It’s been a couple of months since Real Gone last visited Boston, but the city has continued to deliver more than its fair share of underground sounds. In this round up, we bring you ten of the more interesting cuts that have landed in our inbox, ranging from blue collar rock, to cinematic pop rock, and even a dash of punk. Those of you who have followed us for some time will certainly recognise a couple of these names by now, but we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Opening with a steady beat delivered from a loud drum, ‘Things To Do When It’s Dark’ by alt-rock band Tell immediately telegraphs a moody style. As things progress, though, its great to hear a band who understand that “alternative” should mean far more than grungy throwbacks, or an obvious love for Black Francis. This single does feature its share of overdriven guitar parts, but the rockier elements are offset by a dark and almost cinematic quality that hints at a love for late 60s and early 70s fare, while a semi-crooned vocal brings everything closer to previous works by the great Federale. Factor in a politically charged lyric that encourages people to take back democracy in a rapidly declining US, and this is a powerful statement on all counts.
Robert Ellis Orrall serves up a sharp and catchy arrangement on ‘Where The Gone People Go’. He takes a backline of 70s funk, adds various bluesy guitar fills and a huge solo sounding like a throwback to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a world weary vocal that really accentuates the number’s questioning style. Best of all, he overlays the pre-chorus section with a blanket of keys that makes everything sound like it’ll veer into yacht rock territory at any moment. Despite sounding like three different ideas glued together, Orral’s natural charm and songwriting chops ensure this works brilliantly.
If you’ve been keeping watch over the power pop world throughout 2025, you may well already be familiar with Girl With A Hawk. ‘I’m In Love With My Friends’ brings more retro fun via a track with a very late 60s influence. Garage rock guitars are joined by a world of keys that whip up more of a bubblegum influenced sound, and a hard edged rhythm section helps this recording to pack a punch. Hearing everything together, the music sounds retro b-movie-tastic, and even with a slightly loud and slightly wobbly lead vocal – or maybe because of it – this track serves up an energetic mood that’s rather infectious. The track gets extra “cool points” for featuring guest vocalists from other Boston bands Linnea’s Garden, Crow Follow and Galaxy Cake, thus bolstering the track’s theme of friendship.
Other Brother Darryl kicked off 2025 in style with the brilliant ‘Watch The Trees’, a semi-acoustic harmony driven number that captured both the perfection of The Thorns and the retro aspects of The Jayhawks. Things then got even better for them when the band earned two nominations at the year’s Boston Music Awards – one for best video for ‘Watch The Trees’, and one for Best Americana artist. It’s understandable, then, that the country rock act would want to continue to ride that wave. They’ve chosen to say goodbye to a productive twelve months by sharing a live version of ‘Watch The Trees’ recorded at the Q Division recording studio. Overall, it isn’t markedly different to the studio cut, but fans will love the more natural feel that runs through the centre of the performance. The guitars aren’t as bright, and the drums seem a little distant, but this still shines thanks to some tight as hell harmonies worked throughout, and in a way that proves that OBD aren’t just musical marvels purely due to the help of studio production.
A longtime fixture on the Boston scene, Tad Overbaugh sounds great on ‘Rearview’. A focus cut from his ‘Farther From Never’ mini album, the track also takes in Americana influences, but in a much rockier way than Other Brother Darryl. The music is absolutely loaded with ringing guitars, delivering a melody reminiscent of the much missed Pete Droge & The Sinners crossed with a rootsy Mellencamp, whilst Tad’s singular voice adds a little extra grit, despite having a delivery that shares a little more of a blue collar/country-esque twang. The full release contains a couple more upbeat tracks, but as a stand-alone listen, this should be enjoyable for fans and first time listeners.
Adios Fatso open ‘Go Pro, Not Again!’ in a semi-chaotic style when choosing to drop their audience straight into a rumble of drums, fairly distorted guitars and a busy vocal without the grace of a tight intro. However, allowing for a few bars of adjustment time, the track settles into a fairly melodic punk banger where big harmony vocals offset a brilliantly choppy guitar riff and a world of whoahs tap into a very 90s mood. Unlike a lot of punky bands, these guys aren’t content with letting anything settle there, though. Packed into this two minute romp, you’ll find an unexpectedly percussive interlude with bell-like sounds and an almost funk meets alt-rock middle eight which really reinforces their 90s influenced sound. Allowing barely any time for the listeners’ attention to wander, this is a sonic punch that proves that great punk needn’t be entirely predictable.
With a very rhythmic backdrop presenting itself very confidently, ‘Jack Jones’ by alt-rockers Six Going On Seven grabs the attention immediately, and coupled with some strident piano work, the track quickly telegraphs something with a cinematic edge. As great as those opening bars are, however, they’re not as striking as the huge sounding vocal which takes an adult pop-rock melody into a place that almost shares an emo-esque trill, or the shimmering guitar lines that poke through the cracks during the number’s climax. Despite the song having a 90s edge, those rather subtle guitar lines share a huge love of late 80s sounds, giving Six Going On Seven an even broader appeal. The slow melody never aims to floor the listener in a direct way, but this is certainly one of those singles that sounds better over time.
In September ’25, The Tear Downs’ Steve Geraci shared his solo single ‘Save Yourself’. His current track ‘Paradise Lost’ takes a little more time to appreciate, since his slightly gravelly voice seems at odds with the rock ‘n’ soul arrangement his band have whipped into shape, but there’s something strong coming through in his narrative based songwriting and, latterly, the massive msucal hook where harmony vocals and a really punchy sax collide. Although the listener might be expected to be a little patient, from first listen, there are still elements that work within this slightly rough and ready arrangement: there’s a great piano sound where stabbed notes come across with a sharp edge and a grumbling bass that brings an extra weight to Steve’s rather old school approach. If blue collar sounds are your bag, this’ll certainly grab you eventually – just be sure to give it the time it needs to sink in.
Following a fuzz heavy intro that suggests a love of shoegaze, ‘Abandoned Love’ by Arrows of Athena opens up to share a techy sounding slice of alternative rock-pop in a Garbage meets Yeah Yeah Yeahs style. It doesn’t take too long before the number’s brilliant blend of mechanical rhythms and contrasting vocal flow begins to make an impression. Against some familiar sounding music, the track places a spotlight on vocalist Jac-Lyn Gibson, whose performance here is almost strong enough alone to carry the entire track, and definitely makes it easy to forgive what might be perceived as sharing too much of an obvious influence. The vocal shares an immediate power, calling out clearly despite being subjected to filters, and ultimately sounds like the perfect compliment to a great musical melody. As for that intro: it’s not a red herring. Scott Lerner creeps through the cracks to fill the bridges with more of that pleasingly aggressive style, giving this single a superbly tough edge when needed. If this happens to be your first listen to this duo, you couldn’t ask for anything better.
Celebrating their tenth anniversary, Speedfossil share something pleasingly punchy with ‘Peg Leg’. A rocker loaded with ringing guitars and self-depreciating lyrics, listeners might hear lots of 90s influences here, but the band approach the song with a genuine drive that makes anything familiar sounding feel like something far greater than a mere throwback to the past. The rhythm is incessant; the bright guitar sounds are uplifting, but if anything sticks, it’s the band’s choice of expletive laden hook, which gives the track a cheeky air that allows a wall of harmony vocals to shine. [NSFW: explicit lyrics]
December 2025