A rather spooky offering from veterans of the UK alternative scene, an epic but self-effacing narrative set against great orchestration, and an almost uncategorisable number splicing synths with a world music flair are just three things you can expect to find at the Singles Bar this time around. As we head further into 2026, the sheer variety of “single” recordings remains impressive, and perhaps ever more so now that we live in a world where underground artists are more likely to present digital singles and EP releases over an old school album format. To call this selection a mixed bag would certainly be an understatement but, as always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…

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Another recording in Bring Your Own Hammer’s series bringing generations’ old poetry to life in the present via the hands of Irish singer songwriters, ‘Joining The Colours’ – a wartime lament by Katherine Tynan – is given a marvellous send off by Neil Farrell. Applying a disarmingly jaunty piano, the track opens rather breezily, but it isn’t long before the horror of the narrative is coloured by a more mournful tone. Farrell takes the poem and twists it through a melody that allows a Scott Walker-like croon to take centre stage, and although markedly different, the richness in the vocal is almost as disarming as the piano had been. The piano eventually underscores a huge voice and a rather light peppering of brass, creating a melody that’s fairly timeless. With everything taking on a gravitas that suits the poem-turned-lyric, it’s especially impressive, even though very few would consider it an uplifting listen.

Building upon a superb drum loop, ‘Gunshy’ by Genuine Leather blends elements of retro alternative sounds with a world of contemporary electronica to create a complex track that wastes no time in grabbing the attention. Throughout the track, the heavily rhythmic groove takes a dominant role, but beneath the surface, there are various interesting layers attempting to escape. Manipulated lead vocals share a detached performance that works surprisingly well, but even these aren’t as striking as the sampled wordless choir that’s as musical punctuation. Just as great is the synthy drone cutting through the centre of the melody, and there’s even a pinch of jazz guitar creeping into the latter part of the track, really bringing out the best in a complex arrangement. It’s one of those numbers that often relies more on setting a distinctive mood in place rather than capitalising on an obvious chorus hook, but those who find an easy way in will ultimately end up absolutely loving this.

Those familiar with artist Lili Refrain will already be aware that the Italian composer rarely thinks small. That said, her current single ‘Nagal’ is more accessible than a lot of her past works. The opening beats set a superb and rather steady rhythm in place, over which an acoustic guitar weaves an Arabic inspired rhythm. This immediately sounds like something that should score the end credits of a film. From there, the melodies grow to introduce pulsing synth elements that sound more like a manipulated elastic band than anything Vangelis or Tangerine Dream inspired – although the ghosts of the latter’s work from ‘Risky Business’ can be heard underscoring the latter part of this performance – and eventually Refrain arrives with a huge soaring vocal sharing a Sanskrit lyric. Although this might seem a little too self-indulgent, it actually works, and the influence from the much-missed Ofra Haza colours everything brilliantly. In the second part of this seven minute soundscape, everything takes a rockier turn, with the help of a doom metal riff, and multi-layered guitar work that brings a melodic rock tone to the fore, with busy leads overlaying a solid rhythm. The fusion of styles here is brilliant, and although this is unlikely to sit naturally with material from other bands and genres, as a stand-alone experience, it’s superb.

‘Tank’s Letter’, the brand new single from French post-punk band Butterfly Bulldozer, serves up some really, really tight sounds. From the outset, the bass latches onto a really fat riff, driving everything forward, and this gives a very spiky number a sense of melody. From there, a jazz toned guitar shares riffs that fall somewhere between Gang of Four and Pavement, accentuating the band’s very angular sounds, while a slightly distorted vocal fills space with an equally pointed approach. You won’t necessarily find a big chorus hook here, but the track doesn’t really need one; this is all about riffs and sharp edged moods, and on that score, Butterfly Bulldozer more than hit the mark.

A couple of months after sharing his ‘London’ single, Eugene McGuinness presents the especially lyrical ‘Icarus”. Set against hard strummed acoustic guitar, the singer shares a tale of feeling as if he’s the title character, using the metaphor of flying too close to the sun to convey his own insecurities. Likening himself to “an outcast on an island of misfit toys” and someone who’s “on the other side of the reflection”, McGuinness really isn’t shy of turning a striking phrase or two, but is smart enough to realise that he also needs to court those not entirely into lyrics, and couples his tale with a great arrangement where the acoustics are eventually joined by some rather dramatic drumming and dark orchestral swirls befitting of an early 70s Tim Buckley recording. There’s also something about this track that has more than a faint air of something from the world of The Last Shadow Puppets, bringing a slightly more contemporary feel to a retro sounding number. It might take a few plays before the magic really becomes obvious, but this is a great track.

Siren-like guitars and a busy drum part introduce ‘Hey Dude’ by Hedge, allowing the Massachusetts band to fly the flag for 90s sounds effortlessly, before fleshing out everything with a punky riff that adds a welcome jolt of speed. The main riff effectively takes the tone from the expected Superchunk/Dinosaur Jr influences and into a place where Hedge sound more like early Face To Face meeting with Dutch punks Funeral Oration, but with much better vocals. Obviously, this results in something that feels very familiar, but the band’s sense of pure energy and a great, repetitive hook sell this track with ease, and within a few plays, it’s destined to become a firm favourite.

A swing to the drums gives ‘Daniella’ – the current single from Manchester’s Inca Babies – a jazz core, but you’d never call it a jazz track. A heavy bass groove and a world of reverb bring an equal amount of dub and an obvious influence from Jah Wobble, but it certainly isn’t dub. A very 50s tone applied to the guitar adds a Duane Eddy-ish flair, but the rest of the music owes nothing else to that era. This is a crossover piece in every sense; a multi-genre experiment that owes as much to early Nick Cave and Barry Adamson as Wobble and Eddy. It ends up sounding like something from a David Lynch soundtrack – it certainly wouldn’t feel out of place on ‘Lost Highway’ – coupled with shouty post-punk vocals. Sinister, but certainly assured, this really captures Inca Babies at their best, and is a recording that stands up to repeated listens.

Last up, here’s another stoner band who fit their chosen name perfectly: say hello to Fuzzing Nation. On their current single ‘Mothertruck’, the Greek heavyweights adopt a dirty sound akin to peak Kyuss and apply that to a massive swagger that, in other hands, could’ve easily become the ultimate tribute to 70s glam rock. The number hits upon a sense of swagger that sounds like an old Chapman/Chinn number almost immediately, and then barely deviates from that, allowing the rhythm section to work a serious groove and for the distortion laden guitars to tap into something approaching peak stoner. It’s only really a bluesy lead guitar that gives things any kind of lift, and even that comes with a very 70s inspired approach that serves the band brilliantly. With the help of a clean-ish vocal to make things easily accessible and with a massive chorus hook, this could easily be one of the best stoner tunes to emerge in 2026.

February/March 2026