Curated by DJ Astrocreep
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… well, we’re actually a week overdue (work can beat us all, sometimes!) which left us with a bumper almost one thousand submissions for this edition! We’ve spent many hours pondering and arguing with our own inner monologue over which should and shouldn’t make the cut – let’s get right down to business, shall we?
Starting us off, we have two supremely talented people in Lindsay Schoolcraft and Sarah Jezebel Deva, who are definitely revelling in their ‘Stolen Light’ with this haunting single full of hidden power, melody and symphonic elements.
The Blood Republic may be a fairly new act, but frontman Zak is wasting no time as he decides to ‘Slip Away’ with this highly melodic electronic rock track!
Dave Coutts has debut single ‘Teargas In August’ ringing through our ears, a highly melodic folky blues rock number that will earworm you right through until next August!
Mystic Peach are thinking ‘Shes So Neat’ with this single, sounding almost like a punked up ‘Roxanne’, in a slightly more chaotic manner – quite the effort for a debut record!
Another debut single next as Mexican Dogs are thinking about ‘You & I’ in a manner that wouldn’t sound out of place among the Smashing Pumpkin’s back catalogue, with that ’90s alt-rock feel!
So-Cal ska punkers Half Past Two are reviving memories of early No Doubt, though this is definitely no ‘Scratched CD’ as this fun-filled, up-tempo number will definitely warrant more than a few back to backs!
Bumsy and the Moochers are sniffing ‘The Rat’ in this ska-punk political ripper, taking no prisoners with their no-nonsense attitude and straight up riffs!
Going a bit more old school punk rock, The Control Freaks are advising you to ‘Get Some Help’ in their upcoming LP, with ‘F.O.N.’ taking accepting no bullshit in this roaring riffed effort
Another debut single? Why the hell not! Seven Days and Doesn’t Die are accepting ‘No Restitution’ in this ballsy punk n roller – what an introduction it is, too!
Urban punks Talk Show are headed into the ‘Underworld’ with their latest high energy, electronic punk anthem, with the up-tempo number taking no prisoners!
Calva Louise are a band I have featured in the Singles Club on numerous occasions, with good reason, and they are getting ‘Euphoric’ in their latest effort, sounding like an almost dystopian take on modern rock – electronic, harmonies yet an edge of unease that leaves you on the edge of your seat.
Hot Milk do a fantastic job of blending a ‘Split Personality’ single as well as this, melding an almost heavy pop edge into some rather sumptuous alt-rock – quite the achievement!
Alien Weaponry are rightfully gaining a stellar reputation for their mix of native Maori and a progressive metal musical take, with plenty of melody mixed with aggression in this track, ‘Hatupatu’!
French metallers Stengah REALLY know how to make an impression, with an absolutely crushing debut single in ‘Above Humanity’. Brutal tech metal done in a masterful manner.
Keeping it French, we have Parisian progressive jazz rockers Baron Crane up next, telling us all about ‘Larry’s Journey’. Plenty of groove, a tribal African influence and a hypnotising bassline combine to create quite the omonomatopeic track!
The Stone Eye are telling us about their ‘Aleutian Summer’ in their latest track, taking us on a journey full of harmonies and an almost progressive take on stoner!
Phil Stiles is another who has featured on the hallowed ÜR pages before, who doesn’t want to ‘End This Way’ – a haunting, melodic take on electronic rock, looking at why we don’t seem to learn the lessons of before in a powerful single.
Coastal Fire Dept are asking ‘What Do I’ in their latest highly melodic rocker. Plenty of heart and soul crafted into an impressive track!
They Fell From The Sky may have been around for a while in other bands, but they are still producing some of their finest work, as ‘The Line’ will testify. Plenty of poise and melody in a lovely bit of melodic rock ear candy!
Bare Roots may think it might ‘Count For Nothing’, but this melodic tale of someone making amends is sure to be one a lot of people could relate to.
Last, but not least, we actually having something a little special for you now – a premiere, of sorts! The Ampersands are back after nine long years! While they may think that ‘It’s All Been A Wash’, this melody fuelled rock is anything but – it’s sure to be an earworm for weeks to come!
Well, I’m knackered after that bumper edition, so I’m away for a well-deserved lie down in a dark room… until next time, as Monk says keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges – and keep on rockin’ ‘n’ rollin’ \m/
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.