Christmas is almost upon us, and they'll be celebrating early in the streets of Bridgend as news breaks that Those Damn Crows have triumphed in the almost-Xmas edition of our Tracks Of The Week competition. So congratulations to them. Festive plaudits are also due to Caleb Johnson and The Darkness, who didn't win, but came close enough.
Another eight acts have been lined up to compete in this week's joust, and we'll reveal the results as 2024 comes to a giddy climax. In the meantime, have a great Christmas.
Here are our latest eight candidates. Please vote for the one you'd like to invite over for Christmas dinner.
Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - I Told My Baby
Now for some festive cheer of a spicy but still suitably party-friendly nature for the holiday season. Dynamite New Orleans-meets-LA-via-Blighty duo Greta Valenti and Robin Davey are joined by burlesque star Kitten de Ville, creating a whirlwind of feathers, sequins and sass on this turbo-blues’n’roll groove machine (originally released on this year’s excellent Hot Nostalgia Radio), lighting up like the world’s sexiest Christmas tree. “Two minutes of pure eye and ear candy for your rock & roll souls,” the band declare. “We hope you love it!”
Black Spiders - Out Of Order
Black Spiders are in such a good place creatively that their raucous new single isn’t even from their upcoming record – but it absolutely feels like something you'd expect to have been a 'keeper' in the tracklisting process. “We wanted to give people a vibe of where the new album may be heading and have some fun with the video,” explains frontman Pete Spiby. “The song itself is a rant against God. For when things go wrong or not the way you planned and giving us such a shitty life.” Expect dirty, fast-paced rock’n’roll of the cheerfully raging tone we know and love ‘em for. And sock puppets. Nice.
Tremendous - Slipping Away
"There's a bit of self-destruction in there on both parts,” singer Mark explains, of these Birmingham glam rockers’ mournful, stirringly harmonised ode to waning romance. “Loveless relationship that's gone way past its shelf life/sell by date. It's quite a melancholic song. I also wanted to keep it simple lyrically. Very little guitar work or flashy production." Adding a yearning, early 90s whisper of almost Jellyfish pop rock to their 70s-glittered foundations, it captures that strange mess of despair, nostalgia and uncertainty that we’ve all experienced at some point.
Gleb Kolyadin - Glimmer
Not such a rocky affair (you’ll recognise this Russian pianist from enigmatic ‘chamber prog’ duo Iamthemorning), but it could be the cooling tonic you need at this time of year. Like an icy, delicate alternative to Howard Blake’s Snowman-accompanying Walking In The Air, Kolyadin’s immersive, emotionally nuanced modern classical piano drives a steady, shimmering build of earthy beats, taut high notes and folky woodwind strains. We’d suggest closing your eyes for ultimate immersion, but then you’d miss the stunning handcrafted animation from Natalia Ryss – a kaleidoscope of dancing blue hues, oceanic creatures and abstract lines. Listen out for his new solo album, Mobula, in the new year.
Himalayas - Nothing Higher
Rising Welsh rockers Himalayas channel Muse and Royal Blood at their gnarliest and grooviest – with a few dashes of heady psychedelia – on new single Nothing Higher. Riddled with existential angst, shadowy atmospherics and heavy, woozy guitars that resonate in your chest, the song “discusses the personal struggle to find meaning against the backdrop of a chaotic and unsympathetic world,” the band explain, “however it also offers some respite to this through love and hope.”
Nate Bergman - Hallelujah
Before you cry ‘OH JESUS NO NOT ANOTHER FUCKING HALLELUJAH COVER!’, we’d implore you to give this a spin, because it’s one of the good ‘uns. With a voice as big and soulful as his, the former Lionize frontman could’ve easily wailed his way through a diva-sized interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s most enduringly famous ballad. But he doesn’t. Armed with an acoustic guitar, Bergman creates a sparse, darkly atmospheric rendition with nods to Jeff Buckley’s immortal, from-the-gut take and restrained but heartfelt gospel backing in the final stretch – all tension and tenderness, free of cliches.
Ally Venable - Do You Cry
Texan blues sensation Ally Venable released Do You Cry as a single last month, and now she's released an in-the-studio video that captures not just the ferocity of her playing but the power of her voice, as both soar and sail somewhere off into the upper reaches of the blues-o-sphere. "The song explores the raw, vulnerable experience of heartbreak and the complex emotions that come with it," she says. "I wrote Do You Cry about the bittersweet reality of lost love. I hope this song can connect with listeners on a deeply personal level."
Robot Monster - Night Terrors
Rowdy New Haven duo Robot Monster got their start uploading videos to TikTok and Instagram, and have since toured with the likes of Stone Temple Pilots, The Bronx and Drug Church. Many of their videos feature the pair surrounded by huge pieces of abandoned machinery, and the stuttering rhythms and clanking riffs of Night Terrors fit the industrial vibe quite nicely. It's the kind of thing you might get if you asked a rivet factory to write a song, but in a good way.
