Last week was the location of another truly international edition of our regular Tracks Of The Week mélange, with Wales's Florence Black edging out Sweden's Europe edging out Australia's The Lazy's in a battle for supremacy that crossed borders with all the carefree insouciance of Howard Marks in his heyday.
So congratulations to Merthyr Tydfil's finest, whose Look Up video you can watch below. Or llongyfarchiadau, as they say in that part of the world.
This week's entries are below. We hope you enjoy the enormity of their greatness.
The Cadillac Three - Comin’ Down From You
The Nashville trio’s latest single (hot off upcoming album These Years Go Fast) is a fast n’ furious headspin of ZZ Top-esque weight and their own inimitable brand of heavy southern-fried va-va-voom. As a whole These Years Go Fast goes into deeper, more brooding territory than TC3’s earlier, boozier comfort zone, and Comin’ Down From You reflects that in a totally killer rock package.
Virginmarys - Where Are You Now?
Currently tearing up stages on tour with Sisters Of Mercy, the Macclesfield duo are back with this fierce, fully riffed new single, marrying the beefy rock guitar of their debut with the urgency and despair of recent years. Accompanied by a snowy, parodying video homage to John Hughes’ classic Planes Trains & Automobiles, it crackles with the gut-grabbing intensity and raw, impassioned storytelling that made us fall in love with them in the first place. Nice.
Sophie Lloyd (feat Lzzy Hale) - Imposter Syndrome
Youtube star-turned-fully fledged rocker Sophie’s driving, gnarly but melodious guitar stylings (think Joe Satriani via Lamb Of God, and you’re in the right tonal ballpark) pair brilliantly with Lzzy Hale’s full-throated banshee cries on Imposter Syndrome, the title track from her new album. “Working with Lzzy was honestly a dream come true," says Sophie."I’ve been a fan of hers for years growing up, and when I decided to do a collaborative album, her name was the first one that came to mind. She did such an incredible job at taking such a personal thing and making a song that conveys all the emotion I have felt for years."
Bonafide - Snacket
Back with their first album since 2017 (Are You Listening? which is out later this month) Swedish rockers Bonafide have released this mightily catchy, old-school number, sung in their mother tongue. Snacket is a duet in Scanian (a Swedish regional dialect) between Wilmer X frontman Nisse Hellberg and Bonafide singer/guitarist Pontus Snibb. We don’t speak Scanian here, so they could be singing about anything – hell, they could be saying something dreadful – but musically it’s a bounding, ultra-hooky rock’n’roller, so we’re choosing to focus on that.
Skinny Knowledge - I Wanna Rock And Roll
The south-coast rockers return to Tracks Of The Week with a bouncy, bright-eyed bundle of pop rock laughs laced with bittersweet aggro – kind of like hearing I Want Candy reimagined by Green Day and Eureka Machines. “It is what it says on the tin!” says frontman Andy L Smooth. “Instead of sitting and dwelling, it’s about wanting to go out and party, let loose, and forget about it all - I’m just here because I want to party, I’m just here because I’m broken-hearted'. It’s that simple!”
Blackberry Smoke - Little Bit Crazy
The Atlanta fivesome’s new track starts out all acapella gospel, courtesy of backing duo The Black Bettys. But then the meat of the opening chorus kicks off, and we’re in gorgeously familiar BBS territory – unctuous, swaying and Stones-y, a la Six Ways To Sunday with a touch of Rock And Roll Again. Anyone in the mood for a warm, inviting southern rock earworm with at least one boot in the Georgia Satellites’ Keep Your Hands To Yourself will want to dive into this headfirst.
Karman Line - Loose On The Weekend
The weekend might be behind us, but let’s forget all that and get back into Friday night cocktail hour mode, with this sharp, mega-funky rock stomp that’s part Red Hot Chili Peppers, part classic Seattle grunge party-starter. Sassy, vibey and highly addictive stuff from these multinational, UAE-based dudes. Like what you hear? Check out their debut album Like a Machine, which is out now.
Vixen - Red
A rare studio outing for the latest lineup of 80s hair metal legends Vixen, with a song that bounces enthusiastically along – the ridiculously catchy chorus has something of the earwormy quality of Rocket From The Crypt's On A Rope about it – and features not one but two guitar solos. As a bonus, the video opens with a drone shot of LA's famous Rainbow Bar & Grill, just to let viewers know that the band are still on board with that whole Sunset Strip vibe. "Red is a very dynamic and hard driving rocker of a song," confirms longtime drummer Roxy Petrucci. "Modern yet embraces the amazing harmonies and catchy choruses that are signature to the classic Vixen style." And so say all of us.
