Single Reviews 09/10/20

Every now and again a band comes along whose music puts an instant swagger in your step as you are listening to them full pelt. Kombat are one of those select bands. Combining the raw guitar tones of Definitely Maybe era Oasis coupled with a hungry Arctic Monkeys, Kombat have successfully made what is old brand new again. Their sound is familiar yet exciting; lyrics are by no means deep but exactly as they should be. Direct, a rally cry of youth. New single, and our Single Of The Week, Getting Better fits their self made mould to a tee - loud guitars, banging drums and an energy in the vocals rarely heard. The outro to this is phenomenal. Kombat are simply the best new band in the UK and new single Getting Better is best played as loud as possible.

DMA’s have put out an acoustic version of Criminals. Fans of the band will be well aware of this fantastic song already however this new version takes things to another level. When that acoustic guitar comes in there’s chills. Vocals are on point...Boy Bye is the new one from Lauran Hibberd. We are big fans of Lauran here at Our Sound and this sounds like a throwback to late 90’s alt rock with a crashing chorus...Much hyped The Lathums go a bit ska on I See Your Ghost. It’s not really working and their poorest release so far...In Earnest have released a self titled six track EP. A very personal collection of songs, we are grabbed from the get go by first track 29. Sharing lead vocal duties, Sarah takes over on Put Me Under, a haunting song about mental illness. The line can I share your name now hits hard in Fables, a song that is emotionally raw and beautiful. A fine collection of songs, highly recommended...Detroit power duo The Messenger Birds bring the rock n roll this week with Everything Has To Fall Apart Eventually. Some meaty power chords going on here and if you like your music on the harder side on occasion you can’t go wrong with this...Mellah plays a blinder with Hitchin. The fella is incredibly talented as shown on this contemporary release. It’s off-kilter indie pop done to perfection, another must listen this week..We wrote a lovely feature on Southampton’s Regent earlier this week here and Today is out erm today. This is shaping up to the best week in single releases since our website started. Today is impassioned, understated and has an almost sleazy vibe in places. In another era this would be a huge radio hit...Singer songwriter Martin Leary brings us our second EP release to have a gander at this week with his All In Good Time EP. The title track certainly stirs emotions in this reviewer. An anthem that is brilliantly crafted and produced. I’m almost sat swaying along here with my Toast And Jam tea. Sleeps Alone is more a grower while Find The Light borrows a riff from Oasis’s Supersonic (who borrowed it from Bryan Adams themselves anyway) - a familiar song here that showcases Leary’s indie rock influences. I Often Wonder is full of attitude but is screaming to be a faster tempo, certainly a blinding song here that could have been so much more while the EP finishes off with an acoustics & strings version of All In Good Time. A very worthy EP...Tobisonics who does so much in the UK unsigned music scene, has released Military Industrial Complex. Featuring samples from Donald Trump this is a welcome break from the usual genre of music we cover here at Our Sound. Highly experimental and intelligent as it is unique...AM Shanley have released Redshifting from upcoming album Hellacious. It is pleasant in a dreamy vintage kind of way. Click here to watch the video..The Crooked Line have covered Elvis Costello’s My Darling Clementine for their upcoming Country Darkness project. Featuring a wurlitzer and The Beautiful South style harmonies it is a job well done...Tiny Deaths The Jump is laid back street pop with a banging bass. The Jump sounds huge in a club vibe way...Ed Nash (Bombay Bicycle Club) has released a new solo track in Think You Feel The Same. It is an inoffensive acoustic track that is an easy listen...Exciting female lead Grunge rockers SCARLET round off this week's single releases in style with Bring Me Down. We can imagine this one being a big hit live with its swirling guitars and indie rock sensibility.

Most of the releases above can be found on our weekly updated Our Sound Spotify Playlist.