For our first Singles Bar feature of 2025, we’ve brought together an interesting selection of tunes. You’ll find a “typical” Real Gone backbone of rock, but with the help of some great, spiky synth sounds, a couple of singer songwriters, and even a country infused bar room sneer from a familiar musical figure, there’s enough here to attract anyone with a curious ear. As we prepare to embark on another year of great musical discovery, we hope you find something of interest here!
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‘Up and Away’, the current single from Dragon Welding has a spiky quality, but not immediately, and never in the most typical way. The opening of the number introduces a speed driven, programmed beat, suggesting a love of synth pop and electronica, along with a world of old school keys adds a quirky selection of sounds. There’s something at play that sort of sounds like a marriage between Vampire Weekend and Landscape: it’s simple, yet busy; quirky without trying too hard, and its reliance on a very natural vocal merely accentuates an almost cheeky sound. Bringing in some hard edged guitar chords adds a strong post punk element, but the number still refuses to settle. Then, chorus wise, the band brings out the big guns with a sharp and repetitive hook that really sticks. Stylistically, this is a world away from their more melodic ‘Cromer Gulls’, but there’s still a lot to enjoy packed into an insanely tight four minutes.
Absolutely loaded with jangling guitars, ‘Burning Up’ by Blair Gilmour fits nicely alongside the works of Bleachers and the more melodic elements of Brian Fallon’s work, but on this debut track, his clear, Scottish accent lends a world of familiar melodies its own character. The marriage of voice and music is perfect: there’s a youthful spirit here that’s utterly infectious, and the track’s huge, hooky chorus is appealing from first play. Just in case that leaves any people on the fence, Blair unleashes a second massive hook midway – and it takes a very hard heart to resist a world of crowd pleasing, made for a live audience “na na na”s. Familiar it may be, but ‘Burning Up’ is a superb single from a performer who’ll be worth keeping an eye on.
‘Beautiful Disaster’ by singer songwriter James Martinez feels, in some ways, like a throwback to the late 90s, when a post-grunge sound bled into the heart of melodic rock. Opening with an acoustic motif and, latterly, a huge soaring electric lead, it’s hard not to hear traces of Metallica ballads and other similarly earnest fare at first, but once the number finds its feet, the slightly retro charms unleash a pleasingly big sounding track that has a little more of its own identity. Most importantly, James shares a vocal that manages to deliver very strongly in old school rock tones as he curls his way through a great melody, with long and flowing notes underscored by a big drum sound. Adding an extra layer of guitars to the chorus, there are traces of Alter Bridge, but in the main, no matter how densely layered the arrangement becomes, the listener will be constantly drawn to a very emotive vocal. Despite working with a lot of tried and tested ideas, Martinez has captured something here that should appeal to a broad, rock loving crowd.
Tired of Fighting bring out the emo big guns on ‘Castles’, a tune that opens gently with a sparsely played selection of guitar chords placed beneath a vocal that sounds like it comes from a guy close to tears. Even when a harder edged riff is introduced – adding a huge, shimmering tone with a brilliant crunch – the fragility of the melody holds firm and the voice, although still sad, conveys a great confidence. As things move along, the rhythm section show off just as much power; the drums are massive, and although a little lower in the mix, some solid bass work holds everything together with ease. Despite the general mood of this number being clear from the outset, it’ll take a little longer for the thoughtful rock melodies to stick, but once they do, ‘Castles’ shows a great strength. In terms of solid sounding, melodic punk/emo tunes, they don’t come much bigger.
Already hailed as a “stompin’ dive bar anthem”, ‘Shut Up And Drink Your Beer’ by Miss Georgia Peach is anything but subtle. From the outset, the number latches onto a speedy garage rock styled delivery with hard edged rhythm guitars pushing an old school melody forth, whilst various country inflections add a whole world of extra sass in the Peach tradition. Listen carefully, you’ll discover a great rock ‘n’ roll bassline behind the raucous riffs, lending a pinch of rockabilly cool, but – as is often the case – this show is stolen by Miss Georgia herself, sharing a massive vocal and a lyric that basically calls out drunken associates who are only too keen to share their sob stories, several jugs into the night. Throw in a rough and ready lead guitar break and this definitely becomes a track that fans will love.
Sharp Pins unleash some lo-fi gold on ‘You Don’t Love Here Anymore’ ahead of their ‘Radio DDR’ album (due in March ’25). By opening with a heavily strummed acoustic, presented with an almost demo-like sound, the single makes no secret of its DIY origins, but stick with it and you’ll discover a brilliant 60s infused pop tune. By gradually building up the musical layers – a heavily struck bass, chiming guitars almost worthy of Big Star, and finally some bell-like percussion – something that sounded a little rough actually grows into a tune that sparkles with an AM radio appeal, and even with an echoing voice – clinging onto the lo-fi aesthetic – this is a single that shows off the Chicago band at their best.
If ‘Higher’ is any indication, London’s Leadfeather are set to celebrate 2025 in their best 1975 finery. This taste of their upcoming EP kicks off with an unashamedly Zep-infused riff, like something on loan from ‘Physical Graffiti’, introducing the lads with a mighty wallop. Adding a huge, old school rock vocal, frontman Apostolos L delivers some sizeable wails, which compliment guitarist Simon’s chunky sound more than admirably. Things eventually take a detour to explore some very different retro sounds via a pinch of neo-psychedelia, but once the big rock groove returns, the whole band sounds in great shape. This might not be especially original, but in terms of punch, the band immediately single themselves out as an act to watch out for. Between Leadfeather, The Black Vultures and Silveroller, there are some bright sparks on the British rock horizon.
Last up, here’s a rather important release. New York dream poppers The Harrow have always considered For Against to be a massive influence. Following the devastating news of guitarist Jeff Runnings having a stage four cancer diagnosis, they’ve recorded a cover of For Against’s ‘December’ to show their love for that band, with all Bandcamp earnings for the track being donated to Jeff’s current GoFundMe campaign. The Harrow’s recording of the 1988 track is massively respectful. It retains the ringing guitar which provided the original with a massive musical hook, but if anything, it now comes with a bigger bass sound providing a musical heartbeat throughout. Most importantly, though, this cover presents a much better vocal. By replacing the once semi-gothic, dour tones with something a little floatier, LeeAnn Fialciani really brings out the dream pop influences that lurk within the main melody. If needed, this provides an excellent introduction to both The Harrow and For Against.
December 2024