Still Losing, Still Playing

Steve Puddle and His Bivouac Band’s new single The Losing Game hits like a memory you didn’t know you were still carrying. It’s raw, wistful, and weirdly comforting—like flipping through your old school diary only to realize you never stopped writing the same things, just with more complex punctuation.

From the first beat, the track pulses with fuzzy guitars and the warm hum of a Hammond organ that gives it a sun-faded 90s glow. It’s got that slacker rock charm, sure, but there’s a backbone of vulnerability running beneath the jangle. Steve’s voice is the real anchor—dry, unflinching, but never bitter. He sings with the kind of knowing that only comes from living through the fire twice and still finding the energy to pick up the guitar.

You feel the Teenage Fanclub echoes the Boston indie grit, but what makes The Losing Game stick is its emotional honesty. It doesn’t try to solve the mess of growing up (again), but it does give you a soundtrack for it. There’s irony, yes, but there’s also heart—big, unashamed heart.

If this is the first glimpse of their upcoming album Like a Ghost, then sign us up. The Losing Game may be about defeat, but it’s a sonic win—loud, honest, and oddly uplifting.