Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past couple of weeks. This time out, we welcome back an indie hero with a superb solo venture, celebrate some big, modern pop from a rather prolific artist, take in a couple of metal tracks and even make time for some classic sounding yacht rock. As always, we hope you like what you hear.
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‘One Step Closer To The Dam’ by Duncan Lloyd has been pitched as a “fun banger”, and its not hard to hear why. On this current single, the Maximo Park man hits the listener with a barrage of post punk basslines, motorik rhythms and reverbed guitar – the immediate effect of which is like hearing echoes of the Munsters theme thrown head first into a Jah Wobble jam. Lloyd’s slightly detached vocal adds even more of a strange atmosphere throughout, and the way he relies on repetition of the title results in a really effective hook. With the help of a relentless and almost unchanging rhythm, this is a track that aims to grab the audience immediately and never let go.
‘Rocket Girl’, an earlier single from jazz fusion musician Torsten Goods, hit the listener with a world of funk bass and an impressive array of brass, resulting in a busy but accessible listen. For ‘Summer Rain’ he’s taken that track’s yacht rock inspired hook and made the more commercial sound the main feature. Although this results in something that veers further towards easy listening, the track is still home to an absolutely perfect jazz guitar tone that compliments the vocal brilliantly. The big draw here, though, is the use of stabbed piano and flowing harmonies, both of which capture very strong callbacks to the Christopher Cross debut and Michael McDonald’s first two solo records. Granted, the easy AOR on display mightn’t grab Torsten’s more jazz oriented fans, but in terms of serving up a piece of smooth yacht rock with a shamelessly old heart, this is pretty much perfect.
One of two singles released by Besphrenz in August 2025, the first bars of ‘Kozy’ blend indie rock sounds with a pinch of echoing pop, sharing a small amount of DNA with bands like Mats Wawa and Flaming Lips. From there, the number takes a couple of dramatic turns, first by contrasting a drawling R&B inflected vocal with a hooky pop chorus, then, slowing down, everything adopts a poppier feel. Coupled with a higher toned vocal, this indie pop shift owes a little more to the likes of Portugal. The Man. The “gettin’ kozy” refrain is strong enough alone to sell the track, but somehow, the band manage to make their different ideas feel reasonably coherent. With a lot more melody in place than the simultaneously released ‘Heart Attack’ – a much glitchier affair, blending UK garage with indie – this might attract the more curious ear.
Continuing a run of great pop singles, Lloren’s ‘Pretty Stranger (A Love Like This)’ places her now familiar and distinctive voice over a world of bubbling synths to create a moody verse, before one of her best melodies absolutely explodes into life. Lloren has shared a natural gift for big hooks before, but the point where this track’s chorus hits could well be her catchiest and most radio friendly moment to date. The way the synths rise against huge beats and the vocal reaches for huge tones immediately aims to create a near perfect pop earworm, and Lloren’s performance shares a hugely confident air. By the time you’ve heard this chorus a couple of times, it’s set to stick – and the performer clearly knows this, since the track ends abruptly, ensuring that no extra padding detracts from the hook’s incessant quality. If you’ve had any love for Lloren’s past work, this is definitely going to be a favourite.
Taking a sidestep from the baggy sound of their ‘Trip Inside’, Scottish indie rockers Quaint take a slightly harder approach on ‘Unspoken’. The track’s intro, borrowing a slight influence – at least rhythmically – from Don Henley’s classic ‘Boys of Summer’ suggests, at first, something a little more poppy, but the arrival of a huge, ringing guitar sound pushes the band further in a rock direction. The huge jangling sounds have a very 90s feel, and there are moments here where things sound a little like a harder edged Cast, whilst the vocal, as before, comes with a slightly drawling edge that invites easy comparisons to Liam Gallagher, but the songwriting here is sharper than Noel’s world of simple rhymes. The music’s blend of electric and acoustic elements serves a huge sound in a pleasingly direct way, but for those hoping for something tougher still, an absolute ripper of a lead guitar break, drenched in distortion, is on hand to seal the deal. Granted, most of the individual elements here will feel familiar – Quaint aren’t shy of wearing an obvious influence upon their sleeve – but the results are absolutely cracking. This is a re-promotion of a digital single that first saw release in 2024, but if it brings new ears to the fold, it’s all good.
With its punchy bassline and distorted vocals present from the get go, ‘IDC’ by MEGG wastes no time in advertising a tough edge. However, the tracks rawer elements are offset by an absolutely massive melody and a world of bubblegum sass that makes this single incredibly catchy. Tapping into a blend of hard sounding power pop and melodic punk in equal measure, the track flaunts a superb, chunky guitar part, and MEGG’s confident vocal that ensures that, in just one listen, listeners will absolutely love what they hear. And then there’s a huge, catchy hook. Although faux teen angst is in danger of being overdone in punky circles – particularly from men approaching middle age – MEGG’s presence here gives the stroppy sentiments a feeling of something a touch more genuine. A recommended listen! [Contains explicit language; music starts at approximately 0:57]
Back in 2023, alternative metal band Waterlines shared their ‘Anti-Human’ single, a riff heavy affair that blended the best elements of early Disturbed with the roots of classic Fear Factory and a pinch of metalcore to create something huge. Two years on, ‘Sinister’ draws from the same musical well, but Waterlines sound no less impressive. The intro alone sets a sharp edged riff in place where downtuned, sludgy sounds are offset by abrasive electronica touches, but moving through a verse where partially rapped vocals meet a massive metalcore crunch, these lads sound ready to crush everything in their path. With the instrumental breaks pulling from deeper industrial leanings and a couple of the bridges introducing hardcore breakdowns, this single really doesn’t skimp when it comes to bringing the heavy, but there’s a great sense of melody too, presented by a harmony driven chorus that shows off a band who can share a lyrical hook just as effectively.
Last up, here’s something else driven by a bloody massive riff. Leeds based band Dead Monarchs have returned with ‘The Retributor’, a huge, swaggering slab of hard rock with a classic stoner vibe. From the moment the opening groove hits, its a track that shows a great strength, with a dominant guitar part bringing a great weight to the performance. The vocal, too, veers towards the epic by wavering between bluesy notes and metal infused growls, even before the number cranks the gears to introduce a faster section that takes a couple of obvious cues from the more groove-laden Sabbath numbers. With a couple of massive lead guitar breaks featured and even a tough sounding fill driven by lead bass, this is a brilliant metal single that leaves nothing to chance. In a little under six minutes, Dead Monarchs are set to become one of your new favourite bands.
August 2025
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