{"id":2009991,"date":"2026-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2009991"},"modified":"2026-06-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-242","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2009991","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tJUNE\u2019S NEW NOISE IS KEEPING US COOL<\/span>
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Lucy Park, The Army, The Navy, PS Hitsquad and Any Young Mechanic: these are the four acts making our summer. <\/h3>\n
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\"June\u2019s<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

God, it\u2019s a bit hot, isn\u2019t it? Wonderland <\/em>HQ has recently acquired some air conditioning, and just in time. All that\u2019s missing is an Aperol Spritz and a suncream factor above 50, and I\u2019m happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

June has been one of 2026\u2019s stronger months for musical releases. Atop the pile is undoubtedly Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s excellent third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl in love<\/a><\/em>, an emotional rollercoaster of a break-up record that cements its maker as one of her generation\u2019s defining songwriters, with a level of craft and charisma that her idol and collaborator Robert Smith would be proud of. Elsewhere, Vince Staples took a stylistic left-turn to great avail, horsegiirL healed nature with her debut album, and Skrillex unleashed his latest opus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With festival and gig season well underway, we\u2019re gloriously exposed to new finds right now. And these four rising acts have stood among the masses of talent. London alt R&B gem Lucy Park, fresh from her breakthrough H.LLS collaboration, is showcasing a sumptuous musicality and rich lyrical nuance. The Army, The Navy are the LA duo with folk tendencies, punk attitude, and a hell of a good debut album to their name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, PS Hitsquad is the South London rapper showing there is still life in the UK drill scene if its key artists are willing to be experimental and adaptable. And last but not least, Aussie quintet Any Young Mechanic are the chillest dudes, coolest cucumbers and the future of indie folk Down Under.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what are you waiting for? Get to know these four diamonds before everyone else does. Keep scrolling\u2026<\/p>\n

Lucy Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"June\u2019s<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Lucy Park has the ability to make one dizzy. Through her dazzling vocals, warm and rewarding instrumentals, and emotionally potent songwriting, the London singer-songwriter has been steadily putting together a gorgeous body of music, including last year\u2019s vivacious EP \u201cGOOD GRACES\u201d, and this year is further augmenting her sonic portfolio. May brought \u201cBLUE SASHIKO\u201d and this month has gifted us (you guessed it) \u201cDIZZY\u2019. Before both solo tracks, though, she got the collaborative juices flowing with a mesmerising link-up with enigmatic duo H.LLS on \u201cGUERILLAZ\u201d<\/a>, elevating her stock ahead of a busy rest of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to \u201cDIZZY\u201d\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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What is the thing that makes you the most dizzy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Competing noise on a hot day, get me out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite place to write a song?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love to write while in transit \u2013 either on the train or in a car. Something about looking out at all of the people living their lives around me helps get me out of my regular train of thought. Small things I see around me tend to spark lyric ideas that I wouldn\u2019t have ended up at closed inside a studio.<\/p>\n

How did the H.LLS collaboration come about?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got put in a session with them by my A&R, Bayley, who thought we would be a good creative match, and he was right! I\u2019ve made a good bit of music with them, hopefully the rest will see the light of day.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best lyric you\u2019ve ever written?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the lyrics in \u201cBlue Sashiko\u201d were really fun to write because I used sewing and stitching metaphors throughout. Perhaps my favourite is: \u2018Hanging on needle and thread \/ you could catch another stitch before you make your bed \/ lie in it no wonder.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Why do you make the music that you make?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know what else to do with myself. Only trick I got.<\/p>\n

The Army, The Navy<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"June\u2019s<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Connecting as artistically ambitious undergraduates at Loyola University in New Orleans, Sasha and Maia soon found a shared musical connection revolving around modern folk and punkish attitude. They\u2019ve shared a handful of impactful EPs, but their recent debut album, Fake Brave Life<\/em>, is a soaring step upwards. Jampacked with subtle emotional intensity, progressive compositions, with the pair\u2019s seamless chemistry at the core, it\u2019s a record that gives far more than it takes.<\/p>\n

Listen to the album\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Which one of you is the army, which one is the navy? Or do you both partake across the board?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Neither of us really identifies with either name, but vibe-wise, we say that Sasha is The Army and I\u2019m The Navy. But there\u2019s no deep reason why we are in those roles; it\u2019s purely based on vibes. It doesn\u2019t really matter to us!\u00a0<\/p>\n

