Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have dropped into our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, there’s another single from a now familiar electronica act, a quirky piece of hard edged dance-pop, a great track from a much-loved rock band, a smart cover tune, and more besides. There’s even something that doesn’t quite work, but has been included as a point of interest. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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Electronic duo Dragon Welding have already released a couple of great singles to promote their fourth album ‘The Naughty Step’, and here’s another. ‘Hiding Things For Fun’ shows a more sinister side to the band by opening with a slow pulsebeat and strange, warbling synth. The arrival of a few bright sounding notes doesn’t really add anything any more mainstream; instead, a melody that rises and falls seeks to unsettle the listener even further. By the time everything is linked via noises that sound like howling cats, there’s nothing here that’s remotely commercial. It’s down to a huge vocal to link the sparsely arranged elements, and on that score, by sharing broad melodic strokes that sound as if they’re inspired in equal measure by Marc Almond and Glen Gregory, Nik Cockshott really excels. By the time the simple hook arrives – augmented by a well placed harmony – those who’ve found a liking for this strange piece will certainly love it. As tracks go, it doesn’t have the immediacy of the band’s earlier ‘Up and Away’, or any of its sharp but melodic musical approach, but in showing how unafraid these musicians can be when it comes to studio based experimentation, this is still a hit.
In terms of massive sounding electro-pop, ‘move with me’ by Sophie Powers pushes a lot of the right buttons. From the outset, the synth base sets up a busy sound, and with barely seconds to let that embed with the listener, Sophie’s light, electronically processed tones add a contrasting, almost otherworldly sound that’s wholly contemporary for the time of release. Everything is then built up much further by incessant drum loops, but in terms of all round attention grabbing, it’s an arrangement that really works. The chorus is simple, but by taking a very repetitive stance, it provides a busy hook that’ll stick from first listen. Then, with all the right ingredients in place, Powers throws a curveball by allowing the pulsing rhythm to be replaced with an absolutely massive drum and bass loop. To her credit, this works just as well, and never upstages the track’s catchy chorus hook. By bowing out almost as abruptly as it arrived, this track comes with a sense of something that’s designed to give the audience a sonic slap. It’s a shift from Sophie’s earlier pop banger ‘Obsessed’ – and in some ways, not as broadly appealing – but you could never accuse the artist of being stuck in a musical rut.
By opening ‘Lost & Found’ with an unaccompanied vocal, Skunk Anansie’s current single immediately hones in on the band’s strongest asset. Skin sounds absolutely immense; the decades have not weakened either the sense of power or humanity in her delivery, and when accompanied by a stabbed piano, the performance shared seems to sound even more touching. The single’s blend of pop, rock and soul really captures the broad set of influences that make up the now familiar Skunk sound, but there’s also something lurking in the core melody here that suggests the now veteran band are still breaking new ground. …And for those who love it when they really cut loose, there’s a huge fuzzy sounding guitar riff that, although used more sparingly than on some of their past works, still suggests something that’ll pack a punch when played live.
On their current single ‘The Reflecting Skin’, Mercury’s Antennae delve into an arrangement that revives a classic goth sound from the late 80s. Almost immediately, an ominous bass sound taps into something that isn’t far removed from ‘First Last & Always’ era Sisters of Mercy, whilst clean, shimmering guitar tones draw a little more from the dreamy sounds of The Cocteau Twins. Not that this homage should be considered lazy, of course: this musical marriage between performers located in the US and Switzerland has plenty of its own charm. In particular, Dru Allen brings a whole world of atmosphere via an impressive vocal performance that reaches beyond deeper, mournful sounds to also explore ethereal tones that call out high above the number’s sometimes dour heart, and for those willing to spend extra time getting to grips with this tune, there’s also a really pleasing, if slow-burning melody running throughout. In retro goth terms, this deserves to be considered an instant classic.
In keeping with some of their previous tracks, Plastic Rhino’s ‘TakeItAll’ has a huge crossover potential. There are moments where a blend of pop-rock beats and chunky guitars evoke older fare from Garbage – something Plastic Rhino’s fanbase have come to expect – but this track also takes in a wealth of heavy mechanical sounds and electronica elements that veer further towards the modern pop and dance oriented markets. The push and pull between these styles really works and makes a great bed for another superb vocal from Atara, but it’s when hitting the chorus that this track really springs to life. With a powerful vocal melody coupled with tough sounding power pop guitars, Plastic Rhino aim for the kind of infectiousness captured by Kim Wilde on her late career masterpiece ‘Here Come The Aliens’, and come back with a winning sound. As with their previous single, this feels like a huge step forward from their early work, suggesting a bright future. [Video is vaguely NSFW.]
On on the brilliant ‘Anemia’, electronica musician Mari Kattman offers something that sounds very traditional, genre-wise. From the opening beats and sharp edged synth tones, the listener is transported back to 1990, and as the melody grows with the help of some 80s sounding keyboard riffs and a detached vocal, the punchy sound blends the more melodic end of the KMFDM catalogue with the sounds of something that could be a mid 80s Depeche Mode having a strop. Musically, genre fans might find this over familiar, but in many ways, that’s actually the track’s greatest strength: by drawing from classic influences, Mari captures a classic sound herself, and with the help of a semi cold vocal that’s been tempered with various effects, ‘Anemia’ actually becomes the kind of track that’s impossible to date. Absolutely brilliant.
Kent Osborne has taken EDM drones, repetitious trap beats and a metallic guitar riff that sounds like a Slayer sample, then slammed them together to create something uncompromising. His ‘Fuckdaclub!’ up lives somewhere on the fringes of industrial, and also somewhere within the frayed roots of the rap crossover family tree. Unfortunately, for all of his grand ideas, it’s a performance that wears out its welcome very quickly. The crushing rhythm barely changes throughout two minutes; his aggressive shouting has nothing in the way of light and shade, and a decision to just ram an expletive driven hook into the ground really grates. With the help of a little more of a groove and a darker melody present, Osborne’s earlier single ‘Black Sheep’ was a lot smarter. Sometimes artists need to be applauded for thinking outside of the box and bringing different musical elements together in a fresh way. It’s clear that Kent very much did that at one point in the past, but this sounds like a poor imitation of prior outings from someone who’s quickly become a one trick pony.
Rounding out this week’s top picks, Ciao Malz has shared a cover of Elliot Smith’s classic tune ‘Clementine’. Their recording retains the stripped down acoustic arrangement of Smith’s original cut, but by adopting a slightly brighter tone, it actually feels less lo-fi. The acoustic strums come with less of an indie folk tone, tapping a little further into the Ciao Malz dream pop sphere, which in some ways was to be expected. What’s really great here, though, is the opportunity to hear CM in a much cleaner way. Their previous EP came drenched in effects and other worldly sounds, but this is absolutely pure. A high toned vocal is a perfect fit for the bright guitar work throughout, and through a few subtle musical shifts, but without changing the heart of Smith’s aching melody, Ciao Malz make the much loved tune their own.
April 2025