You want new music? Good new music, that rocks? You've come to the right place. The eight tracks listed below have been whittled down from many, many more, and come from an eclectic range of artistes. They could all be winners, in our eyes, but only you can decide who actually will – simply cast your vote using the poll at the foot of this page.
Last week Nightwish romped to victory in epic, symphonic style (would they romp in any other way?), followed by Joe Satriani and Crown Lands in healthy second and third places respectively. Three very different tunes, all of them totally rocking, and all home runs in their own ways. See who you rate the highest this week, but first let’s have a spin of last week’s winning track – here’s Noise...
The Blinders - Circle Song
We loved this Manchester trio’s 2018 debut Columbia, so it was with high hopes that we plugged into their new single. Where the former was dominated by raw fury and politically attuned fire, this is a Lennon-esque ode to life’s more troubling crossroads, set to a melancholy waltz that feels by turns dark and sweet. Like what you hear? Their new album Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath is coming on 8th May.
Vodun - Rituals
Now with a new drummer in tow, London’s witchdoctors of hard-grooving psychedelia are back with this balls-out rock cut from latest album Ascend, ahead of UK tour dates this month and next. The sort of vibrant, heavy explosion of beef and bodypaint that makes rock’n’roll a sexier, more exciting place.
Biff Byford - Me And You
The Saxon mainman swaps the balls-out crunch n’ bash of NWOBHM for pretty acoustic strumming (fuck, even saxophone) on this ballad from his first solo album, School Of Hard Knocks, which is out this Friday. The years have given Biff plenty to reflect on, and so he does here in a way that feels natural and thoughtful, not self-indulgent. The old smoothie.
Stereo Pharoah - Tinnitus
Sometimes there’s no substitute for going back to the basics. Within the first couple of seconds of Tinnitus it’s clear that these Pennsylvania rockers understand that. A short, strutting, slightly stoned fix of groovy dirtbag rock’n’roll, it’ll make your ears ring, sing and skip with the kind of no-frills pleasure that’s dead easy to swallow. Like chocolate for the soul, with a salty kick.
Little Triggers - (Bang) Bang Out Go The Lights
We saw these guys live last week and this was one of the highlights, so we’re happy to share it with you now. It’s a fast n’ furious fireball of barely contained energy that makes them sound like Rival Sons’ naughty kid brothers – the excitable but prodigious ones, jacked up on Haribo and addicted to QOTSA, Wolfmother and Steve Marriot records.
Datura4 - You're The Only One
If you need to just check the hell out of whatever’s going on around you (for just shy of four minutes, anyway), this soft, suspenseful fusion of haunting blues, slide and wild west flavours is your guy. You’ll find more spacey goings-on on the Australians’ fourth album, West Coast Highway Cosmic – informed by “long, sometimes lonely” drives between recording studios along the southwest coast of Oz.
Tiffany Twisted - Sold My Soul
Known to her mates as Hetti Harper, Tiffany’s stage name was inspired by a lyric in the Eagles’ Hotel California. But if you were expecting 70s West Coast throwback activity you’re in for a surprise; Sold My Soul is moody, melodic alt-rock that takes in heartland, pop and a hint of contemporary Nashville, before moving into the kind of chorus that would sit comfortably at Glastonbury and at an indie-rock night.
Ryders Creed - Lost Soul
We’re finishing with this brooding, soul-searching slice from Midlands rockers Ryders Creed. The chorus is their winning ticket here; anthemic, rousing… like the Foo Fighters going for beers and man-hugs with Roadrunner-era Black Stone Cherry, after a particularly devastating break-up. "This song is about the hole that we can all find ourselves in when we start lying and end up not being able to stop,” the band explain. “It's about solitude and pushing all those we love away from us without even realising that it's happening."
