RTC Monthly Discoveries - May 2026
The Release The Cows Discovery Playlist is a new monthly newsletter spotlighting the best new alternative guitar music from across the UK and beyond, covering everything from chaotic post-punk and slow-burning emo to jangly indie rock and experimental art-pop.
Each month, subscribers will receive a hand-curated 10-track playlist alongside short write-ups on every song, plus upcoming EPs, albums and tours worth knowing about, all completely free.
Subscribe below and discover something before everyone else does.
#1 The Standard Model – MORN
‘The Standard Model’ feels completely wired from the first few seconds. MORN take abrasive guitars and shouted vocals and somehow turn them into something genuinely euphoric, with the whole thing sounding like it could collapse at any moment.
The South Wales four-piece have been building momentum since last year’s debut single ‘Modern Man’, earning a reputation for chaotic live shows and huge festival crowds at Green Man and Live At Leeds. Recorded live in Dan Carey’s Streatham studio, the track captures the band at full intensity.
#2 Restless in Bloom – Tooth
Tooth are making the kind of emo-infused indie rock that feels massive without losing its rough edges. ‘Restless In Bloom’ mixes twinkling guitars with huge choruses and lyrics caught somewhere between growing up and trying not to.
The London quartet have quickly become one of the most talked-about new bands on the scene, picking up support from NME, DIY and BBC Radio 1 ahead of their debut EP arriving in June. You can hear the influence of second-wave emo running through the track, but it still feels rooted in the current UK guitar scene rather than nostalgia.
With summer festivals and support dates alongside Sunny Day Real Estate coming up, Tooth feel like a band on the edge of something bigger.
#3 Settle Down – The Paris Match
Produced by Geese frontman Cameron Winter, ‘Settle Down’ sounds like a lost rock’n’roll single that’s somehow found its way into 2026. The Paris Match pull from classic guitar music without sounding like a revival act, with vocals that occasionally drift somewhere between Bob Dylan and Lou Reed.
There’s something really warm about the way they write melodies. Everything feels immediate and romantic without trying too hard to sound timeless. Like their earlier single ‘Take A Look’, this has that rare feeling of sounding familiar on first listen.
#4 Underrated – Bleech 9:3
Bleech 9:3 continue building momentum with ‘Underrated’, a track that takes themes of love and obsession and pushes them somewhere darker.
At the centre of the band are songwriters Baz Quinlan and Sam Duffy, whose partnership began after meeting through a rehab programme. That backstory gives the music a weight that feels genuine rather than overly polished or performative.
Their debut EP arrives this month ahead of a packed run of touring, including shows with Wunderhorse and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
#5 Tubes – The North
Leeds newcomers the north make indie rock that feels loose, messy and completely genuine. ‘Tubes’ closes their debut EP in a much softer mood, slowing everything down after the restless energy of the earlier tracks.
You can hear traces of The Kooks and late-2000s indie throughout the record, but it never feels like imitation. The songwriting is much more personal and emotionally direct than that.
#6 Nosedive – Man / Woman / Chainsaw
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are pushing further away from the usual post-punk label with every release, and ‘Nosedive’ feels like another massive step forward.
The track stretches close to six minutes, building through synths, sharp turns and huge emotional payoffs. There are moments that feel closer to LCD Soundsystem than the South London guitar scene the band originally came out of.
With debut album Cannonball arriving in August, the band are starting to sound less like newcomers and more like one of the most ambitious young acts around right now.
#7 Friendship Is The Truth – Truthpaste
‘Friendship Is The Truth’ is warm, awkward and strangely emotional in a way that feels completely natural. Truthpaste mix bittersweet melodies with conversational lyrics, brass sections and chamber-pop arrangements without ever sounding overworked.
The Manchester group sit somewhere between anti-folk and indie pop, with shades of Slow Club and Black Country, New Road running through the track. At its centre though, this is just a genuinely lovely song about friendship and all the contradictions that come with it.
One of the most comforting tracks on this month’s playlist.
#8 Perfume – Basht.
‘Perfume’ is heavy in every sense of the word. The latest single from Dublin band Basht. builds slowly through dark atmospheres and restrained tension before opening up completely.
Produced by Ali Chant, the track explores family breakdown, religion and generational pressure, themes that continue throughout their upcoming debut album Poor Advice. There’s a seriousness to the songwriting that makes the whole thing hit even harder.
Basht. have already built a strong reputation through touring with bands like Wunderhorse and Everything Everything, but this feels like the release that properly pulls everything together.
#9 Before The Fire – Martial Arts
Martial Arts tap into a very current kind of frustration on ‘Before The Fire’. The song circles around the feeling that the version of adulthood people were promised has slowly disappeared into just trying to stay afloat.
Built around clattering guitars and sharp lyricism, the Manchester five-piece balance humour and exhaustion brilliantly throughout the track. You can hear flashes of Pavement and slacker indie influence, but it still feels rooted in the reality of right now.
Their debut EP From The Burnoff arrives in June and positions the band as another exciting name coming out of Manchester’s current guitar scene.
#10 I Watched You as Your Mind Slipped Far (Away from Me) – MORN
The B-side to ‘The Standard Model’ shows a completely different side of MORN. Where the lead single feels explosive and immediate, ‘I Watched You as Your Mind Slipped Far (Away from Me)’ slowly folds in on itself.
The track builds through tension and release, creating this overwhelming feeling that everything around it is closing in. It’s quieter and more reflective than the A-side, but still carries the same emotional intensity.
Together, both tracks feel like a perfect introduction to a band already pushing well beyond expectations.
Coming Up
MORN UK Dates This May
After the release of ‘The Standard Model’, MORN head out across the UK this spring with appearances at The Great Escape and Dot To Dot before supporting Militarie Gun in July.
Upcoming dates:
02 May — Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
14–15 May — The Great Escape, Brighton
20 May — Paper Dress Vintage, London
23 May — Dot To Dot, Bristol
24 May — Dot To Dot, Nottingham
Then later this summer:
11 July — Birmingham
12 July — Edinburgh
13 July — Manchester
supporting Militarie Gun.
Upcoming Release
Tooth — Restless in Bloom
Out June 12 via Soil To The Sun Recordings
Schoolyard
The Age of Innocence
Wallflower
Medicine
Restless in Bloom
Following early singles ‘The Age of Innocence’ and ‘Medicine’, Tooth release their debut EP this June, continuing their rise as one of the most exciting bands coming out of the London scene right now.
