In this feature we ask mainstays of the indie establishment who they think will be the next big act to break.

This time we speak with disco-punk pioneers, !!!.

NYC-based mavericks !!! (to this day we’re still tickled it’s pronounced ‘Chk Chk Chk’) are internationally respected for their fabulous showmanship, blistering live shows and relentless grooves that even an earth-bound meteor couldn’t stop. Coming up (though never quite sitting comfortably within) the early 00s dance-punk scene, !!! have been organizing vibrant, unsentimental rave-ups for many years now, alongside a long line of beloved records, each burgeoning with its own wild and urgent abandon.

Having released their critically-acclaimed seventh LP Shake The Shudder earlier this year (which boasts such deliriously catchy cuts as ‘NRGQ’ and ‘Dancing Is The Best Revenge’), !!! are now back out on the road and it’s somehow comforting to know that in an era of such disarray, !!! are still bringing their celebratory disco-punk circus to escapist audiences around the world.

We caught up with !!!’s enchantingly flamboyant lead singer (and resident short-shorts aficionado) Nic Offer to find out which emerging artists he’s got on regular rotation these days.

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VISIBLE CLOAKS
Always interesting to see someone uncover a previously overlooked part of music and make it sound fresh. 80s Japanese synth music is new to me, but so were Neu! and Can when I first learned about them from their influence on Stereolab.



CAR SEAT HEADREST
I love this band. I’ve listened to every album and even made a mix of my fav songs from all his early albums. A totally original songwriter’s voice, kinda grungy, but poppier, funnier and more miserable than Morrissey has been in 20 years.



ARI LENNOX
I don’t know why throwback stuff always has to struggle to sound as good as what it’s throwing back to. But her EP sounds as easy and effortless as RnB stuff I loved in the 90s.



THE INTERNET
The album, Ego Death, is great. I really love the deeper tracks like ‘Something’s Missing’, and the single ‘Girl’ is mesmerizing.



SHEER MAG
I don’t usually care about this kind of rock, but they’re so excited about it that it makes me excited. Catchy and a lot of heart and that should be all u really need to know.



Shake The Shudder is out now and catch !!! on tour.

-Karl Jawara