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, and a link to add it to your shelves.
Apeshit || Life! On TV
This Dutch band uses punk as inspiration not a rulebook, turning the genre on its head with their powerful full length debut.
Arab Strap || Half-Told Tales
Their ninth album finds Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton in a richly textured world where gallows humour and genuine hope somehow keep dancing together.
Kurt Baker || Wonder Woman
First taste of a record that Baker recorded during the pandemic but never got released. Sounds huge…and VERY promising.
The Catburgers || Galashiels
Brilliant jangle pop from the 1980s Edinburgh scene, only now released for the first time (by Slumberland, who else?)—a treasure trove of hooky little gems that would have filled countless mixtapes had they arrived four decades ago.
Character Actors || A History of Crashes: Selected Songs 2019-2024
Leeds punk rock band picks ten of their favorite songs so far and gives them their first physical release. Our verdict: fine picks!
Cindy || The Way I Do
A debut LP long in the making from this Auckland band, and their alt rock and garage punk leaning songs seemed carefully constructed while arriving with the spontaneity of live recordings.
City Slang || CS demo II
Second demo from these “East Dallas Scumbags” (their words). Loud as hell (our words).
Comet Gain || Record Poems For Old Folk
David Christian delivers twenty scruffy tunes born of musical obsession, built on wonky guitars and imperfect moments.
Damn Shame || For Lack of Trying
“The rabbit hole is deep and boy I’m descending.” This bedroom experimental folk project blends the conventional and unconvential and captivates throughout.
DiFFiCuLT || Stanislaus
Not your average Knuckles on Stun release and it is a great change of pace. DiFFiCuLT sound like they haven’t made their mind up whether they are an underground pop band or want to go for classic indie rock and end up somewhere in the middle.
Diyl Tones || Oddities
Stockholm’s egg punk answer to The B-52’s wastes no time in following up their promising debut. Keep em coming!
The Drowns || Harsh Reality
The general consensus around the fourth LP from these Seattle punk rockers is that Harsh Reality is their best and tightest record yet. We agree.
Eep Oop! || Choices
Second album from this Seattle band, out on Mom’s Basement, so you know it’s good and catchy. Expect gritty pop punk reminiscent of Dear Landlord and House Boat, but with occasional synths that make you go EEP OOP!
The Exbats || My Dinner With Crumar
The Exbats fell in love with the Crumar Orchestrator, a mid-seventies Italian String Synth that is prominently present on their latest record. It is a noticeable shift in vibe from their previous work, but what shines through on the band’s LP is their knack for writing massive pop hooks.
Frankie Traandruppel || Secret Tips, Golden Tongue
This underground gem from Belgium keeps finding ways to impress with his range and unique blend of slacker rock, folk and lo-fi garage rock.
Friko || Something Worth Waiting For (Expanded Edition)
A welcome expansion of an already ambitious record, where fuzzy noise-rock and soaring ballads turn coming-of-age jitters into something unexpectedly comforting.
Futurebirds || Far Out Country I&II
A sprawling, sun-soaked double journey through psychedelic country-rock and homespun Americana, restless by day and reflective by night.
Gleetch || Summer Demo ’26
The first teaser EP from this melodic Rennes punk rock band definitely puts them on our bands-to-watch list.
Garett Hatch || Enervation Land
The Athens, Georgia-based singer-songwriter returns with eleven solid psych-rock songs, with Taxes as the biggest hit: “How can this be the real thing // if everything adds up to nothing?”
Lande Hekt || Threadbare
Muncie Girls’ Lande Hekt plays shimmery and jangly indie pop that is particularly pleasing on her latest 12″ EP which comes with a wonderful art direction as well.
Kill Gosling || Super Plume
Nine songs of powerful alternative rock from this Columbus quartet.
The Klittens || Have A Heart
Art punk that does not feel like homework. The Klittens mix playful guitar pop and post punk, unexpected turns and enough fun to make even the most cerebral art punk fan loosen up a little.
Les Shirley || Hail Mary
The uncomplicated fun that this Montreal trio brings to the table is contagious. Punk attitude and pop hooks go hand in hand on their anthems.
The Moan || The Moan
From Long Beach, California, big voices breathe new life into the 1960s girl group sound, singing about the Game of Love and Callin’ All Boys.
Mophing People || Res Andres
A Japanese take on alternative rock that never forgets the joy of a killer tune.
Motorcycle || Relive It
This Sacramento trio’s debut oozes fun. Power, electro and alternative are some of the adjectives to their POP sound, created by people who like their White Wires as much as their Andrew W.K., their Weezer as much as Mean Jeans. Several songs here have major hit potential, like the title track. What a hit!
National Park || outside
Hard to Google, but easy to like compilation of gentle guitar driven songs by this project from Glagow (members of The Pastels, Speedboat, and Future Pilot A.K.A.). The instrumentals on this record are impressive, and when vocals pop up they are subtle and pleasant.
Odd Boys || III
This band from Prague features members of Bad Taste, like their Saints and Radio Birdman as much as their Hellacopters and Buzzcocks. Their latest EP features four pretty good garage punk-‘n’-roll hits.
The Ozies || Trapdoor Nostalgia
An idiosyncratic trip through wonky garage-psych, where lo-fi limitations became the secret ingredient of seven unpolished hits: “Ripping souls with cheap guitars.”
Parasites || Parasites
Wow, new music from pop punk masters Parasites? As if we needed another reason to celebrate ten years of Something To Do Records! Four songs, of which two show a surprising new side of the band.
Pavid Vermin || The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore
Glenn Robinson stating that he wrote this encore to his rage-bait Life of a Showgirl album between 5:15 and 7:30 a.m. on the morning of its release is the furthest away from a humble brag. But as always, he gets away with it by writing the most likeable, catchy tunes.
Plastic Nancy || Perpetual Now
Psychedelic garage rock, accessible yet rockin’.
Railcard || Two Steps At A Time
Although we had labeled their self-titled compilation from earlier this year as such, this is the actual debut album of the indie supergroup featuring members of Dolly Mixture and Heavenly, proving that a lifetime spent obsessing over pop history can still produce something fresh and playful.
The Reds, Pinks & Purples || True Love Daydream
Glenn Donaldson recorded the material for this EP alongside his stellar Acknowledge Kindness LP, and calls it “a little boat set adrift off the shore of the main album.” The man has a way with words. And music.
Kei Sato || Why Don’t You Stay” b/w “I Wanna Be
Wonderful first solo single from The Choosers singer/guitarist Kei Sato and it has got Mod Lang and Lemon Twigs fingerprints all over it.
Otis Shanty || Shadow of Doubt
This band plays the kind of alt pop where one band becomes huge (Big Thief), while a band like Otis Shanty remains in obscurity. Shadow of Doubt may change that though.
Substitutos || Canciones para gente sensible
We missed this gem of a sunshine powerpop album from Spain back in 1999, but thanx to Hurrah! Musica it has become available again, and on LP nonetheless. Niceeeeeeeee!
Tongue Action || Tongue Action
Pablo Ono’s rock ‘n’ roll outfit delivers a sweat-soaked blast of punk attitude and sleaze-metal grit that almost tempts you to start a circle pit at home.
The Underbites || Out Of Control
Remember the fun of discovering bands through those ’90s label comps? Out Of Control is like that. Poppy punk rock from New York.
Visiting Hour || Visiting Hour
Definitely an outlier on the Dig! Records roster, but it is easy to see how the label became infatuated with the shoegaze-y and jangly alt pop of Visiting Hour.