Some things get caught in a Rats On Run limbo while others just slip through the net. Others get bumped because lead time was zero and some things, well I blame myself.

In a bid to dig deep in through the not-yet-replied-tos, the earworms, the not-so’s, the burgeoning inbox of wonderfully wacked-outs, here’s a roundup of un-sung submissions. Keep sending, keep pushing, keep pressing the e-flesh… I did say I will consume everything.

Those Fucking Snowflakes – ‘Stop Being Dickheads To Each Other’.

There is almost nothing good about this incendiary, immature brat-thrash fuzzpunk track, but that gives it something like greatness. Post adolescent snott-nosed and naive? I am all ears and always.

So the simpler the rule, the easier to follow. How much and how often does a one-step blunt-knifed four-word instruction reap its rewards ten times over? In a new or a long term relationship you like? ‘Don’t Fuck This Up’ brings in gold. Ever worried you might be an insensitive swine? Then ‘Don’t Be A C*nt’ is a mantra for life. Repeat every morning, it works. It’s the quickest and best meditation. And OK, this might be two words longer, but ‘Stop Being Dickheads To Each Other’, is as good a lesson as any.

And who’s going to argue with anything here? Take out race, gender, religion, wealth, divisions, geography, age, sexuality and preference towards cat or dog ownership, and as this song proudly shouts “it’s just people”. Replace all those things with a petulant riff and some hammer home drums, some yelpings and sneers and (a healthy) anti-Tory rebellion, and we got ourselves a smirk worthy jam of thrashalong bare bones distortion. If your earballs don’t smile they need cleaning.

‘Stop Being Dickheads To Each Other‘ is out now to stream and download.

Christopher Pellnat (Ft. Kristiana Roemer) – ‘Break It To Me’.

As far flung from the above as it’s possible to get, this is sumptuous Nico-esque neo-soul cool. Relentlessly sweet and compellingly simple, it’s complexities shimmer like dust in low sun.

As we float through the vibraphones, shakers and voices, we look to the heavens and back to ourselves to see if we catch a reflection. Ever wished to be part of the stretching expanse where stars drift like pin pricks in silence? This chilled breeze of a song just might take you. Vocals coalesce around soft strummed guitars, percussive glints tiptoe through lightly tacked tunes, and detachment hangs around like a silent guest singer while cracked-hearted questions get opened.

The song sounds like fleeting idea, one you wade through when given some time off to wonder. As it glides through its sultry and slinking three minutes, it smoothly moves you someplace other.    

‘Break It To Me’ is out now to stream, check out Pellnat’s last single, ‘Wifi Kills Ghosts’.

Rats On Rafts – ‘Where Is My Dream?’.

In something like a sweet spot between The Monks and A Certain Ratio, in a place I’d not once thought existed, Rats On Rafts pressed a single that latches and snags and works like an itch to get under your skin.

Exploratory, uncomfortable and soothing in turn, we move from chorus soaked guitars that drip post-punk ethereals, to caterwauler screams and wrought, wiry riffs. From chamber to cathouse, from soft quilt to slab, we feel every smooth and rough texture. It’s like catching silk on a wall of bare brick as it sticks ’til it drags itself free. Even better, there’s grips in the chaos; landmarks and earworms, however distressed, they wheedle their way in and settle.

B-side ‘Meggy’ shines up as it’s equal, leaning towards tempo-free rises and falls that concoct a panicked and pressed sense of presence. Unsettling sounds start to clamour for space in a thin gothic cocktail of scrawling guitars. Bass and drums ramp, and release and rip through any spaces that remain available. All the while, in the distance, but close enough to give warnings, a harsh spoken vocal cuts through.

It’s an impressive set of directions, same goes for each of these featured releases. Music from UK, US and NL, to here now and onto your playlists.

‘Where Is My Dream?’ can be streamed and purchased, and there may even be some 7″ vinyls left to buy.

As always these highlights and other featured artists are right here on Rats On Run Radio.

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