2026, week 41. 10 singles.

Even when listening with a stricter ear, more singles are presented to me than I can keep up with. Since the summer break I'm running behind already about a month. The ones you find here made the cut my critical ear makes. Again with a few new names in there too, so go out and explore. Enjoy!

Innocence Lost. Purple Pilgrims

Purple Pilgrims? No, I can't say I've heard the name before. Checking to be sure, I did get a hit but under the name Clementine Valentine, the name under which sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon released the record 'The Coin That Broke The Fountain Floor', reviewed by Erwin Zijleman in 2023. The two albums the sisters released under the name Purple Pilgrims before that, did not make it to these pages. Erwin described the album to have a fairytale vibe. I would prefer to describe Innocence Lost this way. Dreamy it is and because of this atmosphere it holds something the opposite of the title, innocence. The long held atmospheric notes, a lot of delay in the notes played and slow, slow singing and again long held notes in the multi-layered background vocals also create an undercurrent of tension. Nonetheless, Innocence Lost is a song to dream away with and escape reality for a while. Album 'Given to the Night' will be released on 27 November.

Decipher. Travo

We have vague plans to do Northern Spain and Portugal in the summer holiday of 2027. You have to go to Braga then, my sold me. They have the best bacalao there I've ever eaten. OK, that sounds like some sound piece of advice. Perhaps the members of Travo can tell me more, as this psychedelic hardrock band is from Braga. With single Decipher the new album is announced once again. 'Wasteland' was released this week. Based on my experience with Decipher it will be a loud and intense affair, but not without a clear song structure. I happened to have played Marillion's 'Misplaced Childhood' recently and Decipher is a louder version of the loudest songs on that album. In other words, there is a lot to enjoy in Decipher. Extra melodies, another guitar part flying in from somewhere, to leave again a bit later. Melodic, shredding, relatively subtle, super wild. You'll find it all in here. And even somewhat quieter breaks, before the band breaks loose in full again. Great single.

Home. Beauty in Chaos and Ashton Nyte

Beauty in Chaos, The Awakening, Ashton Nyte's band, and the two together can all be found on this blog. With Home the two team up once again. Nyte lends his voice to this rocking ballad by Beauty in Chaos. Home is a song that is heavy enough not to become cheesy and ballad enough to convince as a rock ballad. There is Ashton Nyte's voice. His nickname "Johannesburg's David Bowie" is well-deserved but also has its own qualities. Michael Ciravolo, who is Beauty in Chaos, has created a beautiful and melodic song for Nyte to sing over. The bass supporting the song is a little dirty, contrasting nicely with the nicely played opening riff/central melody of the song. The lead guitar underneath the chorus is just as great and played in great taste. Again in contrast with that bass guitar. There already is a new Beauty in Chaos album, 'Quiet Place'. It's produced by Michael Rozon, who also plays bass and programmed the drums.

Holy Line. Mynolia

Another debut on this blog and like the Nixon sisters above here, Mynolia takes us into a very dreamy world, but one where more scary things can enter all of a sudden. Just like a real dream can turn into something less pleasant or even unpleasant within, I don't know how fast. How long do dreams last? Holy Line has a folky undertone, while having dreampop elements combined with some solid elements. The acoustic guitar plays an accent in the right places, while swaths of sounds swirl around it. Singer-songwriter Maja Presnell lived some years in Berlin before relocating to the south of the U.S. (a rather broad definition, isn't it). This resulted in Holy Line and the upcoming album, 'Salt Around My Bed', out on 15 January. The title comes from a line in the single. Holy Line has a little of the Celtic folk of Enya at the time of 'Orinoco Flow'. The mysticism in her delivery and the atmospherics take care of that. The intricate accompaniment does the rest. Holy Line is the kind of single that makes me wanting to hear more.

Wij Zinken EP. Grote Geelstaart 

Met zes liedjes/composities is Wij Zinken meer een mini album dan een EP, maar wie ben ik? Grote Geelstaart is een naam die ineens op verschillende plekken opdook in door mij gelezen publicaties. Op basis van wat ik las, dacht ik, ik zal het een kans geven, maar dit is zeker niets voor mij. Moeilijkdoenerij zoals een band als Black Midi dat in het verleden deed. Uiteindelijk vond ik het vooral heel erg vermoeiend en niet echt genietbaar. De Zeeuwse band vindt zeker de moeilijke weg in ieder nummer, terwijl de zanger ook nog eens niet zingt, maar voordraagt, zelfs declameert. Toch merk ik dat de wendingen in de nummers over het algemeen goed te volgen zijn. Gele Geelstaart is geen gekte of totale chaos. Over iedere wending lijkt goed nagedacht en een explosie van geluid komt altijd wel weer op zijn poten terecht. Dat maakt dat Wij Zinken goed te beluisteren is en dat de individuele nummers groeien voor mij. Luuk Bosma (zang/gitaar), Jesper Rottier (gitaar/drums/zang), Jeppe Rottier (bas), Danny Rottier (synths/saxofoon) en Finley Nijsse (drums/zang) zijn familieleden en schoolvrienden die samen muziek zijn gaan maken  Vanuit Zuid-Beveland wordt de omgeving veroverd en dat zou zo maar eens kunnen gaan lukken. Wie naar Wij Zinken gaat luisteren, moet zeker een open oor willen hebben voor de postpunk, mathrock, disco elementen en wie weet wat nog meer. Doe dat en er gaat een avontuurlijke muziekreis voor je open. En wij zinken? Zeeuwen? Die komen toch altijd weer boven?!

God Of You. Danielle Ponder

Danielle Ponder decided later on in life to go for music, leaving behind another career. Here is the result. God Of You is a song that has me on the one hand wondering where I've heard certain elements within it before and listening in awe to the power of Danielle Ponder's voice. It is a gospel-soul voice but also has the rasp in it that over here a singer like Kovacs has. A contrast is created between the soul music and the roughness of the voice. Ponder decided to want to be a part of a long tradition, from the 1960s and Aretha Franklin right up to Michael Kiwanuka and Teddy Swims. She holds it all and with conviction. Her album 'Everything Has Changed' is out on 9 October.

