1.      Bananarama - They came to PLAY!  What a cracker of a song, one of their absolute best and a girlband classic.  Their mentor certainly knows how to play with a gay’s heart! ❤️ [Fave]

2.      Texas – Another utter classic!  I love Texas anyway and it’s really hard to keep an open mind when listening to new songs compared to those you love, I hope I am doing so!

3.      Fontaines DC – Oh wow, finally a great Fontaines song!  Loved it.

4.      Depeche Mode – Another catchy song, I appreciated this.

5.      Years & Years – I already really liked this so surprised myself by rating it lower that I thought I would!

6.      Ultravox – Decent enough but didn’t massively enthuse me.

7.      New Order – Yeah it was there I guess lol.  Sorry to their mentor.

8.      Sade – Getting a bit bored of her tbh the last couple have done nothing for me.

9.      IamamIwhoamI – Yeah, I doubt I’ll ever listen to this again by choice! 🤭 (sorry to their mentor).  [Least]

1 (fave) Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

2 Texas - Black Eyed Boy

3 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

4 Years & Years - Sanctify

5 iamamiwhoami - t

6 New Order - Crystal

7 Depeche Mode - Precious

8 Ultravox - All Stood Still

9 Sade - By Your Side

1 Bananarama - Love in the First Degree · My absolute favourite Bananarama song and legit one of my favourite songs of the 80s! An iconic 11/10 pop classic.

2 Texas - Black Eyed Boy · From my favourite Bananas song to my favourite Texas song! I love how euphoric and uplifting it is, and it never fails to make me smile when it comes on. If I could, this would be joint 1st.

3 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne · Clever to go with the current single which has already been quite well-received on the site. One of the best things I've ever heard from them!

4 Years & Years - Sanctify · Have always really liked this. It's been a while since I've heard it and it maybe hasn't aged as well as I'd hoped but still a great song.

5 New Order - Crystal · This is more like it! My favourite New Order song sent so far but I know there's better to come!

6 Sade - By Your Side · Nice enough but didn't really leave much of an impression on me.

7 Depeche Mode - Precious · I remember this being their big comeback single at the time and it was OK but nothing special for me. Still waiting for their big hitters!

8 Ultravox - All Stood Still · Didn't get anything from this sadly.

9 iamamiwhoami - t · I think we have to accept that this band is not for me.

FAVE

09 Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

08 Texas - Black Eyed Boy

07 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

06 Years & Years - Sanctify

05 Depeche Mode - Precious

04 New Order - Crystal

03 iamamiwhoami - t

02 Sade - By Your Side

01 Ultravox - All Stood Still

LEAST FAVE

I don't recall ever hearing that Bananarama song. I utterly loved it!

Also surprised myself by actually enjoying a Fontaines D.C song too.

Also that Texas song was superb.

1. iamamiwhoami - t

2. Texas - Black Eyed Boy

3. New Order - Crystal

4. Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

5. Ultravox - All Stood Still

6. Depeche Mode - Precious

7. Years & Years - Sanctify

8. Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

9. Sade - By Your Side

fantastic round - good to see a great one from Bananarama, one of the Texas highlights and one of the classics from the early days of iamamiwhoami when they were mysterious and revolutionising scandinavian art-pop

Bananarama > Texas > Fontaines seems to be a very popular top 3!

01 Bananarama

02 Years & Years

03 Sade

04 Texas

05 iamamiwhoami

06 Fontaines DC

07 Depeche Mode

08 Ultravox

09 New Order

01. Texas - Black Eyed Boy [FAVOURITE!]

02. Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

03. Sade - By Your Side

04. Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

05. Depeche Mode - Precious

06. iamamiwhoami - t

07. Years & Years - Sanctify

08. Ultravox - All Stood Still

09. New Order - Crystal

Such a great Texas song. Feels timeless! Bananarama is a BANGERAMA! ADORE that Sade song and for whatever reason, I had no idea it was Sade! It's use in the (excellent) movie 'The Invite' from this year is SOOOOO good. One of my favourite movie needle drops of the year! First time hearing that Fontaines song and it's my favourite of theirs so far! Nice discovery. Solid choice for Depeche Mode. A song I have heard but didn't recognise it by name. Never heard that iamamiwhoami song. Not my fave of theirs but it's alright. I must've confused that Y&Y song with another one coz I remember this now and it's not a fave of mine from them... oops.

1. Ultravox

2. Bananarama

3. Texas

4. Depeche Mode

5. New Order

6. Years and Years

7. Sade

8. Fontaines DC

9. iamamiwhoami

1. Fontaines D.C.

2. New Order

3. iamamiwhoami

4. Depeche Mode

5. Texas

6. Ultravox

7. Bananarama

8. Sade

9. Years & Years

1 Texas (I love this song)

2 Years And Years

3 Sade

4 Ultravox

5 Bananarama

6 Depeche Mode

7 iamwhoiam

8 Fontaines D.C

9 New Order

7-9 I didn't really care for, could be any order, 6-3 pretty solid and top 2 are great.

