Category: Singles Round Up

Singles Round Up 2026 – June – Part 2

August 22, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Curiosity Shop – Crows

The debut single from Curiosity Shop, Crows, is a touching and delicately absorbing alt-folk song, opening with a gentle blend of a capella vocal harmonies before serene soothing instruments, including brushed drums and calming accordion mix with the voices before fading out again as the vocals take centre stage again to close the song.

Tina Sandwich – Dandelion (Wishing)

Tina Sandwich is one of Scotland’s finest DIY/underground live bands, their boisterous sets always a joy to behold.  Their latest single dandelion (wishing) fitted perfectly into their set the last time I saw them, positioning itself as a future fan favourite.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – June – Part 1

August 22, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The first batch of singles from June, with two-thirds of them coming from Scottish based bands, including the debut single from Glasgow’s Limerence and the welcome return of Deer Leader.

Lightnin’ Truck – Shnitzelman

Schnitzelman is the latest offering from Lightnin’ Truck, the Dundee based duo fronted by Hettie from Scorpio Leisure, whose derisive and biting lyrics are delivered with a provocative sardonic snarl atop a suitably hypnotic rhythm of distorted guitar and tambourine.

Meryl Streek – Rotten Fruit

A seething anthem featuring two generations of politico-punks with the angry one-man Dublin protest punk Meryl Streek joined by late 70s/early 80s anarcho-punk, Crass front man Steve Ignorant.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – May – Part 6

August 11, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Final part of May’s Singles Round Up, I mean, it’s only August after all…

Another mix of genres and styles from across the gamut of new underground Scottish bands and beyond…

Scott C Park – That’s Love

Kicking off with references to ancient Beltane traditions, That’s Love is the second single to come from Revival, Scott C Park’s (the C stands for Caravan) Revival album, and the second song from an Isle of Lewis band/artist in this month’s round up. That’s Love is a joyous blend of lo-fi slacker rock and traditional Scottish folk that explores the little things in the relationships that show the true meaning of love.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – May – Part 5

August 10, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve been neglecting singles round ups for a while, and as a result I’m STILL on May… and even then, I’ve included some older singles that I’ve missed along the way.

The penultimate May round up has a bit of a leaning towards harder edged/grungy rock in several of the songs, but there is still a good mix of genres, and another hearty dose of Scottish talent.

Fright Years – Never Been Wrong

Fright Years are playing in Edinburgh this week alongside her picture who feature in the final part of May’s round up with their single The Ram. Never Been Wrong is another soaring anthem with a powerful bombast which, as a huge Simple Minds fan, reminds me of their Once Upon a Time stadium rock era.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – May – Part 4

June 17, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The latest part of May’s singles is another smorgasbord from across genres and spanning the Atlantic with a good sprinkling of up and coming Scottish bands and there is an undercurrent of rock n roll/rockabilly and blues in several of the songs in this part of the round up…

First up, having collaborated on their previous single with The Interrupters, Dead Pioneers have joined forces with Sleaford Mods Jason Williamson for The Worst Among Us. The message behind the song is as valid for the UK in our present times as it is for Gregg Deal’s home in the  USA. US Presidents and parties like Reform with their racist narratives are emboldening the far right… “The worst among us cast shadows long” …as seen by recent events in Belfast and closer to home in Glasgow.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – May – Part 3

June 9, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The first couple of songs in this part were actually April releases which I didn’t pick up on at the time and there are a few others from earlier in the year that I didn’t pick up on…

Based on the current state of the world and the behaviours of some sections of society I’m beginning to think that the name of this next band is something that really should be considered, anyway… Veto Humans debut single Belong to Glasgow, is a moody brooding track with low key vocals that deliver the refrain of the song’s title repeatedly throughout, the vocal soundtracked by darkly glitchy driving dance beats interspersed with some sonorous guitar riffs. … Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – May – Pt 2

June 6, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

I keep thinking I’m getting there then something knocks me back again… so here we are in June and I’m only on part 2 of May’s singles round up’s with the remainder of April and all of May’s album reviews languishing uncomplete… Anyway here goes for part 2 of May’s singles

Something a bit different from Verse Metrics this month with the multi-textured and hypnotically atmospheric Robin Southby remix of their track Arcane Spillage. A slow burn intro breaks into delicate piano parts, before the rhythm builds and the urgency increases, the refrain of “like I’m being gently pulled apart” glitching and repeating until the full blown thunderous beats and synths opens up.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – March

May 12, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The singles round up for March has more than it’s fair share of excellent singles from emerging Scottish talent from alt-rock right through to Gaelic rap (yes, you read it right), with debut singles from the likes of Honey, Close Control, Sports Frock and Quality Control and cracking singles from Tanzana, bottle rockets, Martha May and the Mondays, Stratus, Verse Metrics, Bandit Country, Dubinski, Doss, Subterranean, Brontes, Grow Up, Pearling. Arran Hopkins, Conscious Pilot, Limonead, Gichard, Mantel, Big Crunch, and braes, with some more established Scottish acts like Middle Class Guilt, Carla J Easton, The Countess of Fife, The Girobabies and Broken Chanter joining the party.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – February – Part 2

May 9, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

I’m not going to go into the reasons why this is so late, but I started this such a long time ago now, half of the bands have probably released more music or split up since but hey, as the saying goes, I’ve started, so I’ll finish…

February seems a long time ago and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. And as you can see from this second part of the singles for the month, there was a lot to digest including a few new releases from bands who feature on the “You are Here – The New Sound of Scotland” CD (yes, I know… I’m awaiting delivery of said CD, once they are in my grubby mitts they’ll be unleashed on an unsuspecting public….)… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – February – Part 1

February 15, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

When you take your eye off the ball for a second… I’ve been guilty of ignoring my inbox and my blog of late, I turn away for a couple of weeks and there is a plethora of fantastic new singles from a gamut of bands and styles… This is just the first part of February’s round up, beyond this initial collection, there is another burgeoning list of new singles for February and it is the usual smörgåsbord of sounds from across the globe, with a heavy dose of homegrown talent. Within that homegrown talent in Part 1 there is bona fide music legend Fay Fife in her Countess of Fife guise, and new singles from the likes of Broken Chanter through to newer kids in the block who are making quite an impression on the local scene in the guise of bands like heavyskint and Dallas Love Field.… Read the rest