Hard-Fi - They Ain’t Your Friends

Hard-Fi are back tomorrow with their new single ‘They Ain’t Your Friends’.

Direct and venomous grooves launch the Staines band back into action alongside their archetypal dub flourishes. Sonically, the track is rooted in two old demos which Archer left open on his laptop one day, only to find later that his ten-year-old son had stitched them together. From there they developed the joyous chaos and presumably, tense legal discussions over PRS payments.

Archer, famed for his social comment lyrics, has come out all guns blazing as skewering the shallow and vapid corners of the industry he once placed faith in. As he snaps out “the big shot looter fingering his prize”, images of cultural predators consuming for ill-got gains emerge vividly. He goes on to lament the modern world’s addiction to social media and cocaine, “fake friends on Facebook, fake friends on your phone / fake friends in the bathroom”.

Although the music industry was always polluted with sharks, there was still a sense of meritocracy. Bands knew that you could dance with the devil and win. Archer’s perceptive polemic lays bare how this dream has faded and leaving a vacuum filled by content-chasing, unengaged, ill-informed gatekeepers.

Make no mistakes, Hard-Fi are back!

All The Young - Another Way

Artwork courtesy of the band.

All The Young are set to release their new single ‘Another Way’ on Friday 6th March. The single was produced by Gareth Nuttall (The K’s / Frank Turner).

Rock ‘n’ roll bands write songs about carnage and chaos, grow up (a bit), and sonically peter out. They don’t up the sonic mayhem and write about addiction, let alone land you in the heart of its consuming power.

Not All The Young.

Spiritually, Oasis and BRMC have always been in the bands' soul, but sonically, this feels like the first time they’ve leaned into their work to enhance theirs. The spite and venom of Liam Gallagher linger throughout Ryan Dooley’s vocal, as the hypnotic ‘Columbia’ is given a punk makeover at points. The devilment at play on BRMC's second album, ‘Take Them On, On Your Own’ presides over the guitars here too.

The sound is a visceral reflection of the life they once embraced and now reckon with. It may only be February, but it’s hard to imagine a more devastating opening line landing this year.

“I think I know you well / the push and pull, the ring of the bells / is there a better time / I think I better know your name”

Frontman Ryan Dooley’s ability to shift from a man out of control to one of peace is masterful. The verses are beset with bravado and a man on the edge, whereas the chorus vocal hits a euphoria as our protagonist begins to change his ways.

Embrace - Road To Nowhere

Image Credit: Simon Walker

At the end of January, West Yorkshire’s finest anthem makers Embrace returned with their new single ‘Road To Nowhere’.  It kicks off their thirtieth anniversary year as a band, and the run up to their ninth studio album ‘Avalanche’, due for release June 12th via Cooking Vinyl.

Launching like a lost classic from their ‘Out of Nothing’ era, frontman Danny McNamara declares, “You say you're scared to leave me / But it hurts too much to say.” Sonically righteous yet lyrically toxic, Embrace once again proves that destructive relationship confessions set against euphoric melodies remain one of pop music’s most powerful contrasts.

When it seemed they had reached their limit, lead guitarist Richie McNamara turned to synths for fresh inspiration on ‘Refugees’, reimagining not just their sound but the very scope of what Embrace could be. In its closing moments here, he unleashes a fevered surge of sound that both disrupts and elevates their signature gospel-tinged anthems.

They go further than musical evolution: brother Danny unfurls a journey through and beyond, and these guitars serve as the tipping point as an old life fades and a new, more positive one emerges. With every note, what was once guttural rage steps aside, allowing the hearts and minds to recalibrate and move forward.

With age, so often comes a clamming up of creativity, of openness to new ideas, but not Embrace. They’re more porous to love than ever, allowing wave upon wave of sonic euphoria to flood the senses.

Thirty years of joy never stopped them dreaming.

