Over the previous couple of months, the submissions for the popular Real Gone Singles Bar have been more than plentiful. It’s actually got to the point where we’re getting so much good stuff, it’s been almost impossible to keep on top of it all. When compiling a recent column, it came to our attention that we’d had a huge amount of submissions from Boston based bands. Since we were massive fans of albums produced by Paul Q. Kolderie & Sean Slade at Fort Apache back in the 90s and, in more recent times, our site has received regular support from a few Boston based bands, PR companies, labels – including the sadly missed Red On Red Records – it seemed to make sense to take some of these great tracks and highlight them in a feature of their own. The Singles Bar will continue as normal, of course…but this bunch of tracks, shared as a selection in its own right, features some great material. Please join us in giving a hearty shout out to a great city with a thriving music scene… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
*
Kid Gulliver have already released several strong tracks, often owing a debt to an old school power pop sound. Here’s another; ‘24 Hours’ is loaded with spiky bass grooves and chopping guitars, both of which highlight the band’s Go-Go’s-esque sound on the verses. However, if anything catches the ear, it’s this number’s busy lead guitar work that’s used to create very sharp sounding bridge sections, advertising the trademark Gulliver punchiness with ease. Tying everything together, Simone Berk offers a pop-ish vocal that, with the help of a few filters, brings a new wave lilt and a strong melody that helps the chorus hook to stick. If you’ve followed the band’s progress so far, you’ll love this. If this happens to be your first listen to the band, prepare to disappear down a rabbit hole filled with great songs.
The Dogmatics are gearing up to release their first full length album in four decades. On the basis of ‘You’ve Got What I Want’, the veteran band have lost none of their energy. Clocking in at around 90 seconds, this track is definitely economical, but it doesn’t sell the fans short in any way. The opening riff powers forth with a punky edge, but some great production values bring out the best in its sharp edges. Those looking for a deeper sense of melody get their fix here too, since the track’s simple and repetitive hook comes absolutely loaded with harmony vocals, bringing in a touch of power pop to balance out the knockabout quality. If you liked Jerry Lahane and the lads before, this throwback to the energies present in their early 80s output will definitely be a hit.
In the middle of the “lockdown years”, The Peppermint Kicks released their debut album, a ten track collection of retro belters, pretty much guaranteed to thrill fans of 70s riffs. The band are back with the brilliant ‘Radio Wham Bam Boom’, a celebration of noises that sound like something from your transistor in decades gone by. Set to a heavy stomp, Dan Kopko’s slightly gruff vocals reinforce the Kicks’ edge, but there’s a great sense of melody here too. The meaty bass and chiming guitars draw more from a hard edged power pop/pop rock sound, and with the aid of a stabbed piano, this ends up coming across like the missing link between New York Dolls and early Cheap Trick. A number with a celebratory feel, this is definitely a track that sounds best with the volume cranked.
When it comes to a riff, ‘Stone’ by Cruel Miracle doesn’t sell the audience short. The chunky guitar that forms the basis of this track’s rocky arrangement comes wading in with a massive 70s swagger, and a second guitar – fuzzed up to hell – adds a retro slant of a different kind. By the end of the first chorus, this single sounds like the grandson of ‘Electric’ era Cult in a fight with a melodic stoner band. Although some of the growling vocals might not make this the easiest listen for some, the music continues to be interesting. Moving away from the full on rock, a quieter interlude suggests a love of psychedelia, and a dark bridge section hints at a love for The Doors. Both of these brief deviations give the number a more balanced feel, but it’s when cranking those huge riffs at full bore that Cruel Miracle really excel. [This was actually an album track from 2024, but the re-promotion of it as a digital single in 2025 deserves to bring the release a new audience.]
The earlier ‘Emperor’s Song’ from Happy Little Clouds was a great rock single that carried more than a hint of 90s influence from bands like Veruca Salt and Stretch Princess. ‘Clear and Present Danger’ is a little bouncier, and more bass led, but the heart of the track continues to sell the band’s gift for a great retro alternative melody. The verse makes a great feature of fat bass grooves and chopping guitar, more than hinting at a love of post punk – which would be enough to make this stand up – but a switch to a harmony driven chorus really makes the track. It’s great to hear the Clouds’ slightly poppier intents shine through, and a raucous lead break creates a superb contrast, helping this to become one of the band’s most well rounded tracks to date. Factor in a great vocal from Jac Mestel, and this is a genuine hit.
‘Voice In My Head’ by Steve Geraci finds The Tear Downs’ frontman in a rather buoyant mood. From the outset, the track’s contrast of groove led drumming and intermittent guitar chops advertises something a little off-beat, but there’s actually a great melody fighting its way through the spikier elements. The guitar tone is cool enough to hold the listener’s interest, but as Steve steers everything further into a world where new wave quirks collide with pub rock swagger, the melody feels even more assured. Eventually settling into a tune where a simple hook, some bright piano work and more of those chopping guitars lend themselves to a strong sounding retro rocker, this is one of his best solo endeavours. Although it probably could be argued that this track doesn’t break any new musical ground, the end result is great, and the song is far more infectious than your first listen might suggest.
From a purely musical standpoint, on their current single ‘Story’, Cretonix whisk their audience back to the 80s. Opening with a wash of synths, the number immediately opts for a retro feel, and once the keys are joined by a jagged new-wave inspired riff and mechanical drum part, their love letter to the past sounds even better. Initially, it’s like discovering buried treasure from the earliest days of MTV. But there’s a twist: this band aren’t just lazily phoning in a straight up homage. The heavily filtered vocals are definitely more contemporary, and although this artistic decision steers a couple of the song’s elements further towards the pop punk and emo of the present, everything works brilliantly in tandem. The music eventually seems to take on a bigger punch, and if the huge melody doesn’t grab you, the shamelessly catchy “whoah”s certainly will. As the kids say, this one’s a banger!
Here’s something that looks back to the past in a very different way. To begin with, ‘Sin Some/Lose Some’ by Soft Skies Inc hints at a love of the 80s with a solid pop rock sound augmented with a high toned guitar riff – carrying a hint of bands like The Adventures – before twisting itself into a full on power pop belter where a wall of jangling guitars supports a great pop vocal. It doesn’t take long at all before the love for the great Matthew Sweet makes itself more than obvious here, but this act’s gift for a strong melody ensures that any obvious “borrowing” stands up in its own right. Being a little critical, this track is perhaps a little on the long side, but the arrangement and melodies are superb.
Boston punks Already Dead follow up their ‘Something Like A War’ album with ‘Time’, a raucous track that takes the guts of a classic punk sound and give them a vigorous shake. Musically, this is tight, with the band taking a riff that takes a pinch of Ramonescore and a huge swathe of trad punk energy and applying a much tougher style, ending up with something that sounds like a cross between The Drowns and early Face To Face. In some ways, it isn’t as melodic as some of the band’s earlier works, but the overall vibe is really pleasing, and even though the raw edge of the vocal might split opinion, the music is strong enough to hold everything together.
Last up, Stop Calling Me Frank serve up some unashamed rock ‘n’ roll vibes on the upbeat ‘Good Enough’. From the get go, the track’s twangy guitar lines and uptempo rhythms throw the listener into a world where The Fabulous Thunderbirds collide with a sweaty bar band, but as things begin to branch out with the help of stabbed pianos, a massive hook and – latterly – a careening sax break, it becomes clear that the Franks have delivered far more than your bog standard knockabout rocker.
Fans of the band will have heard similar fare from these Boston veterans in the past, but in terms of feel good sounds, this track’s still hard to beat.
June 2025