Monthly Archives: May 2025

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #103

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This visit to the Singles Bar ends with some of our noisier picks from recent times, taking in a love letter to 90s grunge, a crushing metallic riff with alternative leanings and even a slab of old school thrash, but that’s not to say we’ve overlooked other musical interests. With a disco/electronica infused workout, a quirky track from an up and coming Irish singer-songwriter and some pure pop from a now familiar voice, the usual musical detours that have helped our weekly column retain interest are still very much present. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…

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RICHARD EVANS – Quantum

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When it comes to applying retro synth melodies to compositions that still hold up decades after some their 80s influences have long faded, the work of Richard Evans is hard to beat. His 2023 EP ‘Dream of The World’ brought the classic elements of Jean Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream’s mid 80s soundtrack works into the then present, and by dropping in a few nods to very early Depeche Mode along the way, the short release also felt a little more lyrical and accessible in a “pop” sense. Part of its appeal also came from the brevity of the release: three songs was enough to get the measure of a great artist, but didn’t allow anything to feel repetitive.

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Watch: Aursjoen releases new video for ‘Apollo’

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In November 2024, Ria Aursjoen released her solo debut, the excellent ‘Strand’ EP. Although the material shared some common links with the artist’s band Octavian Winters, the six songs explored a lighter sound in places. With Ria adding elements of folk and dreampop to her rocky sound, the EP very much captured an artist sounding a little more mature.

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THE INCITERS – I Give You My Soul EP

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With a blast of brass, a steady beat and a huge sounding soul riff, The Inciters arrive with all guns blazing on ‘I Give You My Soul’. The ten piece band grab the listeners’ attention immediately by sounding like the ultimate show band on the really hook-laden ‘Give Me’, and the arrangement’s great brass sounds extend way beyond making a first impression. An equally huge trombone and trumpet combo fills the instrumental breaks of this EP’s opening number, and underscored with a great bassline, there are moments where the ghosts of Lee Fields recordings come through, and the influence of the Daptone horns is more than evident. The Inciters put their own stamp on an old soul sound, of course, and Katrina Grube’s light influence from melodic jazz is also shared with great effect. Throughout these three minutes, she breathes a sound into a great lyric and an enormous hook. This is one of those numbers to which the phrase “kitchen sink production” very much applies, and if you’ve had any interest in The Inciters’ work prior to this, you’ll love this track.

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FVZZ POPVLI – Melting Pop

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When it comes to stoner influenced sounds, Italian band Fvzz Popvli aren’t afraid of mixing things up a little. On their third album (the prosaically titled ‘III’, released in March 2023), their distorted, Orange Goblin-esque blueprint came with a few very welcome twists. ‘Post Shit’ took a layer of stoner fuzz and placed it across a high octane number that celebrated the spirit of garage punk; the percussive ‘Monnoratzo’ shared some fairly typical stoner rock guitar sounds and a busy Geezer Butler inspired bassline, but injected the usual tropes with more of a Latin American groove, sounding like an uneasy blend of Fu Manchu and Santana, and – perhaps best of all – ‘The Last Place of Shame’ worked a massive chorus to its advantage, with a melody that sounded more like a Britpop throwback from Shed Seven than the expected Sabbath and Corrosion of Conformity influences usually found at the heart of the genre’s usual fare.

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