On their 2022 release ‘Polar Night’, instrumentalists In The Ponds crammed a variety of musical moods into a very short playing time. Ranging from spooky, almost prog rock inspired echo driven guitar (‘Lonesome George’) to an atmospheric, David Lynch inflected ambience (‘Someone’s Always Watching’), and even supplying a nod to the distorted blues of The Groundhogs (‘Haruki On The Sand’), it was the kind of EP that created a great musical CV.
THE MATINEE – Change Of Scene
The Matinee’s 2017 album ‘Dancing On Your Grave’ was a great record. Its eleven songs bounced between upbeat pop rock tunes, retro rockers and music with an obvious nod to Americana, but felt like a really cohesive listen. Between some great chorus hooks, a heartfelt vocal and some fine guitar work, it showed off a mature sounding band whose songs could’ve existed at any point between the 90s and the present.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #23
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual mp3s that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. A popular feature, the mixed bag approach at the Singles Bar has often allowed for coverage of things that people wouldn’t necessarily associate with the site. The selection this time around is a little more rock based in places, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of interesting twists, and a jazzy, downtempo track definitely provides one of the best tunes. We present the return of Big River with a very melodic track, some brilliant pop, an interesting take on a classic band, and more besides.
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THE LEMON DROP GANG – I’m Done! / Johnny Is A Jerk
At the beginning of 2023, Tucson’s Lemon Drop Gang made their overdue return with ‘Sweetie Pie’, a track that re-introduced listeners to their ragged blend of CBGB’s infused riffs and Phil Spector-ish pop. As with the band’s previous works, it was far from sonic perfection, but then this band never pretended they were in possession of Brian Wilson or Todd Rundgren’s song writing chops or studio expertise. For fans, it was the kind of track that signified a fun and welcome return, whilst its digital flip side (‘The Party’s Over’) shared their love of 60s pop in its own brilliantly wonky way.
COYLE GIRELLI – Museum Day
Despite his very distinctive name, the chances are that even by the time of this album’s release, you might not be over familiar with Coyle Girelli. The one time Your Vegas frontman began his solo career in 2018, and on his earlier albums, he explored a world of rock and pop that often sounded more mature than his years. Various tracks from his ‘Love Kills’ debut sounded like a pop-ish take on a Chris Isaak sound, whilst bits of ‘Funland’ follow up fused his retro heart with slight new wave elements and light indie influences that could occasionally be likened to The Killers.
This third (proper) album continues Girelli’s ascent and ventures further into an adult pop-rock sound, and at the core of the ten songs, you’ll discover some great, sometimes very commercial hooks that show off a great talent.