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Fifty-eight years after they formed in London and a decade after their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Deep Purple have finally peaked. Yes, they're a first-time winner of our Tracks Of The Week hoo-hah, with what we believe to be their 59th single, Arrogant Boy.
Bywater Call and Brian Fallon filled the minor medal positions, and we're sure they won't begrudge The Purps their moment in the spotlight. Meanwhile, this week's compilation of entries has been compiled by our compilers and is ready for your attention. Please see below.
The Darkness - Masters Of The Universe
Queen had Flash Gordon and The Highlander. Now, The Darkness have He-Man. Called upon to provide the theme song for the upcoming Masters Of The Universe movie (which also features guitar hero action from one Mr Brian May), The Darkness obliged with this splendidly over-the-top piece of prog-edged rock sorcery and swashbuckling. Queen-tastic, which clearly no one at Classic Rock HQ has a problem with. Plus it’s got a heavy gallop worthy of Iron Maiden themselves, with whom the Brothers Hawkins and their merry men will play at Knebworth as part of Eddfest this summer.
The Warning - Ego
Ego might be the heaviest single yet from Mexican sister act The Warning, with riffs that squeal and twist and thump, but it's still packed with the melodic nous and modern production smarts that have brought the band such a huge fanbase, and the Spanish-language vocals dovetail perfectly with all the noise. "This music video is all about reclaiming your power, embracing confidence, and standing tall in your identity," say the band. "Even when the world is watching."
Alyssa Bonagura - Small Town Tuesday (Who You Gonna Be?)
Rolling in like 2026’s bright-eyed yet lived-in answer to Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do, the rising star from Franklin, Tennessee gets us right in the mood for summer with Small Town Tuesday. A pensive yet upbeat swirl of cowboy booted vibes, storytelling lyrics and singalong sunkissed chorus, it's got enough dirt under its nails to keep its sweetened pop sensibilities on the rock side. Catch her on tour across the UK in June.
Foo Fighters - Of All People
A bracing headrush of hooky, punk-sizzled rock’n’roll, the Foos’ latest has been co-opted as a soundtrack for one of the nuttier sporting endeavours we’ve heard about in recent years: BPC (Buldoz Project Crew)’s totally bonkers-sounding ‘snowless skiing’. “It’s either the gnarliest extreme sport I’ve ever seen, the most fun anyone can have before a guaranteed trip to the hospital, or both,” Grohl says. “It’s an honour to be the soundtrack to this madness.” It’s probably best if you watch the video.
When Rivers Meet - Caught In The Middle
Grace and Aaron bond expand their bluesy rock palate to commanding effect on this heavy, loose-limbed lil’ earworm – all biting riffage and sultry big stage atmosphere. “This one is really about that feeling of being pulled in two directions,” says guitarist half Aaron. “You tell yourself you’re going to walk away but somehow you end up back there again." Get more of that rocking, rollicking good stuff on Rhythm, Rust & Static, which comes out this week.
Muse - Hexagons
Fancy a huge, commanding intergalactic rocker with high-stakes production values and a Saturn-traversing music video to match? Hexagons is your guy. The latest slice of Muse’s new album opens on a long, glittering blast of twin-guitar magic, like Queen and Ghost heading to far-off galaxies with Pink Floyd. From there, things get quite a lot more electronic with hard-pulsing beats and synths, cut through with Matt Bellamy’s mercurial, opera-meets-art rock vocal tendencies.
The Pretty Reckless - Dear God
Dear God starts off slowly, and there's a genuine air of creeping menance about the Pretty Reckless's latest, but by the time the chorus hoves into view we're in Halestorm territory, with a towering vocal from Taylor Momsen. "When life gets that physical, that brutal, you leave your body and start begging something bigger than yourself to pull you out," she says. "That space between heaven and hell isn't a metaphor. It’s somewhere you actually live."
Fuzzrider - Desert Boogie
With a name like Fuzzrider and a song entitled Desert Boogie, you can probably guess what this song is going to sound like with an unusual degree of accuracy. Yes, it's Foghat versus ZZ Top with plenty of fuzz and grunt and a dusting of high desert delirium. Recorded in Norway with the excellently named Jim Spliff, it's the title tracks of the Greek band's second album, which came out on Friday.
