Would-be-goods – Dr Love (Skep Wax)
Ahead of album Tears Before Bedtime getting a release in February cult indiepop band Would-be-goods bring us a perfect slice of their sparkling guitar pop with single Dr Love.
Artist: Would-be-goods
Track: Dr Love
Label: Skep Wax
Release date: 12 January 2026
Find it: YouTube
Seminal 1980s indiepop band Would-be-goods have delivered us another slice of their sparkling guitar pop with new single Dr Love.
This is the second track to be shared from forthcoming album Tears Before Bedtime (out 13 February on the wonderful Skep Wax Records) following on from The Gallopers. Of the lead single and album opener we said it was a: “tremulous guitar with a rock n roll rhythm, matched to a bittersweet vocal as it warns of the dangers of having too much fun at the fair.”
‘He’s given you the medicine / too many times to tell / he promises you heaven / then he sends you down to hell’
Dr Love is drenched in melancholy with an unsettling undertone to the storyline here. There’s the lightness of lounge music mixed played in a dim-lit bar where troubled souls come to be alone in the company of others. There’s shimmering percussion, twinkling keys, and depths aplenty for you to lose yourself in.
What the Would-be-goods do so well is putting storytelling it at the heart of their music. Led by Jessica Griffin she’s joined here by Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh) on guitar, Debbie Greensmith (Thee Headcoatees and many others) on drums, and Andy Warren (The Monochrome Set, Adam and the Ants) on bass. Together they have crafted a rich sound around intelligent tracks that are still full of heart, and Dr Love is another brilliant example of why you need this band in your ears and your life.
Dr Love from Would-be-goods is out now digitally. Album Tears Before Bedtime is set for release via Skep Wax on 13 February 2026.
Find Would-be-goods: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky
Live dates:
- 21 February – The Water Rats, London
- 25 February – Just Dropped In, Coventry
- 5 March – Music Hall, Ramsgate
- 3 April – The Gate Arts and Community Centre, Cardiff (Wales Goes Pop)
- 29 May – Central Bar, Gateshead
- 30 May – Glad Cafe, Glasgow
Image: Ian Greensmith
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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