This is rather marvellous. Youth Valley are a new shoegaze/postpunk band who come from Athens, like R.E.M. and The B-52s. But not the one in Georgia.

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Here’s a new playlists of summer sounds, from pre-pubescent rockabilly to tear-stained balladry via black-boy punk, old-time country, old-skool soul and ambient electronica.

Last night I finally got to see Mary Coughlan live for the first time – something I’ve wanted to do ever since I got a cassette of her debut album Tired & Emotional in 1985.

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This shouldn’t work at all – Johnny Cash singing Barbie Girl thanks to AI – and I bet you think it won’t. Then again you’d probably say the same about the film. Until you’ve heard and seen them.

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Wreckless Eric is a national treasure. He would be one even if he’d never made another record after his 1977 masterpiece Whole Wide World. Yet here he is, nearly half a century later, with another simple but striking song that you can’t get out of your head; it arrived in my inbox this morning and now I can’t get it out of mine.

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West Texas quartet Holy Wave come from the border town of El Paso and make shimmering, psychedelic dream pop from their current home in Austin.

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Lack Of Afro’s Adam Gibbons teams up with Greg Blackman on his euphoric new single Loving Arms.

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Problem Patterns are a feminist punk band from Belfast blending elements of Riot Grrrl and Queercore.  I can’t say I listen to a lot of “punk rock” these days; not the old stuff from my youth and not the new stuff inspired by it. But I make an exception for this lot.

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With their jangly guitars, sweet melodies and sweeter harmonies, Teenage Fanclub are the perfect sound for a summer’s day – and here is their latest tune.

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New York noisemongers Bush Tetras are back, and making the same sort of primal racket they always did – despite the death of drummer Dee Pop last year.

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