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 last few weeks. This time out, we’re pleased to share an absolutely cracking debut from some Scottish indie rockers, an uncategorisable recording that fuses at least three different genres, and even find some old favourites taking a massively unexpected approach. There’s also a slab of garage rock, some synth imbibed pop and a different approach to power pop to be found along the way. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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Making their debut on Big Stir Records, the oddly named Wormstew sound great on ‘Spinning’, a track that manages to blend the quirkiness of They Might Be Giants with the pop heart of Dany Laj and the romping acoustics of old 90s indie tunes. With immediate effect, the track’s mix of uptempo rhythms and natural vocals sounds very strong, and a prominent bassline does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of keeping everything buoyant, but it’s a kitschy organ riff that makes the strongest impression on first listen. The verse is great, but it’s when launching into a harmony filled chorus that the band sounds genuinely enthused. The voices work brilliantly together, so much so that the main hook works, despite not being in any way flashy. With a love of old school pop, a little new wave and a touch of rootsiness topped with a couple of odd carny inspired swirls, this is the kind of single that should play strongly with more open-minded fans of power pop.

Blending elements of rap, world music, ambient, electronica and jazz, Shabaka’s ‘Eyes Lowered’ single isn’t as much a small slice of music as a performance art piece. With immediate effect, the initial arrangement’s spacious, almost haunting approach invites a very close ear, and that has the effect of making a very busy vocal seem, at first, really out of place. Given time to adjust, the sheer contrast between the voice and music is actually very interesting, and with a delivery that’s flawless, the lyric – taking on a slam poetry vibe, as opposed to anything confrontational – sounds completely assured yet totally at ease when questioning time spent “scrolling through the city in the depths of our minds”, before stating it isn’t necessary to always “cry for help”, and people should look for “metaphysical options”. The end of the number brings even more interesting music when the new age sounds, at this point centring around flutes, is contrasted with heavy trip hop beats, calling back to classic works by Tricky, yet still working with fusion based soundscapes that feel as if they’re breaking new ground.

The rigid beats and swirling keys that lay the foundations of David Geraghty’s ‘Valentine’ indicate a strongly retro feel, immediately sounding appealing, but it’s only when the bass kicks in a short time after that the single really springs into life. From there, the Irish singer songwriter steers his audience through a blend of pop and soul that takes the base of an 80s style, almost sounding like a deep cut from David Bowie’s ‘Tonight’ LP due to a huge, crooned vocal, before adding a little 90s groove. It doesn’t settle there. Bright backing vocals owe more to a new wave influence, and in the latter part of the track, the way the vocal soars above a bigger arrangement shows off Geraghty’s adult pop credentials with ease. ‘Valentine’ is a genuine hybrid affair that begins rather interestingly, but soon exceeds those early expectations.

Itchy & The Nits channel some great DIY indie punk sounds on ‘Secrets’. The short, very punchy track works a really sharp rhythm guitar throughout and the track’s garage-ish sound calls back, not just to Transatlantic 90s bands like Slant 6, but also spirit of the Scottish lo-fi girl band scene and acts like Lung Leg. Something that initially sounds a little rough and ready soon begins to sound infectious due to a very repetitive riff, but the quirkier aspects of the track really come through via a deliberately flat vocal that accentuates the Itchy trashiness. Everything’s great, but with the performance’s brevity bringing an extra sense of impact, this leads to a fun listen that fans of the style will love.

Those paying attention to cult acts on the fringes of rock and pop will possibly be familiar with New Yorkers Laptop, having already released a run of impressive singles. ‘Xanadu’ takes a detour from their usual new wave inspired sound to drop a reggae number that’s big on bass, and even bigger on vocals. The music might not capture the usual Laptop quirkiness, but the way a really deep vocal from Jesse Hartman contrasts with guest singer Anna Hadeed makes the track distinctive enough, and their flowing melodies drive the slow burning arrangement forward with ease. Inspired by ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Xanadu’s lyrical inspiration suggests that achieving the “American Dream” isn’t an easy road, and this sets up a brilliant unease between the lyric and music, and the semi-pointed message actually helps to make this feel more like a Laptop piece. A curveball this may be, but it might be just different enough to attract a few first time listeners.

Here’s someone else sidestepping their usual style for something a little different. On past singles, Kat Robichaud has blended synth and pop influenced sounds with a pinch of goth within her lyrics to create something that goes beyond genre influences. On the anti-Valentine banger ‘Break My Heart’, Kat enlists huge blasts of synth to evoke brass, applies descending melodies within backing vocals that lean into a late 50s sense of kitsch, and adds a world of handclaps along with a cheerleading pre-chorus to create something very catchy. It’s definitely not a track to be dismissed as novelty, though: its many layers are enriched with great pop and – in keeping with previous work – Kat’s slightly more mature sounding vocal shares a confident tone that’s often much richer than the bubblegum-ish edges of such a track would normally need. When heard together, it all works brilliantly.

Coming just a few weeks after the release of ‘Delusional’, Irish rock band Gather The Lost sound almost as strong on ‘War At Dawn’. The track’s constant mid tempo provides a great vehicle for guitarist Alan Franklin, who fills the track with a deep chugging groove that’s also locked into very effectively by bassist Brian Dunne. Throughout, this shows off the band’s more menacing side with ease, and Carolyn Dunne – blessed with a very theatrical voice, which continues to set GTL apart from a lot of other alternative rock acts – adopts a strange and almost spooky tone to match. It’s one of those performances that could the doubters running, but it’s clear that it’s a vocal take that’s utterly committed to creating something that has a very different feel. Even for fans, this might take a little more getting into than previous singles, but it’s great to hear the band continuing to forge their own very distinctive path.

Last up, here’s a strong debut from new arrivals on the British rock scene, Scout Coast. ‘Nothing Quite Like You’ goes full on retro during the intro with a set of muted guitar chords that blend the sharp edge of Ric Ocasek with the more melodic edge of early Weezer, before exploring a fuller sound on the verse where a great indie rock sound hits its stride. In about thirty seconds, it’s clear this track is well played and produced, but the chorus really sells the song. A massive pop-rock hook allows for some massive harmonies on a genuinely rousing melody, pitching the band somewhere between ‘Old Souls’ era Deaf Havana and something a little poppier, whilst also appearing to take in some of the crunch from fellow Scottish band Twin Atlantic, but thankfully eschewing the deliberately affected vocal style. This track’s main hook may be a simple one, but the band clearly know this; during the extended coda, time is spent hammering the chorus into listeners’ ears, and by the second play, it’s clear that this harmony drenched rocker has the makings of a hit.

February 2026