The year end traditionally brings stellar new releases in the home-grown alternative rock scene, and this holiday season is no different.

Rock 'n' roll quartet The Pinholes are back and while their previous album and EP releases have been in English, their new mini album features only Malay songs.

Like the neon-green blazers worn by all four members on the album cover, D'Antara Kita (Among Us) is brimming with effervescent pop.

The band - comprising guitarists/ singers Famie Suliman and Didi Hanafiah, bassist Wando Diao and drummer Sandro Rosly - retain their love for all things retro, tapping into the distinct sounds of local pop acts from the 1960s and 1970s.

From the pop yeh yeh stylings of Bintang Rok N Rollmu (Your Rock N Roll Star) to the hard blues bluster of Kepala Batu (Hard Headed), the band have an impeccable command of irresistible hooks and fetching melodies.

On haunting ballad Kembali, used in Eric Khoo's 2015 short film, Sinema, they switch gears and employ the wistful vocals of Malaysian indie chanteuse Takahara Suiko.

Far from being kitschy, D'Antara Kita is a lovingly crafted modern tribute to the golden age of Singapore pop.

ATC EP2 is the long-awaited new release by Amateur Takes Control, a shining light in the home-grown post-rock scene.

The four instrumental tracks in the EP are the first collection of recordings since the band returned after a three-year hiatus.

The addition of two new musicians - Caracal members Martin Kong on drums and Field Teo on third guitar - seems to have given the 11-year-old band a renewed sense of vigour.

Opening track Ghost Hunter is a doozy, as glimmery guitars duel with soaring build-ups and odd-timed rhythms drop seemingly out of nowhere.

Prismatic and intricate guitar lines run free in Mexican Cartel Brides, while The Substitute dances around with nimble and dynamic beats.

At 71/2 minutes long, Jugular is the longest track in the EP.

With menacing bursts of guitar noise flowing seamlessly into a skittering middle section before ending up in a rapturous blowout, it is a heady and monumental trip.

Also comprising guitarist and founder Adel Rashid, guitarist Ahmad Ariff and bassist Isa Ong, the quintet are set to release the EP with a launch show at the Esplanade Annexe Studio on Jan 6.