As we head even further into a new year, submissions for the ever popular Real Gone Singles Bar continue to be very interesting. This time around. We’ve got a perfect homage to those 90s classics from the 4AD label, the return of a great retro goth band, some British skacore, and even a lo-fi oddity that proves surprisingly effective. With a couple of rocky tracks along the way and some well played Americana, we hope most people will find something new to enjoy.
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An ominous drone, a piercing sound from a synth and a feeling of rising tension create the ideal way to introduce Shadowborn’s debut EP. In just a few seconds, this gives ‘Through The Hourglass’ a feeling of unease, and the quiet but dark sounds also have the effect of making the subsequent riffs come through with a much bigger punch.
Australian “genre-bending” act Yeah, Sick! formed during the lockdown era as a “tongue in cheek experiment that grew into something bigger”. Their debut release ‘Set To Devour Us All!’ presented a wealth of slap bass sounds colliding with muddy guitar work that set up a heavy but very rhythmic sound. The mixture of early 90s funk metal influences and nu-metal ugliness resulted in five tracks that were, at best, hard going. The music might’ve been a little more palatable if Yeah, Sick! were better songwriters. The material felt too frivolous to be taken seriously, but nowhere near amusing enough to sit with any genuine comedy themed acts. Beyond a couple of very easily pleased Mr. Bungle fans, it’s not entirely clear who might have found the EP interesting.
Australian band The Paper Kites released an impressive run of albums over the decade leading up to their 2026 long player ‘If You Go, I Hope You Find It’. Although often billed as an indie-folk band, the core of their best material draws from something far richer, and much older sounding, often drawing more from Americana influences. The highlights from their 2023 LP ‘At The Roadhouse’ more than amplified this, with a prominent use of banjo on ‘Hurts So Good’ and a crying steel guitar heard throughout the brilliant ‘Till The Flame Turns Blue’, a number with an aching melody that, in a couple of places, appeared to give faint melodic nods to Van Morrison’s classic ‘Into The Mystic’.
With January now underway, this visit to the Singles Bar offers a great and varied selection of new and recent sounds. We’ve got a pair of power pop bangers, the return of some industrial legends, some alternative electronica from a band making their debut in 2026, and more besides. There should be more than enough here to remind people that Real Gone is so much more than “a metal site”, setting us off with best foot forward for the coming year! As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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