There are more wantlist-worthy releases than time to cover them all. Starting this year, Loose Ends is our monthly fix for the great records that slipped through the cracks. Expect a key track and quick take on each release (40+ this month!), and a link to add it to your shelves.
Above Me || Soften The Blows
Debut LP on Dandy Boy Records from this non average dream pop project by Rick Altieri (Blue Ocean, Aluminum).
Big Nothing || Big Nothing
The third album from this indie punk/alt country/guitar pop/classic rock a-bit-of-everything band from Philadelphia just dropped their third album (with a new lineup) on Dead Broke Records. It is another fine slice of warmblooded, bighearted basement pop.
Blitzer || The New Conspiracy
Ten fierce blasts of post-punk on this exciting debut LP from Berlin trio Blitzer. Urgent, tense, and full of forward momentum. Out now through Mangel Records.
The Blushes || The Blushes
This L.A. band filters ’90s alternative rock through punk snark and feminist politics, yet somehow keeps things ridiculously catchy across ten songs.
The Boltons || What Crossed Your Mind When You Saw Me Smile?
The ‘nervous romanticism in relatively jangly mode’ tagline perfectly captures the ’80s vibe of these Australian jangle poppers.
The Broom || The Broom
Speedy extraterrestrial ROK from Leipzig that is as silly as it kicks butt.
Tracy Bryant || The Well
Trading his signature guitar-driven grit for expansive, piano-led motorik rhythms, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter transmits the turbulent convergence of profound grief and new fatherhood into a visceral, warmly produced fourth solo outing that masterfully balances classic songwriting structures with raw emotional weight.
The Bug Club || Every Single Muscle
Eleven months after their previous LP, Tilly Harris, Sam Willmett, and Tom Rees are back on Sub Pop with no less than eighteen tightly wound songs full of frenetic riffs, sharp hooks, witty body-focused observations, and surprising musical detours.
Cindy || Another Country
Another Country (CD/LP available via Tough Love Records) brings more enchanting Bay Area fog pop goodness from Cindy. Pretty gorgeous stuff, soft, subtle and introverted, these songs hit extra hard when it’s gloomy and rainy outside.
Crabber || Back In The shack
Within six months of the release of their excellent Sweet Credibility album (Jigsaw Records), it gets a quick follow up EP featuring more of the jangly indie rock and guitar pop the Germans pull of so smoothly.
Eaten By Snakes || The Dark Ages b/w Nihilism is an Open Road
These two new songs further cement Eaten By Snakes’ reputation as Germany’s answer to Japandroids. Big guitars, bigger emotions, and enough energy to power a small city.
Eddy Current Suppression Ring || In Light Of Recent Events
Catching everyone completely by surprise following a seven-year hiatus, the legendary Aussie garage-dwellers delivered a brand-new LP boasting eleven weirdly trippy, high-voltage bangers.
ELMAR || Vollgeschissen im Hassklub
The Deutschpunk of this Dresden band lands somewhere between Jawbreaker and Hot Water Music. Raw, melodic, socially conscious stuff with its heart fully exposed.
Eye Ball || Curls
The noisy and frequently super catchy punk of this Toronto band continues to win us over. Two trashy rippers, two surprisingly poppy gems.
The Glimmer Stars || Someday’s A Long Time
Twenty-six years into their career, The Glimmer Stars still make garage-flavored power pop-rock-‘n’-roll with zero signs of wear and tear. A reliably good time from a band that refuses to go stale.
Golden Tiles || Set Up On The Leaves
The debut album from this Portland trio (out on tape and CD through Antiquated Future Records) is a marvel of discovery, an intriguing mix of lo-fi jangle and indie rock.
Goo || Oh Wow, Oh Well
This UK-quartet sound like an alternative radio hype waiting to happen. Hopping effortlessly from energetic indie punk to alt pop (RIYL a mix of Los Campesinos,The Beths, and Courtney Barnett), this is a dynamic and diverse record that is easy to fall for.
The Great St. Louis || Stay Right There
The fact that this is their first release in sixteen years makes it all the more impressive. Excellent punk rock elevated by sharp, rootsy songwriting and packed with anthems that sound built to last.
G.U.N. || Death Dealer
Throwback hardcore punk from Nashville played at total panic velocity. Feels less like a record and more like getting launched through a wall.
Harper Kill || Harper Kill
Throwback mid-paced melodic punk rock out of Michigan. This full length features most of their 2024 EP (which we covered here), and the newer songs are just as appealing.
