Dennis

New single: Western Threads || Sex Cult

Let's talk about dreams

Remember Western Threads? The Austin, Texas-based indie band—Jacob Lewis, Ainsley Richter, Jeff Fazio, Mike Mangiapane, and Christopher McBee—released their captivating debut album Cowboys in Montmartre four years ago. They make a welcome return, and I immediately remembered why I fell for them back then. Their new single, entitled Sex Cult, once again features those characteristic and attractive male-female harmonies, and that sound in which pop, rock and folk merge, with lyrics that are darker than you would expect based on their charming appearance (“Last night I had // A dirty dream // And you were there”). It’s the perfect prelude to their version of the 1899 spiritual Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord), which has also been recorded in the past by Johnny Cash and countless others (“Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble”). Higher powers speaking.

Sex Cult, produced by Western Threads and Justin Douglas, is out now digitally and on limited edition lathe-cut 7″ vinyl (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Les Os || Current

German newcomers impress with French songs full of twists

May I introduce you to Les Os, a new band emerging from the small but well-connected DIY music scene in Hanover, Germany, featuring Miku (vocals, bass), Corne (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark (rhythm guitar) and Jerrik (drums). Their debut album Courant consists of ten personal songs with French lyrics about twists—between joy and frustration, between supposed freedom and boredom, between past and present, between dreams and reality. Strong guitar interplay leads to crunchy riffs and clear melodies—between dynamic indie rock and driving post-punk. An effective rhythm section and gritty vocals full of emotion lift the sound to an even higher level. Original and gripping.



Courant is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: The James Baker Beat with Dom Mariani || Friday Night Friend

When two veterans of the Perth scene join forces, it quickly leads to two hits

“Hey James, I see you’re playin’ tonight, can you put me on the door if that’s alright?” A question that every performing artist can relate to, an appealing viewpoint for a song. Leave that to James Baker (Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, Scientists) on drums and Dom Mariani (The Stems, DM3, Datura4) on guitar, sharing vocal duties, who have a fitting answer: “Sorry pal I ain’t gonna bend, ’cause you aint nothin’ to me but a Friday Night Friend.” Good old rock ‘n’ roll from two Australian veterans who know how to write a new hit. Or two actually, as B-side She Said (Bad Weekend) is just as much fun.

Friday Night Friend, engineered & mixed by Ben Ward, is out now digitally and on limited editon pink 7″ vinyl trough Cheersquad Records & Tapes.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New split single: Queen Serene || Glitter Disco b/w Heavy Meddo || La Mer

Austin bands build a wall of noise to look up to

The title Glitter Disco could easily raise false expectations, because it is actually a wall of jangly guitars that marks the boundary between art rock and post-punk, with shoegaze influences seeping through. It is one of the strong tracks from Queen Serene’s versatile 2 LP that was released last November, now filling one side of a beautifully designed split 7″ single. The flipside is by Heavy Meddo, also from Austin, Texas, who bring equally hazy post rock to the stage with La Mer, in which the noisy guitars are supported by compelling synths. Two times five minutes that provide a hypnotic session.


Glitter Disco b/w La Mer is out digitally and on limited edition vinyl 7”, with cover art by Nick Stout and Bill Baird respectively. Queen Serene are Sarah Ronan (guitar, vocals), Matt Galceran (guitar, vocals), Dale Pohly (bass, tambourine) and Riley Corcoran (drums). Heavy Meddo are Bill Baird (guitar, synth, vocals), Jonathan Horne (guitar), DB Tamir (bass), Jordan Johns (drums, percussion), Sarah Ronan (vocals) and Amy Annelle (vocals).

Add to wantlist: Queen Serene‘s or Heavy Meddo‘s Bandcamp

New EP: Leghorn || Wait… Don’t Tell Me

Stirring riffs and weathered vocals color a convincing debut

Last summer I raved about No Stones, the debut single from Columbus, Ohio-based garage rock trio Ladybird. Singer/guitarist Matthew Hollis (vocals, guitar) and drummer Fritz Manuel (drums) have not only found a new bassist in Luke Garvine, but have also adopted a new band name. As Leghorn they are now releasing their first EP, titled Wait… Don’t Tell Me, where the functional cover layout has remained and that awesome introductory song is also present. The four fresh tunes are not quite as raucous (maybe we should even call it mature), but just as brilliant in riffs and sound.


