Perhaps unsurprisingly, December was rather barren for new release singles, I say that in numbers alone as the quality of what I did hear was high, with one of December’s singles, from Falkirk’s Static sneaking into my top 100 singles of the year. The sum total of my December round up is 10 singles. It may have been me in not being as active on social media or missing some quality songs dropping into my inbox, but 10 it is and they were a cracking wee bunch to be fair…
The Just Joans followed up Here Come the Rugby Boys with Limpet, yet another gem from the band who have a knack for creating stylish kitchen sink vignettes of life and whose lyrical tales always take you on an emotional journey, whether that be humorous, melancholic or just pure joy, the dual-vocalled, brass infused Limpet is a heart-melting slice of unbridled love and joy. The band play Glasgow’s Mono on the 23rd of January to celebrate the release of their new album Romantic Visions of Scotland with Carla J Easton in tow…
Possibly my favourite song of theirs to date, Static, has a warm and fuzzy riff which envelops you, taking you to brighter sunnier days away from the gloom of winter, and with an edifying vocal that takes flight and soars into the ether. Blissful.
In a very Scottish (as it should be) round up in December third up is the latest single from Too Red. The earnest and thunderously hard rocking Torn features on the just announced Ginger Quiff Presents You Are Here – The New Sound of Scotland CD which will be available to purchase imminently… and the band play as part of King Tuts New Years Revolution on 25th January with Stratus, Delirium & Marceline.
The Fake Friends have a debut album, Let’s Not Overthink This, coming out in February and December saw the release of this single, Sucker Born Every Minute, which is a deliciously captivating slice of garage punk channelling the spirit of The Hives.
Daemönik Fonce logo pays tribute to Crass, and the single Oh Corita opens with the chant of Fight War, Not Wars, which as well as bringing the spirit of the anarcho-punk legends to their single, pays tribute to anti-war campaigner Corita Kent, and unfortunately the phrase takes on even more importance with 2026 opening in the same dystopian manner as it ended. The powerful goth tinged single comes from the bands forthcoming second album DFII.
I’m a latecomer to the music of Theo Bleak whose affecting single Finest Work is a warts and all reflection on a doomed relationship… I particularly like the lyrical couplet towards the end… “On a Queens Park bench, in your fucked up car…” The single comes from her latest album Bargaining which I will be seeking out shortly…
I last featured Clay Rings in a singles round up on the release of their anthemic single Blue Boy’s Dream which painted vivid pictures in my head. The latest single from the Spanish/Scottish band At Nathan’s House is the lead single from their forthcoming Day After Day EP and is a clever multi-vocalled song, the story set in a house party with the protagonists stories paying off against each other as the song reaches its glorious crescendo.
It’s a bit late for this one, but if you missed I’m Coming Home from The Vintage Explosion in December, you can add it to your Christmas playlist for 2026…
Despite the band name and the release date, Joyrider from We Three Kings isn’t recorded by the Palestinian child’s festive visitors, what it is is a debauched hard rocking anthem to wanton drunken debasement, just what Christmas is all about.
From Joy(riding) to the world to Oi to the world and I’ll leave you with the somehow utterly joyous cross between Oi and New Found Glory in the shape of the defamatory cunningly titled single from NE Scotland’s The Fragz, oi oi oi oi here we fuckin’ go… the “if you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit join or club” giving away their vintage. You’ve got to just let loose and not give a fuck sometimes.