The Race – Family Tree
Built around the refrain 'You are enough to be here,' The Race transform generational wisdom into a slow-burning indie rock gem.
Written at the request of vocalist Dan Buchanan's son, Family Tree channels a deeply personal conversation into something universally affecting. The track builds through atmospheric layers of shoegaze haze and grunge weight, guitars swelling into cinematic territory that recalls My Bloody Valentine and Placebo at their most emotionally direct. But there's something Britpop-esque in the vocal phrasing that really works. Honestly, we hear a lot of music and this one is a big, indie, widescreen banger that ought to do very well.
Reading's The Race formed in 2004, cutting their teeth through extensive UK touring, BBC sessions and festival appearances at Reading and Truck. Then life intervened: a long hiatus saw the band collectively become parents to ten children. Their 2026 return is exciting, well, because the music sounds fantastic. The new EP FAMILY examines the bonds that shape us through rich textures and hard-won perspective, pairing the intensity of their influences with a dash of maturity. This is a brilliant track.
Evil Maracas – Madreselvas (Dios y la Condena del Paria)
Evil Maracas turn obsessive devotion into a slow-burning alt-rock anthem on 'Madreselvas (Dios y la Condena del Paria)', a track where beauty and toxicity coil together until neither can breathe without the other.
A love song that knows it has crossed a line. 'Madreselvas' opens in dark, angular territory, verses building like a prayer you are not sure you should be hearing. It then all breaks into a fantastic chorus that lodges itself somewhere it will not leave. Guest vocalist Cristina Díaz brings something fragile and luminous against the shadows, her voice a counterpoint that makes the devotion feel even more dangerous. The production really works for this kind of alt-90s rock influenced stuff, and when the hook lands it lands hard. Superb Spanish alt-rock, dark and utterly magnetic.
Evil Maracas are a four-piece from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat who have been playing live for years. Since 2025 they have sharpened their focus, shifting toward Spanish-language songs that sit closer to today's pop rock scene while holding onto their own identity: dark pop delivered with classic, raw production. Following their previous single 'Tu maldad', this one trades open rage for something quieter and more unsettling. We're really excited about where this band is heading. A great single.