLE OF SHIBBOLETH – White Elephant

Devon’s Temple Of Shibboleth are a band with a well-deserved reputation as purveyors of imaginative Prog Rock that channels the history of Canterbury and much more. Led by multi-instrumentalist and singer Billie Bottle (who has played with members of classic Canterbury Prog legends Caravan) and a stellar line-up of musicians with similar connections, they have received high praise from music legend Robert Wyatt and Prog Magazine among others. April sees them playing the Exeter Cygnet Theatre.

White Elephant has all the elements that make them such a special band. Cleverly shifting rhythmic configurations, classy chord sequences, contrasting sections and sub-sections and top level musicianship. Billie’s vocals are expressive, unique and agile and the harmonies are ethereal and life-affirming. They use classical and drone elements, adding a Celtic aura to their jazz-infused Prog style. This is not only just as good as the best classic Prog you will ever hear but they bring this under-valued genre firmly into the present with the sheer originality and creativity of their work. In a week of strong tracks, this is, for me, the stand out. A masterclass in quality music made by quality musicians.

Official | Instagram

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 – 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.