Groups like Black Midi aren’t supposed to become buzz bands. They’ve only released one limited single and given hardly any interviews. They don’t really go in for much of a web presence either. And, most importantly, the music they make – something like a jazz approach to math rock where the vocals are indecipherable – is pretty much un-marketable. But none of that stopped a record label scrum for them (which Rough Trade eventually won) and permanently full live shows, of which there have been something like a million. The London band are on the cover of this month’s Loud And Quiet, in stores from Saturday 18 May.

It’s mostly new bands that join them this month, too. They are:

Lungbutter: a trio from Canada who are too heavy for grunge and too melodic for metal – masters of spoken word vocals over a brilliant racket.

Porridge Radio: the Brighton DIY band who have just released their two best songs yet.

Just Mustard: an Irish group who are making music inspired by drone loops and the score to The Favourite.

Crumb: a New York band with a jazzy thing going on that we’ve listened to a hell of a lot in our office.

Martha Skye Murphy: not a band, but a band leader and previous Nick Cave backing singer who’s now releasing via Slow Dance when she’s not eating cakes with our writer Tristan Gatward.

Biig Piig also had us over to her house for our My Place feature, and Megan Wallace spoke with Jamila Woods about her new album – an exploration of Black Excellence and identity. 

Plus, Manuel Göttsching recalls how he made a proto-techno masterpiece by accident in 1981, and I spoke with Carly Rae Jepsen about what she remembers about being 16.

Maybe you know some of this stuff already, but it’s all been lovingly put into issue 134.

Order a copy here. Or subscribe from £3 per month and it’ll be the first issue we get out to you this Saturday.