Real Gone Presents: A Boston Round-Up, June 2025

Over the previous couple of months, the submissions for the popular Real Gone Singles Bar have been more than plentiful. It’s actually got to the point where we’re getting so much good stuff, it’s been almost impossible to keep on top of it all. When compiling a recent column, it came to our attention that we’d had a huge amount of submissions from Boston based bands. Since we were massive fans of albums produced by Paul Q. Kolderie & Sean Slade at Fort Apache back in the 90s and, in more recent times, our site has received regular support from a few Boston based bands, PR companies, labels – including the sadly missed Red On Red Records – it seemed to make sense to take some of these great tracks and highlight them in a feature of their own. The Singles Bar will continue as normal, of course…but this bunch of tracks, shared as a selection in its own right, features some great material. Please join us in giving a hearty shout out to a great city with a thriving music scene… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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JUSTINE AND THE UNCLEAN – The Signal Light

From the moment their debut single ‘Love Got Me Into This Mess’ hit the internet in 2017, it was clear that Justine And The Unclean were something special. On that recording, the Boston band’s mix of pop punk and power pop greeted the listener in a fantastically upbeat fashion, and Justine Couvault’s distinctive, curly vocal style was impossible to ignore. As the follow up singles emerged, it was always possible to spot the band thanks to that vocal, and regardless of whatever style the music took, the Unclean continued to sound like a band with a real spirit. A little later, their first full length release ‘Get Unclean’ added some old school hard rock to an already potent mix, suggesting a great future ahead. Naturally, things went a little quiet in the Unclean camp during the pandemic years, but a trio of singles suggested the band had retained their sense of drive, and in 2021’s ‘Scorpion Bowl To Go’, it seemed as if they’d actually upped the ante in terms of catchy hooks.

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THE DIRTY TRUCKERS – Tiger Stripes EP

Aah, Boston. How we love you. Home to Buffalo Tom. Home to The Russians. Home to Aerosmith, The Lemonheads, Pixies, Mission of Burma, ‘Til Tuesday and countless other great bands. Boston is probably second only to New York as the US’s spiritual home of great rock music.

Boston is also home to The Neighborhoods, Watts, Tom Baker & The Snakes and Worshipper, all of whom have connections to The Dirty Truckers.

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THE NEEDY SONS – Vis-A-Vis

needy-sons-lpOriginally a live project where friends played cover tunes and numbers from their respective catalogues as a way of letting off steam, The Needy Sons is a Boston supergroup of sorts. Mike Gent has recorded several albums with power pop/rock outfit The Figgs, Ed Valuskas has associations with Gravel Pit and the legendary Bill Janovitz has recorded various solo albums as well as being a member of Buffalo Tom (whose ‘Big Red Letter Day’ is one of the finest albums in the history of recorded music). Augmented by Eric Anderson and with their debut album ‘Vis a Vis’ mixed in part by Mike Viola’s matey Ducky Carlisle, you could say this band got off to a good start.

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