This Newcastle four-piece are a band to really cherish, particularly if you like your alt-rock to come drenched with plenty of drama.

The female-fronted Labyrinthine Oceans started gaining real traction last year with a whole clutch of tracks that leaned into the best of 1990s shoegaze, psychedelia and grunge, tracks that were given a fresh spin by dint of the band’s commitment to thrilling riffs and huge swooping melodies. And this year, they’ve continued their upward curve with the release of the brilliant ‘untitled’. It’s a track that features everything that made them great last year and then some, growing from brooding and dark into something that explodes in a truly magnificent manner. But it’s also a track that is lean and without unnecessary bluster – the sign of an outfit who are supremely confident in their abilities. This May, the band – consisting of Julia O’Neill, Toby Flynn, Patrick Ilderton and Ellie Bunker – are set to play the Roulette Festival at Independent in Sunderland (4 May) and Tynemouth’s A Stone’s Throw Festival (25 May). My advice: see both! DP

Seek: labyrinthineoceans.com