Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This selection offers some of the usual SB variety, as we share a couple of newer singles with an electronica backbone, a couple of light and melodic indie themed tunes, and some very inclusive punk. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…

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A busy rhythm contrasts a soft, almost dreamlike vocal throughout Ok Cowgirl’s brilliant ‘Forever’, but these disparate elements are linked in a surprisingly natural way. At the centre of some rather mechanical sounding indie pop, you’ll find a bright finger picked guitar, constantly throwing out a strong musical motif that calls back to some of the twee sounding indie folk of the noughties, but everything here recycled here with a far bigger intent. Wherever you drop into this track, its almost circular melodies are bound to entertain, but it’s vocalist Leah Levine who steals the show with a performance that has a fey quality but also a very strong sense of melody, steering the bright pop infused tune through the beats. Although this sounds good from first listen, it’s definitely the kind of single that sounds much stronger over time.

Newcastle synth poppers 404 Error address bad netiquette on their current track ‘Please Reply’. Against a bank of pulsing keys which immediately hark back to the late eighties, the listener is confronted by a lyric that’s very much of the present. A spoken voice barks out various statements regarding uninvited direct messaging on social media, each one more intense than the first. The slightly flat delivery gives the performance a rather more theatrical feel, but a more melodic chorus makes good on a great hook when harmonised vocals add more of a pop quality. The push and pull between the pop and the mechanical creates something that’s classic 404, and the hugely cold sound and retro mood that cuts through the whole track will certainly appeal to fans of synth based alternative sounds everywhere. It won’t be a hit in the true sense, but it could become the unofficial theme for those social media irritants who just don’t know how to let things go.

Keeping with an electronica theme, the UK’s History of Guns have shared a second single ‘What’s Buried (Will Rise)’ as part of the promotion for their ‘Half Light’ album. ‘What’s Buried’ finds the synth heavy duo in a more melodic frame of mind than before, but without ever veering towards anything commercial. The core of the synth riffs are a little more accessible, but those who enjoy their slightly abrasive approach won’t be disappointed. The more tuneful keys – conveying bits of 80s synth pop via the coldness of early Ministry – are offset by a deep, spoken vocal, setting up a feeling of unease. As the tune builds, extra bleeps call back to earlier Nine Inch Nails fare, and the general groove is such that, despite the lack of human emotion, there’s something here that feels rather inviting. Cold, strange and seemingly coming from a place of detachment, this is History of Guns somewhere near the top of their game.

Centred around a funky bass groove, the brilliant ‘Places Not Familiar’ by Sugar Bones works a cool 70s sound on its verses. The blend of pulsing rhythms and melodic guitar lines immediately gives the track a lot of heart, but it really springs to life once Corrin Cruz starts to sing. This number allows her to explore the full range of her voice. She fills the mellower, funk oriented parts with an effortless and soulful curl, before stretching for a huge rock tinged belt for a chunkier chorus. For the main hook, the guitar work increases accordingly, and the band make the transition between a light Nile Rodgers inspired sound to a crunchy Stevie Salas inflected groove with ease. For those who love a bit of old school funk rock, this is a must hear.

Following a string of digital singles beginning in 2022, Glasgow indie poppers TRNDS serve up a really catchy track with ‘Heartbeat’. A filtered vocal taps into more of a pop vein than a lot of modern indie bands, but its busy rhythm immediately aims to make the listener feel good, and a really hooky chorus helps to drive home some classic pop songwriting. If anything really stands out here, though, its the way everything is overlaid by a sea of new wave-ish keys, further adding to a sugary quality, and the way the vocal never hides its Scottish accent. On this track, the trio’s self-proclaimed “anonymous pop with a dash of theatre” sounds big without ever lapsing into grandiosity. With a quirky edge and a huge musical heart, on these three minutes, TRNDS come of age.

Brighton band The Glitterbombs come out fighting on their debut single. ‘LGB (With The TNB)’ is a rallying cry for love and acceptance. The TNB in this case refers to “Trans and Non-Binary” ensuring their message calling for inclusion is actually inclusive. Against an old school punk riff, a strong and very British lead vocal attacks the lyric with speed and anger in a way that brings the spirit of ’77 into the present, whilst a repetitive gang vocal brought in for the track’s chorus hook taps into a fiery style that calls back to the shoutier second wave of UK punk. There’s a strong melody here too, since a sharp edged lead guitar jostles against the thrashiness with a hard twang with traces of rockabilly. Overall, this becomes a true melting pot of punk and social politics; a two minute blast that’s sharp, but retains something accessible and familiar. Forget Crabs – a bunch of middle aged men from Margate using rough punk as vehicle to joke and jibe about their surroundings, in a way that doesn’t hide their feelings of no longer fitting in – The Glitterbombs are the real deal; a punk band using their platform to be a force for change.

Armed with a pointed, repetitious guitar riff that calls back to 90s college rock and a vocal meter borrowed from the new wave inspired ‘Adore’ album from era Smashing Pumpkins, Mossy Ledge bring together two different retro styles on ‘All You Need To Know’. What’s important here, though, is that these two seemingly different elements come together smoothly to create something very hooky. The way the vocal floats above the more pointed musical elements creates a contrast that works brilliantly, but its when breaking into a bright sounding, 90s infused chorus where dreamy power pop reins that this track comes into its own. It’s all rather familiar, but this is certainly a welcome return for a band returning from a fifteen year vacation.

Last up, here’s the debut single from Norwegian band Melting Brain Club…and it’s a head-bending, genre mashing treat. Straight from the opening flurry of notes, delivered relentlessly from the keys, it’s clear that everything is heading towards prog territory, but that’s the only really old fashioned element here. The guitar work blends gothic textures into a prog-ish rhythm before going full on prog metal with chopping riffs, whilst the drums drop in and out of jazz influenced grooves. This sets a particularly challenging melody in place, or at least that’s the case when the riffs dominate. There are moments here where the heaviness subsides to reveal almost ambient textures, and traces of post-metal beneath a heavily layered vocal. Those who like their prog on the heavier side will find plenty to enjoy, even when the drums increase the tension to inject a passage of two of rhythmic work inspired by melodic death metal, but it’s the track’s climax that leaves the biggest impression. At that point, high toned lead guitar sounds weave in and out of the vocal, creating a hybrid of art rock and melodic metal that’s very smart. Much like the singles released by fellow Scandinavians Darkness Is My Canvas, this isn’t concerned with chart domination, but as an introduction to a new band, it’s hugely effective.

August 2024