In terms of selection, this visit to the Singles Bar casts its net rather widely to bring you a variety of entertaining tracks. Thanks to a massive influx of submissions over the past month, we’ve had more than enough to fit our usual remit, and even been sent couple of rather bold offerings that would’ve struggled to find a home elsewhere. You’ll find one of these here – a sprawling piece of distorted noise that a few people will love, but most will likely feel affronted by such an abrasive noise. That’s balanced out nicely by a couple of singer songwriters, a strong pop based piece, and a throwback to the 90s that’s almost perfect. Dig a little deeper and hopefully you’ll find other treats along the way. …And as always, if you find something new to enjoy, why not stop by and tell us? We’d love to hear from you!
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Lovers of Anderson East’s near perfect Americana stylings will discover another instant favourite with ‘Chasing You’, a laid back number that showcases his emotive voice against country elements and soulful brass. There’s a real heart to this track: the way the melody never rushes appears to channel Richard Manuel’s work with The Band, but East brings a more contemporary flavour to this piece via a great vocal and with the help of pleasingly bright production values. The track’s key lyric “it could’ve been forever or last Thursday” also seems to feed into this idea that this number might be new, but there’s always something there that feels as if it’s been a part of your consciousness for the longest time. It’s very much a mood piece, but the performer’s easy style and really confident air will eventually help this become a classic within the Anderson East catalogue.
On their earlier singles ‘Heartache To The Heartless’ and ‘Call To The Void’, Garrow Hill served up a pleasingly chunky sound fusing hard rock with gothic overtones, but their current release ‘Camouflage’, the York based band have opted for more of a metal-oriented approach. From the moment the track opens with a fat bass groove, it’s clear this number comes with some big boots, but armed with an overdriven guitar riff leaning upon influences from latter-day Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, this actually grows into a classic sounding hard rocker that should appeal to a broad audience. Chorus wise, everything is more than solid too, with a harmony driven, very melodic hook that really brings out the best in the band’s early 90s inspired sound. There are plenty of elements here that are familiar, but along with the likes of The Black Vultures, these guys can be seen as very much flying the flag for the British rock underground.
In terms of cinematic electronica, ‘Circling The Canopies’ by Restless Mosaic is an immediate winner. The contrast of swirling synths and deep drones during the intro advertises a track with a grand intent, and the dual melody continues to provide a huge melodic heart throughout. Even when the middle eight breaks out into a bigger, brighter sound before dropping into something that sounds as if it were inspired by Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene, Part 3’, the retro-futurist approach has a kind of sedate quality, and that’s helped no end by a rather unexpected vocal. The featured voice floats across the musical landscape with a genuine ease, adding an extra melody that might help this appeal to the indie crowd. The vocal’s vaguely Brian Molko-esque tones also lend a very 80s influenced androgyny here that really works. It would be remiss to merely call this “quirky”, but it sort of is, in it’s own way. It’s great to hear a synth-based workout that doesn’t fit squarely into a single genre.
Over the past year or so, Canadian band Lonely Little Kitsch have shared some really enjoyable singles. Here’s another: ‘How Did I Get Here?’ is a pop punk banger, driven by fat rhythm guitar sounds and a pleasingly broad vocal. The way the sharper musical edges contrast with Kristen’s melodic tones go a long way to making this track, but it wouldn’t mean much if the song lacked the necessary punch in other areas. It really doesn’t slouch there, either; the repetitive hook is as catchy as hell, but it’s actually outshone by a massively melodic middle eight where the vocals are stretched for an almost soulful vibe – at least in rock terms – and a massive round of whoah’s during the climax ensures that the listener is left on a high. The voice may be the only obvious link with the band’s earlier single ‘Vices’, and the music has more of a pleasingly knockabout quality, but that doesn’t make it disposable. If anything, the incessant hooks and pure energy go a long way to making it one of the best LLK singles to date.
With its blend of staccato notes and slightly stilted melody, the intro to ‘By Your Side’ by Paperwhite immediately advertises its contemporary pop edge. Even once the tune blossoms into something fuller, the programmed beats and deeper vocal continue to cling onto something very commercial. There are moments here where the use of space feels just as important as the melodic hook, but what really sticks is just how subtle this is. There’s not really a sense of the duo being keen to break into a massive, rousing chorus; this is more about setting a mood. However, a few plays will uncover something deceptively smart – the kind of synth-based pop workout that’ll sound great fleshing out a playlist loaded with similar fare.
Sister Envy’s first single ‘Mourning Sickness’ was a slightly strange, hazy workout that wouldn’t necessarily strike an immediate chord with the listener, but their first release for ’25 is an absolute belter. With a repetitive musical hook delivered by a clean guitar riff, ‘Swallowed By The Ground’ makes no secret of its 90s alternative influences, but those carry through into a huge, Verve-esque vocal and an overdriven chorus riff where the Welsh band seem set on becoming this generation’s My Vitriol. For those who spent many a Friday night in the alternative clubs during 1996, this will sound like a youthful throwback; for those of a younger persuasion, an indicator of a still new band bringing a real vigour to a great sound. Whichever way you approach it, this is a superb tune.
It’s a track that’s been plugged as a “soul stirring ballad”, but ‘In The Key of Chaos’ by Jess Yaffa isn’t really a ballad in the truest, old school sense. It has a thoughtful quality and a confessional lyric that make it feel less throwaway than a lot of contemporary pop, but it’s very much a pop tune at heart. The mechanised beats sit brilliantly beneath a natural vocal, setting a musical contrast in place that really works, and the steady rhythm that powers the number – almost unchanging from the opening bars – brings an energy that feels very natural. There’s a very different feel here compared with Yaffa’s earlier ‘Just For One Night’ (a track powered by new wave-ish, Cars-like guitar work), but her voice remains very familiar. And that, in itself, is a welcome reminder that no matter what direction her (very) studio dictated sound takes, it’s the vocalist who’s the big draw, and her performance here is great. For those not into a narrative, it should also work on the more basic level of reminding the listener of how effortlessly well-crafted pop can make an impact.
Mechanical rhythms, a relentless buzzing sound and distorted voices aren’t the most accessible way to open a new single, but that’s precisely how The Null Club – an experimental project helmed by The Gilla Band’s Alan Duggan Borges – choose to introduce ‘Slip Angle’. Not quite industrial, but venturing deeper than a more typical electronica arrangement, the track channels past noise-based experimentation from Genesis P. Orridge, and bits of Einstürzende Neubauten, but occasionally allows for a greater focus, thanks to a repetitive rhythmic loop holding everything together. There are no obvious melodies here – just different grades of droning noise and clattering, coupled with a French vocal that adds an extra layer of urgency, despite the voice never rising beyond a standard speech pattern. Those able to make it past the first couple of minutes will be confronted with an even more abrasive sheet of noise, this time sharing a speaker-blowing intensity, before the sound collage appears to repeat. Except it doesn’t; half way into a now familiar sounding blast, a siren like and rather atonal keyboard throws out a two note riff, clearly aiming to disorient the audience even further. This is never going to reach a mass audience of any kind, but Alan clearly doesn’t want it to. …And in a digital world, it doesn’t need to: through word of mouth, this will eventually reach the cult audience for which it was intended.
March 2025