More top tunes from this year so far, including a few from last week's Bandcamp Friday haul.
I like to imagine that there's someone out there who rips my selections onto a CD or cassette, which is why most of my compilations hover around the 45 to 60 minute mark.
Today fits the bill, with 10 songs at a smidge under 47 minutes, spanning multiple moods and genres.
I always look forward to new music from Duncan Gray and he's spoiling us in 2026 by releasing a track every month. Duncan's also got a bit of a funky groove going on, as evidenced on July's offering Netbacks. A tease at 5:24, this could run on a loop for hours and never get tired.
I enthused about Bounce & Salute by Cornershop and Bubbley Kaur a month ago, and my feelings haven't changed. I described it as "a joy to these ears" : swirly keyboard, dub effects and the melodic voice of Bubbley all combine perfectly. This should be the smash hit of the summer, in my opinion.
In my round up of new releases, my one-liner for Blue Bird by Coyote was "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) for 2026? Even better." Well, of course it is, it's Coyote.
I've been obsessed with Blue Bird and it's words of advice for the age of madness we're currently inhabiting. My favourite right now is
"What other people think of you is none of your business"
I should start applying these mantras to my own life.
Too Good To Stay first appeared on The Woodentops' fabulous 2024 album Fruits Of The Deep, a song which my review at the time labelled "indie pop par excellence bathed in the Balearic sunshine." A 'Nightclub Mix' appeared at the tail end of last year, stretching the song and the vibe out over seven minutes.
In last Friday's BF shopping trip, I added the newly released Moongoose remix of the song, I know next to nothing about Moongoose aka David 'Yorkie' Palmer, but this is a cracker. A slow fade in (and out), building up an electronic throb, layered synths and guitars and the inimitable voice of Rolo McGinty. It's fantastic.
dee eye why's Bungalow Legs EP came to me via my subscription to Roberta Fidora's Neighbourhood on Bandcamp; she also gifts vocals to the opening song. dee eye why aka Mel Houghton operates in the same wheelhouse, straddling indie and electronica. Like A Winner leans to the former, pleasingly so.
Mindbender and 100 Poems is an unexpected but very welcome team up. Mårten Attling and Mike Wilson. Like Coyote's contribution, the songs is structured around a spoken word piece, this time from Irish poet Emmet O'Brien. That's where the similarity ends, especially on Mike's 100 Poems remix.
Dirty Dublin is "a postcard from the back streets [a] love letter to a city that refuses to become tidy." The remix provides an acid rain dance rinse that will leave you feeling energised, if a little grubby and segues perfectly into...
....Don't Stop by Bristol rapper Diz Undone, produced by Tom Caruana. The radio version files down some of the sharper language but the power and potency of the narrative is untouched. I'm looking forward to the album Love & Rage later this year.
A moment of chill, thanks to Richard Norris and Lol Hammond's collaborative project Moon Dust. Scarlet Traces is the closing track on Memories, Dreams, Reflections, an album that finds new shapes and forms from deceptively simple structures. One to lose yourself in.
My Electric Dreams has already appeared in a 2026 'round up' selection, back in March. My get out is that last time it was superb remix by Airsine; this time it's the original single version by Pete Bones. The Tubeway Army sample is used sparingly but effectively in this compact 4:39 banger.
And the selection comes back down again one final time for the closing song by Bristol-based, French-born voice-over artist, actor and musician Anne Gallien. Walking Barefoot / Marche Pied Nu is a one-off single, an irresistible mix of throbbing bass, sensual vocals and - the clincher for me - thumb piano and egg shakers.
1) Netbacks: Duncan Gray
2) Bounce & Salute: Cornershop ft. Bubbley Kaur
3) Blue Bird (Single Version): Coyote
4) Too Good To Stay (Moongoose Remix): The Woodentops
5) Like A Winner: dee eye why
6) Dirty Dublin (100 Poems Acid Rain Mix): Mindbender & 100 Poems
7) Don't Stop (Radio Version): Diz Undone X Tom Caruana
8) Scarlet Traces (Album Version): Moon Dust
9) My Electric Dreams (Single Version): Pete Bones
10) Walking Barefoot / Marche Pied Nu: Anne Gallien