Mansfield - Too Much To Handle

Image Credit: Jesper Ludvigsen

Danish outfit are back with their new single ‘Too Much To Handle’ on Friday, 20th February. Recorded at Black Tornado Studio in Copenhagen, it was produced by Morten Bue and will be released via DME Records.

In 2024, Mansfield came of age on their second record, ‘For All The Right Reasons’. It was an album of fine melody and great storytelling, and here, they have picked up where they left off. Mathias Havelund’s guitars adopt the pop precision of Lightning Seeds but with an added darkness. That darkness, being life distractions, the fog and mire of everyday life, eating away at the most valuable commodity you can never fully possess in middle age, time.

Frontman Christian Sage’s vocals sit somewhere between Broudie’s bubble-gum optimism and the dramatic realism of Jake Shillingford of My Life Story. The bright hopes and dreams of pop are grounded by the weight of adult reality, creating a tension that gives ‘Too Much To Handle’ its emotional pull.

On February 27th, Mansfield will open for UK cult heroes All The Young and, on this showing, are not to be missed.

The Rogues – New York

Artwork courtesy of Songbird PR

Newport five-piece The Rogues recently released their latest single, ‘New York’. It follows last November’s acclaimed single ‘Oh Gena’.

Last time out on ‘Oh Gena’, the band were in a playful mood, toying with the blues and infectious indie hooks. This time out, they’re sonically enshrined in romance on this ode to breaking free of from the mundane.

Frontman and lead guitarist Andrew Flannelly channels the romance of Cherry Ghost and the warmth of Richard Hawley on this moonlit desire for change. Stripped back, yet wholly enriching, his vocals and guitars meander from the cuteness of The Zutons and the embracing outsiderdom of The Stands.

With new bands, you want, no, need to see something in their early days to keep you hooked. With every single from The Rogues that comes, there’s a sprinkling more charm and style. ‘New York’ points to an enchanting elegance that could yet unveil a ‘Coles Corner’ or ‘Thirst For Romance’, which frankly, is more than enough for us.

Frances Murray - Adults

Essex artist Frances Murray (formerly Blab), who now resides in Brighton, is set to release her new single ‘Adults’. The single is taken from the upcoming debut album ‘Dreamer’, due for release on 10th April.

Adults, like a great episode of The Simpsons from seasons 1 to 9, move between serious and playful with consummate ease. Her guitars nestle somewhere between Pavement’s slacker indie and Kurt Vile’s laissez-faire daydreams. They lay the perfect platform for Murray to ponder her quarter-life crisis.

Turning 25, the milestone that’s never given the poignant recognition it deserves. The dawning realisation that you should have it figured all out by now, I (“am I ever going to know, what the f**k is going on”) collides with an ever-growing sense of isolation and doom of your thirties coming without you ever making an impact. Murray captures this with great poise and wit:

“Seaside, gentrified / Am I just washed up / Trying not to give up / Mortgages, taxes, icloud storage / Current affairs, kitchen appliances, trying not to listen to your neighbours arguing”

Murray, a long-time friend and collaborator with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly!, has eloquently, amusingly, and melodically distilled the magic of his masterpiece, ‘The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager’. Every generation needs a poetical polemicist; Murray is shaping up well to be this one's.

Speakface - That’s My Luck

Cardiff’s Speakface have released their first single of the year, ‘That’s My Luck’. Recorded at Rat Trap Studio in Cardiff, it was produced by Tom Rees.

Much like The Strokes' first two albums, Speakface accelerates out of the blocks but hits cruise control soon after. The mid-tempo allows their brand of hazy grunge to grip you in it’s intoxication.

On previous records, Frontman Jarvis Morgan slides from a Julian Casablancas–style drawl into a guttural snarl straight out of ‘In Utero’ era Cobain. His descent from cool and calm to rabid and unhinged lays the perfect platform for lead guitarist Hayden Lewis. His deranged guitars in the closing stages and a layer of warped majesty to proceedings.

