Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we’ve got the return of an up and coming singer songwriter, a quirky piece of alt-pop, a retro sounding synth banger, a solid offering from a still-new Irish vocalist, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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Towards the end of 2023, Australian duo Ellen May released ‘Dying To Live’, a two track download that introduced the world to their classic brand of pop punk. Hugely indebted to ‘Goodbye Astoria’ era Ataris and early Sum 41, the material often felt nostalgic, but there was something rather wonderful about their unfussy approach. They clearly understood there was still a market for straight pop punk without the unnecessarily heavy moments that have coloured the punky subgenre post-2012.
The members of Ellen May met via social media in 2022, and quickly realising their shared musical interests, Matt Matusik and Matt Branton began sharing demo ideas. Seemingly just as quickly, they began working on demos with a plan for a full length release. Despite an album’s worth of tracks being completed, the Ellen May debut features just two numbers, but ‘Dying To Live’s digital single format is actually a perfect way to introduce their emo/melodic punk sound to the masses.