Das Kapitans kick off their 2026 EP ‘Elvytys’ with one of their sharpest tracks to date. Allowing no time for the listener to become acclimatised, ‘This T-Shirt Fights Sweatshops’ hits with a performance that couples a fast tempo with a hard edged lead guitar, sharing something that sounds a little like a DIY version of an old Bloc Party track. For the fan, it creates immediate thrill; for anyone previously unfamiliar with this UK indie-punk act, it offers something that should more than pique interest. The verse’s angular approach shows off a very tight quartet, with Ollie Prescott’s mechanical drumming pushing forward with an effectively mechanical edge, while Stephen Potter’s guitar adds a really busy post punk tone. The main hook offers a superb contrast, tapping into Das Kap’s shoutier aesthetic, allowing a booming voice to attack with the same huge presence felt on the chorus of the previous EP’s highlight ‘Just A Dream’. In short, this is peak Das Kapitans: a song that deserves pride of place at the lead track on a release, but also the kind of number that runs the risk of making everything else come up short.
Watch: Wooden Overcoat share new video for ‘Home’
Born during the 2020 global pandemic, Wooden Overcoat began as a project for multi-instrumentalist Brant Hajek marking a return to recording following the demise of Portland based band The Tamed West. The project’s blend of retro indie and psychedelic tones is a natural fit for what began as a one-man vehicle, but the many layers that make up the debut single ‘Home’ never suggest anything that’s been recorded on the quick and the cheap.
Listen: Desert Kites share new track ‘Simple Cure’
Those paying very close attention to the rock underground over the past couple of years may well have encountered Desert Kites. The Dundee based band have released a string of singles and an EP that gained some positive online press.
The band are back with the surprisingly sparky ‘Simple Cure’, which takes their riff-based approach in a slightly different direction from the EP’s post grunge sounds..
LILI REFRAIN – Nagalite
Lili Refrain’s fifth release ‘Mana’ was an interesting proposition. The record’s nine compositions drew influence from a variety of styles. The opening couplet (‘Ki’/‘Kokyu’) set a fairly cold mood by mixing light drone with choral vocals; ‘Eikyou’ featured strong, soaring vocal lines against heavy tribal influenced rhythms; the much darker ‘Ichor’ shared a vocal mantra shifting between the gothic and operatic, augmented by orchestral sounds via heavy synth work, only allowing finger cymbals to bring any lightness to the piece. Better still, and slightly more accessible without shifting too far away from Refrain’s sense of the artistic, ‘Ahi Tapu’ occasionally sounded like early eighties Tangerine Dream fused with a Brad Fidel film score, topped with whispering Japanese vocals, and latterly another neo-operatic melody that showed Refrain in possession of a huge voice.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #149
Welcome back to the Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, there’s an amazing ballad from a veteran singer-songwriter, some really cool retro vibes from a brand new rock act, a slab of almost perfect shoegaze, and a metal oriented number that flaunts a massive 90s riff with an industrial edge. You’ll also find a piece of Americana tinged pop-rock that shows massive promise, and more besides. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!
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