Dirt, the second LP by Bay Area indie garage pop quartet Galore, finds the band sharpening their hooks and stretching their sound in all the right directions. It’s one of those records that wins you over fast—loaded with explicit hooks, “gang” vocals, harmonies, and subtly great musicianship.

Galore’s multiple songwriters and singers give Dirt the feeling of getting four bands for the price of one. On the surface, it plays like an effortlessly enjoyable mix of underground pop and early ’80s post-punk. But stick around and those layers of ambition and craftsmanship start to reveal themselves.

Take Zinger, a scrappy garage pop gem that blends bite and sweetness before cutting out too soon. Bastard is minimalistic fuzz pop built around one big, shouty chorus that feels like a pre-chorus stretched to song length. Pictures is sticky and quirky post-punk at its best. Then there’s Alexandra with its jangly charm and Ladders, which belongs on any self-respecting underground radio playlist. More mellow standouts like Dream Palace and TBTD show Galore’s knack for melody runs deep.

Yeah, I’m pretty blown away by this one.

Dirt is out now via Speakeasy Studios SF.

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