Caribou, honey

Four years on from the acclaimed Ding Dong. You’re Dead , the Hedvig Mollestad Trio make an inspired return with new album Bees In The Bonnet – buzzing with energy, riffs and bold statements, whether musical or political. Their intrepid leader talks to Prog about why songwriting is like speed dating, unlikely inspiration from Texas, taking risks and the rewards of play.

From the noisy streets, community cafés and surprisingly verdant cemeteries of Southeast London have risen CAROLINE : a confoundingly brilliant eight-piece band with no obvious frontperson, fusing choral folk with fractured post-rock and experimental pop. As Sam Richards discovers, they haven’t made life easy for themselves. “But there has to be a vulnerability of some sort. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Musical: Hercules Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London ...

©VINCENT PONTET/THEATRE DES CHAMPS ELYSEES; PIERRE MOUTON/GETTY IMAGES ...

The Fateful Symmetry MUTE 7/10

U.S. Girls ★★★★ Scratch It 4AD. CD/DL/LP ...