With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“Run Rabbit Run” – Sleuth Gang February 19, 2026

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 1:18 pm
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Sleuth Gang Unleash Explosive New Single “Run Rabbit Run” – OUT NOW!

Leeds-based seven-piece alternative rock powerhouse Sleuth Gang return with their eagerly awaited new single, “Run Rabbit Run,” set for independent release on 19th February 2026 across all major streaming platforms.

Blending forceful alt-rock intensity with the raw dynamism of nu-metal, metal, rap, and hip-hop, “Run Rabbit Run” captures Sleuth Gang at their most fearless and genre-defying. Produced by Dave Boothroyd at 6DB Studios, the track blends classic hip-hop rhythms with earth shaking nu-metal guitar work, delivering a sound that is both nostalgic and unwaveringly 21st Century.

“Run Rabbit Run” pulls together the hip-hop grooves and heavy guitar elements that define the band. It is intense, powerfully rhythmic, and unapologetically Sleuth Gang. “It’s no fun when the rabbit’s got the gun!

Emerging from the thriving alternative scene in Leeds, Sleuth Gang have steadily built a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting and unpredictable live acts. Their music has been championed by major national broadcasters including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Introducing, exposing their unique sound recipe to a growing audience across the UK. Yet it is their visceral, high-energy live performances that have cemented their status as a band to watch, earning them a fiercely loyal following. It was their astonishing live show that made them very worthy winners of the Fulford Arms (York) Battle of the Bands contest in 2024.

“Run Rabbit Run” marks a defining moment in Sleuth Gang’s evolution — a bold statement of intent from a band determined to challenge expectations and carve their own path through the UK alternative landscape. They have described themselves as “Your mum’s favourite boy band” if that is true then your mum is cool as fuck!

The single will be available worldwide from today, 19th February 2026. The full on video will be premiered on YouTube in just a few hours! Click here after 6pm UK time today (19th February) to see it!

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“Interest Free” – Lost Trends February 1, 2026


I love it when a band or artist takes a different and unexpected direction, especially when it is a band I have been a fan of for a long while. Lost Trends are back with a new single which takes a funky, west coast hip hop style and they make it their own. The rhythm section are faultless and drive the track with some delightful laid back, understated funk vibes. Meanwhile Pete’s guitar is so good that it could fit neatly into something by the likes of Parliament/ Funkadelic. This is all overlaid by Rusty’s vocal which while it draws on that US 90s west coast feel, think Warren G, it maintains the English roots of this superb band.

Lyrically it is perhaps their most powerful song so far and is a comment on the state of the world we live in and the people who made it bad. Couplets like “At the food bank, gonna tank feeling really low. But you can’t make a difference if you haven’t been to Harrow” says so much in just a few words. Their last single “Takedown” was explosive in sound, this new one is explosive in voice and sentiment. I am excited by the thought of seeing “Interest Free” played live. I have played it a lot since I first heard it a few days ago. If you want to give it a spin, and by the way you NEED to, click here. Meanwhile stay alert, stay angry and be the voice of those who don’t have one. That is just a few of the messages I took from this song!

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“Ghost Within” – The Fair Attempts January 25, 2026


“Ghost Within” is the new single from Finnish dark electro powerhouse the Fair Attempts. It rides on the crest of a darkwave tsunami on a surfboard constructed from Stygian gothic tones, solid industrial hooks. It is haunted by the living spirits of Trent Reznor, later Depeche Mode and Gary Numan. The opening few bars drive into your very being with an insistence that it is impossible to resist. I am still singing the chorus in my head even hours after listening. I am reliably informed that the song examines your internal monsters: negative self-talk, doubts, pride before collapse, and the subtle ways the human mind feeds on its own fear. The song portrays self-awareness as a mirror maze, where reflection offers no clear exit. The Fair Attempts frontman Timo Haakana says this of the track “This is a theme I’ve touched on in other songs because it’s something I struggle with. Ghosts may be coming to get you, but there’s one already inside you“. This hard hitting and heavy rocking tune fits the band’s dystopian aesthetic perfectly.

The Fair Attempts was founded by Finnish artist and producer Timo Haakana and his wife Starwing. Apparently every song from the Fair attempts is rooted in the fictional universe created in Starwing’s novel ‘Dreaming Your Dream’. This song is cinematic in scope and ambition. It is the perfect soundtrack toe keep us safe and entertained as the world in its current state drifts towards an inevitable apocalypse. Let’s hope that we don’t experience that apocalypse, but if we do listening to the Fair Attempts and “Ghost Within” will certainly help to sweeten the pain. You need to experience the “Ghost Within” to help you banish and exorcise your own ghosts within!

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“Sail (Lady In Waiting) – Sunnan January 13, 2026

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 8:45 pm
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According to their story Swedish band Sunnan came about by accidents of fate and a series of unlikely encounters during and post pandemic. Their sound is cinematic in inspiration and ambition. They describe their new single, “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” as “the manifestation of a new genre“. I am not sure that I agree with that statement, at least not yet. Their influences seem to draw on a wide range of great music; US West Coast rock, Dance music, Byrdsian harmonies, ELO style hooks and classic blue eyed soul (think early Hall and Oates and perhaps Robert Palmer). This track is sophisticated soul music at its finest. It evokes old school but is clearly set in the 21st century. This track is from their second album ‘Spaghetti Soul’ due out sometime later this year. Based on “Sail (Lady In Waiting)” I reckon the album will be rather special!

