Happy Monday folks, hope you're all doing well and are ready to dive into our fresh selection of rock's best new tracks. 'New' being the operative word - the charismatic crop of more recent talent in here makes us extremely happy. But first to last week's top three, as voted for by you:
3. Jetbone - Chickadee
2. Nazareth - Tattooed On My Brain
1. Tequila Mockingbyrd - Pretty Picture
Congratulations T-Byrds! And to Nazareth and Jetbone, close behind in second and third places (closely followed by everyone else; it was pretty tight this week...). Now, who's going to sway your vote this week? Check out the selection below, the vote for your favourite at the foot of this page. Right after you've had a lil' spin of last week's first prize winners Tequila Mockingbyrd:
Sweet Crisis – Treading in Deep Water
Ease into the week with this dulcet new single from Cambridge rockers Sweet Crisis – seen here cruising down the sun-dappled Cam on a punt. Yes it’s one of the more bucolic videos we’ve seen lately, but make no mistake; this is a class tune. A catchy, sophisticated mix of piano-led soul (propelled by singer Leo Robarts), ‘70s Southern vibes and classic rock’n’roll, it's a strong first impression. There’s more to come from them in 2019, so keep an eye out...
Rival Bones – Hot Blooded
And now to a dark, very loud room, where Liverpudlian hard rock duo Rival Bones are making a highly agreeable racket – its hooky ferocity nodding to the kind of sounds that Royal Blood made everyone go nuts over. You want tight, fuzzy guitars and commanding howls you can lose your shit to (inwardly or outwardly) this Monday? This is for you.
The Struts – Fire
Another total gear change next; one of the tracks from upcoming album Young And Dangerous that the glittery rock’n’rollers have been playing live a fair bit. Essentially story of two young lovers in the fiery first flush of lurve (or something…) there’s a hint of rock opera/musical theatre about it; frontman Luke Spiller’s fondness for Queen and Jim Steinman coming to the fore, with Butch Walker on production duties.
Gotthard (feat Francis Rossi) – Bye Bye Caroline
We can’t decide if “It ain’t nothing like Van Gogh/Or even Marilyn Monroe” is one of the best or worst lyrics we’ve heard all year (actually it probably is one of the worst, but we say that with love…), but either way we can’t help tapping our toes along to this Quo-tastic new song from “the most successful band from Switzerland”. Lyrically inspired by Rossi’s 1973 Caroline, it’s a bouncy romp of piano, guitars, harmonicas and unpretentious fun. Check out more on upcoming compilation Defrosted 2.
Greta Van Fleet – Anthem
To some they’re the rock equivalent of the second coming of Christ. To others they’re...well, not. We’ll let you be the judges of this acoustically-based new cut from upcoming album (Anthem Of A Peaceful Army), but for our money this is pretty darn good, showcasing a sweeter, more contemplative side to them. Less ‘angry young men’, more ‘cowboys at sunset’. In a good way.
The Velveteers – Anastasia Sings
We hear touches of the Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Stooges and The Kills, among others, in this gutsy, fuzzy shot of alt/hard rock from Colorado – louche and bursting with attitude, yet groovy as hell. With a commanding video that combines psychedelia, horror-charged theatre and early punk energy, it’s a trippy, inviting introduction to their world.
Samarkind – Thru That Door
Time for something hard, straight-up n’ bluesy now, from Irish rockers Samarkind. They've clearly ingested a lot of classic A-graders from the '70s and '80s (Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Guns N' Rose...) and it fuels the slickly executed nostalgic rock at work here. Even if our inner pedant/sub-editor is dying to say 'come on fellas, it's Through That Door...'.
GospelbeacH – Freeway To The Canyon
We’ll leave you with a sun-soaked swirl of warm Americana, folk and Summer Of Love vibes, taken from LA rockers GospelBeach. You’ll feel stylishly retro and Californian just listening to it. Aaaaand relax...