Wait… Don’t Tell Me is out now digitally via Many Such Cases.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Boogie Rockafella || “​.​.​.Makin’ Money​.​”

Bold debut that breathes the love for bona fide music

Boogie Rockafella is a garage rock duo from Melbourne, Australia featuring Liam Hopkins (guitar and vocals) and Alex Gooding (drums, vocals), whose band name pretty much sums up what they stand for. Their debut EP is titled “​.​.​.Makin’ Money​.​”, but I’m inclined to think and hope that it’s their love for good old blues ‘n’ boogie that got them here. The two musicians deliver five songs that rock and swing, with soulful guitar licks, stomping rhythms and yearning vocals, captured in a loose sound. Electrifying opening track Keep On Keepin’ On stands out for me, the energizing cover of Al Green’s Love and Happiness surprises the most. RIYL: The Black Keys, Jet, The Cold Stares, DeWolff.



“​.​.​.Makin’ Money​.​”, recorded by Alex Bennett, is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Baby Combat || Tuesday Night Live

Noel Yeo dreams out loud about how everything would be right with the spotlights on stage

There’s something about the grainy vocals of Noel Yeo (Shelves, Supersloth) that never fails to fascinate me, also because it pairs so well with his jangly guitar rock. This is perhaps best reflected in his accomplished cover of The Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry, one of five new tracks on the Tuesday Night Live EP he just released under his Baby Combat moniker. The original songs are the real winners here though, with Goodbye Subtlety and Pirates leading the way. “This EP is the closest yet to how I imagine Baby Combat to sound when playing to an audience on a typical week night at perhaps a venue near you,” the Portland, Oregon-based songwriter/singer/guitarist explains on his Instagram page—recommended because all the truly great artwork is collected there—and that would be something to look forward to.



Tuesday Night Live is out now digital (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Bird Island || Shitty Thrills

Bouncy debut with confident vocals and sun-soaked riffage

Let’s turn our binoculars to Bird Island, where Bowie Williams, Vaun Gummow and Khloe Graham have a knack for a catchy melody and don’t give a monkey’s, a fertile breeding ground for infectious songs with that typical sun-drenched sound that makes young Australian rock bands so cool. On their surfy debut EP Shitty Thrills we hear five confident pieces of evidence, rough around the edges, but not without breezy harmonies.


The Shitty Thrills EP, recorded by Lachlan Pitcher, is out now digitally via Cool Beans Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Hallo || Unsaved

Elegant layers and emotional depth in every note

Excelling in vocals that are both powerful and flawless, guitars that shift between sensitive and heavy, and a rhythm section that knows what to do to keep everything together. That is Austin, Texas-based indie rock band Hallo (Dutch for Hello, but pronounced Hollow here), and their debut album Unsaved. Frontwoman Tiana Stuart wrote the seven songs after returning home with a broken heart and bruised soul from a few years in Amsterdam. You will understand that the lyrics are quite personal and poignant, with feelings of detachment and disorientation that are perfectly amplified by the music. It is vulnerable and dreamy but vigorous and unbreakable in both sound and vision.



Unsaved, mixed & mastered by Erik Wofford, is out now digitally via Black Bag Records. Featuring Tiana Stuart (vocals, rhythm guitar), Aaron Sekula (bass, synth), Jason Morris (lead guitar) and Benjamin Stuart (drums; his place has now been taken over by Nick Navarro).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Walter Daniels and the Del Valle Trustees || Work Release

High-voltage blues-punk energy meets gritty storytelling

After a more than satisfying Coffee Break, it is time for a Work Release. That’s right, American blues-punk pioneer Walter Daniels (Big Foot Chester, Black Joe Lewis & Cool Breeze, Jack O’Fire, Meet Your Death, South Filthy, The Bloodsucking Go-Devils, etc.) is back, along with his band The Del Valle Trustees. They have crafted eleven new garage rock songs, versatile gems with a live feel—the music and vocals as well as the lyrics are all about raw, powerful and soulful. In addition to the strong originals, they deliver successful covers of Strychnine (The Sonics), 11 Months and 29 Days (Johnny Paycheck) and One Step Closer (Tim Kerr & Mike Carroll). Dancing is not excluded.




Work Release, engineered by Roky Moon & Kurtis D. Machler, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Chaputa! Records and Ghost Highway Recordings. Featuring Walter Daniels (vocals, harmonica, nose flute), Evan Whitehead (guitar, backing vocals), Kevin Curtin (mandolin, backing vocals), Scott Stewart (electric and stand-up bass, backing vocals), and Matt Hammer (drums), with guest musicians Texacala Jones and Henri Herbert on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Chaputa! || Ghost Highway

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