New album: Dude Cervantes and The Panchos || Dude Cervantes and The Panchos

Dude Cervantes (Mrs. Henry, Chest Fever, Howlin' Rain) enthralls with a record rooted in places, people, and sounds that shaped him

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

Following the live LP The Ride or Die of Dude Cervantes and The Panchos, the roots rockers from San Diego, California have now released their first studio album. There’s a dusty quality to this self-titled outing, as if someone left the amps humming at the end of a long desert somewhere in the adventurous no man’s land between raw blues, psychedelic soul, and energetic garage rock. The seven songs together take up 40 minutes, moving from melodic optimism in It’s A Beautiful Day to road-worn territory in pub rock hit Saturday Night and catchy standout track Lesson Learned, before the 09:47 long Reach Out heads off into the horizon. Thoughtful songwriting crosses twin guitars and a cowbell; it makes sense to pack for a road trip and blast this out into the world through open windows.



The eponymous Dude Cervantes and The Panchos album is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Blind Owl Records. Featuring Dude Cervantes, Dylan Donovan, Brenden Dellar, Ryan Grenda, and Justin De La Vega.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: David Delinquent & The I.O.U’S || Scandal

Alleycats in love with singalong punk 'n' roll

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Thankfully, there’s still no shortage of loud guitars and big vocals, but David Delinquent & The I.O.U’S take it a step further. Scandal, their first full-length album, delivers ten songs with rhythms that gallop out of the speakers like stampeding horses, choruses that instantly compel listeners to sing along, and a saxophone that hits you right in the gut. The Scottish quintet, a sort of successor to the Delinquents (at least two-fifths, both in terms of the band and musically), wraps its infectious riffs and hooks (and even doo-wop-inspired harmonies) in a punk rock sound fueled by an shameless love of power pop. If you’re in the mood for some unpretentious fun, this is 27 minutes very well spent.



Scandal is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through 13 Deluxe Records. Featuring David Delinquent (vocals, guitar), Jason Paterson (guitar, vocals), Scott Sweeney (bass, vocals), Bonnie Ross (sax, vocals), and Gordon McNally (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || elasticStage

New album: Salmon Sisters || Taller Than Normal

Not just another band from Melbourne

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Early August, Melbourne’s latest hypeworthy band Salmon Sisters dropped a pretty hot two-song teaser for the thing that came out this week: Taller Than Normal, a ten-song full-length that offers a playful take on garage rock-indebted punk. And while the fast stuff hits hard, with the cluster-bomb combo of T.O.X.I.N., Cock It and MeatgrindR, that’s only one side of Salmon Sisters.

Multiple singers and absurdist lyrics make sure things never stay in one place for too long. Elevator Music is upbeat, jangly indie rock with a chorus that goes something like “I wanna be a pregnant Salmon in a sea of demon fish.” Sure. Why not? Then there’s Like This, a bluesy storyteller about a boy named Kermit Jagger, the son of Mick Jagger, who had sex with a frog. I have questions, but I’m not sure I want the answers.

And that’s what makes Taller Than Normal so much fun. Salmon Sisters have the punk energy, a clear sense of identity (look at that band pic on the cover!) but they clearly aren’t interested in following any script.

This is not your average record, but it will definitely get people talking and listening.

Count us in.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Crystal Teardrop || Love You More

It's never too late

By / / Garage Rock, Jangle Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

Barely a year after their consciousness-expanding debut LP, The Crystal Teardrop return with another technicolour trip through the late-60s psych-pop well. On their sophomore album Love You More, the British quintet delivers twelve new songs that approach the essence of the genre to perfection (the band’s tight, road-tested chemistry pays off), again with titles that nod to the tension between then and now (Tomorrow Starts Today, Times Are Gone, It’s Too Late).

Recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubbing, the jangling guitars can turn from acid-folk sheen to garage rock grit in a heartbeat. Alexandra Rose’s melodic vocals pull you further in, but the organ, and even more the sitar, give the music its unmistakable sound. It’s a sun-drenched listening experience, and although the lyrics certainly have some darker corners, this record is an open window to a brighter state of mind.



Love You More is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Rise Above Records / Popclaw Records. Featuring Alexandra Rose (guitar, mandola, vocals), Leon Jones (lead guitar, electric sitar), Stuart Gray (organ), Ed Quigley (bass, vocals), and Huw Woodward(drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Rise Above

New album: The XOXO’s || The XOXO’s

Sleazy punky power pop from Sheffield

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

The XOXO’s (Sheffield, UK) sound not just like a band I would write about — part of me is convinced I already did. But I can’t find it in the archives. The info mentions it being recorded last winter. Did I dream about hearing this band? 2,500 posts in, am I losing my mind?

Here are the facts: this one came out in May and has now gotten a physical release on Do It Thissen. Did I write a review on my phone and forget to transfer it to the site? Could be.

Either way, even if I’ve already told you about these people somewhere on these pages, I’ll say it again: go listen to this band. The XOXO’s play garage punk rock and power pop that is sloppy and poppy in exactly the right measure, the kind that would have fit right into that punky power pop scene of the ’10s alongside Something Fierce, Needles//Pins, Mother’s Children, Cozy and the likes.

Going to bed early for mental recovery now. But not before giving this record hugs and chef’s kisses.

