With two very different jazz numbers, a slice of alternative metal with a theatrical quality, a strong offering from a cult singer-songwriter and a track that’s practically uncategorisable, the selection for this Singles Bar adopts a little more of a “go hard or go home” approach. By casting a light on a couple of the more adventurous tracks from the last couple of weeks, this bunch of tunes might take a little longer to make an impression, but we feel that every one of these artists is bringing something of great interest to the table. What’s more, it’s probably just the beginning of a great, creative period for some of the featured performers, whether genuinely attempting to push boundaries or choosing to share some solidly familiar riffs. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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An absolutely cracking single, Matti Klein’s ‘New Frontiers’ blends jazz fusion and a couple of light 70s pop elements with a seamless approach. The opening piano riff – used to form a strong melodic core – sounds like something culled from an old 10cc deep cut, and that creates a sound that might, at a pinch, catch the ear of the jazz averse. That said, this is a massively jazzy piece: the solid drum groove latches onto a great rhythm, with a pinch of funk; the fat basslines sound like something Paul Jackson would have dropped in the mid 70s with Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters, and a confident saxophone covers everything with a classic style. The sax remains busy without ever becoming intrusive, and there’s a huge amount of melody here without drifting too far into the realms of easy listening. With the aid of a tight band and a great feel, on this track, Klein demonstrates how well-played fusion will never go out of style.

As somebody who can count Ed Sheeran and Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware among his fans, singer songwriter Adam Wedd is on his way to being a cult figure. He’s released a string of digital singles since 2018, but ‘Shipwrecks’ is one of his finest compositions to date. Opening with a sedate piano and voice, the track immediately invokes a classic adult pop sound, but within its short playing time, it swells into a grand piece where an orchestral backdrop provides the perfect companion to Wedd’s emotive lyric. Adding a couple of light rock touches, Adam opts for a rather expansive approach, but the cinematic sound is a perfect fit for his slightly warbly tones. It’s the kind of single that’ll gain the most by being approached with a mature ear, but it has an old fashioned radio-friendly quality that makes it great from the first play.

The debut solo single from singer-songwriter Andy Tongren is a perfect extension of his previous work with Young Rising Sons. The rock edges have been stripped down and the folk elements given more of a focus, but his fans will certainly recognise a familiar voice – and to some extent, a familiar style – at the heart of ‘So Good’. The number’s blend of acoustic guitar and ukulele immediately sets up a summery feel, and Andy uses this to share a very natural vocal throughout the first verse. Then, something that once felt like it might be personal and introspective, explodes into a rousing hook where a choir of vocals help to sell a great melody. There are times when this sounds like a few of Frank Turner’s poppier tracks, but that makes this single all the more immediate.

Scotland’s Silver Dollar Room released one of the best albums of 2024. Their first new release for 2025 suggests they’ve got more great music up their collective sleeve. ‘Come Morning’ taps into a classic post-grunge sound with an incessant energy. The track’s core riff hits with immediate effect, with a shrill sounding guitar battling against an impressively busy drum part, and even when the vocal arrives, there’s no let up. In lesser hands, things could sound cluttered, but this sounds more than assured, and John Keenan’s vocal calls above the heavy edge with a real clarity. With the help of a typically positive lyric and an absolute ripper of a guitar solo featuring Jamie Turnbull in more of an old-school mode, this is a well rounded rocker that fans will really enjoy.

‘Blue Skies Forever’ by Emily Saunders is a really busy affair. It doesn’t boast a chorus as such, just a wordless vocal cry set above an incessant rhythm and soaring sounds. She uses this as an immediate attention grabber, creating a slightly jarring intro, then revisits it between the track’s equally busy verses. By the time the listener is taken back to this slightly chaotic musical hook, it doesn’t sound quite as odd, but in terms of jazz fusion, it definitely has a goal to challenge the listener. ‘Blue Skies Forever’ comes into its own on a couple of quieter verses, however, when Saunders shares more of a hushed voice over a fantastic acid jazz inflected groove where great interplay between the drums and vocal takes centre stage, and an equally smart, sharp bassline accentuates the melody’s genuine quirkiness. Originally released a year ago, ‘Blue Skies Forever’ is receiving some deserved re-promotion in due to the release of Emily’s ‘Moon Shifts Oceans’ album in March ’25, and although it is nowhere near as accessible as the Matti Klein single in fusion terms, time spent with the track will eventually uncover an unexpected earworm.

It’s not been that long since Dotsun Moon shared their excellent ‘Bring Love’ single, but the Buffalo based act has already returned with ‘Never Had A Heart’, a track that revels in a sound that’s rooted very much in the late 80s. The mechanised rhythms tip the hat to classic Sisters of Mercy fare – albeit without Jim Steinman’s overblown production; an upfront bass echoes the best of David Jay and Simon Gallup, and a semi-cold vocal accentuates the brilliant goth-pop feel. Granted, its a track that’s formed from a world of very familiar ingredients, but if you’re going to borrow, then borrow from the best. With a strong chorus hook and an equally strong coda where synth sounds rise above the bass and drum heavy groove, it’s a number that ends as confidently as it begins. Despite being a new track, this love letter to a goth-y past sounds like the ultimate in unearthed musical treasure.

Glitching vocals, strident melodies with a carny feel and an all round spooked-out vibe sit at the heart of Brocarde’s ‘Identity Theft’, forming something that’s as concerned with sharing theatrical intents as it is with delivering an alternative metal masterpiece. For all of its quirks, though, this number is insanely catchy. Brocarde’s huge and sometimes brattish delivery is a perfect fit for the huge musical backdrop, and by taking elements of Dresden Dolls, Jack Off Jill, a few alternative pop sounds and the orchestrated elements of symphonic metal and chucking them in a massive blender, the performer finds themselves steering something that’s purely of their own mind. Its a single that avoids novelty purely through its hugely confident air, and time spent with it only increases its enjoyable factors.

Armed with distorted beats marking out a mid tempo, then augmenting that a with clanging, percussive accompaniment that could be the heavily manipulated sound of clanking bottles, Still Depths are clearly not concerned with sharing any commercial aspects on their debut single. They then take the distinctly unmusical wall of sound and layer further it with a similarly distorted, drawling voice that isn’t as much singing as a man working through a piece of weird slam poetry that, on the surface, seems to be about a pet, but closer inspection suggests this is some kind of theraputic outpouring of anger. ‘In Love With My Dog’ is wilfully ugly; disturbing, even. And as things progress, the number just gets uglier! The kind of single you might wish you’d never heard, yet at the same time, once you hit the play button, it’s hard to stop listening. This is like the weirdest Ween experiment as heard through a Throbbing Gristle prism, played by people who live in their own bubble. Bands often talk about being alternative, but that usually means arriving with some distorted guitar and one eye on a rock music past. When this Canadian duo aims for the alternative, they really bloody mean it.

May 2025