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 few weeks. This time around, we bring you a genuinely sharp sounding piece of post hardcore from Brighton, a well arranged slab of stoner metal, the overdue return of a goth influenced act, a trio of very different singer songwriters…and more. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.
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Occasionally, a band name is all you need to gauge what something probably sounds like. Truckfighters and Acid Mammoth are two great examples. Here’s another: Lord Elephant create an absolutely huge sound on their current single ‘Gigantia’. The instrumental track weaves a live drum sound in and out of really dirty guitars and a thundering bass, resulting in something that sounds like ‘…And The Circus Leaves Town’ era Kyuss – only a bit heavier. Despite the sheer weight of everything, it’s clear this Italian stoner-doom band also know a lot about the importance of “swagger”, and the main riff that drives this tune is just as much about setting up a great groove. Then, once the musicians figure their audience has a handle on that, they take an unexpected twist into more of a desert rock sound where a huge Yawning Man influence allows for a slightly spacey feel, and a very bluesy lead guitar takes a central role. In terms of stoner metal sounds, this presents an almost perfect six minutes.
Throughout 2025, Kat Robichaud released some enjoyable singles. The Oakland based synth/art-pop artist closed the year with another: delivered just before Xmas, ‘M’ drops the listener into a musical landscape that’s actually a touch more accessible than some of Kat’s prior works. The opening riffs latch on to a strong blend of pop rock; the melody has a stop/start nature, but that’s coupled with a buoyancy that constantly draws the ear until the chorus is ready to present itself. At that point, the vocalist shares a huge adult pop tone against a melody that feels very 80s, and yet still relevant at the time of release. In some ways, the result sounds like a pop infused Lovina Falls, and is arguably one of Robichaud’s best tunes to date. For those hoping for a little more of a quirky edge, during the middle eight, the performer allows her vocals to adopt a slightly harsher tone which works well against a slightly punchier sound. Even if you’ve never heard Kat’s work before, despite a couple of slightly arty twists, ‘M’ should have enough of a melodic pull to appeal.
She may favour a higher register, but there’s something Aimee Mann-esque about the way Jessie Kilguss employs slightly off-kilter notes against a slow melody on ‘Fool’s Fight’. It’s fair to say that it takes a few bars to tune into her chosen approach, but once you do, this becomes a single with a pleasingly old heart. The contrast of heavy drums and light vocal works wonderfully, and the flowing melody is presented in a way that almost forces the listener to pay attention to the vocal above all else. It makes Kilguss the true star of the piece, even though you’ll discover a wonderfully layered sound as the music gradually builds over the course of these three minutes. It’s definitely a single that requires a little more time than most, but if you’re able to give it that time among the onslaught of new music that arrives weekly, it’s definitely rewarding.
Armed with a world of fuzz guitar, Black Mariah quickly hit upon a perfect garage rock sound on ‘Lap It Up’. It quickly becomes clear that they’re not just about recycling genre tropes, though, as a distorted vocal lends a vaguely psych-toned edge, and some extra volume applied to the guitar soon steers everything further towards a stoner-friendly market. There’s a lot here that stoner fans will love, even though this has almost nothing in common with Lord Elephant and, by the climax, when the fuzzy edges are augmented with a howl of feedback, it’s more obvious that this sounds like a lo-fi, DIY version of Monster Magnet delivered with a touch more pizzazz. It’s one of those times when enthusiasm trumps originality, but those who are happy to crank the volume and just go with it are guaranteed a great time.
In terms of taking a break, twenty six years is a long holiday, but Lowsunday are back for the first time since before the turn of the millennium, and they’re sounding superb. ‘Love Language’ is a perfect slice of retro alternative goth-tinged rock, where mechanical rhythms collide with cold layers of guitar in a way that makes the band sound like ‘Pornography’ era Cure meeting with A Place To Bury Strangers. A heavily treated vocal weaves in and out of hard beats, almost ghost-like, setting up a great musical contrast that gives this track a great feel, but the show is ultimately stolen by the brief appearance of some clean guitar work which sounds like it’d be more at home on a desert rock recording or a soundtrack by Daniel Lanois. It really doesn’t matter if you don’t remember this band from the previous century: this track forges ahead with such an intent, it works just as well as a new beginning. A fantastic listen.
There’s a really natural tone to parts of Jack Devlin’s ‘More Than Enough’, which comes through instantly when the Irish singer songwriter hits his audience with some rather lo-fi acoustic work. The production feels raw at first, but this compliments his vocal brilliantly as, in places, his performance shares an emotional wobbliness. Once everything starts to build, the track works a contrast between the light and the somewhat bombastic, eventually allowing the drums steer everything further towards a folk rock landscape. The chorus that eventually emerges contrasts a shuffling rhythm with a choir of vocals that help the track explode into life, but this single’s greatest thrill comes from an understated moment when a reverbed electric guitar shares a great and almost cinematic tone. This will take a few spins to sink in, but in terms of filling three minutes very effectively, Devlin ensures that not a second of that feels wasted.
The Melancholy Kings tap into some great 60s revival sounds on ‘Victoria’, a track that takes the jangly end of The Kinks and splices it to Robyn Hitchcock’s sense of the melodic. What transpires is a punchy pop-rocker that in occasionally feels mod friendly but also seems to pay homage to the skinny tie brigade from the earliest days of MTV. Naturally, this doesn’t offer anything that feels especially new or original, but it’s impossible not to be swept along by this New Jersey outfit’s energy or shimmering tones. Factor in a very simple hook, and this becomes a track that fans of the style will love…and in record time.
Last up, here’s a slice of glorious noise from Brighton’s Chalk Hands. ‘Breaking Waves’ opens in an unsure way, throwing out cold guitar notes in a lo-fi fashion, but quickly explodes into a world of angular post punk sound. Drawing influence from pioneers Husker Du and blending their more aggressive aspects with the furies of Glassjaw gives this track a great base, with punky riffs that really confront the listener. It’s the moments between the anger that really impress, though, when cold, clean notes add an emo tone, bringing a great melodic balance. With the presence of a really abrasive screamo vocal, and these two minutes are a superb example of this band’s uncompromising sound.
December 2025