AUTOGRAMM – Diana / Licht Aus

They might not be household names, but Autogramm have been building a following on the alternative music underground since 2018. They’ve released discs on the Nevado and Jarama 45 labels, and their blend of indie rock, power pop and 80s synth pop often sounds as nostalgic as it does contemporary.

Tracks like ‘Born Losers’ and ‘Hey Allie’ (from their 2023 LP ‘Music That Humans Can Play’) are perfect demonstrations of how to construct a chorus that sounds like a fabulous 80s throwback, whilst ‘Love Is For Fools’ absolutely nails an early 80s, skinny tied, power pop homage, and their earlier ‘Small Town’ conveys a post punk energy with almost just as much ease. Autogramm are one of those bands that, wherever you choose to drop into their catalogue, you’ll find a huge, retro sounding hook that feels massively uplifting.

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THE NOISE WHO RUNS – Come And Join The Beautiful Army EP

The Noise Who Runs is a musical project helmed by Ian Pickering, best known as lyricist for Sneaker Pimps. Joining Ian is French-Brazilian musician Felipe Goes, and between them, the duo share some big sounding synth pop and vaguely experimental electronic sounds on their 2024 EP ‘Come And Join The Beautiful Army’. Its five songs dart between big hooks and even bigger, sometimes angular sounds, creating a work that isn’t necessarily immediate, but has a strange and alluring quality that will appeal to listeners with a broader range of alternative interests.

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SUN ATOMS – Ceiling Tiles / Tower Of Song

On their 2021 LP ‘Let There Be Light’, alternative rock band Sun Atoms shared some great music. That record’s quieter and more downbeat moments blended elements of goth pop with a very retro guitar twang, often falling somewhere between the classic, introspective songwriting of Leonard Cohen and the more contemporary moods of Tindersticks. When approaching busier sounds, the material mixed light electronica with spoken word passages. With other moments utilizing muted trumpets and very retro sounding backing vocals, the album was a pleasingly varied listening experience.

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TULIPOMANIA – Dreaming Of Sleep

The word “alternative” gets bandied around a lot in the music world. It’s used to describe all kinds of guitar based music – even stuff that’s found its way into the mainstream long ago – but there are still plenty of genuinely alternative bands out there. It would be hard to consider the dark moods of Decommissioned Forests, or the strange jazz meets metal noise of Kilter as anything but. Tulipomania are another act who’ve wilfully taken their own musical path within a truly alternative niche, rarely concerned about commercial success.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #22

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. As always, the amount of submissions has been staggering, and we’ve cherry picked some of our favourite tracks for your enjoyment. This time around, we’ve got a soundtrack worthy tune, some top notch power pop, a fine tribute to a Boston heroine, and more besides. We hope you find something to enjoy!

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