FUTUREPROOF PICKS 06-02-25

Hello world,

Here’s your latest FP Picks update with loads of great new music as always including tracks from Waxahatchee, Rear Window, Sports Team & lots more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!

Until next week

Helen (Futureproof) x

KNEECAP – H.O.O.D

Irish rap trio KNEECAP have dropped a new 2025 mix of their fan favourite banger H.O.O.D. alongside additional remixes from London producer DJ Sam Interface and Working Men’s Club. Sam’s remix sees the heaviness of the backtrack amplified to create a massive drum and bass hit and he states: “I loved the aggression and energy of the original version of KNEECAP’s H.O.O.D. I thought it would be really fun to re-imagine the track as a gritty, lo-fi, dance floor banger.” Working Men’s Club‘s version adds a strobe-flecked feel to the original, putting the track against a relentless, pummelling rhythm track that amplifies the same magic captured in the 2021 version.

Greer – Had Enough

California based indie-rock band Greer are back with their anthemic new single Had Enough and it embodies “the carefree spirit of coastal California while offering fans a fresh taste of Greer’s evolving sound.” The tune begins with diminishing and whining guitar feedback given by Corbin Jacques, followed by the pounding of drums-by Lucas Ovalle. Behind this there is a steady, anchor like bass rhythm flowing out of Seth Thompsons fingertips. Josiah’s vocals are rhythmic and significant giving as a revitalizing reminder of the band’s distinctive sound. Greer had stated in an interview with Northern Transmissions that it’s a track about the different struggles pets go through when first meeting their owners. Uplifting and infectious – we’re loving this rousing banger from Greer!

Welly – The Roundabout Racehorse

Indie outfit Welly have dropped a witty new single which explores homecoming encounters, accompanied by a playful video featuring the members in jockey attire. “The Roundabout Racehorse is about going back home and bumping into characters from your past that make you feel either good about yourself, or that you’ve done nothing in life,” Welly explain. “Going home is a checkpoint – YOU feel the same, but everyone comments on how different you are from last time they saw you. You can get tethered to this idea of your past self, unable to escape that first girlfriend or that terrible haircut from Year 8.” The band’s early influences range from Blur’s kitchen-sink storytelling to Pet Shop Boys’ intellectual electro-pop, with a splash of Girls Aloud-style maximalism for good measure. We’re loving this humorous indie-pop anthem which is both raucous and touching.

Sports Team – Bang Bang Bang

Alt-rock outfit Sports Team have shared their energetic new single Bang Bang Bang reflecting on gun culture in America, taken from their upcoming third album Boys These Days. A captivating western-sounding anthem, the band state: “We would tour America a lot, and you see the AR-15 logo used on coffee bags, hats, t shirts, bumper stickers. There’d be racks with tourist souvenirs, a Mickey Mouse hat, pet rocks, some local landmark postcard, then a AR-15 magnet and that’s where the seed of the lyrics came from.” The band were involved in a shocking incident in late 2024 when they were robbed at gunpoint in the Bay Area outside a Vallejo Starbucks. When someone alerted them that their tour van was being ransacked and robbed, the band attempted to intervene but were met with a gun being brandished and took cover.

Esme Emerson – Too Far Gone

British-Chinese duo Esme Emerson have shared emotional new single Too Far Gone from their upcoming EP Applesauce. “Too Far Gone is a chaotic recollection of a turbulent relationship. It’s about pent-up resentment, anger, and the struggle to put these feelings into words,” explains Esme. “It’s about feeling as though someone has taken small pieces of you and, over time, realising there’s not much left. It’s about rallying what remains of your character and finding the courage to finally say something honest.” Esme Emerson is getting noticed with their eclectic mix of lyrically rich indie-alt-pop sounds, capturing the attention of many respected tastemakers and they’ve landed impressive support slots for well-known acts like Keane, Japanese House, and Good Neighbours.

ratbag – look what you’re doing to me

New Zealand artist ratbag is back with new single look what you’re doing to me, “all about that intense feeling of falling apart as you fall into love – when you completely lose control of your heart and that’s the best kind of love, i think,” ratbag says of the track. One of ratbag’s most emotionally raw and confessional tracks to date, look what you’re doing to me captures the intoxicating chaos of a whirlwind romance. Swirling orchestral arrangements intertwine with clattering drums as she explores the depths of vulnerability, singing: “If you ask nice, I’d give you my eyes / we kiss twice a piece of me dies / do you see what you’re doing to me?”

Waxahatchee – Mud

Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield) has dropped upbeat new single Mud, taken from her latest album Tigers Blood, which explores a tumultuous relationship in all its messy complexity, and also features breakout favourite MJ Lenderman (who Katie previously collaborated with on Tigers Blood single Right Back To It) on guitar and vocals. It’s a vibrant tune fuelled by airy guitars against Americana sonics – pulled together with banjo strings and a steady yet catchy beat. Fantastic vocals on this lively slice of country-rock. It arrives ahead of her stint across the pond this Summer, when she’ll be stopping off in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, and London (for her biggest ever UK headliner at Hammersmith Apollo), as well as gracing some sunny festival stages in mainland Europe.

Rear Window – It’s Raining Again (in Soho)

Alternative duo Rear Window, the moniker for Gang of Four vocalist JJ Sterry & The Roadside Bandits Project’s producer / guitarist Santi Arribas, share new track It’s Raining Again (in Soho) from their upcoming debut album Happiness By Design – a song inspired by the passing of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan that explores the relationship between creatives & their surroundings. With its sombre & at times filmic arrangement, the track sees vocalist JJ Sterry conjure up atmospheres & situations synonymous with the area’s artisan community. With juxtaposed influences & each member bringing skill sets from different angles, Rear Window meet in the middle to create exciting music that’s unconstrained by genre.

Siblings – The Garden

South London’s indie-folk outfit Siblings have shared their haunting new single The Garden – ethereal folk, classic 70s storytelling and the atmospheric flair of spirit jazz. Ben’s sharp drumbeat provides the intro, the outro and the anchor upon which Michael’s warm bass and Rob’s soothing piano combine to set a welcoming, summery scenario.  The guitars, when they cut in, are warm and uplifting and the instrumental tableau is completed by the discreet splashes of Rob’s synth.  Theo’s vocals are wonderfully mellow and dreamy and the ethereal element is particularly evident in lines like: “Find me in the garden, find me in your life; find me in the garden, or a river of light.”