Les Baroques "Such A Cad"

Not a French (or, for that matter, French-Canadian) group despite the name, Les Baroques hailed from the Netherlands. This 7" found its way into the Not Unloved singles box as it scratched the Nederbeat itch I'd been feeling since discovering recently that a) The Selfkick's "Gosh, I'm Your Woman Not Your Wife" had thee most crazed, amphetamine-pumped noise breakdowns of any song produced on the continent of Europe in the 60s (if you know of any other contenders for that mantle please leave a comment!) and that b) at 250+ quid for a decent copy, Not Unloved will never be able to afford The Selfkick's "Gosh, I'm Your Woman Not Your Wife". "Such A Cad" is a chirpy singalong tale of a "lost" young fella snogging every other girl in town - including his best friend's girlfriend...the rotter! - because the girl he really wants doesn't want him back. Bonus points for the yob-like drawl on "am I".

The Sandy Coast "Subject Of My Thoughts"

Nearly a year ago The Higher State's Edinburgh show provided ample evidence that they could craft a heart-tugging melody and that they knew their way around a catchy downer jangle.  Recently on Facebook they've been sharing some Dutch beat gems that give an insight into the music that makes their Chelsea boots tap in unison and unsurprisingly there's been some wonderfully sombre jangle to enjoy.  To Not Unloved's ears, the best track they've posted thus far is by The Sandy Coast:

Time to bookmark The Higher State's page, I'd say!