Now Hear This: New music from Robyn, Steve Aoki and BTS, NAO and The Struts, plus a Q&A with Welsh rock band Trampolene

Is there any music worth talking about this week that isn’t Robyn’s new album Honey? Yes, actually.

While I am very enamoured with the Swedish pop artist’s first record in eight years (read The Independent’s review here, then this great in-depth about Robyn’s career), there’s plenty of other new releases to shout about.

Let’s start with Steve Aoki and BTS’s latest team-up, “Waste it on Me”. It’s a wonderfully affecting, EDM-fuelled ballad (sounds odd, but it works), and is the boy band’s first song that is performed entirely in English. Then there’s a really funky jam from Riton and Kah-Lo, “Bad Boy”, which is making me long for summer all over again.

Loathe as I am to contribute to any more Greatest Showman hype, Pink’s cover of “A Million Dreams” from the forthcoming reissue – with new versions by acts like Panic! At The Disco and Kelly Clarkson – is very good; her voice suits that sweeping, theatrical romance very well.

British singer Andreya Triana has released an upbeat, empowering anthem called “WOMAN”, which first aired at the end of short film Leading Lady Parts. BBC Sound of 2017 winner Ray BLK has “Mama” – her own, soulful tribute to her mother, while Sarah Bareilles is also back with a new pop anthem, “Armor”. With a slightly different approach, Cardi B is laying down the law with her fierce new cut, “Money”.

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I’m pretty infatuated with London-based R&B artist NAO’s second album Saturn, out today, which manages to feel simultaneously grounded and futuristic. There are some great collaborations on there, fantastic production and, of course, NAO’s distinctive voice. Read my album review in full, here.

I’m having trouble getting into the new Razorlight album – it’s just reminding me of Camden circa 2006, but there is a fantastic interview with frontman Johnny Borrell by Kate Hutchison that you can read here. And has anyone tried listening to the new stuff from The Ting Tings? Yes, you did read that correctly. They’ve released a single called “A&E” which is an absolute DNR, dead on arrival situation. Maybe one to avoid.

A bunch of emerging young bands have released a cluster of new singles this week, including Indoor Pets, who I annoyingly missed when they supported Bad Sounds (amazing gig) at Heaven in London last night. Newcastle-based rock band The Pale White have a great new song out – “End of Time” – as do the fantastic Dublin band Pillow Queens, with their track “Gay Girls”, which follows their EP State of the State, released in March this year.

The Struts have been knocking around for a little longer than those guys – they formed in 2009 – but suddenly seem to have caught some wind beneath their sails after a big shoutout from Dave Grohl, following their stint as a support act for the Foo Fighters.

They’ve also toured with the likes of the Rolling Stones and Guns’n’Roses, selling out their own shows thanks to a rollicking brand of glam-rock that draws on the likes of Queen and The Darkness as much as the rock bands they’ve shared stages with. “In Love With a Camera” is one of their best to date.

My spotlight artist this week is another band who I’ve written about a fair few times in the past (they even made my top 10 best albums in 2017 with their debut Swansea to Hornsey).

Welsh lads Trampolene are fronted by Jack Jones, who also happens to be a fantastic poet and guitarist who plays in Pete Doherty’s band the Puta Madres/often tours with The Libertines.

I’m premiering the video for Trampolene’s song “The One Who Loves You”. Filmed by bassist Wayne Thomas’s younger brother Lee, it’s basically Jack rowing around a lake, and makes for a strangely soothing watch. The video coincides with some unfortunate health news Jack received recently – read my catchup about that, music and Pete, below.

(Directed by Lee Thomas)

Alright Jack, how's tricks?

Hello Roisin... tricks are well... thanks for speaking to me... hope all is well with you… I just broke my phone, again - sat on it, and can only receive calls, this email was done on Jai’s phone (Peter Doherty’s manager), whilst rushing to catch a flight to Tokyo, where I’m doing some solo in-store Trampolene appearances.

I was sorry to hear about the arthritis diagnosis, what does that mean for you personally and for your music (I guess that's still personal)

I've been having a bit trouble with my hands and my neck... mainly a lot of pain and swelling but I didn’t read too much into it... then after the Sherlocks Tour one morning I couldn’t open my hands to play guitar or hold a pen to write or use my hand to open a door... It was scary, freaked me out. I was wondering if I was dying or crumbling away and what to do with my life, but I’m ok... I’m not dying. I’ve got something called Rheumatoid arthritis – it’s an autoimmune condition kind of related to Crohn's…the disease that keeps giving :).

What does this mean.... we aren’t cancelling any gigs...but we are taking a break after the Alive Tour in November and December and we are gonna have to delay recording until next year, while I get my head around it and some treatment and figure out how to play guitar without it causing so much pain. So for now it’s a lot of love and painkillers...and as grandad used to say…“You gotta storm Heaven...” so that’s what I’ll do to find a new way.

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Tell me a bit about the new Peter Doherty album – how's it sounding, what was it like to record + how's the man himself?

What can I say... we made it in a beautiful house in Normandy overlooking the ocean in pretty much less than week. There’s a gypsy-ish feel to the band, The Puta Madres, which is probably due to the fact there are so many different nationalities in the band – Katia on keyboards is from France, Rafa on drums (Spain) Miki on violin (America), Miggles on bass (France), me (Wales) and Peter (England).

Most of the songs like "Who’s Been Having You Over", "A Fool There Was", "Traveling Tinker" and "Paradise Is Under Your Nose" are songs we played live at festivals over the summer and there is also a cover of the Velvet Underground's gorgeous "Ride Into The Sun". It was recorded live to make it as spontaneous as possible… it doesn’t sound like anything he’s done before or like anything I’ve heard before, well at least to my ears. Playing guitar with Peter and writing songs in this way has really opened my mind. The man himself is doing alright, there is no-one else quite like him, in a good way… I wish some people would leave him alone though.

What else have you been working on music/poetry-wise?

Mmm.... I've always got a handful of poems and songs in my back pocket. We put a compilation (double album) out last month, "Pick A Pocket Or Two", which includes all the songs and poems that weren’t on the debut album Swansea To Hornsey…our new single "The One Who Loves You" is out now. I have also written a book, which I don’t know what to do with. There’s a documentary about the band which is pretty much finished, a new Tramps album is already half done and I just moved back home to Swansea.

What are the three best things about your lovely hometown?

That’s easy. My Mum. My Friends. My Dog.