Lewisham-based bedroom-pop artist Pet Grotesque released his DIY debut album Good Egg in 2017 with the indie label and on-the-pulse promoters SLOW DANCE (home to Uma, Fran Lobo, Saint Jude, Glows & more). Having previously kept busy as a touring keys player in Goat Girl and Tiña, Pet Grotesque has spent much of his quarantine finishing album two, and now teases us with the first taste - 'Scratch'. The new single sees drum machines pump, whist astral synths and Beach Fossils-style guitars are interjected with a prog-rock guitar line that bleeds with distortion. Pet Grotesque's vocals diverge from gothic moodiness in the verse, to indie-pop falsetto in the chorus, where he sings an addictively hooky melody: "This must be why I like you so much." Pet Grotesque explains: "This is a track I wrote and recorded over a year ago. I wanted to explore what would happen if I made something that sounded more aggressive but had lyrics that were more desperate and pathetic." If 'Scratch' is anything to go by, Pet Grotesque's upcoming album is sure to be a gem, where energy and sensitivity ride on the same plane. -Ellie Rose-Davies