Champ: Born In The Wild End

photo: Lily Henderson

English rock band Champ are not afraid to show their dreams and disappointments on their debut EP Born In The Wild End. Their lyrics are rooted in kitchen sink drama, wrapped in anthemic post-punk, about smalltown people dreaming about the big city where everything is supposed to happen, only to find out that's not true.

Take equal parts of Echo and the Bunnymen and Bruce Springsteen, add some spices from The Police, and presto: four tracks that tell a story that does not end well, safe for the confidence that they are on the right track to gain wider recognition.

Ronan Conroy & Niall Conroy: The Christmas Card

Ronan Conroy and his brother Niall Conroy started working on The Christmas Card on Christmas Eve in 2023, with their mum watching the proceedings from her couch. They recorded a demo that was not worked upon further until November this year, when Ronan decided that it was time to finish the song properly.

Doing his vocals and guitar in New York, with Charlie Nieland providing bass, autoharp, synth, keyboards, and drum programming, and Niall playing piano in Galway, Ireland, the track came alive, sharing memories about the good times they had.

Gentle Brontosaurus: Luxury Bones

photo: Paul Marcou

Indie-pop quintet Gentle Brontosaurus are singing about the hopes and dreams they had in second grade as well as the anxiety of having proper dental insurance on their new single Luxury Bones. Although based in Madison, WI, they can be easily mistaken for a UK band, as they channel the melodicism of the Sundays and Belle & Sebastian.

With four band members pitching in for the vocals they have no trouble to project the mixed emotions of the lyrics. Growing up, they realised that becoming a ballerina or a quarterback was not an option, so they might have to settle for a job as an actuary instead.

Tercel: Tercel

photo: Rachel Salvetti

Alternative rock with seasoning of punk attitude is the recipe that is followed by quartet Tercel on their self-titled EP. Plenty fuzz was applied to the twin guitars, mostly in open tuning, with a crystal clear pedal steel as the surprise element, a rare instrument in their niche.

Taking cues for the late 90s they have constructed a wall of sound, a safe place for the vocalists to sit on top on and tell the world about their serious worries and inconvenient truths that will annoy the followers of the orange one. Rock with a message, but also plenty of swagger for the audience to bob along to.

Mike Van Eyes Big Band: Yield Not To Temptation

Vancouver based singer and boogie woogie piano player Mike Van Eyes called upon his big band (24 musicians) for to play up a storm on his new single Yield Not To Temptation, the first taste from the upcoming album Ain’t That Loving You, Baby. Does it swing? It sure does. What's not to like about this throwback to the sound of early 60s Ray Charles. No AI, but the real thing. It will convince computer programmers that there is still a long, long way to go if they want to replicate this sound.