For our first Singles Bar feature of 2025, we’ve brought together an interesting selection of tunes. You’ll find a “typical” Real Gone backbone of rock, but with the help of some great, spiky synth sounds, a couple of singer songwriters, and even a country infused bar room sneer from a familiar musical figure, there’s enough here to attract anyone with a curious ear. As we prepare to embark on another year of great musical discovery, we hope you find something of interest here!
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Throughout 2024, we’ve featured literally hundreds of new tracks in our weekly Singles Bar column. Never committed to any particular style or genre, the SB has become a haven for any new tracks that have caught our ear, and we’ve introduced people to a whole spectrum of new bands. There wasn’t time to cast a spotlight on everything we loved, however. So, as we get ready to wave goodbye to another great year for music, we’ve brought together a selection of twenty five great tracks that slipped under the radar during the second half of the year. These are more than mere leftovers – every track deserves a loving ear. We’ve got singer songwriters; we’ve got melodic prog; we’ve got a couple of metal-centric workouts, indie bangers, and even a pinch of blues. If you’re a regular visitor to the Singles Bar, we know you’ll find more stuff to love!
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Originally released in December 2020, just in time for Xmas – the “lockdown Christmas”, unless you happened to be a Tory MP – The Kut’s ‘Waiting For Christmas’ is the ultimate downbeat Xmas track.
For this visit to the Singles Bar, we bring you a very special selection of tracks. As we get ready to wave goodbye to another year, these singles represent the very best of 2024’s alternative Xmas wares. We’ve got some great pop from an unfamiliar name, a brilliant pop-rock tune from Scotland, a massive old school country banger, a superb reworking of a genuine festive classic and more besides. Merry Christmas, everyone. (Normal service will resume at the SB next week!)
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In 2022, Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders recorded a version of Frut’s ‘Prison of Love’ for the Detroit Covers Series, a collection of 7” releases where bands are invited to pair a new recording with a Detroit-based tune of their choosing. No stranger to putting their own mark on other people’s songs, Pat and his band attacked the track with a real gusto, bringing the semi-obscurity to a new audience in style.