‘That’s My Luck’ captures the brilliance and depravity of Portman’s performance in Black Swan. The realisation that grace and genius are one thing, but untameable hellish rock n roll is another oozes from this single.

The Others - Met You In A Bar

Image courtesy of the band

London’s 00s pioneers The Others returned recently with their new single ‘Met You In A Bar’. It’s the lead single from their upcoming sixth studio album ‘When In Doubt’.

Their first official single in fourteen years serves as a bridge from their first two albums to their later eight-piece renaissance. The guitars and drums fire with the punk-rock roar of the Buzzcocks, whilst the Hammond organ lures in mod instincts of The Charlatans and the rabid early power of The Stranglers.

Frontman Dominic Masters' vocals remain as potent, spitting disdain and hurling venom as he regales a toxic relationship. His vocals and the aggressive Steve Diggle fuzz in the verses eventually give way to a Mark Collins-esque solo (The Charlatans) that melts away the bitterness.

Where once they would have kept their feet on the throat and gone out in a blaze of intense glory, now, a divine musicianship is elevating their ability to cause riots. 2026 is shaping up to be their year on this showing.

The Others · Met You In A Bar (Single Edit)

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming gig:

Marseille - Out of the Blue

As the year winds down, we’re using the last days of 2025 to revisit our favourite singles from autumn and winter that we didn’t get to review but couldn’t leave behind.

On November 28th, Derby’s Marseille released ‘Out of the Blue’ via their own label Echo Bass Records. The producer was Wolf Alice cohort Michael Smith.

On this ode to catharsis, Marseille find their sweet spot between The Verve and Oasis once more. The intro signifies the wrath and mounting grief in a toxic relationship that frontman Will Brown endured. To music lovers of a certain age, it screams words like history, forever, and destiny. It evokes, rightly or wrongly, the ambition of bands to conquer the world. It’s heavy, it will drain the soul, but it will leave you a better person for it.

Lead guitarist Joe Labrum’s playing is the answer to the question, what if Noel Gallagher merged with Nick McCabe? The intense introspective power of The Verve and the ability to soar and escape of Oasis unite to give the Derbyshire outfit one of their finest moments to date.

2025 has proven, through The Bracknall and Pastel, that there is a want and need for bands like Marseille to exist. With any luck, 2026 will see their debut album and significant rewards for them.

Maze - Ziggy

As the year winds down, we’re using the last days of 2025 to revisit our favourite singles from autumn and winter that we didn’t get to review but couldn’t leave behind.

At the start of September, London’s Maze released ‘Ziggy’, the second single from their upcoming second album.

In 2022, Maze emerged as everyone's favourite elder statesmen with their album ‘Chaos Interrupted’. It was a heartfelt ode to the music they loved, a fine project for mates to embark on. On ‘Ziggy’, there feels like a shift, a confidence has stirred in the wake of the debut. Frontman Gary Davis toys with cadence, switching from sumptuous pop vocals to defiant with a joyous ease.

Sonically indebted to the Roses’ paisley era, ‘Ziggy’ trips along with John Squire’s early romanticism until the solo, where they capture the magic of the C86 movement alongside the hazy hedonism of Northside.

The newfound belief in themselves will extend to a massive gig at the Scala with Peter Azzopardi. Do your duty and help them sell it out!

Click the image below for tickets:

The Utopiates - Lost My Groove

As the year winds down, we’re using the last days of 2025 to revisit our favourite singles from autumn and winter that we didn’t get to review but couldn’t leave behind.

On November 19th, London’s The Utopiates released ‘Lost My Groove’ via V2 Records. It saw the band once again step into Leeds studio The Nave with Andy Hawkins (Pigeon Detectives, Maximo Park).

So often dubbed the groove machine, they’re a band embossed with positivity and levity. This time out, they’re awash with paranoia and fear. Frontman Popplewell delivers a Skint & Demoralised-style vocal, but with added spite!

