Singles for the week starting 27 June!

Skeletons On Holiday
Chaser
(Hold Me To Ransom)
* * * *

You know sometimes you listen to a song and it reminds you of a band it doesn’t sound actually sound like? Well, ‘Chaser’ the debut single from Skeletons On Holiday, is one of those songs. It’s an excellent mid-tempo indie number sitting somewhere between psychedelic rock and glam disco. Featuring excellent Ziggy Stardust inspired riffs and topped off with strong, heartfelt female vocals, the track benefits from a clean, crisp production. The last minute and a half finds the guitars and drums exploring a psychedelic soundscape before drawing to a close. So we have Bowie influenced psychedelic indie pop with female vocals, and yet it reminds me of The Cult – go figure!
Mark Cousens

The Wind Up Birds
Meet Me At The Depot/Popman
(Sturdy Records)
* * * *

Coming off somewhere between The Fall and Art Brut, Leeds' literary punksters The Wind Up Birds are showing melodic promise and attitude to boot on this double A-side. 'Meet Me At The Depot' has that sinking feeling that the girl might indeed not be meeting our singer at the depot, while flipside 'Popman' is a thrashing celebration of laziness and pop ambition. Trivia fact: both were produced by Whiskas of ¡Forward, Russia!
Danny Canning

Robyn
Call Your Girlfriend
(Island)
* * * *

Walking a fine line between vicious boyfriend-stealing bitch and righteous 'putting the world in order' social dominator, Robyn finds herself back in svelte floorfiller mode with ‘Call Your Girfriend’.
Done it the most tentative, Ibiza 2000 manner, Robyn loads the track with so many skyward soars that at one point the song enters ‘audible only by canines’ territory. That the track arches as one crescendo is entirely commendable, like one long puppet string pulling the audience's collective hands in the air until the overloaded euphoria is switched from message to medium.
Samuel Breen

Younghusband
Carousel/Nothing Nothing
(Too Pure Singles Club)
* * * *

Emmy The Great collaborator Euan Hinshelwood fronts this London four-piece, and Younghusband’s double A side is similarly a thing of tastiness.
‘Carousel’ has one pretty great idea: it’s based around a science fiction synth melody which gradually reveals itself like the doors of an alien ship creaking open to reveal the green slimy little bastards within. It’s a mysterious tune, and as pleasingly intoxicating as the carousel ride it speaks of. Second A-side ‘Nothing Nothing’ is a more humanoid indie pop outing, with an Orange Juice verse and some ‘60s drive in cinema melodies. Both tunes are pretty damn tasty.
Ric Rawlins