TIPPER OF THE WEEK: JOE HORSMAN

This week we continue our latest feature on the Tipping Point, spotlighting the biggest and best emerging acts from across the UK. Each Monday, we ask one of our esteemed tippers to select five of their hottest tips to be featured on the site throughout the week.

Next up we’ve got Joe Horsman, one of four editors at the wonderful Too Many Blogs, and currently working in music at the BBC. Check out his latest picks below!

 

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BROOKE BENTHAM

I first heard Brooke Bentham back in 2017 when she released “Losing, Baby”. No idea where I first heard it, but oh my fucking god. It’s a song of steely resilience in the face of heartache (I think) and it stopped me in my tracks. I’ve seen her play twice this past year or so and I’ve been blown away on each occasion. Her latest single “Out of My Mind”, which was produced by Bill Ryder Jones, was also reassuringly superb.

 

WORKING MEN’S CLUB

Maybe it’s a little weak to put forward a band based primarily on one single, but Working Men’s Club’s ‘Bad Blood’ is the best track I’ve heard in absolutely ages. Genuinely got goosebumps upon hearing it live the other week at Moth Club… or maybe I was just depressed by how old and useless they made me feel.

 

WYCH ELM

I hear a lot of my favourite bands in wych elm. They make me feel borderline anxious whenever I listen to them, and yet I keep going back for more. That can only be a good sign, I think. Their debut single “School Shooter” did really well and has streamed over 125k now. But, and I don’t just say this to justify my selection, every single track they’ve put out has got better and better, peaking at “1983”. Anyway, they’ve handily stuck all of their songs on the Rat Blanket EP, so go and listen to it.

 

ALASKALASKA

This is definitely nonsensical for someone who works in music, but I’m always a little turned off when I see a band’s name is in full caps. With that in mind, the fact that I chose ALASKALASKA in this list says a lot. Maybe they’re the most well-known band I’ve picked out, but so few of my mates have heard their stuff. It’s all equally elegant, velvety and funky.  Their debut album The Dots is out in May and if their last 3 singles and EP are anything to go by, which they are, then it’s going to be class. Start with one of the tunes of last year, “Monster”.

 

UNCLE TESCO

Thanks to my uglier, shit football team-supporting, more musically knowledgeable friend for recommending Uncle Tesco to me. Yes, they’re called Uncle Tesco and yes, they have a song called “Meal Deal”. They’re still somewhat of an unknown entity to me in that I’m not sure what’s coming next from them/even if anything is coming next, but what I have heard (tracks like “Croydon Underpass”, “Transit” and “Meal Deal”) has made me smile.