🔗 Share this article Discovering the Jackhammer Noise and Dancefloor Alt-Rock of the Band Ashnymph and This Week's Top Fresh Music Originating in London and BrightonRecommended if you like Underworld, MGMT, Animal CollectiveUp next A new EP planned for 2026, currently without a title The pair of releases shared up to now by the group Ashnymph resist simple labeling: the band's own tag of their music as “subconscioussion” leaves listeners guessing. Their initial track Saltspreader blended a heavy mechanical drumming – member Will Wiffen has at times appeared on stage in a tee that bears the logo of the trailblazing band Godflesh – with retro-style synths and a riff that partly brings to mind the enduring garage rock anthem I Wanna Be Your Dog, before melting into a barrier of unsettling sound. Its intended effect, the group has mentioned, was to evoke motorway travel, “the grinding circulation of vehicles all day long over vast spans … orange lights at night”. Its follow-up, Mr Invisible, sits somewhere between nightclub tunes and unconventional alternative rock. Firstly, the cut's tempo, layers of hypnotic electronics, and lyrics that appear either hallucinogenically distorted or spellbindingly cyclical in a way that evokes Dubnobasswithmyheadman-era Underworld all indicate the dance space. Alternatively, its intense performance-style shifts, near-anarchic character and fuzz – “getting that crisp distortion is a personal mission,” Wiffen noted – set it apart as clearly a group effort rather than a lone electronic artist. They've gigged around the self-made music community of south London for less than a year, “anywhere that will turn the PA up loud”. But each is thrilling and unique – from each other and contemporary releases – to spark curiosity about what Ashnymph might do next. Regardless of the form, on the evidence of Saltspreader and Mr Invisible, it’s probably not dull. The Week's Fresh Highlights Dry Cleaning's Hit My Head All Day“I simply must have experiences”, singer Florence Shaw declares on her band’s beguiling return, but throughout the song's duration – with breath sounds keeping rhythm – you perceive that the motive eludes her. Azimuth by Danny L Harle with Caroline PolachekMerging gothic intensity to the height of trance music – including the line “and I ask the rain” – Azimuth suggests digging out your Cyberdog attire and dancing the night away, right away. Acne Studios mix by RobynThe music by Robyn for the Swedish designer’s SS26 show teases her upcoming ninth album, including Soulwax-worthy grinding guitar, energetic beats like Benny Benassi and the words “my body’s a spaceship with the ovaries on hyperdrive”. Jordana – Like ThatListeners adored her record Lively Premonition last year and the US singer-songwriter further demonstrates her stunning facility for chorus writing as she expresses unrequited feelings. Molly Nilsson – Get a LifeThe solo Swedish pop act released her latest album Amateur this week, and this track from it is extraordinary: a electronic guitar part jerks forward at hardcore punk pace as Nilsson demands we take control of life. Artemas' SuperstarFollowing tales of weary romance on his smash I Like the Way You Kiss Me and its underrated parent mixtape Yustyna, the musician of mixed heritage is completely captivated by his latest lover amid pulsating coldwave production. Jennifer Walton – Miss AmericaOff an impressive first record, a soft synth lament about Walton learning of her father’s death in an airport hotel, tracing her uncanny surroundings in gentle refrains: “Retail area, shady transaction, nervous fits.”