Forget politely knocking on the door of the 2026 selections for 1000 Songs. Opus Kink has just blown it off its hinges.

Not with dynamite, but with horns... dynamic, door-disrespecting horns.

I have absolutely loved hearing the single "Come Over, Do Me Wrong" pop up on the radio this year. Driven relentlessly by its brass section, the track doesn't let you off the hook, while Angus Rogers' vocals keep you locked in. It doesn't pause. It gnaws away at you, like they are determined to demonstrate this is a band doing something genuinely different.

Frontman Angus Rogers noted that the song explores the hallucinogenic qualities and toxic allure of a doomed love affair, a wild dive into the mad philosophical leap of not caring what someone does, as long as they do it to you.

For me, it feels as though the spirit of Jimmie Lunceford has rocked up in Brighton, nursing a hangover but ready to take on the world with his Jazznocracy. (I have said it before and will say it again: the best kind of 'nocracy.)

The sextet originally formed back in 2017. Like the finest album growers of ancient Greece, they correctly decided to wait nearly ten years to release their debut full-length. I think it has something to do with fermentation. Distillation. Brassmentation.

Produced alongside Grammy Award winner Craig Silvey, their debut 10-track LP, The Sweet Goodbye, arrived on 31 July 2026 via SO Recordings, and it is well worth the wait.

This is easily one of my top picks for 2026. The Sweet Goodbye is out now and they are touring!

Come Over, Do Me Wrong by Opus Kink