This week’s visit to the Singles Bar brings a whole world of variety. Bookended by two genuine power pop bangers, this selection of tracks also takes in some really tight funk, a new track by a cult singer songwriter from Scotland, the long overdue return of a dreampop inspired indie band, a loving recreation of a cast iron classic…and more. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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In 1994, just before the arrival of KoRn and the rise of what would soon be dubbed “nu metal”, the US metal scene was already thriving. Thrash had started to wain, but a whole world of band’s plying doom, sludge and hardcore elements helped to keep music fans of a heavier persuasion more than entertained.
Dotsun Moon’s ‘Tiger’ album is an unmissable treat for lovers of 90s influenced sounds. Released in June 2025 and coming a full nine years after the previous full length Dotsun release, you could never accuse multi-instrumentalist Richard Fliel of hurrying his work, but you can hear the love that went into this long overdue second album from the moment you hit the play button. Taking in influences as disparate as Harold Budd, mid 80s Wire, ‘Disintegration’ era Cure and applying a liberal amount of his own style, Richard created a work that often felt familiar, but deep enough to feel like something that would ultimately grow beyond its (admittedly great) musical touchstones.
Josaleigh Pollett’s ‘Radio Player’ is a rather special recording. Its opening sounds throw the listener into a world of dark synthwave, suggesting something rich in atmosphere. It then takes a somewhat dramatic twist when Josaleigh adds a vocal that, at first, suggests they have a love of classic dream pop, before an increase in volume allows their voice to reach for something much bigger. Hitting a couple of soaring, notes, this presents a talent with a huge, natural sound, drawing the listener further into a world where Pollett’s love of almost cinematic sounds comes into its own.
Taking elements from indie, shoegaze, pop and rock, Coming Up Roses have a rich sound that is often pleasingly varied. Although various musical influences can be heard within the UK band’s work, they use those in a way that is often interesting – and on their ‘I’m In Bed’ single (released in the early part of 2025), they sounded like no-one else. Further singles ‘Tired’ and ‘Over My Head’ cemented any feelings that Coming Up Roses were a band on the rise, and their full length album ‘How Did We Fall So Far?’ (released in June ’25) showed how the band weren’t just suited to soundbites; their best songs have a rich quality, playing brilliantly as part of a longer format.