The Nite Songs Singles Bar - July 2021

Welcome to July's instalment of the Singles Bar. Hand on heart, this one is more of a mini-bar with just half a dozen new offerings but there's some big hitters in here so quality not quantity. Think of it as a good hard shot of whatever your favourite spirit is.

And speaking of a good hard shot, what better way to start off a Singles Bar than with a new single from The Wildhearts? Remember These Days (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) is a fine first salvo from Ginger and co's upcoming album 21st Century Love Songs starting off sounding like a Stiff Little Fingers song with the riffs amped up but rest assured before its five minutes are out, it'll have taken you off in about three directions that you weren't expecting and reminded you exactly how much we've missed them over the last year or two since Renaissance Men. Roll on September 3rd.

Speaking of big hitters making a return, it's good to see Danko Jones back with a new single. Hand on heart, I thought Danko's last album, 2019's A Rock Supreme was a bit underwhelming compared to his usual high quality output but Saturday (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑) is a promising taster from the new album Power Trio, a tight-as-you-like ode to a Saturday night spent getting it on with your girl as opposed to going out and getting drunk. We shall see if the album lives up to this first effort but the signs are hopefully promising.

The Hip Priests are rapidly becoming regulars at the Singles Bar (as indeed they are at most bars to be honest) and No Stranger To Failure (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) is another cracker from Nottingham's filthiest, rattling through on a light speed riff with a big chantalong chorus. B-side Sounds A Lot Like War is even more frenetic and, as with all the best Hip Priests songs, sounds like a prime soundtrack for doing stuff that you really know you shouldn't. Top stuff. Bandcamp link here.

On a more cerebral trip, this month also sees folk-punk stalwarts Skinny Lister return with Bavaria Area (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑), a cautionary tale of customs mishaps while touring in Europe. With an almost ska style musical backing, it's a good song which should hopefully be a good omen for SL's forthcoming fifth album.

Fresh off winning the inaugral Nite Songs Album Of The Year award with last year's Pop Up Jim Bob, Jim Bob (who else?) is already gearing up for the follow up which is due out in August. Song For The Unsung (🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗) is a taster and is a great feelgood pop song about the unsung heroes of the pandemic with a big sky-soaring chorus. Great stuff...he's got some competition but he's certainly done his chances of getting two out of two no harm at all with this if the rest of the album's this good.

And finally for this month, Dignan Porch chalk up no less than their third mention on the Singles Bar in two months with a lower-than-lo-fi slice of indie weirdness in VR Park Keeper (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑). The helium vocals and woozy guitars here remind me of Grandaddy (now there's a name I'd not heard for many moons!) more than anything but it's a perfectly reasonable slice of dream-pop even if it's a bit overshadowed by the company it's keeping this month.

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So there we go - a shorter than usual visit to the Singles Bar this month but I think we can all agree with some thoroughly enjoyable numbers to digest. We'll see you back here again in August - till then.