Fifty-five years after forming in Rockford, Illinois, power pop icons Cheap Trick are still breaking new ground, most recently by triumphing in the latest iteration of our Tracks Of The Week competition. We salute them.
Runners-up Willie Dowling and Eric Gales are now wearing silver and bronze medals around their necks, so we congratulate them, too. But only briefly, because another edition of Tracks Of The Week is already underway. We hope you enjoy the righteous, riotous sounds.
Alter Bridge - Silent Divide
Oof that’s a monster of a riff! Bursting straight out of the starting blocks in a blaze of beef, groove and glory, Myles, Mark, Scott and Brian conjure flavours of their early days on this first taste of the next Alter Bridge album – now announced for release in January 2026. Simultaneously heavyweight and super light on its feet, with a big heart-singing chorus, it might be both the most ‘metal’ and ‘pop’ thing they’ve created in years. Cracking solo from Mark at the end, too.
The Inspector Cluzo - Thoreau
The organic farmer duo from Gascony move deftly from a low, Tom Waits-esque rumble to searing heights on this ragged, rollicking mesh of impassioned social awareness and The Who-meets-Black Keys rock’n’roll. All in fiery homage to nineteenth century naturalist Henry David Thoreau (an advocate for self-sufficiency and closeness with nature, who inspired the spirit of TIC’s latest album Less Is More). Almost no one today mixes rock and politics as sincerely or as effectively as they do. Catch them on tour across the UK in October.
Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - Sadie Mae
Tuk continues to raise his songwriting bar on this sweet, heart-rending and quietly smart ode to “unconditional love”. "As a writer, I’m always trying to put new spins on timeless themes, and I don’t want the work to feel dated down the line,” Tuk says. “The video was shot in my garage studio on an iPhone, the same place I wrote and recorded my last album and most of this EP — it’s a hell of a lot of work, but it’s also very fulfilling."
Hollow Souls feat. Elles Bailey - Burn It To The Ground
“This genuinely feels like such a treat to be collaborating with the one and only Kris Barras,” says Elles, whose gravel-edged soul purr makes a great companion for Kris’s juicy slide licks and a big, moody stomper of a chorus – all on this latest piece from Barras’s new bluesy bunch Hollow Souls. “I’m so excited that we are finally on a track together and I was invited to be a part of this really special project!” Music with which to go Stetson-shopping, or have a boogie in your cowboy boots, bourbon in hand. Might be our favourite HS track so far.
The Struts - Could Have Been Me feat. Brian May
If any current band was born to do a collaboration with the iconic Queen guitarist, it’s The Struts. You can feel the ‘holy shit, we’re playing with Brian May!’ energy emanating from the band’s performance here, everyone raising their game, not least of all guitarist Adam Slack who knocks out a panache-laden solo in response to May’s own predictably stellar licks. Complete with footage from their earliest days, it’s a genuinely rousing full-circle moment.
Brave Rival - Control
Brave Rival’s heaviest track yet is also one of their best – all driving hard rock riffs, moody melody, strong chorus and a powerhouse rock’n’soul vocal from Lindsey Bonnick. “Lyrically, it's probably my angriest song,” Bonnick says. “And there have been a few now! It’s coming from a place of a failed relationship and a recognition that I needed to take back control of my life”
Castle Rat - Wolf I
The always excellent Castle Rat have released Wolf I, the latest single from their upcoming second album The Bestiary, and it's predictably epic, powered via NWOBHM-cum-Sabbath riff and accompanied by a video in which Rat Queen Riley Pinkerton brandishes a sword in a forest as a wolf and a white wizard augment the medieval vibes. "I directed, styled, and edited it myself because it’s a living myth, a part of the Castle Rat lore, a feral dream I had to make real," boasts Riley. Pass the mead, rat fans.
Marcus King - Heartlands
Beginning with hillbilly fiddle, Marcus King's Heartlands is more country-pop, less drenched in soul than some of his previous work, but the restrained guitar work is on-point, the arrangement smart – there's a breakdown with room for audience handclaps – and the overall result effortlessly slick. “This song puts into words just the way I feel about that sweet little wife of mine," says King. "She’s supported me through so many ups and downs. But when I fall, she’s always where my heart lands."
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