Tag Archives: power pop

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR SUMMER SPECIAL 2026

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We’ve reached the middle of 2026 already, and for the first half of the year, submissions to our Singles Bar have been coming in fast. Naturally, there hasn’t been the time to highlight everything we’ve enjoyed from week to week, and a lot of great tracks have not made the cut. Passing these by would be an absolute tragedy, so, as is traditional at the end of June, we’ve pulled some of the “best of the rest” together for our SB Summer Special! These were picked from a staggering 230 track selection, but we feel they best capture the Singles Bar spirit. We hope you can spare the time to explore this selection of tunes, and as always, hope you find something new to enjoy. Remember: good music does not have a sell-by date!

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #161

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This visit to the Singles Bar takes in various moods, highlighting a varied selection of submissions over the past two weeks. We have an absolutely superb track capturing a perfect indie/dream pop sound, some amazing folk rock, a sidestep into soul-pop, a nod to 90s slackerdom, and a great piece of contemporary alternative metal. There are also tracks from the world of power pop and retro shoegaze, so there’s a little of everything that we feel keeps the SB – and Real Gone as a whole – constantly interesting. We hope, as always, you find something new to enjoy.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #160

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Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the best individual tracks to land in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, we’re thrilled to share a long overdue return from a power pop legend, a well crafted number from a new name in retro pop, a perfect slab of soul getting a timely re-promotion, a perfectly formed and very melodic instrumental track, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #159

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Over the past week or two, the amount of submissions for the Singles Bar column has gone through the roof! That’s made it harder than usual to pick the highlights. Regular visitors to the SB will certainly recognise a couple of names this time around as we explore some of the recent offerings from a variety of genres, but That doesn’t mean the selection is predictable. By jumping between power pop, post rock, Irish music, and even something that’s in almost an ambient mood, our choices really highlight some great sounds filling the underground as we head into the summer. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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MUCK AND THE MIRES – Beat Revolution

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In 2004, at a time when half the world was hopped up on the sounds of the Franz Ferdinand debut and Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ (an album the Canadian band have never bettered), and at a time when Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ was making inroads into being a best seller, somewhere in the wilds of Boston, Muck and The Mires were making garage rock noises for a much smaller audience. Not that the love poured into the tunes on their ‘Beginner’s Muck’ LP was any the lesser; the energy on that record spoke for itself, and the band’s love of Flamin’ Groovies and other retro fare propelled them forward, subsequently making stronger albums whilst retaining admiration from the underground power pop fans.

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