THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #88

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time out, we bring a new track from a great pop punk act, a great sounding number written in record time, a perfect blend of metal and industrial on a brilliantly aggressive workout, an equally great number that’ll appeal to lovers of melodic singer songwriter material, and more besides. Obviously, as 2025 begins to take shape, we’ll be bringing you many more treats… In the meantime, we hope there’s something new to enjoy here!

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THE HOLY KNIVES – I Don’t Wanna Win EP

On their 2018 full length ‘Year Of The Dog’, rock duo The Holy Knives shared some very full sounding, atmospheric songs. The material had a definite core sound: bits of melodic garage rock could be found meshing with even older influences, resulting in tunes like ‘Memory Book’ sharing a huge vocal against a hefty drum beat, ‘Loose Tooth’ working a wobbly twang against a massive croon, taking a little more of an atmospheric indie rock stance and, in an unexpected twist, ‘Lucky Day’ sounded like an old Chris Isaak number remixed by Portishead man Geoff Barrow. It was the kind of record that set solid foundations for future works.

On their 2020 EP ‘Always Gone’, the cinematic elements of the Holy Knives sound used keys to create something even more retro, and by the time of their 2023 single release ‘Keep On Lyin’, even more of a groove had been established, showing how even though this duo had a sound that worked for them, Kyle and Kody Valentine certainly weren’t shy of embracing a natural musical progression.

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anocean – climbing walls EP

Although the shoegaze and dreampop genres will be forever associated with the early 90s, there have been a wealth of great bands and artists keeping the flame alight in the twenty first century. 2024 saw some great releases from Keeley, Set Feux, Sunder, Newmoon, and many others. Even scene stalwarts like A Place To Bury Strangers were hugely prominent with a run of digital singles which gained some very positive online press.

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Listen: Revolution Rabbit Deluxe share angry new single ‘Tim Gurner Says’

Revolution Rabbit Deluxe’s 2023 album ‘Control Freaks’ mixed rock, pop and politics in such a way it was impossible to ignore the influence of the younger Nicky Wire and Richey James Edwards. With sloganeering messages and a very 90s sound, tracks like ‘G7 Countdown’ blended the vitriol of the early Manics with the busy rhythms of the baggy movement; ‘Head In The Sand’ celebrated self-ignorance against a hefty indie rock groove, and – best of all – ‘Stuck On Stupid’ attacked the world with a Miles Hunt-ish sneer and a post-punk sound, pumping the heart of one of the band’s most pointed tracks to date.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #81

This week’s visit to the Real Gone Singles Bar promises a whole world of variety. There are a couple of familiar names, but in terms of genre-hopping, the selection is very interesting. You’ll find something with a great pop heart, a track with a strong dance-oriented core, a slab of rockabilly from a band who last released an album forty years ago, some ska sounds that could well be boosted by a pair of massive Doc Martens, and more besides. As always, we hope you’ll find something new to enjoy…

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