That said, the bassline still earns its moniker with its abrasive hooks. Fromer singles from the upcoming second album ‘Evanescent’ and ‘Reputation’ tapped into the slick debauchery of 00s NYC and New Young Pony Club. Here, homage is in the bin as they chart a course that sounds truly theirs, with their harsh basslines teetering on the edge of euphoria in the chorus.

Album number two is due out early next year, and on the run of singles in 2025, it is shaping up to be a beauty.

All The Young - Something More

As the year winds down, we’re using the last days of 2025 to revisit our favourite singles from autumn and winter that we didn’t get to review but couldn’t leave behind.

Image & Artwork courtesy of the band

Kicking things off are Stoke’s finest, All The Young, with their late November release ‘Something More’. Written by frontman Ryan Dooley, the single was produced by The K’s and Frank Turner cohort Gareth Nuttall.

Their last two offerings have witnessed the band mining personal anguish to inform their storytelling. ‘Demons’ examined the lived painful experiences of guitarist Thomas Crompton in a former band, whilst ‘Bad Blood’ sought to move on from the torment.

‘Something More’ follows in their footsteps as they embrace self-reflection. Monkey after monkey is pulled off their backs before the realisation that it’s them they need to step back from. The opening acoustic chords are straddled with Compton’s racing electric licks to signify that now is the time to acknowledge the journey they have been on and the good place they now reside in.

For a long time, ATY have been sonically free. Now, the shackles have come off matters of the heart and mind. The prospects of the third album being completely unrestrained are truly mouth-watering. 2026 might be the year they return to rock ‘n’ roll throne!

Pete Doherty – Felt Better Alive

“I gave my nights up for old songs, sound better alive
I gave my life over to old songs, sound better alive”

 The Libertines icon recently released his latest single, ‘Felt Better Alive’, via his label Strap Originals. It is the lead single from the upcoming fifth studio album of the same name, due May 16th.

*image credit: Bridie Cummings

The flourishes of skiffle and slide guitar suit Doherty’s down but not out image with a poetic magic that few can authentically compete with. Alongside the strings, it allows a mournful Doherty to build up an intense narrative before his melody melts all life’s woes away.

Nods to ‘What Katie Did’ and ‘Delany’ sonically toy with his glorious and checkered past on the most textured record within his solo cannon to date. The strings, at points, have a lost-at-sea isolation which plants you in his reality, whereas, lyrically, he seeks to reaffirm his younger self’s dreams and notions of “what might have been”. It’s a juxtaposition that seems a natural fit for his romanticism. However, for those who’ve followed the course of his Albion, it comes loaded with tortured imagery and regret.

As he decrees, “I’d always planned to sing in a sweet and soulful way, as only cowboys can!” Doherty transcends music. Like a bird singing just because it can, Doherty finds the sweet spot between a free soul and one trapped by the past.

After a career-redefining year with The Libertines in 2024, the good ship Albion looks set to sail into more glorious sunsets with its chief troubadour in great form.

Marseille – History

For the most part, Marseille has presented itself as a joyous collective. Pulling from the same psychedelic hymn sheet, they’ve traversed Ride, Oasis, and The Verve. On ‘History’, deliberately or not, tension in style arises, and it’s great!

*banner image courtesy of the band.

Lead guitarist Joe Labrum’s parts sound like Noel Gallagher playing Nick McCabe. Less intricate more universal, but still beset with enough spaced-out exploration of The Verve to keep things interesting. They’re guitars for dreamers.

Cut to frontman Will Brown, whose vocals are urgent, besotted with making said dreams reality. They collide poetically with the guitars, causing a chasm. Labrum entices Brown to a more philosophical world, and Brown, in turn, demands they implement it.  

In the closing stages, Brown decrees “you and I, you and me / you and I, you and me / you and I, you and me” in a moment of feverish euphoria. Their worlds unite, dreams become destiny, and hope is restored to guitar lovers.