Klein Kunstje. Stroman

Jan Stroomer kennen we als The Stream op dit blog. Al jaren zijn de albums van de band hier te vinden. Sinds enige tijd is Jan Stroomer onder de naam Stroman ook actief in het theater. Nu is er ook een eerste lied uitgebracht, onder de titel Klein Kunstje, een referentie aan de term en het genre kleinkunst natuurlijk. Tegelijkertijd speelt daardoor 'Klein Aapje' van The Avonden door mijn hoofd. Stroman speelt direct heel overtuigend in dit genre. Het nummer staat, in zijn eigen soort, direct als een huis. Muzikaal valt er vanuit de basis melodie veel te genieten, waar die basis akkoordenprogressie al heel prettig klinkt. Opvallend is dat Stroomers stem anders klinkt in het Nederlands, maar ook heel prettig. Dat is niet veranderd. Zoals het hoort, wordt er gespeeld met de Nederlandse taal. Klein Kunstje overtuigt op meerdere fronten. The Stream is volop actief en nu is er ook muziek van Stroman. Best of beide werelden.

Your Brother’s On The News Again. Sally Jaye

Time for some country music. Sally Jaye is from Nashville, Tennessee, but do not expect any slick country music. Your Brother’s On The News Again is a neat version of what The Band could have made of the song. Her voice has a little edge to it, making it a female equivalent to Levon Helm. Listening to the song, you can hear a host of guitar parts that make the song interesting to listen to in a few ways. They all do something different, play a different melody, chords, solo notes, motives, and it all fits wonderfully well. The bass part is played by a sousaphone or a horn instrument resembling it. All together the band creates an extremely loosely feeling piece of music that at the same time is so well arranged. "All is forgiven", Sally Jaye sings at the end of this single. With a song like this, there's nothing to forgive, Ms. Jaye.

They Don't Dance Anymore (Back To Mono Mix). The Amplifier Heads

Old men looking back on the past and not only getting nostalgic but also a bit forlorn about how things have changed since they were young. We all got older and don't dance anymore. Well, I personally beg to differ, given the opportunity, but I'll admit, I'm going out to dance anymore. If I run into it though, things do get different. Catch my breath after the second song and go. Dance and sing! The Amplifier Heads only sees the people sitting at home or remaining on their bar stool. The band caught that feeling in a melancholy rock song, somewhere between rock and a ballad. The guitar solo cries out in pain for things lost. Does listening to 'Quadrophenia' today and remembering listening to it in 1973 help? It doesn't seem like it. Things change, people change, things get lost. The Amplifier Heads have caught that all in an under three minutes song.

J'adore. Plasticsoul

Plasticsoul has not released a new record in nine years. That record, 'Therapy', was the first release of the Big Stir label. Many artists signed to the label have found their way to this blog since. J'adore, the new single of Plasticsoul is no exception. The band obviously still likes the music from long ago. Bands that broke in the first half of the 90s for example. J'adore has that pleasantly familiar vibe that combines indierock with a nice pop sensitivity. A combination that seldom fails to attract my attention. The first album of a band like Gin Blossoms is the one I often use as a benchmark. Plasticsoul offers more though, because there is also a connection to the Britpop of the mid-90s. A band like Supergrass comes to mind as well. And that line "here she comes", see if you can find that link to the U.K. yourself. For me Plasticsoul is a new name. The introduction is all my pleasure.

Wout de Natris - van den Borght 

2026, week 39. 10 singles

I just read that France has it 112th day this year with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or more. The south of my more northern country may hit a tropical day once again as well, on 28 September! But let's drill, baby drill! Today I was introduced to the term "endtime fascism". I can't get my head around endtime, eschatological fanatics. It never came about, so far. Besides, even if all humans were wiped off the planet, Earth will go on, in whatever form and with whatever lifeform(s), to start all over again, until the sun heats us up a bit too much, billions of years from now. And today, we have the music as always. So, enjoy!

Avalanche. Kant

Psychedelic rock comes in many guises. Kant from Aschaffenburg in Germany can be found in the louder segment. The band is more rock and then adds the psychedelic side in the sound it puts on its guitars and the effects here and there on singer Marius Seidl's voice. Expect a loud riff played in (harmonic) stereo that charges through most of the song. It's a while before Seidl's voice can be heard for the first time. The light and shade in the song is taken care of in a way that makes the song surprising to listen to, while the drums and bass charge on an on as if the last bus is in sight but the bus stop still a long way off. The band's third album, 'Echoes Of Unfortunate Times' will be released on 23 October.

Mean To Be Mean. Swansea Sound

Please allow me to get confused, but how many bands are Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey active in? I can't keep up, help! The "problem" is I seem to like them all. Swansea Sound is the new iteration that I'm getting myself acquainted with. Single Mean To Be Mean is just so much fun. It is jumpy, bouncy, upbeat and apologetic as both Amelia and co-singer Hue Williams "did not mean to be mean". Both are retelling a story about a review by Williams of Amelia's band a long time a go and here they are in a band together in the 2020s. In fact, the band will release its third album come 13 November. If the songs on 'Pre-Post-Truth' are as much fun as this single, count me in.

I Got An Idea feat. Mark Mothersbaugh. Gary Calamar

I Got An Idea brings me back a decade or five. The song is totally post-punk with a 60s undertone in there. The music does not excuse itself for being raw. The lead guitar is distorted, the effects in the back and foreground are all a bit weird. Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh helps out on vocals. I remember the band from circa 1980 but for the life of me can't remember a song. At the time I did not like it at all. I do like I Got An Idea though, because it is so sprightly and in its own weird way extremely upbeat. Gary Calamar is a new name to me. His label Big Stir introduces him as follows: "LA singer-songwriter and all-around music scene Renaissance man (influential DJ, in-demand TV music supervisor and rock author)". I'm letting the weird sounds and noises go through my ears once again, deciding that I certainly want to hear more by Calamar. That opportunity arises on 23 October when 'Odd Numb3rs And Slanted Rhymes' is released.

Birds Die Out Of Sight. D.B. Caulfield

It is not so long from now and Amsterdam band Queen's Pleasure will be no more. The band is doing a farewell tour this fall. After drummer Sal Rubinstein, who debuted as RubinCarter last spring, it is now Teun Putker who releases a solo single under the name D.B. Caulfield. There's a pattern as well, Ruben Carter - Holden Caulfield or is it just coincidence? Whatever it is, D.B. Caulfield's Birds Die Out Of Sight, is a singer-songwriter track, soft and delicate in the right places, slightly more solid in the other. A surprisingly rough sounding lead guitar tears through the song that in general is the modesty itself. Pay attention and you will find some more interesting details. From the little bells to synths, there's far more going on in Birds Die Out Of Sight than I suspected at the start. And, yes, where do birds go to die? There are so many of them and yet ...

