With January now underway, this visit to the Singles Bar offers a great and varied selection of new and recent sounds. We’ve got a pair of power pop bangers, the return of some industrial legends, some alternative electronica from a band making their debut in 2026, and more besides. There should be more than enough here to remind people that Real Gone is so much more than “a metal site”, setting us off with best foot forward for the coming year! As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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In October 2025, Manchester’s Scissorgun released their fourth long player ‘Scream If You Wanna Go Faster’. Just as the year was ready to wave goodbye, the band triggered a last round of promotion with the single ‘Gone Rogue’. The track is aptly named, since it doesn’t seem to conform to an easy musical pigeonhole. You’ll find hard beats that lean into the more accessible end of industrial, as per very early Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM, stabbed piano sounds that are looped in a way that adds an extra layer of abrasiveness and dub influenced basslines. You’d be right in thinking these fit together well, but the track then adds something unexpected with the help of blues toned guitar, occasionally dropping in with rock influenced howls of sound, and a strange, drawling vocal that, more often than not, seems to have little regard for the music itself. Scissorgun weave an odd concoction that works for them, though, and listeners who are able to find a way into their varied sound here will certainly discover something interesting, even if it doesn’t really lend itself to every day listening.
When Howling Bells made their long overdue return in 2025 with the ‘Heavy Lifting’ single, they returned in style. That track’s neo-psychedelic, swirling guitar re-introduced fans to the band’s strong blend of shoegaze and dream pop in such a way that it made everything sound so easy. ‘Chimera’ brings the best out of the Howling Bells sound on a track that works a brilliant almost percussive keyboard loop over a light, almost airy goth pop melody, giving Juanita a strong musical backdrop. As with the previous single, the music is great but it’s her voice that’s the real star, moving between a light dream pop delivery on the verse, then exploding into an alt-pop melody on the chorus that makes Howling Bells appear almost Sundays-esque. If you’re already a fan, this will be an instant love. If the band are unfamiliar to you, this should be interesting enough to win your affections.
KMFDM need no introduction. The German band have been a popular fixture on the industrial scene for decades, and although their work has taken more of a commercial turn over the past few years, their sound remains instantly recognisable. Their new single ‘Oubliette’ is, perhaps, even more commercial, but its contrast of hard rhythms and accessible vocals it sets something in place that’s insanely catchy, surprisingly dance-able, and above all, unmistakeable. Musically, everything has a pleasing punchiness, even though rhythmically, the track seems, perhaps, a little too rigid in places. The by numbers musical approach taken is offset rather nicely by Lucia Cifarelli, whose performance captures just the right balance of alt-pop charm and detached sassiness, making it perfect for one of the band’s simplest but most indelible hooks. This isn’t going to win KMFDM any new fans at this point, but it still feels good to have them back.
If you’re looking for something with a great atmosphere, look no further than the recent single from HVIRESS. Bringing together elements of heavy electronica, dream pop and a wave of distortion, ‘Secret’ sounds like something that belongs on a film soundtrack. The denser elements of the arrangement are so distorted it makes everything sound broken, but this actually works brilliantly during the number’s instrumental break when the main melody gives way for something less synth based and more in line with the dark cabaret scene of the 00s. Elsewhere, a much lighter vocal brings an important feeling of balance via a strong melody, tapping into dreamier influences, without pulling away too much from the music’s tougher edge. You’ll hear traces of influence from various other bands here, but ultimately, HVIRESS sound like no-one else, creating a world of sound that is both at once inviting and confronting. In terms of musical artiness, this is a winner.
Power pop fans will almost certainly be familiar with Marc Valentine. For everyone else, it’s worth noting that the US singer songwriter delivered a couple of smash singles in a post-lockdown world (‘Skeleton Key’ is a must-hear) followed by a well received album. A couple of years on, and ‘You Are The Jet’ shows he’s lost none of his melodic charm. In just under three minutes, Marc serves up a wall of chiming guitars worthy of the skinny tie brigade of the early 80s, adds a huge layer of synths for an extra retro feel, and then hammers out the kind of chorus hook that fans of Kurt Baker, Gavin Bowles and Fountains of Wayne would love. Laden with harmony vocals and a hugely sunny feel, this single doesn’t care for fashion, but in terms of giving a great melody a superb send off, it’s almost perfect, confirming Valentine’s place among the power pop giants of the twenty first century.
Power pop fans will undoubtedly also enjoy the current track by Christina Jean & Her All Stars. By taking the old Nerves number ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ – as popularised by Blondie – they’re playing safely, and by covering it pretty much verbatim, they’re arguably playing things even safer, but this is a perfect example of why you don’t need to mess with something so perfect. The jagged riff is a natural fit with the guitar tones supplied by Jerry Andrews and his playing, in turn, is a superb fit with Christina’s voice. Christina, meanwhile, attacks the lyric and melody with all the sass of Debbie Harry’s earlier and more famous take, but manages to inject a tiny bit of extra grit in during the climax, in a way that – intentionally or not – also pays tribute to the much-missed Kim Shattuck. If you’ve loved ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ in any of its earlier incarnations, you’re pretty much guaranteed to love this too.
The way Nothing Speaks use quiet guitar sounds in the intro of ‘I Want To (Die)’ has the effect of making the heavy riff feel about three times heavier once it kicks in. It’s a smart move; that way, there’s no way the Scottish band haven’t attracted the audience’s attention. Then, utilising a very chunky groove, they work through a couple of minutes’ worth of really solid riffs, blending the weight of ‘Dirt’ era Alice In Chains with the darkness of early Tool. Contrasting this with a very melodic vocal, this soon feels like a retro alternative track with a huge appeal. For those who want a little more from their heaviness, a busier bridge introduces a brief element of prog metal, before a lead guitar break pays tribute to more of an 80s sound. Often when bands try to be all things to all rock fans, something feels a little off, but with ‘I Want To (Die)’ Nothing Speaks have shared a single that’s surprisingly effective.
The slow pulsing sounds and reverbed guitar that forms the intro of ‘Sound’ – the debut single from Nottingham based electro rock band KEE. – makes no secret of an ominous melody. Allowing the tension to build, the repetitive sound seems to take forever to branch out, and this means that the subsquent changes within the arrangement have a much greater impact. Bringing in a bigger bass sound and a dark, crying vocal, everything gradually takes on a form that sounds like Massive Attack meeting with Transister, but it’s only when massive dance loops crash in that ‘Sound’ really comes into its own. The collision of soaring, natural vocals and busy rhythms keeps everything sounding really enthused, and by the time the arrangement reaches its inevitable climax, it’s almost as if the original melody has been subjected to a KMFDM remix. When it comes to creating that all important first impression, this still new band certainly aren’t messing around.
January 2026