THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #148

With new tracks from a couple of the indie scene’s UK/Irish leading lights and a Bristol based guitar driven band who’ve already attained cult status, this visit to the Singles Bar feels rather weighted towards jangly material and swirly shoegaze sounds, but with a very retro sounding track that fuses blues rock with prog flourishes and a dreamy number from a French singer-songwriter, there’s a sharp contrast too, helping to keep the usual love of shining a light upon the most cult of artists. Bolstered by an unexpected reissue from the 80s and a lo-fi workout that could split opinion, it’s certainly an interesting selection this time around. As always, of course, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #147

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 previous few weeks. This selection takes in a genuine curveball from a cult musician, shares a perfect slice of soul, a great single from an up and coming singer songwriter, a brilliant melodic rock banger, and more… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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TOMBSTONES IN THEIR EYES – You Don’t Have To Love Me / Everybody’s Dead

With just a few weeks left of 2025, US deep psych/shoegaze band Tombstones In Their Eyes released not only one of the best albums of the year, but one of the best of their career. Some of the material felt a little bit samey if heard in one sitting, but the band’s command of a riff and ability to weave a great atmosphere allowed the material on ‘Under Dark Skies’ to work brilliantly when approached in the right mood.

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HOWLING BELLS – Strange Life

Twelve years is a long time between releases, but Kate Bush doesn’t have the monopoly in disappearing for that long, since ‘Strange Life’ – the first new Howling Bells album since 2014 – marks a long overdue return for the Aussie dream pop trio. Despite the passing years, the record’s eleven tracks actually sound like a perfect continuation from previous releases, and although this may seem a little safe, it results in an album that fans will take to in a heartbeat, and will introduce those who missed the band the first time around to a set of songs that’s almost guaranteed they’ll backtrack.

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LOWSUNDAY – Ghost Machine White EP

In terms of taking a break, twenty six years is a long holiday by any band’s standards, but that’s exactly how long Lowsunday were AWOL between their second and third releases. The musical landscape may have changed a great deal since the death of the 90s, but the first sounds shared by this Pittsburgh based alternative/shoegaze/goth band at the end of 2025 found the musicians sticking rigidly to what they do best. In many ways, the resulting ‘White EP’ is all the better for that. Yes, the five tracks sound very retro, but in fairness, the strong gothy element in their sound was already retro by 1999. What the five tracks on this EP achieve – whether deliberately or otherwise – is to bring a massive pang of nostalgia which, coming at a time when the world feels as if it’s heading into even darker places, is certainly most welcome.

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