Xono. Quiz Show

Two and a half years down the line New Jersey trio Quiz Show, Chris Matthews (guitars and vocals), Jesse Krakow (bass, organ, and backing vocals), Joe Billy III (drums, backing vocals, acoustic guitar), returns to this blog with its latest single Xono, from an EP with the same name. Xono is an alternative rock song with besides power a prickly side that puts it apart from smooth rock many prefer to hear. Quiz Show puts in elements that are able to please, but like a band as The B52s, it adds quirky parts that make it necessary to listen to Xono again and again to realise and appreciate the extend of pleasing within the song fully. Take in the bass part for example when it is not in a unisono riff with the guitar. And especially listen to the bridge. Here Quiz Show really shows its skills. The EP is released on 28 September.

to stop the world turning EP. Freyja Elsy

Another debutant on this blog is Freyja Elsy. The singer from the United Kingdom released a new EP after her debut EP from 2023, ‘Modern Artifice’. On to stop the world turning she presents a dreamy kind of music with one foot in the past of both Enya style folk music and Massive Attack style hiphop, while a modern production that includes both atmospheric sounds as classic elements of (synth?) strings and piano puts the other foot in 2026. Freyja Elsy sings with a relaxed voice. Like in 'Control' where the influence of Massive Attack is most obvious. The link to a track like 'Teardrop' is quite evident. The listener is enveloped by the music like the fetus in the video is in its mother's womb. For me Control is the price track on to stop the world turning. The dreamy atmosphere is kept up by Freyja Elsy on the whole four track EP. Although I do not want to hear music like this at every moment of the day, there definitely are moments when she strikes just the right mood. to stop the world turning is beautifully made and in great taste.

Alone The Walrus. St. Yuma

Quite often there's a lot of noisy music to be found in the weekly singles post. St. Yuma decided to put a stop to that and presents Alone The Walrus. St. Yuma makes its debut on this blog, so an introduction is welcome. St. Yuma is Stevan Alva from Seattle in the state of Washington. Alone The Walrus is his debut single on the Fully Time Hobby label. The title is to be taken literally, as the song is about a walrus called Alone, "inspired by Worried Walrus, written and illustrated by Richard Hefter and published in 1977". Alone is swimming in an ocean that is so tranquil, it must be a desired place for everyone wanting to reach this level of relaxation. Stevan Alva sings with a dreamy voice and the music follows his soft voice for the whole of the way. During the song a female voice and more instruments are added, all adding to the listening experience Alone The Walrus offers. This is a debut single that promises a lot more.

Teenage Kicks. Christina Jean & her Allstars

In 1979, I had no idea, I think. I can't remember hearing the song then. Come 2026 and Teenage Kicks is one of my favourite punk singles ever. I think it only kicked in really when I bought The Undertones' singles collection cd at a mid price. Most of the album is more than good. Take the b-side 'Mars Bar' as a proof of point. Although I bought three of the four The Undertones albums around 1982, except for the first one, it took me a few more years to become a fan of the band. Come 2026 and I receive a cover version of Christina Jean & her Allstars. The problem with anyone singing a The Undertones song, no one has a strange voice like Feargal Sharkey. Not even the guy who replaced him in the revived The Undertones. That aside, what can you do wrong with a song like Teenage Kicks as long as you get that groove going. That is exactly what Christine Jean and band got, presenting us with a nice cover version of a fantastic song.

teeth filed down. Nathalie Miller

Nathalie Miller has made it twice to this blog with her EP 'like you used to' and with a single from that EP in 2025. Today she's back with the single teeth filed down. Again, it is song that can be qualified as a pop song, but also again, she does things in the song that makes it not a part of the beaten pop track. Again, I like the way she multitracks her voice. It gives the song and Nathalie Miller as an artist an authentic sound. The lead guitar is the instrument attracting attention. Played in a higher register, playing the same two chords over and over in a tightly strummed way. Although the song seems to continue in one pace, watch a little more closely and you will notice the mood changes ms. Miller throws into the whole. Once again a song I really like by Nathalie Miller. No doubt more will follow.

In The Path Of Hurricanes. Heather Nova

In 2015 and 2025 Heather Nova can be found on this blog, both in reviews by Erwin Zijleman. This is my first words on an artist who is around for 30 years. I like the pace of In The Path Of Hurricanes. The song has this way in which it keeps going, with the exception of an interlude. Without loudness or violence, the (electronic) rhythm just goes on and on. Around it are swaths of synths, guitar atmospherics and later on something I can't put a name to. Over it Heather Nova sings with a quiet voice that she may be in her head or lost in a slipstream. Are things what they are?, this seems to be the theme of In The Path Of Hurricanes. The combination of the voice and the dreamy, yet firm music simply works. It proves for me that no matter your expectations of an artist, you should always give a new song a chance. More follows on 30 October when 'The Orchard' is released.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

2026, week 38. 10 singles

'Summer's Almost Gone', Jim Morrison sang on The Doors' 'Waiting For The Sun' album (that does not contain the single of that name). I notice it when I go outside. Spiderwebs span the back alley, everything is more humid. Fierce rain alternates with bright light from a lower hanging, thus more blinding, sun. Summer may be on the way out, music is on the way in, as the autumn releases pour in abundantly. Again, here's a wide variety of music. So. enjoy!

Magic 8Ball. Integra Pink

We start this week with Integra Park, a Southern Californian band with a very dreamy rock sound. Singer Leo Mendez has that soft voice that makes you listen to him. Behind him the bass and drums lay down a strict pace, while around him melodic guitar parts are swirling around. A swath of synth sounds come in and out of the song like mist on an early morning. It reminds me of bands like Marjorie Fair, Constant Smiles and Marlin's Dreaming. All bands that lay/laid down a very specific and relaxing atmosphere while hitting the nail on the head in the meantime. Integra Pink is a totally new name to me, so I have nothing to compare Magic 8Ball to as far as this band is concerned. What I'm hearing is certainly to my liking. Knuckles (Right) will be released on 14 November. By that date we'll all know more.

Lungs. Lydia Saint George

Integra Park's single Magic8Ball is dreamy and so is Lydia Saint George's Lungs. Which song came first to me 'Harry's Theme' of 'Orinoco Flow'? It is irrelevant, as Lungs fits into that category. Mystic sounds that I associate with the mist rolling over the Irish landscape. The smell of peat in my nose and the possibility of running into a leprechaun. I do not know whether peat can be smelled in North Carolina where Lydia Saint George now lives, she has caught the Celtic folk atmosphere spot on and gives it a hint of the modern in the right places, as the recording technique allows easily for that. The double tracked vocals add a little extra to the mystique, as it suggest a ghost track running behind the original vocal recording. An intriguing track Lungs is.

