Curated by Monk
Well, with a few exceptions, the pathway out of the dark tunnel that has been the past 18 months finally seems to be getting clearer day by day, as we slowly take those vital steps back to at least a semblance of the normality we enjoyed before the pandemic wrecked chaos on our collective and individual lives. Yes, there are still some restrictions in place in some parts of the Über Kingdom, but the signs are increasingly positive, not least in terms of the summer festival season being up-and-running again, and the light on the horizon is growing ever brighter – and it’s not just ‘cos we’re being blessed with a rare (occasionally) sunny summer!
One constant throughout the vagaries of inconsistent and often hard to stomach lockdowns has that the ÜR Singles Club has remained open for (virtual) business throughout, bringing you our selection of what we regard as the best new sounds to have come our way every fortnight – with a few special events thrown in for good measure! So, it’s time to once again fire up the death decks and see what joyous gems the past fortnight has brought our way, with my selection of my favourite tunes from among the more than 500 submissions which we received over the course of the two weeks…
So, without further ado, it’s time to get those shiny little discs a spinning, and for the first one we are joined by erstwhile ÜR faves Muck And The Mires, who are once again proving that they are more than ‘Good Enough’ to kick off this edition with another quality blast of good-time Boston garage rawk ‘n’ roll (baby)…
Rum Bar Records are definitely one of our favourite labels here at ÜRHQ, and it is with their roster we stay as we welcome a new name to our clubgoers, in the form of Cromm Fallon, who serves up an impressive blend of ’60s style garage rock, ’70s punk and ’90s showgaze into a heady and addictive mix:
We head north of the American border for our next offering, as Edmonton punks Real Sickies prepare for some ‘Destructive Nights’ thanks to the latest track to be extracted from their current ‘Love Is For Lovers’ album:
Staying in Canada, we cross to Calgary to hook up with emerging pop-punk trio Only The Strong, who prove that their creative wardrobe is anything but ‘Vacant’ with this latest offering from their forthcoming new EP:
We continue the punk vibe with the debut single from London newcomer Mrley, who combines his background as a grime MC with his childhood love of bands like The Clash, Nirvana and Gun N’ Roses:
It’s time to Save Face… no, that’s the name of the band, another act who strive to defy generic classification as they move from their earlier pop-punk sound to a more synth-laden, thrashier mien, as exemplified on the sonic metaphor that is new single ‘Glitter’… although it you’re expecting much of the shiny stuff in the accompanying video, you’re in for a blood-soaked surprise:
Now, ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding, as we have some true rock ‘n’ roll royalty in the house. Please welcome to the Clubhouse the one and only Dion and the inimitable Boz Scaggs, who have proven their determination to get to us with a song that has actually been kicking around for more than 50 years but only now has seen the light of day… but, it’s been worth the wait, we’re sure you’ll agree:
Another legend has just sauntered into the bar, in the form of Mr Sami Yaffa, who has resurrected the spirit of the late Tom Petty with the beautiful ‘Down At St Joe’s’, which epitomizes the diversity of sounds and influences which the former Hanoi Rocks/New York Dolls member displays on his excellent debut album, which is being released at the end of the week:
From the old guard to the avant-garde, and mysterious London post-punk combo Nrvs are proclaiming that they like us (and, believe us, guys, the feeling’s mutual) with the title track from their forthcoming new EP:
We seem to be pushing musical boundaries with this week’s playlist, so let’s continue to so with Rolo Tomassi, who have returned from a two-year hiatus with the announcement of a one-off hometown show in Brighton in November, which they have prefaced with this powerful new single:
Melding styles continues to be the name of game as Harry Stafford, perhaps best known to regular clubbers as the frontman of Inca Babies, integrates his post-punk fatalism with that of punk-blues veteran Marco Butcher to take us on a trip to ‘Termite City’ (aka Manchester):
Twenty years after they were proclaimed “the future of punk rock” – only to subsequently implode – SoCal’s Deviates have re-ignited the fires in their bellies, as exemplified in this ferocious return to form, which proves that they’ve ‘Wasted’ no time in getting back down to business:
We’re into the second half of this fortnight’s playlist, so it’s ‘All Down Hill From Here’ – and we take that journey to the soundtrack provided by Seattle scene veterans Candlebox and the third single – co-written with Christopher Thorne of Blind Melon – to be issued by way of a preview for their forthcoming seventh studio album, ‘Wolves’… feel the bite:
We traverse the Ünited States to New York next, to hook up with Lorne Behrman, a veteran of the NYC through his tenures in the likes of The Dimestore Haloes, L.E.S. Stitches, The Dead Tricks and most recently The Sweet Things, who draws on his innermost feelings and experiences of hitting rock bottom, especially in the midst of a pandemic, for this raw and emotional solo debut:
A change in mood now, thanks to the wonderfully named funk-fuelled stoner rockers Marijuana Johnson who, perhaps unsurprisingly, are sending up ‘Smoke Signals’ with this atmospheric groover from current album ‘Gem City Kush’:
‘Catch Me If You Can’ is the challenge from Jocke Berg, frontman of Swedish glunksters Hardcore Superstar, who have come storming back with this triumphant slice of adrenaline-fuelled, attitude-dripping slice of rock ‘n’ roll retribution. All it’s really missing is Leonardo DiCaprio moshing along!
We return to the Über Kingdom for another change in mood, courtesy of Toon City metalcore mob Rituals, who are advising us to ‘Turn Away From The Sun’ with their stonking latest preview of their forthcoming EP, which lands this coming Friday:
Manchester alt-rockers We The North are asking the question ‘Where Is Your God?’, with this Muse-infused slice of indie mayhem inspired by the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing:
One of the most eagerly anticipated bands at this weekend’s Reading and Leeds festivals undoubtedly will have been Boston Manor, who have prefaced their return to live action with this impactful and typically anthemic offering:
Fancy some sugary-sweet and delicious eclecto-pop to take us into our final segment? Well then, hook yourself up to ‘The Saccharine Drip’, the superb latest offering from our good friends Willie and Jon, otherwise, and better, known as The Dowling Poole:
Our penultimate track comes from New Wave of BritPop scene setters The DMA’s, who ironically, despite their very Madchester-era sound, hail from Sydney. With the band about to return to the ÜK’s shores for an extensive tour, they’ve just released a new EP, from which ‘We Are Midnight’ is the latest sample:
We sign out today with another fine slice of gothic noirishness from the mighty Nergal, frontman of black metal titans Behemoth, who continues to push the boundaries of generic preconceptions with the darkwave folk of his Me And That Man side project. Prefacing the imminent release of MATM’s third album -which sees Nergal collaborating with the likes of Myrkur, Gary Holt, Alissa White-Gluz, Randy Blythe, Devin Townsend and Abbath – he has presented us with the majestic ‘Got Your Tongue’…
Well, that’s your lot for latest iteration of the Singles Club. Yet again, we’ve drunk the pumps dry and the optics are running low, so it’s time to neck the dregs and take a break to restock the bar and recharge the batteries before delving headlong back into the rock ‘n’ roll action in two weeks’ time, when the big lad by the name of Astrocreep once again (hopefully) will be beaming down from some mysterious corner of the Überverse to take charge of the deathdecks and bringing you some of the hottest new sounds from around this hoary old rock ‘n’ roll planet… Until then, keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and #StayTheFuckSafe!
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