The XOXO’s is out now on Delicious Clam and Do It Thissen Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: David Myhr || Everything Is All About You

The sweet spot between sunshine and sophistication

By / / Power Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

Few can pull this off without it getting cheesy, but this maestro knows exactly where to draw the line, and that’s how Milk & Coffee‘s cheerful whistles and handclaps made my day a lot better than it was. It’s one of the ten summery pop songs on Everything Is All About You, the third solo album by Swedish singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist David Myhr (formerly in The Merrymakers). All ten are worthwhile in their own way, often reminiscent of the psychedelic phase of The Beatles but just as easily leaning towards West Coast sounds.

Warm piano pulse and layered harmonies in conjunction with thoroughly arranged details and orchestral grandeur make this a beautifully polished exercise in melodic excess, not least thanks to an international cast of seasoned collaborators adding color to the pleasantly shining sun, without obscuring the voice at the center of it all. It has all the craftsmanship you could ask for (the poetic yet relatable wordplay also deserves a mention), but never forgets that a great tune should touch the listener in the first place.



Everything Is All About You is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Oglio Records / Monogram Recordings / Powerpop Academy / Thistime Records / Rock Indiana. Also featuring Andreas Dahlbäck, Bill DeMain, Frankie Siragusa, Brad Jones, Iain Hornal, Linus of Hollywood, Christian Phillips, and Jimmy Lagnefors.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bandwear || Discogs || Thistime

New EP: Twerp || 1,000 Ways to Hotwire Your Life

Idiosyncratic garage pop punk for the digital age

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

Twerp may not be the first band to announce they ‘wanna be a Ramone’, but damn it if the opening track of their new EP isn’t the catchiest thing I’ve heard recently. It’s the Athens band’s second EP of the year, following their February release which also made the Wantlist.

In addition to celebrating Ramones fandom, these songs take aim at phone addiction, home improvement gone horribly wrong and fake tough guys. In a way, (I Just Wanna) Be a Ramone sets the wrong expectations. After that garage pop punk hit, Twerp let their artsy post-punk side take the reins for the next couple of songs, before switching to fast punk made for the digital age. Sprinkle in a Larry David sample that will make Curb Your Enthusiasm watchers smirk in recognition? Sure, why not. Then they close with Scout, a truly fun garage mutant punk, followed by a seven-minute finale (The Nuclear Option) that sees Twerp morph into (Minneapolis) Uranium Club (Band).

KILLER EP! Out on De/Pressed Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Spike Fuck || Evidence

A little sin, a lot of soul

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

Ten years after debuting with The Smackwave EP, Melbourne’s Spike Fuck releases his first full-length album, Evidence. Whatever strange spell its first two singles cast, I ended up pre-ordering the album, something I almost never do. The eight tracks here blend art rock and new wave with glam, soul, alt-country, and doo-wop, performed with a good dose of CBGB coolness. It’s an intimidating listen, though not dangerous (as the artist name might suggest), but rather because it allows us such intimate access to the singer-songwriter’s inner world (as the song titles already hint). The morbid humor and guilt-ridden confessions carry immense emotional weight, driven by heartfelt vocals that shift from one emotion to another. This is a record of opposing impulses that should cancel each other out, yet somehow only make the whole thing more compelling and addictive.



Evidence—produced by Adam Hyde—is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Sacred Bones Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Sacred Bones

New album: Gizmo || All Your Worships

Charlottetown band makes the 120 Minutes revival we didn't know we needed

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Gizmo are Charlottetown rockers inspired by the guitar-damaged pop of 1990s American slacker bands and their contemporaries on Canada’s east coast. A 120 Minutes band for the Gen Z set…”

Not going to try to top that bio. It’s too good to tinker with.

We became fans fast back in 2023, and the wait for the follow-up has felt longer than it should have. But here it is, a full-length LP out now on Victory Pool Records without a single piece of deadwood, and suddenly the wait feels like a distant memory. Gizmo blend alt pop, power pop, and slacker indie rock in a way that is smooth and easy on the ears, instantly likeable but backed by songwriting sharp enough to keep you coming back. Listen to Celestial or Crystal Palace — both close to three minutes of punchy, hooky guitar pop perfection. Or Gift Shop, with its Bandwagonesque intro (the influences don’t stop at the US border, clearly). Kissing Our Days Goodbye plays like a poppier version of Liquid Mike and Kiwi Jr., which is exactly as good as it sounds.

There is no shortage of touchpoints throughout All Your Worships, but what lingers most is the feeling that we are genuinely lucky a band with this particular knack for melodies exists and keeps making music squarely in our wheelhouse.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Gene Champagne || Too Pop For Punk…Too Punk To Care

From the garage to the beach

By / / Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

You know Gene Champagne as the drummer of Teenage Head, The Killjoys, and The Black Halos, but he also feels at home behind a microphone and guitar, as is once again proven on his first full-lengther, tellingly entitled Too Pop For Punk…Too Punk To Care (his debut solo EP Let’s Jet immediately made it onto my 2024 year-end list). It’s a record for turning up the volume, one that goes well with sunny drives or cold beers, assuming your company has the same taste for rock ‘n’ roll as you do.

Among the eight songs are two covers, Yummy Yummy Yummy (Ohio Express) and I Can’t Pretend (The Barracudas), and the originals nod respectfully to the Ramones, but the Canadian musician leaves no doubt that he knows how to write hits that sound like his own (quite varied, too: just compare Beach Boy Wannabe and I’m Disconnected side by side). He blurs the line between punk rock’s rough edges and power pop’s melodic instincts, throwing in garage grit and sun-drenched hooks, making this a catchy parade of buzzing riffs and sweet harmonies.



Too Pop For Punk…Too Punk To Care is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Sioux Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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