Like Pastel’s triumphant debut album, Marseille are on a journey to restore rock ‘n’ roll to a time when it mattered when bands were life and death! In ‘History’, they stare into their souls, face their fears, and march forward with a confidence that can only be a clarion call for change to all who listen.

Derby’s Marseille returns on Friday, 24th January, with the new single ‘History’.

The Crooks – Dreaming Out Loud

Chesterfield rock ‘n’ rollers The Crooks are back with their fourth single since reforming ‘Dreaming Out Loud’.

*Banner image by Oliver London.

Since their return, their live shows have been enthralling, emotion-driven moments that will echo down eternity to those who went. On record, ‘Wide Awake’ and ‘In the Meantime’ picked up where they left off sonically, but something was missing.

On ‘What You Know’ and now ‘Dreaming Out Loud’, they’ve found the missing ingredient: the fall-to-the-floor anthem that countenances their sing-along ballads pieces of rock n roll defiance.

The middle ground between ‘Silhouette Sunshine’ and ‘Better Days’ shows the band completely controlling their identity and destiny. Toying with chaos and splicing in great melodies like rock star puppeteers, they have found their sweet spot.

Concise yet huge, they now sound like a band conquering the studio.

The guitars come out swinging with a heavy, intoxicating power on what is comfortably their best riff to date. Its power lies in its conciseness. Like a great heavyweight boxer’s jab, it knocks its opponent back into a daze. The violence of Kasabian’s debut and Rolla loiter as Modders’ hook loops with its way to glory.

Frontman Jacko, so often their melodic secret weapon, pulls back from an all-out assault and allows his soulful drawl to wash over the devastation with euphoric consequences. Few can match Embrace when Danny and Rich McNamara sing in tandem, but Jacko surpasses them in this showing. He leads you to the edge of the universe, allowing the solo to blow holes into the sun.

When they initially split, fans were devastated. The real deal was taken away from them. In the intervening years, no marks and also-rans have filled the void and reaped huge benefits their talents do not warrant. The Crooks’ return was less relief to fans and more, saddle up, we’re coming for the pretenders. ‘Dreaming Out Loud’ gives them yet another stick to beat the middle of the road with, and it feels great!

The Utopiates – Reputation

London outfit The Utopiates are back with their new single, ‘Reputation. ‘Released last week on V2 Records, it follows their LCD Soundsystem-driven ‘Neighbourhood,’ which came out in September.

Image & artwork courtesy of the band.

Their direction of travel on ‘Neighbourhood’ significantly shifted towards NYC and the 00s indie-electro scene. ‘Reputation’ struts further into this territory with crunching basslines akin to London’s 00s scenesters New Young Pony Club.

Frontman Dan Poppewell taps into his vocal cadence on ‘Devolution’, which allows the Disco elements to creep in alongside the New Order meets nu-rave synths, which sprinkle magic sporadically throughout.

The combination of disco and indie-electro in this stripped-back style allows The Utopiates to glide in between Radio 4 and Tom Vek to occupy the fascinating ground. What neither of those above had, nor anyone from the nu-rave/electro scenes, was Josh Redding. He shone as a riff and solo maker of baggy and psyche classics on the debut album. Now, he appears mercurially like a guitar genie. Sprinkling psyche magic a la (Moon Duo) but in concise moments of technicoloured bliss.

Siracuse - Simple Pleasures

Image courtesy of Goldstein United Mgmt

Cheltenham outfit Siracuse recently returned with their latest single, ‘Simple Pleasures,’ via Vibrant Sky Records. The single is backed by the angelic euphoria of ‘You Change,’ and a defined live version of ‘Lossen Your Grip’ on Spotify.

