New York grunge meets Blackpool stoner crunch: two bands with nothing to prove and everything to say about what distorted guitars can still do in 2026. Let’s do this ✨
Laji George – Alone
Laji George announces himself with a superb debut: “Alone” is a grunge-rooted solo statement that sounds like it has been building for years
“Alone” began during the tail end of COVID shutdowns, written alongside material originally intended for Laji George’s band Pseutopia, but eventually recognised as too personally specific to share that space. The distinction matters: this is a song about isolation and disconnection that could only have come from someone sitting with those feelings long enough to understand them, not just describe them. Recorded in New York City, the track carries grunge and alternative rock sensibilities built around deeply personal lyrics and melodies that reach beyond their own specificity. It’s got a fantastic loose groove to it though, but the standout is definitely the unique vocal, that builds wonderfully into the chorus.
Laji George arrived in New York City as a young adolescent and has absorbed the city’s raw energy and diversity into every aspect of his songwriting. As frontman of Pseutopia he developed his collaborative instincts; stepping out solo reveals the more contemplative side of his artistry. “Alone” is the first track from his forthcoming debut album “Out of Line,” with a broad tour planned to follow the record’s release. The 90s grunge movement is the clearest reference point, but the emotional intelligence at work here belongs entirely to the present tense. A fantastic single.
Rendered – Slyder
Rendered make “Slyder” a brilliant piece of dark, driving Blackpool rock: thick bass, chainsaw guitars, and a conceptual core that gives the heavy dynamics somewhere genuinely real to go.
“Slyder” is the second single from Rendered’s upcoming EP “Breathe My Confession,” recorded at Berlin Studios by the band and produced by frontman Dale. There’s a lovely rawness and live-sounding vibe to the track: things are punchy, kick-heavy drums, a thick bass line that keeps things rocking. The guitar work is fantastic; shifting between mellow chorus-driven passages and sharp, chainsaw-like aggression. But the standout is song at the heart of all of this, it’s great, and built around the idea of the Slyder, a symbolic force that infiltrates a partner’s mind to create emotional manipulation and damage, eventually meeting consequence. It is a dark idea handled with enough intelligence to make it work, especially when it sounds this bloody good.
Rendered are Dale Ball on vocals and guitar, Chris Phelan on bass, lead guitars, and backing vocals, and Mikey Beck on drums and backing vocals, operating out of Blackpool. Their instinct is for 90s alternative rock and grunge filtered through early 2000s nu metal, but the songwriting philosophy is older than any of those reference points: honest and direct. It’s a great track, and I’ll be watching these lads closely this year.