The Über Rock Singles Club – December’s Dunkers

Curated by DJ Monk

As the year races to its inevitable conclusion, the number of single releases coming our way has slowed down a touch – but that doesn’t mean there has been any decline in the quality of material being released. Far from it, in fact because, as the year progresses, it has become harder and harder to whittle down the numbers from several hundred submissions each fortnight to the dozen or so final choices that we present to you…

Our first selection comes from the LA-based musical collective by the name of Beauty In Chaos, the revolving supergroup that involves members of The Cure, Ministry, The Offspring, The Mission, Cheap Trick, Marilyn Manson, Van Halen, Bauhaus, Gene Loves Jezebel, A Flock of Seagulls and Nine Inch Nails, among others. The project’s new single once again sees Wayne Hussey take lead vocals on the beautiful, and very appropriately titled ‘The Delicate Of All Things’, which is the first taste of BIC’s forthcoming third album, ‘The Calm Before The Storm’, which is due to be released early next year:

Another collaboration brings a subtle change in mood now with Mancunian post-punk heroes The Membranes teaming up with darkwave goth rocker Kitty Lectro to take us into the world of the ‘Nocturnal’ with a pair of remixes of the track of the same name from their most recent album, ‘What Nature Takes… Nature Takes Away’. The Membranes are currently touring with Mark Lanegan with UK and Irish dates starting in London this Tuesday (10 December) and continuing in Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin and Belfast.

A double dose of metal mayhem coming atcha right here right now. First up we have Reading rages Sylosis, who have emerged from a three-year hiatus with a stunning declaration on intent in the form of ‘I Sever, the first single to be released from their forthcoming new album, ‘Cycle Of Suffering’, which is being released on 7 February. Sylosis will also introduce their new line-up, featuring Conjurer bassist Conor Marshall, at what is so far a one-off headline show at the Islington Assembly Hall on 13 February.

We move slightly up the country to Sheffield, where we find While She Sleeps addressing what they describe as “the rampant deception and fakery that we are faced with daily on the internet” with the newly released ‘Faker’s Plague’. It comes with a holographic video which, when viewed in its intended form, can be seen from 360-degree angles. WSS play the Brixton O2 Academy on Friday 24 January and Manchester Academy on Sunday 26 January.

Changing tack yet again we have something so new the paint hasn’t even dried on the studio walls yet! ‘Better View’ is the debut single from Aussie newbies Hunter Hero: well, they’re not newbies exactly, as the band is made up of drummer Zane Rosanoski and guitarist Pete Williamson from Mammal and vocalist Rob Farnham from Rival Fire, alongside session bassist Daz Coppins. It’s an energetic introduction, offering a fresh twist on the alt-rock vibe, and a song that doesn’t outstay its welcome with its immediacy and infectious vibrancy:

Our next pick sees us returning to ÜR’s home city of Belfast and the debut single from promising newcomers Paper Tigers, who are painting on their ‘Gucci Smiles’. The song was recorded in a single take, which is evident from the pure energy it exudes, while the accompanying video captures the excitement this band generate in the live environment:

Über Kingdom-bound guitar heroine Laura Cox has been kicking up a massive storm since the release of her debut album, ‘Hard Shot Blues’ – which apparently sold 10,000 copies in France alone! With her second full-lengther having just impacted, she shows us that she is ‘Freaking Out Loud’ with its lead single… although, be warned: if you have a phobia about being attacked by vampires and zombies on a airplane, you might want to look away and just listen to the audio content (which is pretty freaking good)…

Another complete change in direction takes us to metalcore mob Blood Youth, who are ‘Playing The Victim’ with their latest offering. The song was actually written during the lead up to the band’s latest album, ‘Starve’, but didn’t make it on to the finished product, only to be revisit and given a timely stand-alone release:

Veering off in yet another musical tangent, we have some fast-paced stoner-edged punk for you now, in the form of Veislakt, who not only sing in Norwegian but their own particular dialect. The band’s name means Roadkill, and the infectious ‘We Don’t Wanna’ is the second single to be released from their forthcoming fourth album, which is due to be released sometime in the Spring:

Now, pay attention at the back: put your hands up if we said the words “female Japanese metal band” and you automatically thought of Baby Metal! We thought so… well, there’s another group of iron maidens from the land of the rising sun over the past year are so and that is Lovebites, who prove that they are not as white as their distinctive costumes as they channel their inner samurai on ‘When Destinies Align’, the first single to be released from their third album, ‘Electric Pentagram’, which is being released at the end of January:

New York-based post punk combo Bambara have been quite a noise for themselves, literally, and continue to do so with ‘Sing Me To The Street’, the second preview track to be lifted from their new album, ‘Stray’, which is being released on 14 February. ‘Sing Me…’ features guest vocals from Ani Ivry-Block of Palberta, and Drew Citron of Public Practice:

We’re racing towards last orders here at the Club, with Astrocreep looking longingly at that half-full bottle of Scotch on the corner of the bar, so it’s time for our penultimate selection, which comes from Southampton alt-rock quartet Dali, who draw from the well of the likes of Biffy Clyro, Mallory Knox and Don Broco and tell us ‘You’re Not The One’, their hard-hitting third single. If Dali keep going on the trajectory they’ve been following during 2019, this time next year we’ll be reminding you where you (possibly) first heard them:

We finish off with a song that is being billed as “thank you, good luck and goodbye” from Tequila Mockingbyrd, who round off what has been a traumatic yet exciting year in which they have lost two members, joined forces with Gill Montgomery from The Amorettes (who also lost two members in the early stages of 2019) and guitarist Laurie Buchanan to fulfil existing live commitments. As the band now look forward to a “new chapter” in 2020, they bow out with a new single about the dangers of “drunk dialling” with what would appear to be their last ever release – and what better way to sign off than with this little belter?

Both DJ Astrocreep and myself will be back in two weeks’ time with a special festive edition of the Singles Club, in which we will be presenting our favourite Christmas-themed singles currently doing the rounds, alongside our usual pick of the hottest new releases to have come our way in the intervening period. There then will be a special end-of-year edition on Sunday 29 December, in which we will look back at our favourite singles to be released over the past 12 months. Until then, in time honoured Über Rock fashion – keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on rockin’ \m/