Welcome to Issue #27 of Singles Selection where we take a look at some of the brand new singles that have pricked our ears. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/16/… @barbaratheband2 @maiahwynne #steveginniejackson #noummusic @Retropath @GweniferRaymond @PillowQueens @silkj1

Track Dogs celebrate 20 years on the track, as they cast their catchy field wider than ever. The best mariachi ragtime band in the world? atthebarrier.com/2026/10/16/… #albumreview #stillatthemusic @Retropath @TrackDogsMusic

The Fannies get ever more timeless, free of any genre beyond their own, adding vintage psychedelia to their jangly languor. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/13/… #albumreview #donotdaretodream @TeenageFanclub @Retropath @sonicpruk

A record you might dig deeply, especially as it starts to grow. Powerful presentation from Belfast based singer and fiddler Clare Sands. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/13/… #albumreview @claresands @Retropath #theytriedtoburyus

Cortese wows effortlessly in a completely individual way, providing an unexpected triumph. Ambient Americana, anyone? atthebarrier.com/2026/10/09/… #albumreview #luckywater #lauracortese @Retropath

13 bangers and smashes, mainly from the past, couped and curated into perfection by a fiddling A team of Sweeney and Smith. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/09/… #albumreview #morningofmay @hudson_records @sweeneyfiddle #gracesmith @Retropath

With Reckoning, Gauthier fearlessly finds her day, a no holds barred salvo of shrapnel from the front line of humanity. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/05/… #albumreview #reckoning #marygauthier @Retropath

50 not out, Simpson is staying at the crease and this lavish 2 set disc spells out exactly why. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/02/… #albumreview @msimpsonian @ProperMusicGrp #somekindofjubilee @Retropath

Too soon to say Wynonna goes Dolly, but it’s her most credible work yet. atthebarrier.com/2026/10/01/… #albumreview @big_mouth_pr @Wynonna #thehardtruth @Retropath

September 2026's Quick Takes sees us dip our toes into some Country Soul, proper Hard Rock, singer-songwriter, instrumental cello and a sublime album from #RichardNeuberg atthebarrier.com/2026/10/01/… @the_levellers @ZoeUnsworth @rickywarwick @raphcello @MissBeehive @Retropath

Astonishing all-female retro-futurist debut from Birdvox – four multi-media polymaths from across the whole spectrum of Scottish music. Just listen to them sing! atthebarrier.com/2026/09/18/… #albumreview #birdvox @hudson_records #folkfusion @Retropath @JennySturgeon @IngeThomson

More jangulating gold from the bottom of The Tubs’ tub. Self-hatred has never sounded so good! atthebarrier.com/2026/09/13/… #albumreview @_the_tubs_ #hardlife @Retropath

A place or their masterplan, I don’t know, but there is no mistaking their intentions. Ibibio Sound Machine want you to dance ’til you drop. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/09/… #albumreview #choppingmountain @Retropath @IbibioSound

A lavish 3rd helping of songs in the key of bird, brimming with brightness and beauty, as the dream team, Polwart, Fowlis, Drever etc, reprise the impossible. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/07/… #spellsongs @hudson_records @Retropath @KrisDrever @IAMKP @juliefowlis @FolkByTheOak

Let joyful misery be outpouring, as Falkirk curmudgeons Arab Strap return, and, this time, there’s even hopefulness sneaking into their cynical icy hearts. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/04/… #albumreview #halftoldtales @ArabStrapBand @Retropath

Dwell awhile as a new door opens, revealing a new voice to gild the days and nights of your listening. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/03/… #albumreview #christiereeves #sunandshadows @Retropath

I’d pay to attend this folk club, as a varied and entertaining crew queue up to celebrate an entirely different sort of Hammer-time. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/01/… #albumreview @Retropath #oldcrowfolkclub @RevHammer

Are you sitting comfortably? Wild Gods wreak havoc and make hay with the tradition. More glorious than abysmal. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/01/… #albumreview #thegloriousabysmal #wildgods @Retropath

Ayers in the studio and on the stage, baffling, bemusing and beguiling; better than history begs you to consider. atthebarrier.com/2026/09/01/… #albumreview #kevinayers #wheredothestarsend @CherryRedGroup @Retropath

A bumper banging bonanza from Banter shows that, regardless, they can’t be downhearted, needing you neither to be likewise. atthebarrier.com/2026/08/29/… #albumreview @BanterFolk #hardtimes @Retropath @OneFellTweet #folk #simoncare