It seems that 2026 might be the year of animal-themed groups, with Geese triumphing at Coachella and Goose's upcoming album certain to move them beyond their jam band audience. Now you can add Brass Camel to that list, as the proggy Canadians triumph in our latest Tracks Of The Week contest. So congratulations to them.
Dancing While The World Is Ending by rock progeny Stanley Simmons was the song you voted into second place, while Jack White's G.O.D. And The Broken Rib fleshed out the podium. Nice.
Below, you'll find eight more bruisers looking to do battle.
Erik Grönwall - Born To Break
From Swedish Idol to H.E.A.T, Skid Row and most recently Michael Schenker, at 38 Erik Grönwall has fronted a lifetime’s worth of bands and musical ventures – also battling cancer in the process. So it’s great to find him on such strong form on this boot-stomping floor-filler, driven by galloping beats and Erik’s searing, on-the-money vocals. “I’ve had the honour of fronting some great bands, but now it’s time to tell my own story,” Erik says. “Bad Bones is about owning who you are and not apologising for it.”
Castle Rat - Siren
Castle Rat stir a deliciously murky streak of Alice In Chains-esque wooze into their doomy, riff-tastic heavy metal cocktail on Siren. Fresh from their album Bestiary, this hooky highlight now gets the full single treatment with a commandingly stylised video (written and directed by singer/guitarist/mastermind Riley ‘The Rat Queen’ Pinkerton) full of smoke, swords, lightning bolts, blood-spattered kisses and other good clean fantastical fun.
Bleeker - Great Unknown
Having started in 2003 as the grungy Bleeker Ridge (named after the streets they lived on), these Ontario rockers became Bleeker ten years ago – following some stylistic and line-up changes – and have been touring since they were 12. Now they’re gearing up for a return to British soil for gigs in May with this mid-tempo banger, its hard-snapping classic rock riff leading into a soaring, radio-ripe but pleasingly bittersweet chorus. If Jet had a kid with Alter Bridge, it might have sounded like this.
A - Sh!t Summer
This highlight from the returning Brit rock mavericks’ upcoming album (Prang, out in May) is an intimate, deeply moving picture of the pain of being separated from your children, following divorce. Wrapped up in a huge, stirring melody that makes it feel familiar and classic, it finds them at their best – packing a more nuanced, emotional punch than you might anticipate from a 90s band known for their chirpy vibe. “I got help. I needed help,” says frontman Jason Perry, who drew unflinchingly from personal experience to write and sing this. “We all need a little help sometimes. Some hugs and honesty and love. Manning up doesn’t quite cut it when you’re down and out. This song is dedicated to anyone who’s going through it.”
The Lemon Twigs - 2 Or 3
The D’Addario brothers continue to set the stage for their next album, Look Out For Your Mind!, on this gorgeous, intelligent piece of lovelorn pop rock – fresh out of the 60s and passionately brought to life for a 2026 audience. Arranged with Beach Boys-level detail but still full of doe-eyed sincerity and hope, it’s the antidote to depressing headlines, prospective AI-shaped shadows and homogenised beauty we could all use right now.
The Flynts - Smoke And Mirrors
Inspired by the ‘new old school’ likes of Greta Van Fleet and Rival Sons – and here produced by countryman/Triggerfinger drummer Mario Goossens – these young DIY Belgians kick up a classy throwback storm on Smoke And Mirrors. Think strutting 70s chops with a slightly psychedelic undertone and a strong, cocksure chorus (seemingly they’ve also listened to a generous share of Zeppelin, Free etc). Nice.
Otoboke Beaver - I Don't Need To Be In Your Strike Zone
Otoboke Beaver cram more musical adventure into the 68 seconds of I Don't Need To Be In Your Strike Zone than some bands do in an entire career, despite the song essentially being a stop-start blast of dayglo punk-prog chaos without anything resembling a chorus. The Kyoto quartet have been doing this sort of thing for more than a decade now, drawing comparisons with the likes of Cardiacs and My Bungle, so it's no surprise that Cardiacs superfan Dave Grohl has picked them to open for Foo Fighters at several European dates this summer. If you're going, go early.
The Black Crowes X Whiskey Myers - Star Star
The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers embark on their Southern Hospitality Tour next month, and have recorded a version of the Rolling Stones' notorious 1973 song Star Star to celebrate. Originally called Starfucker until Atlantic Records head honcho Ahmet Ertegün insisted on the change, the song became famous for its explicit lyrics – notably the line "Ali MacGraw got mad with you for giving head to Steve McQueen" - but Chris Robinson and Cody Cannon don't water anything down and their version is as tempestuous and as joyfully ragged as the original.
