Oculate UK: This Week In Music

Featuring: Chy Cartier, PinkPantheress, Wet Leg, Obongjayar, Kwengface, Shivani Day, Lou Phelps, Blossoms & Rachel Chinouriri...

There's been some exquisite entries into the pages of music history in the last 7 days. Do you ever feel like you can't keep up with each chapter of that particular book? We hear you. Luckily, we have put together an expertly-curated list of highlights, so you can get on with your busy week, with the perfect soundtrack.

Below is Oculate UK's highlights of the last week's albums, EPs and singles, in no particular order.

Check out our full highlights using the playlist at the bottom.

Chy Cartier - NO BRING INS

UK Rap's newest star has unveiled her first ever project. Chy Cartier seems to be on everyone's A-list right now - and for good reason. With her unique cadence, sharp verses and killer style, she has stepped into the game and unapologetically taken over. Her new project NO BRING INS contains everything you need to know, featuring hit-singles 'YO', 'SHUSH', and plenty more to get excited about. BAP BAP BAP...

PinkPantheress - Tonight

We take great pride in letting you know that the leading lady of nostalgic-pop-DnB, PinkPantheress, has returned with her first solo release of the year, and the first teaser of her forthcoming album (one we cannot wait to sink our teeth into) - in a single titled ‘Tonight’. Featuring a rogue but genius sample of Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing?’, PinkPantheress delivers, as always. Brimming with all the late-night, bubblegum-pop energy of an early 00s Nokia mobile racing game, ‘Tonight’ is the one to kick off your Friday night plans; first on the pres playlist, no questions asked.

Wet Leg - catch these fists

Wet Leg are back! With new album moisturizer arriving 11th July (this author's birthday - how nice!), they also told fans to 'catch these fists' upon their return. Not literally, but that is the name of their punchy new single (see what I did there). How does it sound? Witty, high-energy, catchy, feisty, and plenty of other words ending in y. And we love it. Welcome back Wet Leg.

Obongjayar - Sweet Danger

Obonjayar very well could be the best thing since sliced bread. He has been dropping a steady stream of experimentally-minded indie-pop bangers for a while now, but it still feels as though he's only just entering the spotlight. Little Simz has long been shining a light on him, with features on previous albums, and her upcoming one. Talk about a co-sign?! We agree with Simbi, Obongjayar deserves to be heard. His newest offering 'Sweet Danger' is a kinetic, percussion driven vibe - the perfect song for a sunny Friday. Listen and enjoy.

Kwengface - 2 Summers

A change in the direction of your life is enough to swing the whole pendulum, and is something UK rapper Kwengface had to confront during his huge mainstream come-up back in 2023, which was interrupted when he ended up behind bars. While his situation is unique, the feeling of lost time hits universally when life suddenly shifts course. Now he returns in his first single of 2025, ‘2 Summers’, which sees him reflect on that lost time, his transition away from the streets, and the solace he found in music as he searched to fill the void. A track that is sure to indulge fans, while giving them a taste of what’s to come, ‘2 Summers’ is the return from Kwengface that we needed and we’re welcoming this comeback with open arms.

Shivani Day - Too Well

With an MO that usually involves flourishes of her South Asian heritage and affinity for electronic production, what we’ve come to learn from Shivani Day’s catalog over the last 2 years is that she’s going to deliver a brooding and sexy electronica track of dreams, while finding a way to diversify with every release. The same can be said for her latest single ‘Too Good’ which sees her play with eerie and celestial production and explores “the feeling of being left in limbo; wanting to wait for them but knowing that they wouldn’t necessarily do the same for you”. Sad to admit we know the feeling.

Lou Phelps - Chèlbè

This new KAYTRANADA-produced album by Lou Phelps is a F*CKING VIBE. A pulsing kick carries you through Chèlbè, going from hit-to-hit-to-hit. Created to shine a light on the melting-pot qualities of Montreal, it sees Phelps blending English, French and Haitian Creole. What a talented man. If you want to see the man's talents in the flesh, luckily he's going on tour with KAYTRANADA later this year. But, the suns shining now - so get this record on.

Blossoms - The Honeymoon

Oh Blossoms... To keep it short and sweet can be a struggle when even the slightest drop in their discography seems to force a tidal wave of nostalgia on us, jet washing our brains with sunny memories of careless youth in the 2010s. In their most recent single, ‘The Honeymoon’ taken from the deluxe version of their fifth studio album, Gary, the closest thing to time travel is made possible as the Stockport-hailing group dance atop a swinging guitar progression, that bares a hearty and energetic resemblance to the 2016 releases which catapulted them into indie-rock band hall of fame.

Rachel Chinouriri - Little House EP

Rachel Chinouriri is a treasure. Her debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events was one of our favourites in 2024, and now she's back with her first solo material since, Little House. A short-but-sweet 4-track EP - it contains signature Rachel heartfelt lyricism and indie-pop swing. You can get in your feelings, and vibe to this, what more could you ask for?!

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

List curated by Matt Sharp, Amalia Castle & Liam Tyler.