Our most recent Tracks Of The Week contest was a one-sided affair, with Crossbone Skully's Mutt Lange-produced The Last Night On Earth dominating in the way that Mutt Lange productions usually do, i.e. by receiving more public support than any of the other acts combined.
It's kinda like when American Made by The Oak Ridge Boys and The Law Of Devil's Land by Loudness went up against Def Leppard's Pyromania in January 1983. They may have all started at the same place, but there was only one winner in the end.
So congratulations to them, and then it's on with another show.
Here are our our latest eight candidates. Please vote for the one you like more than the others.
Eureka Machines - Back In The Back Of Beyond
Fuck yeah! Criminally underrated but very much loved by those who know better, Leeds's songmeisters de resistance Eureka Machines are back, and they come bearing the good stuff – a searing dose of tearaway yet exquisitely crafted pop rock that manages to be dreamy, zingy, kind of heartbreaking and utterly joyous all at once. Accompanied by snippets from videos and gigs past (remember the banana costume from Pop Star?), it’s got us excited for their sixth album, tentatively titled Everything, which is due out in April 2025.
Dorothy - I Come Alive
Setting the tone with pensive, high-drama synth notes and one heck of an opening wail – think Clare Torry’s Great Gig In The Sky scream with the fiery guts of Halestorm or In This Moment – Dorothy’s latest tune has a meaty, regal depth to it, spicing up contemporary hard rock/metal weight with a theatrical sensibility. A full-throttle, from-the-depths anthem, in other words. Stay tuned for news of her anticipated next album, from which this one’s taken…
Larkin Poe - Little Bit
There are soulful, pensive notes of Susan Tedeschi and Bonnie Raitt in the Lovell sisters’ voices (Rebecca’s lead vocals, Megan’s slide guitar, duel harmonies honed together since they could talk) in this softer piece of their upcoming album Bloom, which is coming out in January, followed by a full UK tour later in 2025. Sweet but not sickly, with just the right touch of smoky mystique, Little Bit is a beautifully nuanced aural cross-section of the American south – proof, again, of what thoughtful songwriters these guys have become.
The Wildhearts - Failure Is The Mother Of Success
Kicking off with a brilliantly gnarly, heavy hook that wastes no time in punching you squarely in the jaw (in a good, metaphorical way), the Wildhearts single veers down a spread of surprising side-streets – from spaced-out passages to chirpy pop rock, tender melancholia and a hopeful conclusion. It runs to almost eight minutes, and earns every beat of it. “Failure Is The Mother Of Success is about getting back on your feet after things have gone wrong,” Ginger explains. “There's an old saying, 'fall down three times, get up four’. It's about feeling like you're worth getting back up for, and that making mistakes is just an essential part of life, everyone does it.”
Powder Chutes - Scalpel
Kiwi youngsters Powder Chutes have had quite the week, receiving a last-minute invite to support US rockers Highly Suspect at an arena show in Auckland, then being brought onstage with the headliners to augment their hit Lydia. All of this activity is serendipitously timed to coincide with the band's new single, Scalpel, which is powered by the kind of filthy riff Josh Homme comes up with on his good days, before finding an adrenaline-fuelled way to a climax that burns so hot we're obliged to check that we're not actually on fire. An album is on the way, they tell us.
The Damn Truth - The Willow
The title track from the nostalgic Canadian rockers’ next album is a hypnotic affair – ultra classic but with a level of intent that stops it feeling like a museum piece. By turns delicate and commanding, The Willow finds them stirring brooding, hippiefied swirls of Robert Plant and Janis Joplin with big lead guitar strokes, smooth tempo shifts and heady 60s and 70s vibes galore. “When we started the process of selecting songs for our new album The Willow always stood alone,” the band have said. “It was fragile and different.” Keep your ears peeled for more in 2025…
The Wild Things - Make Our Own Way There
These rising Brit rockers The Wild Things mix a rootsy storyteller sensibility with the starry-eyed romance of Don Henley’s Boys Of Summer on this catchy pop rock gem. The sort of dreamy, widescreen sound that reflects the mega-stages they’ve played (Madison Square Garden among them) and songwriting royalty they’ve worked with (its parent album, Afterglow, was co-produced by Pete Townshend).
Spiders - What’s Your Game (Miss Insane)
Swedish old souls Spiders make a strong, sassy opening case for their next album, Sharp Objects, with the driving What’s Your Game (Miss Insane). The sort of dirty, danceable garage rock’n’roll that feels raw and biting but super fun – fans of MC5, Iggy and Alice Cooper will feel right at home here – it’s the sound of cigarettes, cool boots and long, messy hair at the best kind of party in under three minutes.
