With the hustle of the holiday season in our rearview mirror, it was time to go back and see what I missed amid the rush. Fortunately, the Lehigh Valley is ripe with fresh music ripe for listening.

Bethlehem’s This Way to the Egress recently dropped “Mission Mars,” a single they recorded and released to fans in 2017 but have re-released to the public.

The song is a wry, symphonic mashup of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and late English composer Gustav Holst’s “Mars The Bringer of War.” It is a combination that is epic in sound and scope and This Way to the Egress nicely pulls it off.

You don’t hear many local bands turning to early 20th century orchestral music for inspiration and creative composing. This Way to the Egress not only does it remarkably well, but they do it with aplomb.

Speaking of Bowie and musical journeys, Smooth Retsina Glow’s sophomore album New Frontiers charts a funky course filled with spacey guitars, psychedelic rock, and plenty of punch.

Released in November 2019, New Frontiers is a strong, and musical diverse, effort from the Bethlehem-based band. Guitarist Colin Wolf shines the brightest here, as he channels his inner Carlos Santana, and at times, a bit of Joe Walsh, throughout the album.

New Frontiers is nicely balanced between mid-tempo numbers and more fast-paced fare — including the aptly-named instrumental track “Abstractions and the George Harrison-esque “When We Sing.” However, it’s the latter speed in which the band really proves their mettle.

“Walking a Straight Line” — which has a bit of a Billy Idol/Steve Stevens vibe to it — successfully uses an ‘80s power metal aesthetic to deliver three minutes-and-31-seconds of hard-charged rock ‘n’ roll. The title track is also a standout, with Defillips’ lead vocals flowing smoothly over currents of proggy guitar runs.

On “Change in Me,” Wolf drives the song through the use of a rockabilly motif with splashes of Eric Johnson — a unique combination that, like much of New Frontiers, works in their favor.