Published on
May 30, 2025
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF contributors Emily Hill, David Murray and James Hammond.
yeule
Evangelic Girl is a Gun
(Ninja Tune)
yeule albums are invitations to the unique sonic worlds she builds and this follow-up to 2023’s Softscars is no exception. The self-proclaimed glitch princess immediately subverts our expectations and sets a new tone on this record with a trip-hop influenced opening track featuring uncharacteristically smooth and unaltered vocals. It’s a pivot bound to shock many, but this collection of tracks — some the lightest and poppiest of her career — is her most varied to date, her emotions feeling barer than they’ve ever laid before, less distorted. Fans need not worry, however, as plenty of her signature darkness, raw edge, and emotion still remain. – DM
Ellen Arkbro
Night Clouds
(Blank Forms Editions)
With the slow passage of clouds within its thematic backdrop, Ellen Arkbro’s latest long player hones in on instant composition and chordal improvisation as means for encouraging time slips. Recorded on organs in differing locations between Berlin, Amsterdam and the Temple de La-Tour-de-Peilz in Vevey, Switzerland, these works abound in the breathy, transfixing detail that Arkbro has become known for. – JH
Quantic
DJ-Kicks: Quantic
(!K7)
The DJ-Kicks series spans a whole metaverse of its own creation, moving between hip hop, R&B, and the heavier sides of techno and hard grooves — a personal journey carefully crafted by each chosen curator. The latest to join the series is UK dance music legend Quantic, whose soulful blends of house, jazz, and Latin music have made him a powerhouse behind the decks. For those not aware, Quantic (aka Will Holland) is an English multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and producer, releasing under many different guises across a number of imprints, including the esteemed Tru Thoughts. Across 16 tracks, the listener travels through his various planes of inspiration via a forward-thinking collection of funky and soulful selections from friends and collaborators. – EH
caroline
caroline 2
(Mississippi Records)
London-based eight-piece caroline refine all the promise and potential of their debut and deliver a sophomore album that’s more consistent but by no means predictable. It’s a testament to the band’s willingness to experiment with sound, space, texture, and genre that this record stands out among the recent post-rock wave. Unafraid to oscillate between experimental and often dissonant sections with competing elements and those more traditional and soft instrumentally and vocally, it’s exciting never being sure where this record is taking you next. There’s even a lovely feature from their namesake, Caroline Polachek, to sweeten the deal. – DM
Verraco
Basic Maneuvers EP
(XL Recordings)
It is always exciting to see what XL’s dance imprint has to offer, with a repertoire of genre-bending debuts from contemporary electronic heroes, as well as a back catalogue of classics. The latest slice of excitement comes from Verraco, and it truly does not disappoint, representing the diversity of López’s cross-cultural sound. Across the three tracks, it takes sway from the vibrant energy of Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, through to other influences from the South American underground, and even features a collaboration with Nyege Nyege-affiliated rapper MC Yallah. – EH
Cuneiform Tabs
Age
(W.26th)
Following up on their low-key stunner of a debut album, Cuneiform Tabs’ Age arrives in swift fashion and scales back the more frayed edges of the project, upping the sense of bedraggled melancholy within these sumptuously hazed song forms. A long-distance collaboration between Matt Bleyle and Sterling Mackinnon, the duo trade Tascam 4-track tapes between London and San Francisco and conjure a certain blurring of ‘60s psychedelia, noise and pop forms. Keeping a sense of both the melodic and experimental firmly in sight this one forges its own voice within some well-trodden paths.– JH
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