Singles In Your Area: October 2026
Our latest round-up of great single releases is star-studded, featuring Brooke Combe, Hamish Hawk, Cowboy Hunters, Alice Faye and more
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If you want proof that Scottish music punches above its weight, have a gander at the list below. In this month’s singles round-up, there’s a king’s ransom of A-listers, from Brooke Combe to Joesef to SAY Award mainstay Hamish Hawk.
If you’ve got a song you’d like to see featured in Singles In Your Area, share it with us at [email protected].
Brooke Combe
‘Passing Faces’
The Dalkeith-born, Manchester-based almost-superstar is back with a slice of doo-wop soul that could make The Carpenters green with envy. Combes’ effortless delivery remains a real boon, striding through her incredible range without breaking a sweat.
Joesef
‘Separate’
It’s been a hot minute since Joesef last bothered the charts (2023, to be precise, when Permanent Damage earned him a strong fanbase and ample awards recognition). Bronski Beat’s fingerprints are all over it, from Joesef’s wavering falsetto to the sub-woofer-from-your-upstairs-neighbour's-speaker-system beat. Despite the change in direction, he’s still got a keen ear for an alt-pop hit.
Alice Faye
‘Vaudevillain’
America’s jive bars are the focus of Alice Faye’s raucous foot-stomper with a jangly surf-rock edge. Faye said of the track: ‘”Vaudevillain” is about the femme fatale image, and how it is both upheld and abhorred within society and on screen. I wanted the song to have a rebellious, wicked energy that captures the naughty and unruly behaviours that can come with growing into womanhood. We all have a “vaudevillain” within us that we can turn on like a switch - women can be wild and ridiculous while also being serious about their craft and identity.’
Cowboy Hunters
‘Punched In The Head’
Legit funny punk is hard to find nowadays, but Cowboy Hunters are changing that one single at a time. ‘If you’re not right in the head, you might get punched in the head,’ they claim while an oozy beat flails around them. It’s a threadbare track, but holds enough lurches and leftfield directions to surprise.
Hamish Hawk
‘Intriguer/Tenderness’
Five albums into his career, darker tones are circling Hawk’s previously carefree wit. He’s embracing the palette of Depeche Mode here, wallowing in defeatism as he recounts another lovelorn encounter. According to a press release, the album will concern two poles of the human condition: 'Intriguer, remote, charismatic, aggressive and grandiose; and Tenderness, pliant, troubled and dewy-eyed.’ As ever with this Edinburgh lad, expect wit, eloquence and a keen ear for hooky punchlines.
Speeding
‘Siobhan’
The brainchild of Savage Mansion’s Craig Angus, Speeding’s first single is a short, sweet effort with more than a hint of Gen X drollness about it. Unaffected and deceptively simple, there’s an underlying pathos in Angus’ plea that ‘your brain is lying to you’.
Admiral Fallow
‘Marigolds (Barbara Please)’
There’s no shortage of supple beauty on this nostalgic number, which was borne from a lockdown writing session in 2020. It’s one-word chorus, ‘Miraculous’, is achingly tender, anchoring a tune that pulls back and attacks in bursts of colour.
LOLA!
‘Fate’
Speaking of supple, LOLA!’s vocals are quite something, a megaphone of power that can coax the casual listener to rapt attention. It’s no surprise that she’s been nominated for the Sound Of Young Scotland prize at this year’s SAY Awards.
Close Control
‘Until You’re Mine’
A promising single from young upstarts Close Control, a Glasgow trio who’ve crafted a lurching glitchy slice of magic. Propelled by frontwoman Christina Tappenden's hypnotic vocals, there’s an underlying threat about her promise that she won’t stop ‘until you’re mine’. Still very much beginning their journey, this is a promising start.
Both Hands
‘Unstuck’
Twinkling, hopeful synth-pop abounds with beats apparently inspired by early-2010s cloud rap and chillwave. Their Gold Panda-ish vibe is a real tonic.
Philomenah
‘black moon lilith’
The sharper edges of synth-pop are explored in this goth-infused journey of discovery. According to Philomenah: 'This song came about after a particularly challenging interpersonal experience involving a violation of my trust which I wrote about in order to try and process. I made an effort to embrace the darker aspects of myself (my shadow) and integrate these into my psyche rather than suppressing them and shrinking myself.’
Hen Hoose Collective
‘Divine Memories’
Injecting a bit of sunshine into the coming driechness of autumn, AMUNDA and Inge Thomson of Hen Hoose have made a really joyous single that’s brimming with the toe-tapping impulse of Talking Heads’ best work. As AMUNDA explains: 'Inge and I made this track remotely, so it felt like a full circle moment as that’s how we first collaborated in Hen Hoose! We went for a fun, vintage winter track, with lots of whimsical flutes and sporadic noises here and there.'
Picture: Sam Crowston.