Holofoil || Holofoil
An Already Dead Tapes super group of musicians (members of Complainer, Moonrace, Skin Tags, Fuck Lungs or Spelling Bee) get together for a loose and ready post punk-leaning indie rock EP. Comes with cool artwork courtesy of frontman Curtis Tinsley.
Hopscotch || Daydreams b/w The Right Scene
I think Hopscotch are the first band to appear on The Loose Ends twice, and given that this is only the second release of this scrappy lo-fi garage pop duo, that is saying something. Next time, full write-up?
Inland Years || The Meadows
A new collection of home recordings from Brooklyn-based Inland Years. Plenty of lo-fi treasures to uncover here, drifting from jangle pop to power pop and back again.
IRKED || The Grievance
Tyne And Wear (UK) wrecking crew disguised as a punk band return with a debut LP full of relentless hardcorepunk.
Keddies Resort || World of Shit b/w Time On Earth
More catchy goodness from one of the most prolific and consistently great bands in garage pop punk right now.
Kloothommel || Wits In The Big Wide
We won’t attempt to translate the rather funny band name from Flemish, if only because that might detract from the sound of the Belgian indie rock band. This is grief-soaked, lo-fi pop that blends experimentation with collage-like songwriting and offbeat Americana influences, transforming personal upheaval into a strange, restless, and textured listening experience.
The Loft || Badges
After a four-decade absence, The Loft returned last year with the Everything Changes Everything Stays The Same LP, which the original four members—Pete Astor, Dave Morgan, Bill Prince, and Andy Strickland—are now following up with ten new songs full of masterful songwriting and heartwarming melodies.
Make It Right || Make It Right
Oh man, this Vancouver band absolutely nails old-school hardcore. Zero nonsense, all impact. SMARTEN UP!
Memo PST || Eternal Actors
Any time Orville Neeley (Bad Sports, OBN IIIs) picks up a guitar, my ears are there for it. With Chris Shaw (Ex-Cult, GØGGS) on vocals, the second Memo PST LP is another killer batch of rockers.
The Pods || Dim Siarad Cymraeg
Five and a half minutes is apparently plenty of time to make a killer first impression. Infectious indie punk from Wales that immediately earns a spot on the bands-to-watch list.
Polhawan || Wild Mountain Time
Laid-back, sunny-side-up indie rock with a moody undercurrent from Rowing-Parker (Woahnows, Immy). Folk meets slacker rock and gets along surprisingly well.
The Puritans || The Puritans
This New York quartet plays alt pop with both punch and sigh.
The Rallies || No Better Time
Celebrating their 15th anniversary, The Rallies from Seattle deliver a sparkling collection of irresistibly power pop anthems packed with jangly guitars, soaring harmonies, and timeless hooks that feel both familiar and fresh.
Scories || Défaire le brouillard
Noisy, immediate alt rock from Toulouse with plenty of angst and grit packed into the distortion.
Shakey Graves || Fondness, Etc
Austin’s Shakey Graves (born Alejandro Rose-Garcia) captures fatherhood, fleeting beauty, and emotional imperfection in a tender, home-recorded folk meditation steeped in analog warmth and haunted textures.
SOFT GIRL || the punchline
Nine songs that refuse to sit still stylistically. The hypnotic opener only hints at where this Dayton band might go next. Color me intrigued.
The Spatulas || A Blue Dot
If you like your alt rock a little stranger and harder to pin down, Miranda Soileau-Prattis is a songwriter you should know.
Kelley Stoltz || If You Don’t Know Me, Buy Now
Delivering a richly textured, hook-filled collection of sardonic yet vulnerable late-night musings, this 19th(!) album from the seasoned San Francisco psych-pop chameleon masterfully solidifies his place as a prolific auteur in underground rock.
Strangelight || Modern Phones
The new 12″ EP from this Oakland quartet is very much recommended listening if you like the kind of post hardcore of bands like As Friends Rust.
Tall Friend || Fossil
Folky lo-fi indie rock that quietly sneaks up on you. Make sure to read Rosy Overdrive’s excellent write-up on the band as well.
J.C. THOMAZ and the MISSING SLIPPERS || J.C. THOMAZ and the MISSING SLIPPERS
I recall seeing this band ages ago, and it’s kind of weird to see them release their (thrilling!) debut album just now. Slovenly is the natural home for this unhinged idiosyncratic type of dirty garage noise.
Zenxith || Does Anybody Care?
Album no. 18 by Daniel McGee aka Zenxith is a lo-fi indie pop confession drenched in jangly guitars, synth haze, and DIY melancholy, capturing the frustration of creating deeply personal music in total isolation while wondering if anyone is really listening. We certainly are.