Sixteen great tracks, two weeks worth of the best new music from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.

Torres ‘Sprinter’
Title track from Mackenzie Scott’s second album (May, Partisan). While Scott has always had her own style, there’s a touch of early PJ Harvey to it, perhaps because the New York via Georgia and Tennessee singer songwriter recorded the album in the west country with Rob Ellis produced and playing drums (there’s also some guitar from Portishead’s Adrian Utley).

[Torres]

Young Guv ‘Ripe 4 Luv’
Title track from the power pop side project of Fucked Up guitarist Ben Cook. All hooks and harmonies and ringing Cars guitar lines.
[Young Guv]

Courtney Barnett ‘Dead Fox’
The most Australian song on a very Australian album, with references to the Hume Highway, the Holbrook bypass, roadkill possums and kangaroos, culling sharks and the general taking-your-life-in-your-hands nature of sharing the roads with Australian drivers.
[Courtney Barnett]

The Go! Team ‘Reason Left to Destroy’
One of the many excellent tracks from the new album The Scene Between. This one closes the album and has the spirit of a pop My Bloody Valentine, with vocals from two (relatively) unknown US artists Doreen Kirchner (of Vinyl Tigers) and Emily Reo (of Foxes in Fiction).
[The Go! Team]

Chic featuring Nile Rogers
The first new Chic music since Chic-ism in 1992, based around an old, recently rediscovered Chic demo for a song called ‘Love Someone Today’ and features the work of sadly departed Chic members Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson.
This is classic, seamless Chic groove with Nile Rodgers inimitable guitar style.
[Nile Rodgers]

Eskimeaux ‘Broken Necks’
Taken from O.K., the latest release from prolific bandcamp releaser and genre hopper Gabrielle Smith, “beat-driven and poetic bedroom pop”.
[Eskimeaux]

Girlpool ‘Ideal World’
First taste of the duo’s debut album Before The World Was Big (Wichita, June 1) is hypnotic in its restrained minimalism, compared to the garage punk we’ve come to love from this duo. There’s a nice, scuzzy guitar solo at the end so we don’t forget who we’re dealing with here.
[Girlpool]

Pill ‘Misty Eyed Porno Reader’
Brooklyn band with post-punk skronk!
[Pill]

Yumi Zouma ‘Second Wave’
Lush sophisticated pop from NZ, previously featured here with
[Yumi Zouma]

Au.Ra ‘Morning’
Shoegaze meets dreampop from the London-based Sydney duo which features Tim Jenkins of much-missed one-album-wonders Parades. This is taken from their debut album, Jane’s Lament (out now on Felte).
[Au.Ra]

Hop Along ‘Waitress’
Philly indie rock band fronted by the remarkably-voiced Frances Quinlan. This is from their forthcoming second album, Painted Shut (May 4, Saddle Creek).
[Hop Along]

Mas Ysa ‘Look Up’
New York-based Montreal musician Thomas Arsenault with layered, smart electronic pop. Hints of a smoother Future Islands meets a balearic, chilled out M83.
[Mas Ysa]

Mini Mansions ‘Honey, I’m Home’
Electronic pop from QOTSA bass player’s side project. Taken from their second album The Great Pretenders (out now).
[Mini Mansions]

Jeff Zagers ‘Neighbours Knock’
Jeff Zagers has recorded music in a number of different (usually electronic) styles. This is one of his most melodically straightforward and accessible tunes, taken from his Still / Alive album, out now on Wharf Cat (though it originally appeared in a different form on a 2010 cassette only release).
[Jeff Zagers]

Death and Vanilla ‘Necessary Distortions’
Swedish band who have a love not only for Broadcast, but also for all those sounds that influenced the much missed Birmingham band – sixties sci-fi soundtracks, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and The United States Of America”.
[Death and Vanilla]

Wand ‘Melted Rope’
Fuzzy stoner psych from the Ty Segall / Mikal Cronin affiliated LA band’s Golem album (out now, In The Red).
[Wand]