Green Light. Part Time Signals

With a third dreamy single, it is already the theme of week 38's singles post. The dreamy part sits mostly in the vocals. The music is of a delicious laziness that suggests a long drawn out Sunday morning somewhere between sleeping and waking. Green Light just sort of rolls over me like a slow wave of lukewarm water. Three songs in today, three first timers on this blog. Part Time Signals is a band from Wales working towards its second album 'Ducks Back, Baby', to be released on 6 November. The four members all have a history in other bands, all names totally unknown to me. Green Light is a soft track, filled with subtle sounds and soft accents. The accents are there though all over the intro and verses and it makes a difference. It prevents you from drifting away. I'm not sure whether a whole album filled with Green Lights would be palatable to me, one Green Light certainly is. For references on this song/music, look at 'Magic 8Ball' above.

Are You… After Elmer 

Beware, before listening (and not just because the dreamy part of this post is over). Before I was able to type anything the song was already over. 34 seconds! It must the shortest song reviewed here. The good news first. Rotterdam punk band After Elmer released a new song, with more to come in the fall. The bad news is that this will be the last we hear from After Elmer, as the band is calling it quits, like so many other contemporary bands do. You wouldn't think so from just listening to Are You... After Elmer puts the pedal to the metal from the very start. Little melodies come from the lead guitar, there's a beautiful harmony in what could have been a chorus in a one minute 8 seconds long song. Alas, it ends with a nice discord chord at the end, with a deep metal guitar sound. Yes, a band can impress in just 34 seconds.

Swarm. Tramhaus

'Plovdiv' was the first single released from the upcoming album 'Blister' (9 October). With Swarm Tramhaus has caught a trendy word for its new single. A swarm of drones, a swarm of AI agents, all coming with a negative connotation. Not Swarm. Tramhaus shows more or less a new side to itself. Gone is the postpunk, enter alternative rock and a very extreme light and shade plays out in the music. Swarm is a song I instantly like. The two guitars play an interesting game together. Lucas Jansen and Nadya van Osnabrugge alternate the lead vocals. Jansen is his self, but the angelicly sung question "can you believe it?" with music and intensity out of the studio, makes the song very interesting to listen to. Julia Vroegh's bass gets the outro. Deep and slowed down. Swarm is a great new single for Tramhaus. Only three weeks left to go for 'Blister'.

Quiz On The Radio. Plastic Family

More music from The Netherlands, though Rotterdam 2, Amsterdam 1. Plastic Family returns to this blog with a great pop single that brings together pop from the 60s with indie vigour. 'Love & Heartbreak In High School' was the debut single and reading my review it fits nicely with Quiz On The Radio. If anything it brings to mind Gruppo Sportivo from the 'Ten Mistakes' album. An upbeat sound around a sad/teenage drama themed lyric. The only thing missing is the organ. Plastic Family is able to present an upbeat mood leading to the quiz show on the radio. The Beatles are referenced in a small sequence, 'On My Radio' is quoted for a few seconds. Of course, the quiz goes wrong, again, and the girl friend decides she has to go. Tragedy all over, except in the music. In November the single is released on 7". For now it is available digitally.

Compulsion. Black Doldrums

Black Doldrums' previous single was called 'Repetition'. The word comes by regularly on its new single Compulsion, but then doesn't compulsion lead to repetition of something. The goth side of the London based band comes forward in the strongest of ways. All is black, like in the heyday of darkness in the early 1980s. Joy Division and follow up New Order to name two bands. The darkest The Cure of 'Faith' and 'Pornography' another. Black Doldroms obviously is a fan. Singer Kevin Gibbard shows the darkest side of his voice and the music matches perfectly. Compulsion has the drive to underscore the title. The beat goes on and on. The lead guitar melodies bring the faintest of lights. In the intro a synth sound flies around like bats in utter darkness. They do not touch you but you can feel the flutter of their wings on your cheeks. The mood of Compulsion is superb. The album 'Repulsion Compulsion' will be released on 13 November.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. U2

Through the years covers by U2 made it to b-sides of cd singles and to the 'Rattle And Hum' album, the surprise album from 1988 and one of my first cds. And that for a band that in an early review as I recall said that they were bad at playing covers, so decided early on to write their own material. Come 2026 and U2 is part of a project honouring Shane McGowan and thus The Pogues. The album '20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan' is set for release on 13 November. U2's contribution is not spectacular, but it is nice to hear how the band turns the song into a pop song and not a U2 song. It is the lightest kind of song I ever heard the band play. And that is something to hear. The lead instrument is a marimba? I'm just guessing here. Besides a guitar solo of course. With two EPs and this song the U2 fan is serviced quite well in 2026, yeah! (Just as long as you don't let yourself be fooled by the title of this single. This song has nothing of the yeah, yeah, etc,, at the end of 'Vertigo'. My favourite U2 single ever.)

Ancient Steel. Skyjoggers

It's almost one and a half year go Skyjoggers made their debut on this blog with single 'Tessæil'. Today the band from Tampere in Finland returns with another relentless single. Can it be louder? I do not think it makes any sense to do so. There are some tempo changes and quieter parts. For the most part it's distorted guitars and a drummer who must be the grandson of The Muppets' Animal. Ancient Steel is an instrumental track divided into "akts", where the musical theme or the tempo changes. The heart of the song is strong riffing of guitar and bass over a loud background. If you are into spacerock metal, Skyjoggers is the band to check out.

The Mirror. Burntmill Ghosts

To think we started out so dreamy this week. Boy, did that change. Therefore we end with a punkband from New Jersey. Do not expect smooth punkrock on The Mirror. Burntmill Ghosts pulls several tricks into this song, that make it a far less straightforward song. The trio doesn't just play with a little light and shade. No, it plays with the format of the song by changing the tempo, several times. The pace of the song is altered by playing differently. Fluent chord changes are altered with stop start moments and fast played chords interchanged with long held chords. Just a few examples of what happens throughout. It all ends with a totally different form of song altogether. In other words, an interesting song Burntmill Ghosts' The Mirror is. An album is not due till somewhere next year.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Soft. The Bernadette Maries

Over this year Brussels based The Bernadette Maries featured several times in the singles section of this blog. So, it should not come as a surprise that the band's debut album Soft follows its singles. Although the band tends to rubricate itself in the shoegaze section, I find myself only partly inclined to go along with this description. Find out why below.

