Mega X || From The Outside

Tokyo's Mega X returns with an eclectic indiepunk adventure

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Tokyo’s Mega X caught our attention back in 2022 with New Mythtakes, a scrappy collection of indiepunk gems. Their latest release, From The Outside, sticks to that ethos, using indiepunk as a foundation for a sound that freely hops between alternative rock, indie pop, geek rock, and straight-up punk. The result? A wonderfully messy record brimming with standout moments. Dive into some highlights below.

From The Outside is out now on LP and Cassette on KiliKiliVilla.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Rude Television || Disconnect

Catchy lo-fi chaos from West Palm Beach

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If lo-fi punk in the style of Gee Tee, Cherry Cheeks, and 1-800-Mikey is your thing, then Rude Television (West Palm Beach, Florida) is a name to keep on your radar. Their latest EP, Disconnect, delivers a sharp, extraterrestrial twist on late ’70s punk. It’s raw, it’s rowdy, and it’s ridiculously fun.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: 250cc || We Can​´​t Sleep At Night

A colorful collage for the restless

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250cc is an Italian-French indie duo—Alice Huet and Guido Giorgi—based in Germany. Their sophomore EP We Can’t Sleep At Night contains six original songs that are restless and richly filled. Expect a dynamic collage of pop, rock, psych and prog influences, as a sonic space for tempo changes and an abundance of colorful ideas. The five-plus minutes of standout track The Other Side in particular are a successful demonstration of effective creativity.


We Can​´​t Sleep At Night, recorded, mixed and produced by Guido Giorgi, is out now digitally and on 12″ vinyl (self-released). Also featuring Francesco Candura (bass) and Liviano Mos (synthesizer).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Grapes of Grain || Christmas Grapes

With a charming tribute to watching the BBC during the holidays

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Hot on the heels of their commendable Painted Windows LP, Dutch indie pop/alt.country band Grapes of Grain returns with the Christmas Grapes EP. It contains three original songs—the title gives away the theme—that are just as melancholic and atmospheric as we are used to. Opening track Christmas TV (I Want The BBC) stands out here, a charming tribute to the quality films that the British channel broadcasts during the holidays. This is followed by the ballad There Is A House In The Distance, musing on the familiar sight of X-mas lights that are always on, before closing with the short ditty July In The Winter, about the love of sunny days—snow is just fun for a day.


Christmas Grapes is out digitally via Drag Days Records. Featuring Alexis Vos (vocals, acoustic guitar), Berend Jan Ike (guitars, banjo, bass, piano, vocals), Julia Cunningham (vocals) and Jelmer de Haas (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Ceramic Animal || Cosmic Eraser

Perfect garage pop tunes in a stylish disguise

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Eight irresistible songs, that’s what Doylestown, Pennsylvania-based five-piece Ceramic Animal brings to the table on Cosmic Eraser, their fifth full-length album. Due to the appealing ragged edge of its sound, I would label it as garage pop, but judging by the clothing style of the band members—brothers Chris (vocals, guitar), Elliott (vocals, keys) and Erik Regan (drums), with childhood friends Anthony Marchione (guitar) and Dallas Hosey (vocals, bass)—psychedelic nightclub glam seems to be more appropriate. Anyway, everything is actually right here, from the graceful guitar melodies and skilled rhythm section to the slightly gritty vocals and warm harmonies, but it is especially the loose and laidback feel that they convey that creates a blissful atmosphere.




Cosmic Eraser is out now digitally and soon also on vinyl LP (self-released). RIYL: The Growlers, Trudy and the Romance, Twin Peaks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Ceramic Animal

New album: Benzin || Treibjagd

A certified fresh and unique twist on old school punk from Berlin

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Fifteen minutes. Twelve songs. One hell of a punk rock record. Benzin proves that punk isn’t just about how fast you can play, but how smart you can sound. Their new LP Treibjagd (out now on LP at Static Age Musik) manages a neat trick: sounding both decidedly old school and razor-sharp contemporary. The German-language vocals inject an artsy edge into their original instrumentation, transforming what could be standard punk into something that demands your full attention.

For anyone who likes their punk rock fast, sharp, and just a little bit different, Treibjagd should be at the top of your listening pile right now.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Swansea Sound || (I Wanna Wear A) Mirrored Hat Like Slade

"What I wanna do // Is take your hand // And dance the night away // To Mud and Wham"

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Idiosyncratic UK indie outfit Swansea Sound continue their December tradition of releasing new Christmas music on a CD single in a festive greetings card. After Happy Christmas To Me (2021, at the time on 7″ vinyl), Music Lover (2022) and Santa Bail Me Out (2023), the five veteran musicians now delight us with the original songs (I Wanna Wear A) Mirrored Hat Like Slade b/w Dreamland. The title track is a cheerful and vibrant rocker, with highly entertaining lyrics for people like you and me who—during this period—prefer Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody and Mud’s Lonely This Christmas over all electronic kitsch. The other tune is a bit more melancholic, with a carefree feel in the chorus but a dark undertone in between. Who wouldn’t want to receive this in their mailbox?

(I Wanna Wear A) Mirrored Hat Like Slade is out now digitally and on CD in a Christmas card through Skep Wax Records. Featuring Hue Williams (vocals), Amelia Fletcher (guitar), Ian Button (drums), Bob Collins (guitar) and Rob Pursey (bass), with additional vocals by Betty Thomas. Cover art by Catrin Saran James.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Skep Wax 

New single: GEM || GEM Demo

College radio-ready crunchy pop songs

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Certain songs make you want to be a curator of a radio station. I haven’t received an offer yet, nor am I expecting one. But if I did, here is a song that I would put in heavy rotation: Got It Right The First Time from GEM’s new two-song demo. It’s a crunchy, concise pop song that is instantly enjoyable and comes with a strong chorus hook. The second track, I Wanna Know, isn’t exactly filler either. All in all, a pretty cool new project that features GEM (Big Baby)!

The demo’s proceeds support Jailbreak, a Pittsburgh mutual aid collective providing bail assistance and commissary support to incarcerated individuals in Western PA, addressing critical needs in a system increasingly shaped by poverty and diminishing social support.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Thee Cha Cha Chas || Temple Of Mirth

Long-awaited debut LP that serves as a masterclass in spirited rhythm & blues

By / / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

After a string of successful singles in recent years, here is finally the first full-length album from Melbourne-based rock ‘n’ roll duo Thee Cha Cha Chas. For Temple Of Mirth, Kylie Coufos (bass, vocals) and Lluis Fuzzhound (guitar, drums, vocals) performed, recorded and mixed the twelve new tracks all by themselves. It led to straightforward, raw rhythm & blues, laced with psych in the title track (“You ever been into the stars?”) and glam in KALMIYH (“Marc Bolan you look so golden”), which comes across as pure and lively. There’s a heartfelt cover of Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (with a fitting cha-cha-cha closing chord), but the self-penned tunes are just as engaging.




Temple Of Mirth, mastered by Mike Mariconda, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Folc Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Folc

New EP: Lion Country Ferrari || Beat These Allegations

Talksinging and sweet guitar riff magic by Anthony Rapisardi

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Lion Country Ferrari sounds like something a random band name generator would spit out. And surely, the project of Asheville (North Carolina) based Anthony Rapisardi also has more than a couple of ones and zeros in its sonic direction, almost like Parquet Courts decided to dip their toes in egg punk territory.

On his latest EP, Rapisardi talksings his way over a wealth of cool guitar riffs that play tic-tac-toe with throbbing bass and a tight drum computer. If you think that sounds pretty groovy, you are not wrong, but the energy level of this thing suggests it’s caffeinated grooviness.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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