ROPE TRICK – Red Tide EP

Rope Trick’s 2017 release ‘Red Tape’ shared some great riffs, but its DIY production sound and some decidedly iffy vocals made it the kind of listen that would only appeal to the more committed stoner rock fan. Nevertheless, looking beyond the obvious flaws, Rope Trick’s semi lo-fi world of stoner grooves and garage rock crunch had an obvious potential.

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CURSE THE SON – Delirium

Sixteen years into their career, Curse The Son have unleashed a devastating work in ‘Delirium’. By taking many cues from classic stoner and doom bands and then adding their own brand of extra sludge, this fifth album from the New Haven heavyweights certainly doesn’t sell itself short in terms of riffs. The record’s general heaviness will be enough to win over a huge section of the metal community, but some already intense workouts take on new levels of darkness when the arrangements are peppered with some very bleak lyrical concerns.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #77

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous few weeks. This time around, our chosen eight numbers take in some ska, some chunky country rock with the emphasis on the rock, a couple of brilliant synth oriented tracks, a treat from the shoegaze archives, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #75

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous couple of weeks. We think this selection is an interesting one, with something to entertain a broad range of different ears. We’ve got an acoustic based singer songwriter who sounds like they’re heading for big things, some re-promotion for a rock based banger, something with a ska heart that’s almost timeless, a bit of pop infused country, and more besides. As always, we hope you’ll find something new to enjoy!

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BLUE HERON – Everything Fades

Blue Heron’s debut release, the 2022 double single ‘Black Blood of The Earth’/‘Everything Fades’ introduced a band who really didn’t skimp when it came to a heavy riff. Their sound, a hearty mix of classic doom and sludge, created a monstrous noise; an intensity that made the tracks instant genre classics, despite vocalist Jadd Schickler’s “gargling with concrete” styled approach occasionally making the Blue Heron sound rather more marginal than some of their peers. A swiftly delivered full length release (‘Ephemeral’) really capitalised on their heavy abilities, but also showed off a band who were also capable of a hefty, bluesy swagger, bringing more of a desert rock/stoner quality. Between these bleak moods, Blue Heron appeared to have the full spectrum of heavier stoner vibes covered…and with aplomb.

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