01 Years & Years – Sanctify

02 Texas - Black Eyed Boy

03 Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

04 Sade - By Your Side

05 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

06 iamamiwhoami - t

07 Depeche Mode - Precious

08 New Order - Crystal

09 Ultravox - All Stood Still

1. New Order - Crystal [favourite]

2. Depeche Mode - Precious

3. iamamiwhoami - t

4. Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

5. Texas - Black Eyed Boy

6. Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

7. Sade - By Your Side

8. Ultravox - All Stood Still

9. Years & Years - Sanctify

01; Fontaines D.C. – Marianne

02; Texas - Black Eyed Boy

03; Depeche Mode – Precious

04; Ultravox - All Stood Still

05; iamamiwhoami - t

06; New Order – Crystal

07; Years & Years – Sanctify

08; Sade - By Your Side

09; Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

First one I've really liked (and a classic) from Texas and good to hear some more modern stuff from Depeche Mode and New Order as I wasn't that familiar with them. I did like Sanctify at the time, but it's not aged that well hearing it now, oops x I do quite like the Bananarama song too, but this was another very strong round and I think they did this sound better elsewhere (Venus namely x)

1 Depeche Mode - Precious: pne of their best this century surely with a gorgeous atmosphere

2 New Order - Crystal: again one of their very finest 21st century tracks, staying true to their trademark jangly sound

3 Sade - By Your Side: and it’s a hatrick of ‘00s standouts from bands that started in the ‘80s; this is simple but beautiful and tender

4 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne: this has been

a real grower for me and it develops beautifully

5 Ultravox - All Stood Still: another great early single and the spoken chorus over the bubbling production is a bit different for them

6 iamamiwhoami - t: so hard to rank this in an extremely strong list but it’s a lovely rocky song with ethereal vocals

7 Texas - Black Eyed Boy: I do like the Motown style to this and it’s incredibly catchy

8 Years & Years - Sanctify: another that seemed good at the time but already has dated production

9 Bananarama - Love in the First Degree: the SAW production does make a lot of records it touches sound naff unfortunately

(This post I've written does stem from a couple of things you've written @Julian_ but I do intend this to be a general post, not specifically aimed towards you!)

When it comes to all of the artists in The Pop Factor, I'm personally trying to disregard dated production as being a drawback (in terms of how they come across to me during a 2026 listen). I mean, most songs sound like a product of their time and I tend to appreciate that aspect about older music - the throwback can be a big part of the song's charm.

If the building blocks of the song are well-constructed, catchy and enjoyable, then it wouldn't matter hugely to me if it's from 1993 or 2026.

For example, with Leona's Outta My Head - I recall there being the odd few comments about its dated production and how 2000s it sounded (seemingly intended as a negative) but... well, it is from 2009 after all! So I'd embrace that and focus on what the song makes me feel otherwise.

I guess we all have our personal ways of interacting with music so I'm not saying my approach is the right and only way. This also isn't to say that I enjoy every sound from every decade of course. There's particular 80s hits I don't gel much with. But then there'll be a song like this Bananarama song, where I find that there's something extra to it which overrides that it is immediately identifiable as SAW and thoroughly 80s.

With that said, the Jayrusalem votes are in! (lol x)

01 Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

02 Texas - Black Eyed Boy

03 Years & Years - Sanctify

04 Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

05 Depeche Mode - Precious

06 Ultravox - All Stood Still

07 iamamiwhoami - t

08 Sade - By Your Side

09 New Order - Crystal

I actually enjoyed listening through to this category, definitely the strongest showing from the groups so far.

I'm sorry to New Order for being ranked last for me twice in a row, but out of the four songs that they've sent so far, this is my second favourite! My only criticism really is that it went on a touch long for my liking, I'd probably vibe with a Radio Edit x

Oh and shout out to Fontaines D.C., really liked this and the previous entry from them! Am I becoming a fan? x

30 minutes ago, -Jay- said:

(This post I've written does stem from a couple of things you've written @Julian_ but I do intend this to be a general post, not specifically aimed towards you!)

When it comes to all of the artists in The Pop Factor, I'm personally trying to disregard dated production as being a drawback (in terms of how they come across to me during a 2026 listen). I mean, most songs sound like a product of their time and I tend to appreciate that aspect about older music - the throwback can be a big part of the song's charm.

If the building blocks of the song are well-constructed, catchy and enjoyable, then it wouldn't matter hugely to me if it's from 1993 or 2026.

That’s fair - I’m obviously very much a retro baby anyway so I certainly don’t mind something sounding old. I think with SAW specifically what they did with songs was so unimaginative and made every record sound the same. A lot of early Kylie singles for example have this exact same sound: thankfully she broke away from it and trod her own path from the ‘90s. This particular production sound to me tends to say pound signs and the opposite of artistry. That doesn’t mean I dislike all SAW songs though: in fact one of the already eliminated acts has a SAW produced #1 that still sounds great.

1. Texas - Black Eyed Boy

2. Years & Years - Sanctify

3. Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

4. Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

5. iamamiwhoami - t

6. Ultravox - All Stood Still

7. Sade - By Your Side

8. Depeche Mode - Precious

9. New Order - Crystal

FAVE

iamamiwhoami - t (this left me breathless wow)

Depeche Mode - Precious

Sade - By Your Side

Texas - Black Eyed Boy

Years & Years - Sanctify

New Order - Crystal

Fontaines D.C. - Marianne

Bananarama - Love in the First Degree

Ultravox - All Stood Still

LEAST FAVE