Hello world,

Here’s your latest FP Picks update with banging new tunes as always fm Geese, Saint Leonard, Cliffords & many more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!

Until next week

Helen (Futureproof) x

The Cribs – A Point Too Hard To Make

The Cribs recently shared new single A Point Too Hard to Make, taken from new album Selling A Vibe, and vocalist Gary Jarman said it’s about “all that 2000s damage, basically”, and their early days as a band. “Small-town romantics – years spent longing for connection, escape, excitement – given in abundance, for an entire decade,” he said.  “What do you do when the party is over? Where does it leave you? We will let you know if/when we get there. We’ve still got each other though. That’s what this one is about, a bit of a kitchen-sinker, really.” The band take to the stage in Leeds Millennium Square on Saturday 11th July next year which marks the first time they’ve played on the stage in a decade.

GIFTHORSE – 13 Going On 30

North London duo GIFTHORSE are back with a second offering and this time they’re grappling with life stages & personal discovery in the lyric, while delivering yet again a very distinctive sound for a band so early in their story. Possibly aided by the involvement of one Bernard Butler on the production side, its Spectre-sque wall of sound features multiple layered vocals that give the track a depth of character which keeps revealing itself the more you listen. Strident guitar lines, which at times sound like a horn section, sit well with the top-line melody creating a melange of flavours that sit nicely between brash 80s production & dream pop whimsy – or as the band so succinctly describe it “frazzled English pop” – love it!

Whitelands – Songbird (Forever)

London’s Whitelands have so far previewed their new album Sunlight Echoes with the beautiful shoegaze earworms Heat Of The Summer and Glance and now they’re back with the evocative single Songbird (Forever). “It’s about my friends, the important people in my life, and my spirit,” explains singer Etienne. “I was going through a very dark time, but love is a great thing. I’m loved by many incredible people, so I pushed myself with everything I had. Every day was a fight, but I wanted to win.” Bassist Vanessa Govinden adds, “When we first laid down this track, hearing it back was emotional. There was a gulp when the first chorus kicked in and that was before the strings were added. I’m so pleased that James (Iskra Strings) reached out when he did, because he lifted the whole song.”

Cliffords – Marsh

Cork’s Cliffords have shared the spirited indie-rock single Marsh and state: “Marsh is a song that explores the heavy feelings of seasonal depression. When the weight of it makes the air feel thick and hard to move through. Appreciating the little moments like the winter sun or walks with friends eases the overwhelming thoughts and feelings.” A recent tour with Queens Of The Stone Age saw Cliffords show their teeth, a series of gritty performances that dialled in to their gnarlier, rock-influenced side. One of our fave acts at Glastonbury last year and well worth a watch if you get the chance!

So Good – Give Me My Presents

So Good have dropped their explosive Christmas banger Give Me My Presents which has already amassed several million views on social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, with fans all over the world demanding this song be recorded and released. So Good has gigged relentlessly in 2025 and won over swathes of the global gig going community with tours as main support to Queens Of The Stone Age, Skunk Anansie and The King Blues. Fronted by Sophie Bokor-ingram, the track’s social media viral uptake took the form of live performances in the streets of London to passers-by, with Sophie and the band dressed in festive gear, creating a long running series of popular clips. Inevitably, the hype grew instantly and now So Good are finally satisfying the incredible demand for this Christmas anthem.

Flat Party – C4mGrrl

London art-rock outfit Flat Party have shared a double A-side: C4mGrrl & Mother’s Boy.“C4mGrrl is a song about porn addiction told from the perspective of a man cheating on his partner through an online relationship with a cam girl,” vocalist Jack Lawther said, before making sure to quickly add, “It’s obviously a fabricated story.” The new material sees Flat Party experimenting with rawer, more exposed textures, citing Tyler, The Creator’s IGOR’S THEME and Crack Cloud’s Red Mile as key influences, without losing their flair for theatrical, distorted art-rock. Lawther states: “This song, and its companion track Mother’s Boy, are kind of weird little tangents… We’ve been heading in quite a different direction lately, which might confuse people a bit, but we’re really excited about it.”

Geese – Cobra

Lyrically, the track Cobra from Geese is about one lover enticing—even entrancing—the other, carrying a sexual undertone that likens the seduction to the flute tune played for a cobra. This idea is implied in stanzas like “You can get it on your own / You can make the cobras dance / But not me, yeah” and “There’s a cobra in my hand / She’s calling back again.” Defined by merry guitar strings and Cameron Winter’s timeless, strung-out vocal, Cobra rolls along with lyrics rich with imagery. At times, Winter is enamoured by his partner, “Baby, let me wash your feet forever, Baby, you can stay at my house forever and ever”, and at others, he’s at odds with her, straining against her romantic pull like a snake resisting its charmer.

Blossom Caldarone – Waxing Lyrical

Captivating new single Waxing Lyrical fm Blossom Caldarone delves into the chaos of a previous relationship, analysing and maybe over-analysing the different facets of it with a witty and tongue-in-cheek sense of character that feels instantly captivating and charming throughout. The track is packed full of melodic, cathartic and impactful moments, and serves as a really refreshing turn from the celebrated artist. Blossom states: “Waxing Lyrical got its name because I’m literally sick of talking about the situation, and the person I wrote it about loved the sound of their own voice – like actually wouldn’t stop. Imagine it’s summer, you’re in a hot, sticky flat and you’re getting to know someone and they’re driving you mad, but you can’t leave each other alone. I’m singing about that sort of chaos. It makes me laugh now, I love it.”

Saint Leonard – Amsterdam

Following the release of his critically acclaimed album The Golden Hour earlier this year which featured contributions from Brian Eno & Fat White Family members Alex White & Nathan Saoudi, singer-songwriter Saint Leonard brings the Jacques Brel classic Amsterdam into the modern day with this emotive acoustic live performance. Produced by Mercury Award nominated producer Shuta Shinoda (Jehnny Beth, Hot Chip, Anna Meredith, GhostPoet) along with Saint Leonard, the track is recorded live straight to analogue tape & is the lead track on Saint Leonard’s upcoming EP Twilight Over Tempelhof. He states: “It feels very timely with the rise of the machines & AI to create something without any digital technology involved at all – a riposte to the AI slop that’s creeping in everywhere.”