Towards the end of 2025, musician Lee Byatt collaborated with a couple of heroes from the punk underground to create Hike The Peak’s ‘Water’ EP, the third release in the band’s ‘Elements’ cycle. The songs featured the band’s now trademark melodic punk and skate punk riffs along with the expected thoughtful lyrical content. Although the results weren’t as immediately exciting as the earlier ‘Air’ EP, the material still gave fans enough to enjoy.
For a band rooted within the northeastern US, The Northern Line adopt a very British sound on parts of their debut EP. The crashy opening of ‘Lightning Strikes’ makes no secret of a love of The Who, and occasionally the number slips into a riff or two that’s reminiscent of early Dodgy. It isn’t a straight up homage to old mod or mod adjacent Britpop sounds, though: the swirling organs and crashing beats that run through the centre of this energised number carry more than a faint echo of old Northern Soul bangers, and a reverbed vocal leans a little more into a garage rock sound. If you’re going to borrow, it might as well be from good stock, of course, and what The Northern Line manage with their spoils here has a genuine spark throughout. With a slight echo applied, the lead vocal takes on a retro sound that is genuinely great, but is soon outshone by a world of lead guitar courtesy of Pete Kitchener, a man clearly able to redress a couple of Dave Davies inspired runs with the power of 90s Britpop to give the track an extra feeling of gusto. It’s all very familiar to say the least, but what this menagerie of sound represents feels far greater than the actual outcome. This is the sound of a band with a lot of energy and a band who are able to recycle bits of the past in a way that feels genuinely exciting.
Josaleigh Pollett’s ‘Radio Player’ is a rather special recording. Its opening sounds throw the listener into a world of dark synthwave, suggesting something rich in atmosphere. It then takes a somewhat dramatic twist when Josaleigh adds a vocal that, at first, suggests they have a love of classic dream pop, before an increase in volume allows their voice to reach for something much bigger. Hitting a couple of soaring notes, this presents a talent with a huge, natural tone, drawing the listener further into a world where Pollett’s love of almost cinematic sounds comes into its own. It’s then all change again, when a selection of programmed beats add a hard rhythm, calling back to the late 80s and a time of sharp sounding analogue synths. This contrasts brilliantly with a very human tone, but also adds a feeling of directness beneath a lyric exploring a world where the protagonist falls asleep in the glow of a TV signal, almost as if placing themselves the world of the classic ‘Poltergeist’.
There’s an old soul lurking within ‘Leaves’ by Julia Greenberg. The acoustic guitar lines and upright bass evoke elements of Joni Mitchell’s folk-jazz crossover sound circa 1974 at first, but the feeling of hearing something classic runs far deeper than that. An unpolished vocal owes more to Marianne Faithfull and her unapologically confessional style, and the presence of a tasteful accordion gives the feeling of something distinctly European. With a lack of percussion, the listener is constantly drawn towards the vocal and the lyric, shared with a perfect confidence, but despite a wordy approach, ‘Leaves’ is also a track that flaunts a simple and catchy hook, making it feel perfectly rounded. Working its charms from the very first listen, this is a must-hear for lovers of singer-songwriter fare, and by flaunting a defiantly vintage quality, it gives Greenberg’s ‘Born Sentimental’ EP a very strong centrepiece.
There’s a lot of music pouring out of Boston and its suburbs in the summer of 2026. So much, in fact, that we’re making a return visit in record time! Previous Round Ups have thrown a spotlight onto a wealth of underground acts and independent musicians, and this visit is no exception. You’ll recognise a few familiar names, but hopefully discover a few new ones too, as we dip into a selection of tunes that takes in alternative rock, power pop, garage rock, alt country and singer songwriter’s wares. As always, we hope you enjoy what you hear…
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