Friendly Fires Skeleton Boy, Single, XL Recordings, March 2 ****

With the release of last year’s debut Friendly Fires barged past the likes of Foals and Hot Chip in the race to the indie/dance crossover throne – and their latest single is a cheeky little reminder why.

A bass line that oozes funk, sparkling disco beats that effortlessly career in and out and desperate, angsty vocals   – it’s sophisticated but painfully cool. Singer Ed Macfarlane‘s howl of “Yooooou’re too much” even provides a chorus – what more could you want? 

There’s a pinch of post-punk thrown in but if you’ve got a soft spot for the uplifting funky house of the mid-90s, this is your bag. An update on the genre that was a remedy to the tired guitar drival the bored the Trainspotting generation – this will keep restless feet moving. 

The Saturdays Just Can’t Get Enough, Single, Polydor, March 2 *

It’s that time of year again – when TV gets hijacked for the night and we’re all forced out of the house, into civilisation, to avoid the hilarious celebrity begging spectacle     that is Comic Relief.

New girls on the block The Saturdays have kindly and selflessly given their time to record this year’s official single. Having already butchered Yazoo’s Situation, this time they’ve coated a Depeche Mode classic in their sugary helium.

A straight forward cover that will send toddlers wild, and make Mode fans grimace as they kiss good bye to ever hearing the original down the pub ever again.

Wavves So Bored, Single, Young Turks, March  2 ****

I don’t know Nathan Williams – aka Wavves – but I can crack a good guess at what’s top of his record collection. The daytime Beach Boys addict gives way to a night time Sonic Youth fan – a complex blend of happy, young Californian sunshine battling against a dreamy, dark post-punk nightmare.

A fuzzy, growling ball of noise, you can almost feel it snarling at you. Lo-fi but melody rich, this tale to hanging around San Diego with nothing to do will become an underground anthem for the millions who feel exactly the same.