The Bernadette Maries are Guy Tournay (vocals, guitar), Daria (vocals, bass), Romain Rouserez (drums/percussion). Also mentioned is David, as collaborator and live member. The band formed in 2024 and in the same year released its first single, 'Dream Place', followed by more singles and an EP, 'LvvV' in 2025. Come 2026 and debut album Soft sees the light of day.

The band mixes shoegaze, with dreamy sequences with a pop undertone. Smashing Pumpkins is a band the members must have heard. 'Happy Song' tells you that with ease. One of the singles, 'ESO' does even more so, but let us return to the opening song and name giver of the album, 'Soft'. Here the two contrasts already come together. The dark guitar sounds of shoegaze are prominent the in intro and move to the (far) background in the opening verse. The other guitars are like those that can be heard on U.S. bands like DIIV and Beach Fossils. Light melodic sequences, somewhat in a Johnny Marr style, and long held darker lead notes. 'Soft' is quite the opening statement from The Bernadette Maries. Here we are it says. A take it or leave it statement is playing straight into my ears. The singing is a far more dreamy. Guy Tournay has a voice without much depth, while Daria sings the background vocals with an angelic voice.

This description more or less sums up the music on Soft. Before you get the wrong impression from this summing up so soon, Soft is a varied and more importantly a good debut album. The Bernadette Maries are not scared of showing who influenced them, but used these influences to create new songs that I will be listening to for a while. Soft is a nice edition to what came before and could be a stepping stone for others in the future. And how about soft? Not exactly.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Soft here:

https://geographie.bandcamp.com/album/soft 

2026, week 34. 5 singles

It remains so fascinating how different the music is that I am sent from different sources from around the world. Add to that, the songs I still discover myself every once in a while. The most weird being the band mentioned first in the first review below. Anyone who cares to follow the line up of today, will notice the extreme differences between the songs, that without a doubt are very worth while to listen to or explore, as that is the better word in the case of 'Nicolas' Cave'. No artist is even closely the same today. It's time to go exploring, enjoy!

Nicolas' Cave. Fence

Yesterday, I wrote about Angine de Poitrine and, no, it does not get that weird, but Belgian band Fence does give the listener quite some changes in exchange for sharing his/her time with Nicolas' Cave. Things may kick off with a recorder in a quite relaxed way, that is also about where normalcy stops. Fence uses every opportunity to push the song in another direction, to come back to the recorder accompanied by an acoustic guitar at the end, as if nothing happened in the four plus minutes in between. In 2023 I wrote on the single 'King To The Blind'. Based on my words there, there's not a lot to compare to. Fence jumps as it were the fences in between back gardens to find a completely other one with each jump and reports back on each one. If anything, it makes for very interesting listening and at times even good listening. Album 'Nobody Gives A Fuck' will be released this fall.

Unstable Neighbour. Railcard

The second single from the upcoming Railcard debut album 'Two Steps At A Time' (18 September), presents me with a dreamy alternative pop track, with a trumpet that hovers between parts of the tune. With the organ and the way of singing, it is part of the dreamy part of the song. The other part is about as direct as songs come. There's nothing dreamy about the drums, bass and guitar work. Railcard may be a new band, it's members have all been around for quite some time as members of Heavenly, Death in Vegas and Dolly Mixture. The members met at a live show and decided to start working together. The recorded EPs were glued together to 'Two Steps At A Time', which the world can hear next month.

Carry On Without Me. Reluctant Bob & the Lonely Lovers

Due to my summer break I missed a single, but Reluctant Bob & the Lonely Lovers is becoming a fixture in the singles posts on WoNoBlog. Although not entirely identical, the set up of the music is comparable to DYI Dutch artist The Slow Clock and the deadpan delivery (and female vocals singing in the exact opposite way) of Gruppo Sportivo. Two references that ought to make any lover of alternative pop music prick up their ears and speed to their favourite digital outlet to start listening. Carry On Without Me has a kind of class that is also found with an artist like eels, but that is all offset by the female vocalists. This song may seem like a hodgepodge of influences, but that should come with quality that makes it interesting on its own accord. Believe me Carry On Without Me has just that, abundantly.

Nous Deux EP. Foglights

Nous Deux is Foglights' debut EP. The duo exists of Eva Cords of The Cords and Archie Ingram of Stone Anthem. Both have released their debut albums within the past 10 months and already venture out as a(nother) duo. The songs on Nous Deux are all slow and of a dreamy psychedelic nature. I think that fans of the band Mazzy Star would refer to its music as a comparison. As it mostly passed me by, I'm not certain if I can. For me I'd keep it to the dreamy pop songs of The Velvet Underground, like 'Sunday Morning', 'Candy Says' and 'Jesus'. You'll hear guitars and an organ, but no bass and no drums or any other percussion. It sets the music of Foglights apart from almost all other bands. Still, put on Nous Deux a few times and you'll discover the addictive qualities of the duo's music. A string section might be added for special effects. It remains uncanny how a song created from fairly minimal effects can get to you in a serious way. The music and voices are mixed in such a way that a very full sound is created, with voices coming from all sides, like Eva Cord's pa pa pa's do in 'The Day The Light Stayed'. I had not heard of Archie Ingram, but based on Nous Deux, it might be worth my while to check out his debut as Stone Anthem, 'Solux Rex'. It took me more than one listen session to warm to Nous Deux but after that there was no holding back.

Anhedonia (Start Again). The Morning Line

The Morning Line, yes, the band's been on the blog before with two singles in 2023. At the time I thought the band to be from Boston, but it isn't (any more?). It's from northern California. At the time it released its record on the Red on Red label of the late Justine Covault, in 2026 the upcoming album will be on Big Stir. The sound has not changed. This is American rock with a countryrock flavour. Familiar in sound, yet can go down so well. The band around Stephen Smith does things very right here. A golden melody twists itself around the gently rocking sound, in a way many bands aspire to. So, don't expect music that is original in sound, instead enjoy something new with a familiar sound.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Residue. Yea-Ming and the Rumours

To me it remains fascinating that young musicians have a fascination with music from way before their time and perhaps even their parents'. In the case of Yea-Ming Chen it must be her parents. Residue sounds like music coming from a time machine. With a voice like Nico (Crista Päffgen) without the German accent and too much life behind her, she emulates that dreaminess The Velvet Underground had within it also. Even more so with Doug Yule as co-singer than Nico. The prickly pears that John Cale infused into The Velvets' sound had gone by then.

