These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Neil March this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

A WORD FROM DEL: Thanks to everyone who voted on the listening post this weekend, some of them are first time voters too. I really appreciate everyone who spreads the word about what we do here.

I would like to make an appeal to everyone who make the faves. As you can tell, the faves aren’t decided by one person, and I’d love for you to be actively involved, we open the listening post early on Fridays purposefully for this reason and keep it open until 6pm on Sunday evening, please help your fellow artists – it’s not a competition – we purposely ask artists not to tell their friends to come and vote for them as that would defeat the point of what we do here. If you can come and check out the first listening post when we return and vote for your favourite 5 tracks that will be helpful.

Shares and likes are nice, but if we rely on just shares and likes alone we wouldn’t be able to function. I will tag you on social media as a reminder of course. Thankyou!

If you choose to share this, please tag the correct instagram accounts, @fotnblog and this week’s reviewer which is Neil March and his handle is @trustthedoc

Over to you Neil!

Neil: Wow, you blink and it’s November. I am still just about over the punishing summer of heatwaves and humidity and now we are less than eight weeks from Christmas Day! The world around us continues to be characterised by horrendous cruelty, hypocritical ethical double standards and leaders who wear their corruption on their sleeves with apparently no need to fear being held to account. In the world of independent music, we watch in horror at governments’ perpetual unwillingness to entertain international legislation to rein in the chaotic use of AI that threatens not only music artists and writers but so many others who create and design elements within the recorded and live music ecosystem. We need true, uncorrupted creativity and people who value it. So let’s be thankful that Fresh on the Net continues to attract both those whose desire is to create and those who appreciate their efforts. On that note, it is my privilege to review the ten tracks our readers have voted into the fresh faves. So without further ado ……..

ALICE. – BONEYARD

In case you were not already aware of this, following their previous appearance in the faves, Alice. is a band formed by serial fresh fave Alice Offley; impressive and accomplished multi-instrumentalist and writer who has played for the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Thompson Twins, toured as support to our own Tom Robinson and was a star attraction at day one (London) of our festival, Fresh on the Net Live in 2024. Alice. have gigs coming up at four London venues so check out their socials for details.

Boneyard reveals the band’s rocker side with a guitar riff that has shades of Ike & Tina Turner jamming with White Stripes and a punchy Rock and Roll attitude that emerges in the verses as Alice’s gutsy alto voice takes centre stage and the chord structure is like an extended 12-bar.. The bridge introduces a brief half-time meter, leading into clever descending chords and a killer tune. Full of little twists and turns plus some cool harmonies and dynamic contrasts, this is energetic, invigorating and packs a punch.

Instagram | YouTube

BLOKEACOLA – Don’t Set Me Up (For A Fall)

Another artist who scarcely needs introducing to regular readers having been a fresh fave so many times. The orange helmut wearing China-based Welshman has been impressing audiences for a long while with his unique take on post-psychedelic Alt Rock. I have already reviewed this single in the new edition of Trust The Doc which was published this weekend so it is my pleasure to do so again for FOTN.

Don’t Set Me Up (For A Fall) sees Will (Blokeacola) shift in direction away from his more psychedelic style towards an earthy Bluesy style with a lovely slide guitar figure that punctuates the track against a crisp beat. The hook is insistent and, be warned, may follow you around for the remainder of the day! The playing and production are perfect and create a translucence within which the vocals can be prominent and play off against the constant octave-clmbing and I – IV – VI♭- I – IV – III♭slide guitar pattern that is so central to this excellent track.

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EIRA – Barely Surviving

Norwegian artist Eira is proving quite hard to find on social media, a most peculiar problem for an aspiring artist. Despite this, she does have some useful media coverage. Her Spotify blurb describes her sound as ‘… intimate, cinematic music rooted in Nordic atmosphere’.

Barely Surviving is certainly cinematic. Bathed in rich layers of synths and harmony, it builds in dynamic intensity, showcasing Eira’s emotionally charged but controlled vocal performance and an appealing melody while the beat and offbeat chords display Euro-House leanings. The production is high quality.

YouTube

GIANT AND THE GEORGES – Happy Hour

From the English Black Country (West Midlands), Giant And The Georges are so-called as they were formed by two George brothers and a relative giant of a bandmate! They began as an acoustic trio until their fourth member joined and they went electric. They have had BBC Introducing support and have toured the UK, playing sell-out shows,

Happy Hour is in a slow-to-mid tempo groove with a I – III – IV chord sequence playing throughout most of the song. The vocals have echoes of Oasis in a mash with Cast while The Bluetones flutter by with guitar jangle and melodic spice. It is catchy and has an organic, substantial feel helped by some bendy Country-ish guitar licks and a singable hook that is reinforced consistently as the track builds.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

HA THE UNCLEAR – Cumberland Street (Astigmotic)

From Auckland, New Zealand, Ha The Unclear have had a Top 10 album in NZ (2018) and are regulars on radio. They have opened for some mouth watering acts live including Courtney Barnett, The Dandy Warhols, The Wombats and others. They are signed to the French label Think Zik!

