Haunting London-based band heavy wild have dropped their new track, ‘Dope Gods’. Staying true to form, this one is built around a mesmerising mesh of sounds that put a brash, insistent drum pattern up against a wall of distorted guitars and warm, ethereal synths, while still making room for a reflective, poignant vocal. “I wrote the song on the back of getting the news last January that an old friend had died,” explains vocalist Wolfgang Harte. “We were best friends around the ages of 15-17 and had so many crazy times wrapped up in that period of adolescence. There was sort of this movie playing in my head of our friendship over that time and the lyrics are born out of that, reflecting on those hectic teenage days and the sadness of losing a friend.” You can hear the band’s signature lo-fi synth rock sound live around the UK this February. -Dan Peeke