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“Christmas Is The Deadline” – Party Nails December 14, 2025

Filed under: Christmas,Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 10:09 pm
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We are big fans of Party Nails here at Mayhem Towers, she has featured on these pages a few time in 2025. So when we saw that she had released a Christmas song we, of course, had to give it a spin. It is called “Christmas Is The Deadline” and it is the kind of song that will not only be played this Christmas, but many future Christmases too. It is quite a jolly kind of lo-fi electronica song and the hooks are excellent. I think it tells the tale of how, for many people, Christmas is a huge deadline; getting food in, sending invites to family, buying presents, wrapping presents and so much more. If you get to Christmas day and you find that maybe you have forgotten one vital ingredient for Christmas dinner, just play this song, it will make you feel better, I promise you! Will Party Nails feature on these pages again before 2026? Keep reading, I know she will feature on at least one more post this year! Will it be as a part of Mayhem’s top 50 albums of the year? Maybe! 😉

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“Peace” – Pick The Flowers December 12, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 5:08 pm
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Hot on the heels of winning the Fulford Arms Battle of the Bands a few weeks ago Pick The Flowers have released a new single, “Peace”. It is haunting and ethereal with a dark vocal from Chloe that seeps deep into your soul. The track feels cinematic in scope and ambition. The production has a cut glass clarity and with added orchestration this is the kind of song that would make a classy James Bond theme. I thought Chloe might have peaked with her last single, “Wednesday”, but with “Peace” she proves that she is willing and able to go even higher! Get Pick The Flowers on your playlists now, you will not be disappointed. Also keep a look out for an interview with Pick The Flowers on these very pages very soon.

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“It’s All Right (It’s Christmas)” – Grape


Grape have released a rather fab Christmas song. It starts out with a lovely, unassuming jolly vibe and then the magnificent hook and full band come crashing in perfectly after 70 seconds. But not only is it a good song it is raising money for St Mungo’s, a charity whose purpose is to end homelessness and rebuild lives after homelessness. Grape is a veritable supergroup made up of members of Alt-J, Gang Of Youths and Tellison. You can stream the track for free, but why would you do that when for just £1.50 you can download it and contribute to a great charity. Check out more details on Bandcamp here. Alternatively you can donate direct to St. Mungo’s here. If you can spare even the smallest amount it will help a great cause.

Gus Unger-Hamilton who is a member of Alt-J and also a St Mungo’s ambassador said this about the release “I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for St Mungo’s and, as Londoners, we in GRAPE all feel an acute desire to help people sleeping rough as much as we can. With this song’s lyrical themes of a difficult life in the process of being rebuilt at Christmas, it felt like a no-brainer to release this song in support of the charity.”

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“Abraxas” – Palindrones November 15, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 9:12 pm
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Palindrones formed in 2020 during Covid lockdowns. Jamie and Karen used their songwriting to remain connected despite being on opposite sides of London. The newly released video to the song “Abraxas”, from their current album ‘Chapter Two: The Slender Blade’, is a dazzling spectacle that celebrates an outstanding song. The track goes from 0 to 100 in seconds and in the immense percussive moments it feels like dark drum and bass at warp speed. This is world class synthed up goth pop. It has a joyous melody that fights for space with some souped up dark sounds. The joy emerges triumphant as this song makes you dance and smile. The video features the duo and they are overlaid with a psychedelic kaleidoscopic cartoon projection that might have transported itself from Haight-Ashbury at the height of the first summer of love.

The word Abraxas has a number of meanings but in the context of this magnificent song from Palindrones it made me think of the symbolic concept in the psychological work of Carl Jung. In Jung’s theories Abraxas symbolizes the chaotic and unified totality of the Self, representing the individuation process. The journey to integrate both the conscious and unconscious parts of oneself to achieve a whole and true Self. This song is pure, beautiful, unified chaos and my true self loves it! The song will be released as a double A-side single called “Abraxas & The Brightling Star” on 5th December.

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“I Need Your Lovin'” – bOydestiNy November 14, 2025

Filed under: Review,Single — justwilliam1959 @ 11:01 pm
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bOydestiNy is a widely acclaimed American singer, rapper, producer and songwriter based in Miami. It is the stage name or alter ego of Michael Anthony Thorton. He is a multi-instrumentalist and former keyboardist for Pieces of a Dream. He has performed with true musical legends including Bill Withers, and Patti LaBelle. The new single out on 20th November it is called “I Need Your Lovin'” and it is the fourth single from 2024 album ‘Love Is Forever’. It is a sultry, seductive and sexy slab of smooth jack swing soul with an undercurrent of Prince. It combines soul, funk, hip hop, jazz, R&B and pop into a melting pot of tasty music. This 2025 version upgrades the album version into something that would sound incredible in a night club and smooth and memorable on the radio. The gorgeously incessant chorus vocal hook never lets you go and you will find yourself singing it in your head long after the track has finished. Or even as I did, singing out loud while I was cooking dinner tonight. bOydestiNy had this to say about the new release “It’s about the moment you know you’re in trouble – when beauty disarms logic and you can’t fight what you feel“. Give this funky track a spin, you won’t regret it.

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