How can life be both fake and brave?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The concept of being Fake Brave is feigning courage as a means to accomplish something scary and new. We have to be fake brave when we share our music with the outside world and open it up for critique and criticism, as well as praise. Being in the public eye is daunting, and we practice fake bravery every time we step into the spotlight. As opposed to the words fake and brave existing independently of each other, the theme of our album is the words combined, fake brave. This entire career of being a musician is centred around pretending you have a certain level of confidence in yourself and in your craft, and that confidence is learned through the process of faking it til you make it for us.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite thing about working with one another?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think all artists experience spells of self-doubt and insecurity. Since Sasha and I are a duo, we are always there to lift each other up when one of us feels low. When one of us is feeling lyrically uninspired, the other can carry the weight. When one of us is anxious about performing, the other is there to soothe those nerves and provide security and stability. I can\u2019t even imagine going into this career alone; it is so daunting and scary, and there is so much to learn. It\u2019s easy to feel like you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing half the time, and it takes significant pressure off of both of us to know we\u2019re in it together. Sasha and I have a very strong connection, musically and personally, which allows us to feel very free and comfortable when we write with one another. We are extraordinarily lucky to have each other in this career. I wouldn\u2019t want to do this with anyone else.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best song ever written?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think this is a really subjective question, the answer changes almost constantly, and I don\u2019t know if I have a clear answer to it. Certain songs hold a greater emotional weight in our hearts, for example, 2 Collide and Down Debbie\/Reservoir. But there are also songs from our old projects that mean so much to us because they act as signifiers of certain points in our lives, like Persimmon. Persimmon was written in the fall before anything major had really happened in our careers, and it felt like one of the first really good songs we ever wrote together. But our favourite songs are ever-changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does it mean to you to release your debut album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are truly elated. It feels so incredible to release this music we\u2019ve spent so many years curating and working on. We feel so grateful for our fan base and the talented producers and musicians we have had the pleasure to collaborate with. This album will be the first of many for us and it just feels like the beginning of our careers. We can\u2019t wait!<\/p>\n

PS Hitsquad\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"June\u2019s<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Peckham-born rapper PS Hitsquad has been knocking around the UK drill scene for over a decade, always one of its sharpest lyricists, a founding member of one of the scene\u2019s outstanding collectives, Zone 2. Time inside has only grown his lore, and as he has returned, better than ever, finding his consistency and fine-tuning his artistic approach. His highly anticipated and deeply personal debut album, Life on License<\/em>, will be unleashed on 3rd July, and looks set to further cement PS as one of UK rap\u2019s most important players for years to come.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best thing to do with an evening in Peckham?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t been there in a minute, but Prince of Peckham seems lit.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve grown boundlessly as a writer since your early days. What do you put that down to?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Experience is the best teacher.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been your most profound life lesson?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh that\u2019s a deep one still, but I would say everything really does happen for a reason, if you know what I\u2019m saying? Like everything happens for a reason and sometimes you might not get the reason. Like I\u2019ve been in situations where I didn\u2019t entirely know what was going on or why it was happening, but then I would look back at it afterwards and I\u2019m like alright cool I kind of get it.<\/p>\n

Do you think UK drill can make a renaissance? Or have we evolved beyond it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think we\u2019re in a time where there are so many different sounds and bare sounds crossover and interlink you know what im saying? I feel like you can do anything like drill included, it just depends on how you do it, and what spin you\u2019re putting on it.<\/p>\n

What do you want <\/strong>Life On Licence<\/em><\/strong> to achieve?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I want this album to paint a picture, you get me? And give the world an insight into who I am and what a lot of others like me are up against, you know what I\u2019m saying? Hopefully this rounds off a chapter of my life in some type of\u00a0 play \/ justice kind of thing, you get me.<\/p>\n

Any Young Mechanic<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"June\u2019s<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Tarntanya\/Adelaide-based quintet Any Young Mechanic feel like they could have plucked right out of a village pub from hundreds of years ago, and given Logic Pro X. But their folky indie anthems are also a breath of fresh air, as sharp and modern as anything you\u2019ll hear coming from the guitar renaissance. Debut album The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The\u00a0Foot <\/em>dropped via Warner Records \/ 23 Recordings in early June, and is a charming, compelling collection of narrative-driven cuts backed by intricate and endearing musical backdrops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Listen to the album\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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Who are your Aussie idols?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Go-Betweens are musically maybe the best Australian band ever, especially in the troubled 80s. One of the great songwriters working today, Julia Jacklin \u2013 every album of hers is devastatingly brilliant. Massive shout out as well to Folk Bitch Trio, who are just incredible to see live \u2013 we really look up to them.<\/p>\n

Will Kangaroos eventually take over the world? If not, are you sure?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They are actually \u2013 the Australian government has a scheme in its latest budget to build an enormous bridge from Sydney to Auckland so they can hop over and get started with New Zealand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where does your love of folk music stem from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crucially, we don\u2019t see it as a traditionalist nostalgia thing. We love folk for its foregrounding of community and storytelling, for the human imperfections that arise through the process of making it, and for its balance of joy and empathy. The band Big Thief were also crucial to revealing folk music\u2019s modern-day possibilities \u2013 their 2022 album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You<\/em> is a huge touchstone for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why do you think the modern shoe is ruining the foot?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The answers are all in the album, we promise. If you want a hint, here: it\u2019s not really about shoes.<\/p>\n

Describe your debut album as a colour, an emotion, and a culinary dish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parchment; the happiness of spotting a stray cat in the street; \u00a0and a smorgasbord of incongruous bits and condiments that closer resemble a Mir\u00f3 than a meal \u2013 set upon a plate you\u2019ve owned for longer than you can remember.<\/p>\n

Words \u2013 Ben Tibbits<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t25 June 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Music<\/a><\/div>\n
New Noise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tSorry to the manosphere, SS27 proves infinite ways to be a man<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland JUNE\u2019S NEW NOISE IS KEEPING US COOL Lucy Park, The Army, The Navy, PS Hitsquad and Any Young Mechanic: these are the four acts making our summer. God, it\u2019s a bit hot, isn\u2019t it? Wonderland HQ has recently acquired some air conditioning, and just in time. All that\u2019s missing is an Aperol Spritz and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2009991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2009991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009991\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2009991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2009991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2009991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}