Looking for a new band to obsess over? Quality tuneage from an existing favourite? A supergroup featuring members of JET and Muse? We've got all this, and more, in the latest edition of Tracks Of The Week.
Firstly, over to last week's results. The Struts finished up in the top spot for the second week running (this time with Robbie Williams in tow), followed by Orianthi in second place and Gallows Circus in third. All three are well worth checking out, if you haven't already, and congratulations to our winners!
So before we get started on this week's selection (don't forget to vote at the bottom) here's The Struts' winning entry, now complete with a new video.
Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons - Son Of A Gun
Phil and his Bastard Sons (three actual sons, one honorary 'son' Neil Starr on vocals) are back with a shit-kicking, hell-raising first taste of their upcoming new album. Campbell Sr's old bandmates in Motörhead (may they rest in peace) would approve. The frontman says of the track: "It will blow your head off!" You have been warned.
Pre-order new album We’re The Bastards here.
The Jaded Hearts Club - Love’s Gone Bad
Wowzers, talk about a blast from the past... And a really cool one at that. Featuring stars of JET, Muse, The Zutons, Blur and The Last Shadow Puppets – initially assembled in 2017 by Brit guitarist Jamie Davis as "an early ‘60s Cavern-era Beatles band" – Love's Gone Bad mixes dashes of Northern Soul with Stones-come-Beatles sensibilities, all wrapped up in a stylish, contemporary package.
Pre-order the album You've Always Been Here.
Dinosaur Pile-Up - It’s Tricky
A classic floor-filler, revisited with big, fat guitars and extra caffeine? Plus alien abduction? Bloodhound Gang ears?? You know you want it. Frontman Matt Bigland says of this fierce, super-fun cover: “We basically wanted a chance to make our own Beastie Boys/Busta Rhymes esque video, but for a Run DMC song. So when Amazon Music kindly agreed to put a video into production we were like OK LET’S GOOOO!!"
Pre-order tickets for the 2021 tour dates here.
The Nude Party - Lonely Heather
Piano-thumping, guitar-jabbing, lo-fi glam boogieing now from New York seven-piece The Nude Party (not actual nudes, we don't think...). Imagine The Strokes losing their shit over a heap of Lou Reed and Rolling Stones records, and you've got the right idea. Noisy, sweaty, unrefined, probably very bad for you... all the good stuff, then?
Pre-order new album Midnight Manor here.
Broken Machine - Sweet Mary Jane
Stirring post-grunge from LA with layers of gauzy psychedelia and emotional weight. “I wrote Sweet Mary Jane during a moment of self reflection about my past addictions,” frontman Schyler Douglas says, of this acoustic-driven track. “I was feeling depressed about spending so much of my earlier life focused on getting high instead of being clear, present and focused in life."
Stream or download the debut EP here.
Fish - This Party’s Over
The latest slice of Fish's swan song record is a reflective but upbeat number, inspired by, as the man himself says, “when I started to become concerned about my drinking”. Buoyant yet brooding, with an instantly huggable melody and a heart laced with folk, ironically it's the sort of song we'd quite happily stick on at a party (albeit a more chilled one).
Pre-order the album Weltschmerz here.
Blacktop Mojo - Signal’s Gone
While there's definitely a part of us that kept waiting for this to burst out into something bigger, the Texan hard rockers' moody, rootsy new single does a fine job of generating atmosphere and a commanding level of tension.
Music, merch and band updates here.
Bob Mould - Siberian Butterfly
The former Hüsker Dü man's new single meshes autobiographical lyrics (touching upon his own "self-hating years as a young gay man") with a driving, Pete Townshend-esque backdrop of bittersweet energy. “The genesis of Siberian Butterfly spoke to the notion of ’collectors’" Mould has said, "people with excessive means who gather the works of creative folk for their ego-driven portfolios."
Pre-order the new album Blue Hearts.
