Oculate UK: This Week In Music

It feels like we're getting 13 months of sunshine even though the year is still young, but isn't it nice to see Spring fully underway? Bloom baby bloom! 

Okay, I was going to include every song title from our round-up, but partly it gives the game away, and partly it's been a bloody long week and music journalists everywhere are perpetually knackered. #bekindtoyourlocalmusicjournalist

Luckily we have a myriad of brand-spanking-new songs to weather our weary ears. I put on the Oculate UK TWIM playlist, it's like all my problems disappear? You should give it a try!

You wanna know why exactly we f*ck with these tracks? You'll have to check out the below. You wanna hear 'em yourself? Press play on the list at the bottom.

Welcome to This Week In Music!

Wolf Alice - Bloom Baby Bloom

Wolf Alice crash back in with Bloom Baby Bloom, a rock song that somehow manages to strut, shout, and roll its eyes at the same time. Ellie Rowsell channels Axl Rose if he’d grown up on feminist zines and zero patience. The video? Think All That Jazz if it swapped jazz hands for glam chaos and let Ellie run the show. It’s their first new music in three years, and clearly they spent that time cooking up something bold, weird, and loud. The Clearing lands August 29th, promising a full album of big swings and zero interest in playing it safe, because of course Wolf Alice came back swinging.

Aminé - 13 Months Of Sunshine

Portland's finest has brought the sunshine! 13 Months Of Sunshine to be exact. One of the most continually interesting rappers around, Aminé piles on the good vibes with a pleasing blend of sonics. Leon Thomas, Toro Y Moi and more pop up to contribute - it's a play-from-start-to-finish-and-love-every-second type beat. Give it a spin this weekend.

Little Simz - Young

Oh look, she's done it again! Little Simz continues her run of brilliance with new single Young, with an essential viewing music video (by Dave Meyers) alongside. Simbi plays with concepts of age in the visuals, whilst a deeply unserious vocal delivery explores some fully serious topics. Taken from the forthcoming album 'Lotus', Simz bounds from strength-to-strength, unapologetically cementing her name at the very top of the pyramid.

Jay Prince - Shine

While we didn’t think we could get any more shine right now unless we were to hop on the next EasyJet flight to the south of Spain, Jay Prince has arrived to prove us wrong with a different kind of ray in the form of his latest album. While it’s not always the jovial, sun-soaked project the title might suggest, Shine is an absolute TREAT throughout! Brimming with sonic and emotional highs and lows, as well as some incredible features including Estelle, Sam Wise, anaiis, Yusseff Dayes and more, ‘Shine’ is a must listen. This writer's personal highlight on the project arrives at its halfway point with ‘Are You Gonna Be Around’ leading into ‘Old Ways’. Get this far into the album and we’re certain you won’t be able to press pause on it for the rest of the weekend.

Lola Young - One Thing

Lola Young is now a fully-fledged, international superstar. Call it a YouTubers trainers, there's no two ways about it (not my finest work). Messy went massive, and now she's a mega star. Her new one sees her talk on the topic of sex. Clutch your pearls! Regrettably this led to comment-sections of misogynists giving her shit, which was awful to see. One Thing feels free, fun and empowering, and w, it sounds fucking brilliant. Her stuttering syncopation is unbelievably catchy. Lola has shown her depth and range, whilst being honest and true. Good for her.

AJ Tracey - Paid In Full feat. Big Zuu, Wax, D7 & Ets

MTP BUSINESS. AJ Tracey put a call out. Big Zuu, Wax, D7, Ets - come to the studio, we've got business, we're Paid In Full. Anyone who says stuff along the lines of, 'I miss old AJ Tracey', gets on our nerves. Let the man grow and progress. However, he certainly shut them up with this one. This is a grime track in its truest sense, with each member of the group MTP b2b firing off incredible verses. AJ's in album mode, and something feels different. I think this one's gunna be special.

Joy Crookes - Carmen

Gracing our ever-devoted ears this week is the iconic Joy Crookes, continuing her incredible 2025 run with Carmen. Joy tackles the pressure of female beauty standards and particularly those placed on women of colour who are often left out of the narrative. ‘Carmen’ is tender, touching, beautifully understated, and furious in all the right ways; a humble reflection with a powerful statement, it’s left us feeling as though we’re sat right in front of Joy as she delivers the ballad, accompanied by nothing more than a piano and her soul-soaked tones. Absolutely stunningggg.

RUBII - Keep Hush feat. AMARIA BB

It feels almost criminal that I’m not able to listen to RUBII and AMARIA BB’s collaborative single Keep Hush on a beach today. And I know… I know… we’re struggling to resist mentions of the nice weather and future holidays in our weekly roundups (how very British of us), but ‘Keep Hush’ absolutely calls for some sand between the toes and mojito in hand. Following the success of RUBII’s first single of 2025 ‘Twin Flame’,  I can already see the streams raking in for the equally suave and sultry ‘Keep Hush’, that remains unmistakably on brand for the London-hailing songstress.

Obongjayar - Jellyfish

Obongjayar didn't come to fuck about! Rightfully taking aim at those who need to be hit, Jellyfish is fiery offering from an extremely exciting artist. The man's in album szn which is music to our ears (well technically it will be soon). He's four singles deep and yet to miss... this bodes well Mr. Obongjayar... you have our attention!

Elle Shimada - LULLABY FOR THE RIVER IN MY BODY

So, Elle Shimada is definitely a new one on our playlists, but that is by no means an indicator of how much she has dazzled us with her latest EP LULLABY FOR THE RIVER IN MY BODY. In a time where the term ‘genre-bending’ is sprinkled into project descriptions with the same indulgence as a Nigella Lawson recipe book, we don’t blame you for any qualms you may have when you see that adjective. But believe us when we say, ‘LULLABY FOR THE RIVER IN MY BODY; holds the 'genre-bending' title with complete conviction, as Shimada weaves sounds of jazz, R&B, drum and bass, classical, trip hop and vaporwave (to name a few), all while smashing it on every front. We’re SOLD!

Check out the above, and honourable mentions, in the playlist below:

Written & Curated by Matt Sharp, Amalia Castle and Liam Tyler.