In the summer of 2025, singer songwriter Rich Allo released ‘Sabre Teeth’, a strange single that blended styles in a most unexpected way. Its underlying acoustic guitar lines had a hint of influence from post grunge in their chord pattern, but drew more from anti-folk in the way the recording used a lo-fi mix and live sound to present itself. The live sound also allowed for the sound of fingers on frets to be audible, giving the core of the verse a genuine character. Rich then contrasted that with a huge vocal where falsetto sounds made for an unnatural match. However, given time to adjust, the track shared a melodic core that was huge, and the second half of the number – sharing more of a rock-centic voice and some very busy lead guitar work – played a little more towards tradition, all the while clinging onto something that didn’t immediately sound like anyone else.
Category Archives: News
Listen: The Peppermint Kicks deliver a ‘Number One Record’
In the middle of the “lockdown years”,The Peppermint Kicks released their debut album, a ten track collection of retro workouts, pretty much guaranteed to thrill fans of the musicians involved. Like many releases on the Rum Bar label, it received positive praise from the underground press, but didn’t really reach beyond “cult status”.
Watch: Margate duo debdepan share new video for ‘Ghost’
Margate’s debdepan shared a superb sound on their previous single ‘Habit’. By blending dance beats, light goth pop and a world of synth-based ingredients, the track sounded like the ultimate alternative club banger. It had the potential to make the listener want to hear more, almost immediately, and to be given the opportunity to lose themselves even further into the duo’s dark and electronica infused world.
The New Flesh unveil video for ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’
The current single from The New Flesh has a cold heart and an old soul. With its echoes of Depeche Mode and Gary Numan the bleak electronica is guaranteed to take the over 50s listener back to their youth, but this Polish duo aren’t resolutely stuck in the past.
Watch: Afternoon Astronauts share new video for ‘Times Like These’ ahead of debut album
Afternoon Astronauts is a relatively new name for 2025, but ahead of the release of their debut album, their single ‘Times Like These’ suggests that the band are about to click with an audience of melodic, heavy riff lovers in a rather big way.