Chalk – ‘Crystalpunk’ (March 13th)

Following a trio of EPs, Conditions I, II and III, that have all been released since 2023, Belfast-based electronic outfit Chalk have slimmed down from trio to duo and announced the release of their first full-length project in Crystalpunk. Abrasive in its delivery, the project has always taken as much from punk as it has techno, but on early offerings from their debut album, things appear to be moving in a direction that feels less alienating than their earlier work.

That being said, occasional outbursts of jagged synths and guitars still penetrate through the gloss that they’ve added to their work, and while it’s still ostensibly the same sort of ‘body music’ that requires you to move to it, there’s something a lot more emotionally cathartic about where they’re heading, rather than simply trying to envelop themselves in the dark atmospheres of the two genres they pull from most. It could be a breakout year for the Northern Irish twosome, and Crystalpunk could end up defining their shift in the most glorious of ways.

Suep – ‘Forever’ (March 27th)

While Suep aren’t exactly new on the circuit, having first released music back in 2021, and with many of the members having been plying their trade in various other projects for over a decade, it’s clear that the ethos of the band isn’t exactly to change anything dramatically, but that sometimes starting again and looking at things from a different perspective can yield refreshing results.

Comprised of members of Porridge Radio, The Tubs, Garden Centre and more, Suep come together as one for a slightly off-kilter take on jangle pop on their official debut album, Forever. While it’s not a million miles away from where they’d all been in their other projects, it’s evident that knocking their heads together with their combined experience was bound to work magic, and five years down the line, they’re finally ready to show the world just how extraordinary their combined talents are.

Fcukers – ‘Ö’ (March 27th)

While the entire indie sleaze and bloghouse trend has been in vogue again for a short while now, we appear to have fully entered a renaissance of mid-2000s trends with the emergence of acts like New York duo Fcukers, whose debut album, Ö, promises to follow-up on the floor-filling alternative dance that they initially showcased on their 2024 EP, Baggy$$.

With singles complete with airhorns, vocals packed with attitude and a style that reeks of blue WKDs being spilled over the bar, Fcukers evoke a vibe that was bound to return in a big way around the mid-point of the decade. Rather than it being a kitschy reimagining of an era that the two members weren’t around to have witnessed the first time around (and to be fair, nor was I), it instead feels like a faithful reimagining of what it would have been like to slink around the seediest establishments 20 years ago while feeling like you’re shit hot, which, to their credit, they absolutely are.

My Precious Bunny – ‘A Moment in My Eyes’ (May 22nd)

The beloved Brighton-based duo Penelope Isles have been sorely missed for almost five years, and while many have wondered where the Wolter siblings have been for that stretch of time, it isn’t as though either of them have been idly twiddling their thumbs waiting for another opportunity. With Jack touring the world as a member of CMAT’s band, Lily has now revealed she’s been hard at work on a project of her own in the interim, with her set to release her debut album as My Precious Bunny in May 2026.

Judging by ‘I Go Up, You Go Down’, her debut solo single under this new guise, A Moment in My Eyes is set to be a lot more introspective than the band ever were, and this comes with a little more restraint in the sound as well, with less emphasis on effects and a reliance on organically produced sounds. However, for anyone unsure about whether it’ll be a complete change of pace from the duo’s output, it’s worth noting that all of the hallmarks of their previous incarnation still come up in flashes, and are sure to make themselves known on the incoming full-length.

Any Young Mechanic – ‘The Modern Shoe is Ruining The Foot’ (date TBC)

Even though they’ve only got one single to their name, Adelaide group Any Young Mechanic have already garnered plenty of buzz on the opposite side of the planet. Having previously existed under the moniker Wake in Fright, they’ve had plenty of time to settle into life together as a project, but the strength of this brief insight into what they have to offer is more than enough to have piqued the interest due to how effortlessly it draws you into its world.

It’s folk with an art rock twist, and despite how stripped back their sound is on their two-minute debut single, ‘Snug Barber’, it doesn’t mean that they’re in any way prevented from making something that feels alive and vibrant. Something truly special is brewing, and when their debut album eventually lands, it might end up swinging more attention in the direction of this mercurial five-piece.