Welcome back to the 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 selection takes in two very different sounding pop bangers from emerging artists from opposite ends of the globe, a very knowing synth based track from a familiar name, a cover tune from a prolific, well known act…and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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Between its steady rhythm and prominent electric piano, ‘Good Days’ by Aussie singer songwriter Lenka sets up the ultimate in feel good, radio friendly sounds. The track comes with a soul pop heart that beats strongly on the verse, and this is further amplified by the arrival of some really cool brass on the chorus. Once everything cranks up a gear for a superbly crafted hook, the arrangement is loaded with great harmonies that sell a really sugary sound. At its peak, this number has a timeless quality, and by falling solidly between one of The Badloves’ mellow jams and an an early Macy Gray banger, it serves up a classic melody that’ll never get old. An absolutely wonderful track.

It’s only been a few weeks since they released ‘Hammer and Rolling Pin’, but Kyoshi Station are back with the atmospheric ‘Song Unsung’. A track that stretches to almost six minutes, it never rushes to make its point. Instead, it settles upon a lilting melody that never really changes from its original intent, and uses that as a solid backdrop to explore some 70s influenced, blues tinged lead guitar breaks, some great harmony vocals and a vaguely Americana influenced sound to show off a very mature side to the band. It’s one of those tracks where its unwavering approach works in an almost hypnotic way, ensuring those who like what they hear will love it by the mid point. Then, having really hit a groove, the band wheel out a much tougher tone, introducing some harder guitar work that adds a melodic metal influence to an already great melody. This could have easily been recorded at any point over the past three decades, and given its relative lack of punch, the band will certainly be relying on a classic sound to win people over.

The Noise Who Runs are a band who’ve previously shared some strong synth-based singles. ‘Just The English Way’ adds to a growing catalogue of tracks with a mid tempo and rather moody recording. From the beginning, a steady beat underscores a world of retro synth drones in a way that feels perfect for an understated vocal. This doesn’t give the number any real sense of immediacy, but that just makes the chorus hit a little harder. When it comes to the hook, the band unveil a simple melody that feels familiar from the off, and some repetitive lyrics help everything to stick. A closer ear uncovers some great lyrics which gently poke at England being “the mouse that roared”, celebrate a patron saint that’s from somewhere else, a love of queuing, and a need to “keep calm and carry on”. It’s all very tongue in cheek, but those who’ve previously connected with this project from Sneaker Pimps man Ian Pickering and friends will certainly find something to enjoy here.

A world of jangly guitars are set to take the audience back to the early 90s on ‘Fever Dream’, the current single from DIY Aussie band Bagful of Beez. With immediate effect, the musicians hit upon a perfect pastiche of the past, but like Inspiral Carpets, add an extra twist with the help of some very cool, swirly organ sounds from a time farther back. It takes just a few bars before the track absolutely absorbs the listener, and with the help of a light vocal courtesy of Meghan Maike, there’s even a hint of something from the KEELEY catalogue, bringing a more contemporary twist to a classic sound. There’s a chorus here that will eventually shine, but listeners should likely expect the actual music to leave more of an impression during their first listens, but with such a cool and layered arrangement in hand, that certainly shouldn’t be considered a bad thing…

With the riffs at the heart of ‘Fighting With The Night’ by The Light Show sometimes resembling something from the early Arctic Monkeys catalogue, it’s a single that comes with a genuine punch. Beyond a few riffs, no further influence should be sought, however, since this track shares a very different vocal style and its use of chorus harmonies brings a little more of a melodic edge. Not that you’d call this recording overtly melodic: over the course of three minutes these lads from Halifax serve up a fairly raucous collection of riffs which, topped by an unashamedly British approach to a vocal, are more than ready to give the UK indie scene a hefty kick. For fans of bands like The Subways, and of the rougher end of material by The Rifles and Maximo Park, this will definitely provide a bright spark on a brilliantly curated playlist.

A filtered vocal and particularly mechanical backdrop initially gives Mauro Brenner’s ‘So It Begins…’ a rather cold and inhuman feel. At the point where you start to think this might be a stylistic misfire, he unleashes a bigger sounding chorus which hits the listener with a bolt of positivity. Introducing a broad melody driven by stabbed pianos, the up and coming pop performer taps into some superb sounds sharing faint echoes of Take That’s infectious ‘Shine’ and the work of Daniel Powter, a move that genuinely brings out the best in his gift for a melody. With the help of a fuller sounding second verse and an even deeper dive into a world of retro-pop for a sunny sounding middle eight, this is a single that really sticks somewhere after the third spin.

To promote an expanded 2LP reissue of their 2007 album ‘I Shall Exterminate Everything…’, the legendary Electric Six have shared an inspired cover of Harry Nilsson’s classic ‘One’. Opening with stabbed chords and a ringing guitar, it shares an immediately recognisable melody, only for that to be derailed – in classic style – by Dick Valentine sharing a vocal that’s unmistakably Electric Six. Moving into a rocky riff, the music starts to suit his deliberately theatrical croon, and by the time everything gets underway, a combination of rhythmic punch, spiky backing vocals and occasional howls of guitar take something once familiar and twists it into something that sounds like something from a dark and buried Electric Six past. Naturally, this has none of the sadness present in Aimee Mann’s (arguably definitive) take on this song, but to expect something so subtle from Electric Six would surely be missing the point.

Here’s a slice of glorious noise from Flesh Produce. On ‘Guitahnival’, the Seattle based outfit launch into a world of distortion with immediate effect. A slow, almost blues drenched guitar line sets up an ominous riff, under which various industrial sounds pound out an equally slow rhythm. A vocal appears, only to be half buried under a siren-like howl, cranking the tension even further. Then, everything takes a dramatic turn; dance beats evoke the more accessible output from Atari Teenage Riot, an equally abrasive vocal attacks with a sharpness such a busy arrangement deserves, and then everyone slunks back into the threatening blues groove, all the while keeping the feeling of threat quite prominent. This is semi-electro experimentation, delivering a heavy sound with ease, despite an arrangement that feels decidedly uneasy. Written for a clown themed wrestling event (yes, really), ‘Guitahnival’ is more accessible than the band’s previous ‘Dog Eat Dog’, but that’s not saying much…

April/May 2026