This week’s visit to the Singles Bar is big on variety. We’ve got retro rock, some very 90s inspired dream pop gold, a great track from an up and coming Irish singer songwriter, a superb acoustic track and more besides. With very little fitting a “household name” at the time of release, this is testament to how much great new music there is being released at the beginning of 2026. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Rising Irish artist Lauren Wallace hits upon a very radio-friendly sound on her current single ‘Gap Teeth’. From the acoustic based intro and quiet vocal, she reels in the listener with a slightly quirky approach that blossoms into a pop treat that seems to grow further with each passing verse. The arrival of a light drum shuffle brings energy, but Lauren holds firm with her preferred understated delivery, placing more of a focus on the words than the arrangement, but once the chorus hits, she allows her voice to soar, steering what initially felt like a great slow burn into the realms of the wonderfully sugary. From here, it becomes almost impossible to resist her brand of indie infused pop, and the track’s bigger melodies definitely have the potential to create the biggest earworm in the most natural way. Despite its unconventional title and subject matter, this is a genuine three minute gem.
Pitched as “The Monkees crashed an indie rock party”, ‘I Saw You’ by The Ineffectuals is a really quirky, really direct sounding piece of indie pop/power pop. Its 60s inspired rhythm instantly recalls a few of the guitar driven pop rock bands of yesteryear – along with a trebly mix to suit – but it’s the single’s heavy focus on vocals that makes it really shine. With almost immediate effect, some very natural harmonies bristle against a dancing bassline, but when hitting a simple and repetitive chorus hook, the way those voice capture a truly sun-kissed sound and enthused melody makes this feel like the discovery of a long buried deep cut. Make it past the demo-like intro, and this track is pretty much guaranteed to uplift.
From its ‘Johnny B. Goode’ aping intro, ‘Johny’s Gone Invisible’ [sic] by The Wow Wows makes no secret of its retro intent. In terms of false starts, that’s definitely guaranteed to get the listener’s attention. Moving into the body of the track, the band latch upon a classic garage rock groove – all fuzzy tones and huge chug – and this allows the track to sound like something you might have found buried deeply within the much celebrated ‘Nuggets’ compilation, and the live sounding production really lends itself to that authentic feel. Also, by filtering the lead vocal, the band sound even more like a welcome relic from 1968. On first listen, a slightly atonal, wordless hook might seem like an odd choice – even a misfire of sorts – but give it time, and this will definitely stick. ‘Johny’s Gone Invisible’ is a world away from the band’s brilliant 2025 single ‘Give It Time’ which married a hazy, psychedelic vocal to music that shared a wonderful feeling of mid 60s kitsch, but heard on its own terms, it definitely packs an old school punch.
Transatlantic duo The Blue Herons reach deeply inside of themselves for a very 90s sound on ‘Willow’. The single’s blend of warm basslines and jangling guitars evokes the best indie sounds of a pre-Britpop age, with strong callbacks to the 4AD stable. Vocally, things feel a little more pop-centric with a bright sounding delivery soaring above the feel-good music to inject influence from The Sundays, creating something that sounds absolutely magical. Gretchen DeVault’s performance is absolutely flawless throughout, and the perfect match for Andy Jossi’s busy melodic guitar lines. Like the UK’s Shapes Like People, this doesn’t reach for originality; instead, it focuses on capturing a classic style and sharing it perfectly. On that score, ‘Willow’ really cannot be faulted, and for fans of the dreampop/jangle pop subgenres, is likely to be an instant hit.
The upcoming album from Polish deep psych/stoner band Weedpecker presents a pleasing mix of heavier and atmospheric tunes, but their current single ‘In The Dark We Shine’ takes their trippiest elements to create one of their most melodic tunes to date. Setting a classic psych feel in place immediately, the track spends four minutes sharing a world of phased vocals against a semi-acoustic riff and groove oriented basslines, only really subsiding to make room for descending keyboard lines that share an obvious love of Rick Wright and a really prominent lead guitar break that’s an obvious lift from The Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’. It’s definitely less original sounding than the bulk of Weedpecker’s work, but there’s a huge sense of love cutting through the core of this obvious homage, creating a track that fans and first time listeners will love.
The strange atmospheric drones at the start of ‘Lighthouse’ by Hunter As A Horse are immediately intriguing. The ghost like sounds beneath the distortion give a feeling of a distant echo of an old war time soundtrack, but it isn’t long before the single explodes into life with something that sounds entirely different. Electronic beats and waves of 90s sounding synth work create a massive groove, over which the artist drops an accessible electro-pop vocal, creating something that sounds like Metric with much bigger boots. Against the familiar music, there’s a simple yet sizeable hook: making great use of the title, the repetitious aspects ensure this has a chance of sticking from that very first play, and for those who have the time to dig just a little deeper, the emotive qualities of a great vocal will begin to shine through. In terms of electronica/classic synth pop, this is pretty much perfect.
Combining hard strums with finger picked fills, the acoustic guitar work driving ‘Bittersweet’ by Keir Lammas has a very old heart. The heart of the arrangement could easily date back to the late 60s, but there’s something potentially even older in Keir’s vocal tones. With a loud yet soulful delivery, he has a very rootsy presence, blending folky storytelling with a huge country-tinged cry. Presented with just voice and guitar, this track gives the performer no safety buffer; nothing to hide behind. It’s purely down to the strength of the songwriting, and on that score, with its pleas for forgiveness punctuating a tale of leaving for pastures new, it has a universal lyrical approach that’s a natural fit for the era defying arrangement. ‘Bittersweet’ originally appeared online in the middle of 2025, but after signing with a new management/promotions company, the single has been relaunched at the beginning of ’26, with the hope of bringing Keir’s great voice to a new and appreciative crowd.
Last up, here’s an interesting cross-genre piece. At its noisier end, ‘Was It Worth It?’ by Electric Children presents howling guitar riffs that take the heart of psychedelia and uses that to colour a slightly bluesy riff. Between the louder moments, this track takes on a very 90s jangle, places that against a rhythmic stomp and creates something that comes closer to a muscular roots rock colliding with the most melodic aspects of garage rock. A slightly understated husky vocal also goes some way to making this a little harder to pigeonhole, but hearing everything together, it sounds great. At its most direct, this single from the cult Californian act should appeal to those who still love no nonsense retro rock with a melodic streak. It’s a little different from some of the Electric Children’s previous wares, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing.
February 2026