Another week has passed in rock'n'roll land, and it appears that Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro may have had a difference of opinion over their respective votes in our Tracks Of The Week competition. That can be the only reason, right?
Either way, we congratulate Dirty Honey, whose Don't Put Out The Fire found itself at the top of the pile after a fraught to-and-fro, edging out Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour's You Can't Refuse (ft. Tim Montana) and Luck And Strange by that guitarist fella out of Pink Floyd.
This week? It'll be someone else altogether.
All we know is that it'll be one of the following.
Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge - Wine On Venus
Rising 18-year-old guitar star Grace Bowers and vocalist Esther Okai-Tetteh are the stars of this, the title track of GB&THP’s hotly anticipated debut (produced by Brothers Osborne’s own guitar hero John). Heaps of young musos do the old blues rock thing, but this actually offers something a bit new: a chilled, down-tempo but quietly inventive take on the style, spiced with old school funk and classy production with a modern twist. Definitely ones to watch.
The Damn Truth - Love Outta Luck
An early sample of the Montreal rockers’ next album – produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams etc etc) and due out in 2025 – Love Outta Luck is a big, stompy, swaggery mesh of old-school chops, thumping keys and raw, soul-ed up vocals from powerhouse mouthpiece Lee-La Baum (think Janis Joplin with a side of Beth Hart). Ultra-classic stuff with a fiery kick. Well worth catching them live, too.
KOYO - Hooked
After a period of silence and figuring out their identity, going forward, Leeds-based alt/prog rock mavericks KOYO are back with a new album, Onism, which comes out in November. Leaning into the clever, oddball end of their arsenal, while also boasting one of their most insistent hooks ever, Hooked (not a bad title there...) makes a commanding taster – far-out and noodly, without sacrificing the sort of oomph and immediacy that most of us really want from a rock song.
DeWolff - In Love
Billed as a “funky soul ode to cheating”, the retro Dutch dudes’ new single sounds as you’d hope from a cut off an album called Muscle Shoals; all dreamy old soul warmth, beautiful Hammond whirls and loose, Isley Brothers-y swagger. "Even before we were into Southern Rock, as a kid, Luka got an album of Southern Soul, and most of it was recorded at FAME," says singer/guitarist Pablo van de Poel, of his drummer brother. "Our introduction to Soul didn't start with James Brown; we started with Wilson Pickett.”
Gen & The Degenerates - Girls!
With proceeds going to the Malala Fund (set up by female education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai) the British “accidentally punk” alt.rockers’ new single/music video combines global issues with a personal story – the death of singer Genevieve’s friend, Lara. Brimming with light, energy and incisive takes on gender dynamics, it’s one of our favourites from their latest album, Anti-Fun Propaganda, which is out now.
The Courettes - Keep Dancing
Husband-and-wife duo Flavia and Martin Couri have a dose of sweet, swinging 60s Motown-ified pop rock with a melancholy heart, in the form of Keep Dancing – an ode to the death of Flavia’s father, fresh from their game-raising next album The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes. “My father died of COVID,” the singer/guitarist explains. “But my relationship with my father was non-existent. He abandoned me and my sister. It was a very difficult relationship and it’s not so easy for me to talk about it. Keep Dancing is about his death and how he still has a power over me and bringing me down and what it’s like to break free from that.”
Cardinal Black - Your Spark (Blows Me to Pieces)
As if being dubbed the Hot New Young Best Guitarist In The World or something along those lines weren't enough, Chris Buck also plays in Cardinal Black, the hotly-tipped Cardiff rockers. A tender, soulful slow-burner, Your Spark (Blows Me to Pieces) builds steadily to a climax of stirring soloing from Buck (one of those guitarists who seems to make the instrument talk, cry and sing) and vocals to match from the husky-throated Tom Hollister.
Bobbie Dazzle - Merry-Go-Round
With such a band name, it may not surprise you to learn that Bobbie Dazzle are inspired by the likes of Bowie, The Sweet, T. Rex and Suzi Quatro. Thankfully, Merry-Go-Round lives up to the billing, with a thumping riff and a chorus that soars into the glam-o-sphere like an eagle made of chrome and glitter. The song then heads off towards Planet Prog with a flute solo and twinkling keyboards, like Abba might sound if they'd grown up in the Midlands listening to the Edgar Broughton Band.
