Mercers are a new band for 2026, but a couple of their members already have a foothold within the metal/alternative scenes. Two ex-members of nu-metal band Fony take a new musical direction here, bringing a genuine intensity to their work, and a more aggressive approach hits with a genuine immediacy on their new single ‘Cleanse/Repeat’.
Tag Archives: alternative
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #155
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we bring you a really noisy piece of retro indie rock with a shoegaze overtone, a collaboration that serves up some late 60s tones doused with a 90s coolness, a pleasingly mellow track dominated by an aching vocal, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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GATHER THE LOST – Silver Lining
Gather The Lost first started making waves online in 2022 with their digital single ‘Alone’, released to streaming services not long after the band first formed. Although the song wasn’t particularly striking on a musical level – a barrage of jangling chords on the verse and an overdriven riff on the chorus shared a huge love of 90s alternative sounds – it was clear that in Carolyn Dunne, they had a very distinctive vocalist. Throughout the four minute number, she used her voice as a powerful tool, shifting from dark croon to full cry, capable of huge volume, but also capable of sharing a truly emotive tone that didn’t quite sound like anyone else.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #154
The eight picks that make up this selection for the Singles Bar cover a lot of musical ground. Joining a couple of superb singer songwriters, there’s a reggae-centric number from some legends of British ska, a beautiful track that pushes beyond the boundaries of dream pop, a slab of great post punk, and more besides. It’s one of our stronger selections in a while. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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PREMIER JESTER – Turn You On
Premier Jester aren’t afraid to mix genres. Since the release of their earliest singles ‘PJ Lovers’ and ‘Sales King’, the UK band have shared an energy driven sound that takes the guts of metalcore and splices its aggressive edge to a world of electronica and dance sounds, but also throws in a bit of retro alternative and some big choruses to create something huge. In many ways, their best work sounds like Electric Callboy, but steered in a slightly more accessible direction. As you might expect, such intensities work brilliantly in short bursts, making PJ masters of the digital single.