THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #110

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. In this rather mixed bag, you’ll find old school balladry with an obvious love for Roy Orbison, some great roots rock from the UK, a noisy and slightly avantgarde comeback track, all sitting alongside something clearly inspired by the mighty Mercury Rev. With a folky tune, a solid slab of metal and a number with a light prog influence also present, we hope there’s something here for almost everyone.

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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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BAD VALENTINES – Memory Tattoos EP

It takes all of two bars of Bad Valentines’ ‘Last Days In The Sun’ to advertise the trashier end of this Finnish band’s rather varied rock sound, when a high toned guitar wails against a punchy backdrop. The immediate effect is like discovering a more melodic deep cut from earlier Scandinavian bands like Gluecifer, or a more pop-centic Hellacopters. Their rock ‘n’ roll chops shine even more brightly when a rousing lead guitar break rears up midway, but its when reaching for more melodic climes that this EP’s opening track really comes into its own. A punchy verse is offset by a hugely melodic and really confident vocal courtesy of scene new-comer Hon, and although she sounds great on the verse sharing more of a pop-rock tone than the music immediately suggested, it’s when hitting a harmony driven chorus she really begins to impress. It’s fairly simple with the band using an ascending melody to reach a one line hook, but the results are as catchy as hell. In terms of making a good first impression, this introduces Bad Valentines in the best possible way. It’s a genuinely strong number.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #107

With two singles that practically scream “IT’S SUMMER!”, a weird hybrid track that pushes a psychedelic angle into new territory, a slice of atmospheric Scandinavian melody, and something with a dance core, this selection of singles is certainly varied. Regular visitors to the Singles Bar will, of course, find something of interest as they uncover tunes that highlight some of the musical underground’s more vivid talents, and in the case of one of the singles, possibly even discover an instant hit! Sit back with a cuppa – it’s quite a ride…

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Premiere: Rattle Bones share new video for ‘Desert Heart’

When Rattle Bones released their debut single ‘Silver Bullets’ in January 2025, they immediately made a strong impression with their combination of hard edged guitar riffs and lyrical hooks. The band’s sound had a very retro appeal; there were moments during that number where the riffs took on a blues-edged swagger akin to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well, Part 1’, but dropping into more of a hard rock bluster, the band conveyed even more of a fiery edge that suggested that these lads had been inspired by the legendary pre-grunge acts that ruled the hard rock airwaves between 1989-1991.

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