Underlowe – No Pictures
Underlowe's 'No Pictures' is a furiously brilliant pop-punk anthem about living in the moment
Here's one to warm up your September. Filtered vocals and clean guitars sit there all innocent for about four seconds before the whole thing crashes into distortion and never looks back. 'No Pictures' is Underlowe's manifesto against the phone-in-face generation, a track about choosing presence over performance, and the chugging powerchords carry that message like they mean it. The vocal melody in the verse is genuinely fantastic; with a kinda Y2K nostalgic vibe but also completely current. The whole thing lands with real urgency, a track that makes you want to put your phone down and just exist for a minute. Brilliant pop-punk, loud and entirely alive.
Underlowe are a Cardiff rock outfit with serious chemistry at their core. Jacob Dennis brings eighteen years of guitar and production experience plus a Cardiff University music degree. Alfie Mac handles bass and lead vocals, having met Jacob at university, joined by Isaac Walker and Keaton Lammy. They sound like a lovely gang, and if they can make noise like this, then we're all for it. They're celebrating the release with a show at The Fleece in Bristol on 6th September. One to watch from Wales, this lot.
Exzenya – B!tch Please
Exzenya's 'B!tch Please' is a snarling blues-rock triumph, turning infidelity into a victory lap with the sassiest hook
'B!tch Please' opens on a mid-tempo groove that knows exactly what it's doing. Exzenya tells the story from the moment the door swings open: a woman confronting the other woman, except there's no breaking here. Just a cool assessment of the trade. The blues sits in the chords while the vocal delivery lands with pure sass. The live-band here feel keeps everything grounded, roots rock with teeth and a chorus that sticks. Brilliant blues rock, defiant and deeply satisfying.
Only a few months since 'That's the Story of My Life', Exzenya returns with more of that roots-first energy. She operates as an independent artist under her own Exzenya Productions imprint, based in the US and carving out a lane between satirical pop-R&B and the rootsier territory she's working here. We've featured her work before, and love how her songwriting stays story-first, and she handles her own lyrics with a directness that cuts through. For fans of Dorothy, Kaleo, and ZZ Ward. And the groove on this one? It's definitely working. More of this please.
CREEPS – I will follow you
Creeps deliver a brooding modern rock anthem with 'I Will Follow You', a powerful meditation on loyalty
'I Will Follow You' opens on heavy guitars and doesn't let up. Creeps have built this track around themes of devotion and determination, a loyalty that holds even when everything goes dark. The production leans into atmospheric textures, layering melodic hooks over a foundation that hits hard without losing its emotional centre. It's just a huge this track, and I love the artwork and vocal melody. Apparently there's a hand-drawn animated lyric video arriving alongside gives the whole thing a distinctive visual identity, but the song stands on its own two feet. Especially that chorus. Damn. Powerful modern rock, dark and emotionally resonant.
Creeps are a Czech band with roots going back to the mid-2000s, when they released three albums before stepping away. They came back in 2026 with a sound that blends their heavier origins with a more contemporary approach, and the comeback single 'Two Against The World' started building organic traction internationally, catching Spotify's algorithmic attention and reaching listeners well beyond Brno. This is a band finding a new audience on their own terms. More of this please, guys. Great single.
Scott A. Flaxman – Love of Strangers
Scott A. Flaxman's 'Love of Strangers' is a slow-burning and emotional resonant country rock anthem about finding validation beyond your inner circle.
'Love of Strangers' takes its time getting where it's going. The track builds patiently, layering atmospheric textures beneath verses that document a creator's familiar ache: the gap between what you're making and what the people closest to you can actually see. Flaxman's writing is precise here, sketching out roadside diners and empty stages, hyper-specific imagery that grounds abstraction in something you can touch. The production stays spacious through the verses, then opens up into a triumphant climax where the central message lands. Epic rock balladry, cinematic and carefully constructed.
Scott A. Flaxman is based in Larkspur, California, and spends his days as an attorney before turning that same meticulous focus toward songwriting and production at night. He's been writing for decades, but it's the arrival of advanced production tools that finally let him realise a catalogue that had been sitting in notebooks. 'Love of Strangers' is his breakout, and on this evidence we're very glad to have him on the radar. More of this please.
RISE – Hard To Leave You
Liverpool four-piece Rise deliver the most powerful, high-octane melodic rock banger you'll hear this summer
Hard To Leave You wastes zero no time getting under your skin. The track bursts open with driving guitars and a propulsive rhythm section that refuses to let up. Sam Kinley's lead vocal cuts through with real urgency, while stacked harmonies add depth and muscle to the choruses. Brian Petch's guitar work is sharp and purposeful, weaving around the synth textures without ever crowding the mix. And then something kinda strange happens. It just keeps getting even better, and better. And more intense. This is fantastic.
Rise are a four-piece from Liverpool making noise in the melodic rock scene. The lineup brings together Sam Kinley on bass and vocals, Paul Kinley on keys and backing vocals, Alex Mahoney on drums, and Brian Petch on guitar. Their sound draws from AOR traditions while pushing into more progressive territory when the mood strikes. Known for energetic live shows and a knack for big vocal hooks, they are carving out their own space in British rock. We're definitely along for the ride; a fab single.