Cumberland Street (Astigmatic) is built around chunky strummed guitar chords and a distinctive tenor range malel vocal, sometimes harmonised. The style is organic and the use of chanted BVs on certain notes is very effective. The playing is punchy and energetic but carefully organised and the ending is a cool surprise, rounding off an accomplished track.

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LEXIE CARROLL – Stevie

Another track I have already reviewed in the latest Trust The Doc, Lexie Carroll has a track record of making our faves going back to her mid-teens but has also been carving out an impressive career playing bigger venues and building a following that sees her achieving a third of a million monthly spotify listeners and multiple tracks streaming in the millions. She has also had national radio support and has opened for a series of big name artists in addition to sell-out shows of her own. So it was a nice surprise to receive a track from her again after some time and what a track too!

Stevie is a track that develops around some appealing seventh chords, buoyant instrumental arrangement and Lexie’s distinctive and expressive voice. Referencing Stevie Wonder and ‘singing Stevie in the kitchen’, she addresses the whys and wherefores of writing songs at all. The melody will soon have you in its clutches and Lexie’s yearning soulful performance reminds us that she is a special talent. Great to see her in the faves again.

Linktree | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube | Bandcamp

NADIA SHEIKH – Fade Away

This is another track I have already reviewed and also played on my radio show. Spanish-British London-based artist Nadia Sheikh is another regular fresh fave and an artist who has been gathering a strong reputation for her dynamic live performances (including one promoted by FOTN’s Tony Hardy) and her distinctive brand of melodic Alt Pop. Some of us had the pleasure of meeting Nadia when she attended day one of Fresh on the Net Live in 2024.

On Fade Away, the trademark fuzztone guitars immediately drive things forward. They sit back a little in the verse before smarling into prominence as the chorus arrives. Guitar also adds counter figures to the vocal melody and she cleverly uses stops and little turns to keep events moving with momentum. The harmonies help lift the track further while Nadia’s instinct for a catchy choon is as strong as ever. It all hangs perfectly together on another snappy slice of stylish Alt Pop in Nadia’s distinctive manner.

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RELUCTANT BOB & THE LONELY LOVERS – Not The Enemy

From Waterford in Northern Ireland, Reluctant Bob & The Lonely Lovers are the brainchild of Robert Baker, a singer-songwriter and producer formerly of The Crayon Set. They are playing some impressive live dates and getting a good level of media coverage too including two recent appearances in our Alt Picks.

On Not The Enemy, a piano riff and airy synths introduce the track while soft-toned vocals take the spotlight, sometimes doubled an octave up. As the track builds, helped by some sweet seventh chords and dreamy BVs, it takes us through a number of striking elements including swooping BVs and unexpected key modulations, always with its dreamy atmosphere and alluring melodic features hauling us further and further into its grip before a slightly disarming clash of tonalities takes us towards an intriguing finish.

Linktree | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp

TALLULAH GUARD – Cocktail Lime

From London but based in Manchester, Tallulah Guard is a non-binary singer-songwriter who has already been featured in Louder Than War, Rock The Pigeon and other media. Comparisons have been made with Lemonheads, Primitives, KT Tunstall and others, underlining the diversity of their influences. Tallulah is also part of Factory Sound’s artist development programme, shining the light on young emerging talent and creating opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Cocktail Lime is in a slowish mid-tempo with jangling, shimmering guitars and airy synths playing over deep bass tones and chunky beat. The vocals are in a distinctive, slightly vulnerable sounding but nonetheless commanding range and there is a kind of balance between major key appealingness and an undercurrent of melancholy. The little syncopated changes in the beat are clever and add to the sense of momentum as do the doubled vocals and sudden rise up an octave into a truly lovely chorus. As the track pans out, it is almost cinematic in the application of so many small but vital elements that contribute to its emotional impact. This is glorious.

Linktree | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Bandcamp

THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT – Breathe

It is always a great honour to find myself quoted (from an edition of Trust The Doc in this case) on an artist’s Soundcloud page alongside the likes of Sarah Gosling (former FOTN mod and BBC Introducing presenter), Loud Women, The Other Side and others. This also underlines both the fact that Nicky (aka Third Girl From The Left, a name referencing the portrayal of dancing women in the shows many moons ago) has been on my radar for a good while now and has been picking up more plaudits from key media as her reputation has grown.

Breathe, another track I have already reviewed in the latest Trust The Doc and played on my radio show, leaps out at you the moment it begins with its chopping triplet time beat and dark ambient atmosphere. Despite the almost spooky web of sounds she weaves, Nicky skillfully avoids allowing her vocals to become entangled as she sets out her stall. Then, as we have become comfortable with this dark but melodic and appealing piece of synthwave infused Alt Pop, she suddenly takes us on a new journey with driving forward motion and ghostly vocals. It is an intense finale to a thoroughly original and engaging track.

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PS from DEL: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t been picked for the Listening Post, our team has definitely listened to it and there’s no need to send it again: feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. The same goes if you were picked for the Listening Post but didn’t feature in our Fresh Faves.

But if we’ve recently featured you in our Fresh Faves – please wait three months before sending us another track, so we have space to help other deserving artists… For more info see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.