The result coming out of Yea-Ming Chen's mouth is a mix of Nico and French sigh girls of the 1960s. The way she sings is completely safe. There's no danger whatsoever within earshot on Residue. The Rumours provide the exact right background for this voice. The music is somewhat indie. The lightest version of R.E.M. is not far away. Think a song like 'Nightswimming'. The indie gets a sixties twist, where I'm reminded of Nancy Sinatra as well as The Walker Brothers but both stripped of the bombast that the producers added to their most famous songs. So, indeed The Velvet Underground stripped of the danger. 'Candy Says', 'Pale Blue Eyes' and 'After Hours' are good examples of this.

With Residue Yea-Ming and The Rumours released its fourth album. For me its my first, so there's nothing to compare to. Although I understand that The Rumours are more of a project than a band, the current line up is Yea-Min Chen, vocals, guitar, organ; Eóin Galvin, lead guitar, lap steel, vocals; Luke Robbins, drums, percussion, vocals and Rob Good, bass, lead guitar, vocals. Together they lay down an album, that after the moderately loud, by comparison that is, opening track 'Paper Doll, ís an album filled with tranquil tracks. Not rocking the boat seems to be the concept. Yes, also in the faster songs, like 'Cold'.

This comes with a risk. When not paying close attention, the album will pass you by. Paying only moderate attention will make you think the album is boring. That makes Residue an album to pay attention to, invest in by listening with attentive ears. The investment is rewarding, as Residue is a good album worth spending your time with. The single 'Cheap Thrill' put me on the trail of Residue and the single proves to be a great key opening up the album. If you like the first two songs on Residue, the rest will follow effortlessly.

Yes, Residue will come across like a time machine, but a rewarding one. After more than just a few years in music Yea-Ming Chen (and band) has a new fan. I'm signing up.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

 

You can listen to and order Residue here:

https://yea-ming.bandcamp.com/album/residue 

 

2026, week 27. 5 singles

Pffff, it has cooled down, making life a little more bearable again. Well, with the World Cup taking a bad turn for my country, how can you miss three penalty kicks in a series of five and have the bad luck that the goalkeeper stops a kick only to get it against his heel after which it goes in anyway, things are relative. Anyway, it is time for music. Here's five more recent singles to enjoy!

Baobab. Upupayāma

One of the first bands of what for the ease of argument I call the new psychedelic wave that caught my attention in a positive way was Elephant Stone. Many followed, some good and interesting, some less so. Right on the opening measures of Baobab, I'm transported back to my 2014 experience. Upupayāma remains more spacey in Baobab. Nothing becomes concrete but sort of floats around them bongos and the acoustic guitar setting the rhythm. Without being Indian, the song does give off strong Indian vibes and certainly not African, where the Baobab tree originates from. With Baobab Upupayāma provides the ideal inner mind holiday, as it is a song to surrender to, unconditionally.

Gimme Ammunition. Gene Champagne

Gene Champagne returns to the blog with a 7" single. Once again it is a charged up affair. Let's face it, if this song hadn't been just that, I would have ordered him to change its title. Champagne moves straight into punkpop tracks by the likes of Blondie around 1977-1979. Let me even add The Ramones. It is the line up and the guitar solo that brings Gimme Ammunition into the Blondie side of punkrock/pop. This song holds the combination of energy, fun and skills at songwriting to not only make it stand out but to truly enjoy as well. Singing along to the chorus is something that becomes mandatory at shows. Gimme Ammunition is one big invitation to jump around, shout and sing along with it.

Which Side Are You On?. Dan Cummings

Very attentive readers of this blog will recognise the name Dan Cummings as the singer and songwriter of the punk band Already Dead, who first made a deep impression on me with the single 'The Spirit Of Massachusetts Avenue' from the album 'Something Like A War'. In this acoustic single he dusts off a traditional, that also has been on the repertoire of Dropkick Murphies. It was a class song of the working man against the higher class. Dan Cummings takes a very political stance on Which Side are You On?, but takes the song into the third decade of the 21st century. This is about siding as decedents of immigrants with today's immigrants. To point to the fact that billionaires reap all the benefits, to return to the class war just like in the original. One more artist from the Boston area who takes a stance and leaves no doubt which side he's on. It makes me muse what the modern variant of tea will be? That harbour must still be there. 

Clarion. Tasha

Who else but Erwin Zijleman wrote about Tasha's previous album, 'All This And So Much More', on this blog? But to my credit the single 'Michigan' and Love's Changing' were reviewed by yours truly. Clarion comes to my name as well. Tasha shows two different sides to her songwriting on this single announcing her new album 'You are Spring!' that was released last week. Clarion is an ultra relaxed song. In fact, it is almost a slacker tune, were it not that the arrangement belies this completely. The other side of Tasha comes forward in the intricate arrangement where instruments and notes weave in and out of each other. Notes pop up to disappear again, while other instruments join, not to leave the song. Over it Tasha sings her lyrics in that completely relaxed way. The combination simply works, as that is how the song sounds, simple. Don't be fooled by that relaxed tempo though. There is a lot going on there.

S33.u.in/HAL. Holy Wave

A new name on the blog, or so I thought. It isn't, as the single 'Happier' was reviewed by me in 2023. As our former prime minister used to say when I a political bind, "I have no active recollection of this", and got away with it. Mine is in a digital print, that makes it a bit harder to deny. What to make of the title of this song? I really have no clue. HAL is both the Dutch Holland America Line, now an investment vehicle and the super computer in Space Odyssey. It's even the name of a band from the 00s, I think. Looked at in a more broader way, I derive at "see you in hell". A lot of options. The music is almost as weird as the title. The largest part consists of a mix of indie, psychedelia and dreampop. Enter a bit of shoegazing in the chorus and instrumental interlude. The noise is pushed to the background and turns into quite some weirdness, to be faded out when the verse starts again in all its tranquillity. The result is a song with two very distinct faces, like a musical version of dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Texan band presents a fascinating song. Album 'I'm Dada' can be expected on 10 July.

Wout de Natris -van der Borght 

Roses. Widowspeak

Of course, checking the past of this blog, I find that Erwin Zijleman beat me to a Widowspeak album review. His love for female singers precedes mine by something like two decades. With 'Plum' Widowspeak came into my life in 2020, undoubtedly in the time of the second lockdown. The music resonated within me immediately. My second album, Widowspeak's sixth, 'The Jacket' was not that good in my ears. Now, four years later, Roses claims a spot just like 'Plum' did six years ago.