*banner image credit: @james_taking_pictures

Lyrically, Ben Zakotti finds himself in a carefree head space. As seen on ‘Saviour’ and So Serene’, shackle-free is where Zakotti thrives. His innate ability to be in the moment while creating rock music carnage around with nods to the Stones, the Primals, and Kasabian is enough to keep Siracuse’s stick rising into these bleak winter months.

The pulsating intro pushes the hedonism of Soundtrack of Our Lives to the edge of what is sane. Debauched, with the threat of violence lurking, it showcases how intoxicating rock ‘n’ roll’s three chords can still be.

Siracuse is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s best-kept secrets, and the time feels right for that to change. From big epics to short blasts of glory, they have the rock ‘n’ roll cannon to change lives.

Ecko - Let Go

Once upon a time, in a land not far behind us, the media would seek out new rock ‘n’ roll strands to define youth culture. Today, alas, they care more for some obnoxious cunt opening a box of third-world tat so tax-dodging conglomerates can pay them.

*banner image courtesy of All images courtesy of A Deeper Groove

Artwork credit: @turner_photographs

Ayrshire four-piece Ecko is back with their new single ‘Let Go’ for those still curious. The visceral intro leans into the noise and confusion of early Oasis and the filthy and fury of the Pistols. It allows

The licks of Oasis’ ‘Hung In A Bad Place’ are given an injection of breathtaking intensity. It allows the protagonist to lay down the law with a soon-to-be iconic confidence. As the single builds, drummer Johnny Armstrong’s drumming steals the show a la Matt Helders for the Arctics' first three albums before Matthew Welsh’s guitars tap into the riotous angst of ‘Bring It On Down’ with scintillating guile.

The journey to their debut album may feel slow to fans desperate for more, but Ecko is a measured beast for something so sonically unhinged. Appear when they want and deliver significant improvements each time. ‘Let Go’ is flanked by a stunning ode to The Strokes with the b-side ‘Think Three Times’.  A track most bands couldn’t dream of writing is there to back up the gift that is this single.

Yon Mon – Shine On

As the sun sets on The Shed Project, frontman Roy Fletcher launches his new project, Yon Mon. The debut single ‘Shine On’ was recorded with The Jade Assembly's Danny Hayes at Bolton’s Ivy Studio.

Where The Shed Project’s second album had heavier sound and discourse, Yon Mon has returned to the freer energy of their debut. The escapist with the lysergic spirit of Northside and hints of early Charlatans.

Fletcher breaks from the straight-up guitar sound of his former project in the second half, giving the seaside keys of The Horrors’ ‘Primary Colours’ an injection of ecstasy. Coupled with the resounding guitars that loom large, Fletcher has struck upon a sonic perfect for his ‘Some Friendly’ Burgess-era vocal.

Yon Mon will be releasing three more singles in the coming months with the debut album coming in summer 2025. On this showing, it’s shaping up very well indeed!

MOSES – Raining For Days

London’s MOSES released ‘Raining For Days’ at the end of September. It is the third single from their upcoming third studio album and was recorded with long-time cohort Gavin Monaghan at the Magic Garden Studio in Wolverhampton.

Images courtesy of Rocklands Artbeat Promo

There is a beautiful simplicity to ‘Raining For Days’ that recalls Dinosaur Jr. ’s classic ‘Feel The Pain’ or Graham Coxon’s Pavement-esque era of Blur. The melodic guitar noodling building to a heavier release suits MOSES' maturer sound with resounding effectiveness.

Frontman Victor Moses’ vocal is now venturing into masterful territory. More withdrawn than the fire-breathing early singles, knowing when to flash the teeth and spit venom with precision. When he decrees “we only get one life / A cliche that I really like / I believe in what I am and no /  I'll never stop”, the band’s natural inclination to defiance oozes from band to listener, from soul to soul as a unifying clarion call.

Clearer, crisper, and broader than ever, MOSES still maintain their underground status. There’s a renegade spirit festering with intent around everything here that’s undeniable. What were once ifs have become whens with almost the utmost urgency.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming shows: