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 couple of weeks. This time out, we welcome back an indie hero with a superb solo venture, celebrate some big, modern pop from a rather prolific artist, take in a couple of metal tracks and even make time for some classic sounding yacht rock. As always, we hope you like what you hear.
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Every visit to the Real Gone Singles Bar uncovers new treats, but as we start to pull towards the end of a UK summer, this selection shares a couple of really special tracks. A new offering from a UK born/Dubai based soul singer could be one of the best things you’ll hear before the autumnal weather sets in; a couple of legends provide the basis for a near perfect reggae banger, and an underground electronica musician really stretches out on his current single. We’ve also got a piece of fairly traditional sounding country, a loving tribute to a classic grunge sound, and a huge alternative rock tune from a band making their debut. As always, we hope you find something to enjoy.
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In 2022, Aussie band The Prize released a thoroughly enjoyable EP ‘Wrong Side of Town’. The short release was big on entertainment, and the band’s retro sound played like a superb celebration of a power pop past, with huge nods to bands like The Nerves and The Real Kids influencing their material.
It was expected that The Prize would deliver a full length album soon after, but only a couple of digital singles materialised. These turned out to be a case of quality over quantity, though, with ‘First Sight’ being particularly catchy. That track’s repetitive hook captured the spirit of late 70s power pop even more effectively than any of the previous EP’s material, proving that The Prize’s knack for a great chorus would likely be one of the album’s biggest assets…whenever it was due to arrive.
On a pair of albums released in 2022 and 2023, The Gypsy Moths served up a very melodic brand of rock pop, with a strong leaning towards influences from jangly 60s sounds and late 70s power pop. Their 2025 EP release ‘Five By Five From Four’ finds the band sticking firmly to what they know, but with a couple of huge choruses found en route and some very natural melodies playing to a very retro crowd, it becomes obvious that taking a familiar path is a wise move.
Back in 1980, at a time when the power pop world was dominated by bands in skinny ties and with names like The Pop and The Look, The Bablers released their debut LP ‘What’s It All About’. The record’s stand out track ‘Imaginary Land’, with its stabbed piano motifs and infectious wordless hook, they sounded like a cross between XTC and Nick Lowe with a Scandinavian accent. ‘What Can I Do’ showed a knack for harmony vocals on something that could’ve been a Hollies deep cut from ’75, and seemingly not caring for fashion, ‘McKinley’s Birthday Party’ applied a McCartney-esque rumpty-tumpty rhythm to a pop tune that sounded at least five years out of date at the time of release. You couldn’t ever call it a perfect album, but at its best, it showed a band with spirit, and one capable of sometimes delivering a great tune, even if the vocals weren’t as sharp as the material deserved.