There are two versions of reception of 'Roses'. The first is on a modest level of sound. Believe me, there is far less to enjoy, as the second version is to play it somewhat louder on a headset and all of a sudden a host of details unfold themselves. 'Roses' proves to be a very, very rich album with a host of guitar parts that are everywhere my ears can cope with.

Widowspeak formed in Brooklyn, NYC in 2010. Through the years only guitarist and vocalist Molly Hamilton and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas, a married couple, remained of the original four piece. On 'Roses' it is Molly Hamilton who creates a dreamy kind of pop music with her somewhat sleepy sounding vocal delivery. The music may have some elements of dreampop, but equal parts consist of indie, roots and French sigh girls. All together this creates a near magical mix of alternative pop music that goes down really well with this listener.

Photo: Alexa Viscious

The album starts with one of the more solid numbers, 'The Hook'. As far as I'm concerned, this title describes the situation quite well. I'm hooked alright after listening to 'The Hook'. The song does what a million other songs have done in the past. A guitar that plays some slow solo notes, a piano here and there playing some slow notes as well, a warm Hammond closing everything that was left open in the crooks and crannies of the mix. Molly Hamilton overdubs her vocals in all the right places. Out comes this Americana-indie track that sounds as warm (the music) and dreamy (vocals) as can be. When in the next song, 'No Driver, I'm remembered of my favourite Hazeldine album, 'Digging You Up', I'm sold, hook, line and sinker.

In the rest of the albums, the songs remain warm and rich. Guitars are everywhere, including a pedal steel here and there, creating a great mode, that in a way is the same mood but it's never enough. On Roses there simply is never enough of a good thing. Recorded on the Greek island Hydra with the band's touring members Willy Muse, John Andrews, and Noah Bond, in January and fine tuned at home in Brooklyn, the band is ready to take on the world once again. To think that the members of a band this good, have regular day jobs to sustain themselves, makes it something close to a miracle that we are able to hear Roses. I know, it's not unique, yet it gives you pause that making great music does not assure you an income sufficient to live off. It must be the product of total dedication to the muse that houses within the Widowspeak duo.

So let's be grateful for the present Roses is. Widowspeak has delivered an album of great beauty.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Roses here:

https://widowspeak.bandcamp.com/album/roses 

2026, week 23, 10 singles (2)

With the weather switched to position erratic, sun, wind, rain, lots of rain, cloudy, back to sun, etc., it is easy to make amends and do two rounds of singles this week. You'll find no huge names this week but certainly some WoNoBlog favourites of the past few years and several new names. Musically, it is a nice mix as well, like open your ears widely to truly listen to softer songs, as cover your ears fast should you be partial to not liking postpunk. Either way it's here, and all in between, enjoy!

Alone EP. Carly Hann

Today, Carly Hann makes her debut on this blog with her EP Alone. She is a totally new name to me, so I looked a little beyond just listening to her beautiful dreampop songs. She was formerly known as Carly Holt until she married The 1975's guitarist Adam Hann, who also produced her debut EP. She hails from Canada. She musically first drew attention with her cover version of said band's 'About You' and now presents her own music. That music starts with an acoustic guitar. The songs on Alone can be played on the beach, in a living room or the front garden entertaining neighbours during the next pandemic. Around her soft, dreamy and relaxed voice and the guitar, other instruments join, creating a dreamy atmosphere. In the case of opening and title track 'Alone' that mood is slowly but surely expanded on and when in the bridge drums join the song, it turns into a wall of sound. Lana del Rey is not far off, but Carly Hann does keep it as her own song. 'Breathe' starts as someone trying to play piano but not really certain (s)he's capable of doing so, before it turns into a song anyway, shedding that uncertainty immediately. 'Can't Shake This Feeling' is built around the acoustic guitar once again. This time strings come in for accompaniment. 'She Got' is the game changer. An electric guitar plays fast notes and the drums play an erratic, somewhat unusual rhythm. Carly Hann remains herself and draws the song into a dreamy state anyway. Also pay attention to that violin that plays a distinctive role in the song, making it far beyond the average dreampop song. Carly Hann may have started her career piggybacking her husband's career, she's very much her own talent on Alone. 

De lytse oarloch fan Japie Ossefet. Zea

Een Rotterdams verhaal in het Fries. Het had het verhaal van mijn vader en zijn gezin kunnen zijn. Als ik goed reken is Max of zoals de bijnaam die zijn moeder hem gaf, Japie Ossefet, net zo oud als wijlen mijn oom Ben. Max is Max van Broekhoven een import Fries, zoals Max' vader of grootvader aan de achternaam te zien een import Rotterdammer uit Brabant was. Het verhaal is opgetekend in een bejaardentehuis in Heerenveen door toenmalig Dichter des Vaderlands Tsead Bruinja, muzikant Arnold de Boer a.k.a. Zea en fotografe Rosa van Ederen,.Samen tekenden zij in 2020 levensverhalen op. In totaal 11 in 11 verschillende tehuizen. Het oorlogsverhaal van Max werd op muziek gezet door Zea. Mijn vader was 7 tot 12 in de oorlog. Voor hem was het een groot avontuur, met allerlei spannende zaken die in normale tijden nooit hadden gemogen. De meer volwassen verhalen kwamen van mijn tantes en hun echtgenoten, nu allen overleden. Mijn oudste oom was bij een razzia opgepakt en in een cementfabriek in Leimen bij Heidelberg te werk gesteld, maar wel met een Duitse vrouw thuisgekomen. Dat werkte niet heel goed in net bevrijd Nederland. Al hun verhalen samen maken ongeveer het verhaal van Japie Ossefet, zonder hulp aan onderduikers, dat wel. Zea heeft het als een vroege Bob Dylan op muziek gezet en stelt het nummer nu beschikbaar voor een goed doel, ter ondersteuning van kunstenaars in Beiroet, genaamd Beit Aam (https://linktr.ee/Beit.aam). Het nummer kun je hier aanschaffen voor €1,50: https://zeamusic.bandcamp.com/track/de-lytse-oarloch-fan-japie-ossefet. Doen!

Plovdiv. Tramhaus 

Tramhaus in 2026 is a band that has been around half the world, that is able to premiere its new single on a Seattle radio station and receives reviews from internationally renowned websites. So, what can I add to all this? To start a personal note. In 2025 I visited Plovdiv on a 43 degrees Celsius day and, reading the title, wondered how it is possible that Tramhaus first single release from its upcoming new album, Blister' (9 October), is called after the city. The band wrote the song there on a free day, touring Bulgaria and Turkey, in a rehearsal room. I hope they did get a peak at the Roman antiquities in Plovdiv. The song Plovdiv presents a louder and more direct Tramhaus. Through live shows, I was able to see the way the band gelled more and more through the years and Plovdiv is the result. There is less room for subtleties and more for a full band experience. The first verse is the group's community singing, recorded like a church choir in a church with the worst kind of acoustics, before singer Lucas Jansen takes over and explodes in the chorus together with the band. Getting better acquainted with Plovdiv, I notice better that the, lets call it the Nirvana, approach to a song, is still in tact. The erratic subtlety that characterised early Tramhaus songs, has been traded in for blasting. Live it will lead to even more enthusiasm is my guess. After a hesitant start, I'm sold.

Honeydripper. Ruby James

Ruby James returns to the blog with a dirty track that is somewhere between, what exactly? Certainly rock. The dirty guitar soloing gives the song its dirty vibe. There is something dancy in there as well, e.g. in the way of singing and rhythm. Except the song goes off of its rocker as in totally when it approaches the end. That guitar is really going for it. It is all very gritty in a blues kind of way. On top of it all, it's pure sex that is dripping from this record and it is intended that way so I understand. Ruby James wrote Honeydripper with songwriter Kate Vargas. Together they came up with this groove and built the song from there. It's convincing alright. Be on the look out for the album, 'Call It Rock & Roll', from 7 August onwards.

Punch Drunk Love. Personal Trainer

Punch Drunk Love is Personal Trainer as you've never heard it before. More than ever before the band sounds like a band that could be any regular band and it has dropped everything to do with loud electric guitars. In fact, Punch Drunk Love could have been, with a little imagination, a hit for The Kinks in the mid-60s. The band took an acoustic album and playing live in the studio together, as the starting points and that is what the single sounds like. A piano is the leading instrument for most of the song, playing its slow notes. You'll find a violin playing short solos with the guitars only playing accompanying riffs and soft chords. Over it all Willem Smit is singing softly. There's no need to shout at all. I fell in love slowly with album number 1, but in the end never truly found may way around number 2. Number 3, 'Human Assholes' is slated for 4 September. I'm sure we'll hear more in the meantime.

Magic In The Air, feat. Palmyra Delran. Dan Miraldi

"Sometimes you really have to wrestle with songs, but ‘Magic in the Air’ felt pretty effortless", says Dan Miraldi in the accompanying bio to his latest single on the writing process. This is exactly how the song sounds like. Magic In The Air combines pop, rock and a little punk attitude into a song that sounds somehow perfect. That relatively slow riff/solo guitar leading the listener into the song, followed by a mellow mood coming with a glorious, not too warm feel of a summer day. Miraldi manages to get this mood across without giving up on the firm body of the song. Palmyra Delran adds a nice female touch to the whole in both lead and harmony vocals. On top of it all comes this dreamy bridge, making a perfect song even better. Welcome to the blog!

Letting Go. Deardarkhead

An instrumental track somehow is the hardest to write about for me. Not that I analyse lyrics a lot, it is the layer of how vocal melodies interact with the music, where I often focus my attention on. Deardarkhead is a band from New Jersey, formed in 1988, that in 1998 released its only full length album to date, 'Unlock the Valves of Feeling'. Since several EPs saw the light of day, the last one being from 2016. Since its singer left, the band has become an instrumental outfit and listening to Letting Go focusing on extremely melodic instrumental tracks. Guitarist Kevin Harrington leads the pack with a very clear sound, while never overdoing the number of notes he can squeeze in. This is about melody and not about chops and prowess. He is supported by drummer Robert Weiss and bassist James Malizia, The mortar in between is played by guest keyboardist Joe McGinty (The Psychedelic Furs, Nada Surf, Ryan Adams and Deborah Harry), who adds just the right texture. It is this combination of musical facts that make me like Letting go. There will be a full length album, Deardarkhead's second, on 10 July called 'The Pendulum Swings'.

Still Here. High on Stress

In March you may have found High on Stress on this blog for the first time. In my few words on single Over/Through I compared the band to the likes of Gin Blossoms and The Jayhawks. Today, I will go a step further and compare it to a band that I liked a lot more around 1995, Slobberbone. High on Stress has that same level of intensity and just being who and what you are as musician and band. Of course, everything is well thought out and there is a lot of attention being paid to details, that make the song more interesting to listen to. "It goes on and on, on and on, and I'm still here", they sing. Unmistakably true, as Still Here sounds very much alive. This song rocks in a way only, for lack of a better word ,rootsrockers from the U.S. can. Album 'Still Here' is out there for a month already, I notice just now. It's time to take a listen. This title song hits all the right buttons.

Hard Evidence. Ringlets

Ringlets is on tour in Europe and celebrates with the release of this stand alone single. Hard Evidence is not an easy song to digest. Everything is just a little less normal than what is expected from a song. The vocal melody is monotonous in the verses and the accompaniment is stern. The mood is darker. It also is in the chorus, but the mood changes to playful because of the band accompaniment while still being somewhat stern, as the vocals do not join in the playfulness. They remain moody, sang in a deeper and subdued way. The New Zealanders show that their band has a few sides to it. Having listened to Hard Evidence a few times, I notice the song is growing on me. Ringlets reaches the bar it set for itself with the superb album 'The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time for Walkies)' with ease.

Gonna Be Alright. Chaser

A real 7". It's not exceptional but also far from normal in 2026. (And what bands like The Rolling Stones or Arctic Monkeys charge for one, € 17,99, borders on the absurd.) I don't know what Southern California skatepunkers Chaser charges for theirs. Based on what I'm hearing, things are going to be alright. 'My Promise' is a melodic punk track in the best form as Rancid and The Offspring are capable of. Deep dark and dry drum skins are leading the way for Chaser. This drummer truly leads the way with more rolls, fills and double bass fills than my ears can keep up with. Guitar lines and bass are all all over the place as well, supporting a golden vocal melody. Yes, of course, it all sounds very familiar but who cares when a song is this good. The other side of the 7" is a rendition of Bob Marley & the Wailers' 'Three Little Birds'. As that track was high jacked by 020's fans, I leave it you to find out for yourself. Greetings from 010 supporter,

Wout de Natris - van der Borght