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New album: Les Calamités || Encore ! 1983 -1987

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

I know we cover mostly new releases, but every now and then we come across a retrospect or reissue that is so special and likeable, we just have to share it.

Les Calamités were a French band creating some waves in the mid ’80s with their super fun garage powerpop. Founded by three teenagers Caroline, Isabelle and Odile, Les Calamités quickly garnered interest in France. But instead of banking in on all that interest and becoming pop heroes, the girls decided to focus on finishing their studies instead and the band quickly dissolved. No drama, no tears, just a rational decision that made sense at the time. But not before Isabelle and Odile took the hit parade by storm with Vélomoteur.

Thanks to Born Bad Records, we get another chance to relive the greatness of Les Calimités. Encore ! 1983-1987 compiles more or less the complete output of the band, including a handful of covers of songs like The Kids Are All Right, and With A Boy Like You (sic). It’s a must-have if you are a fan of early Go-Go’s and garage pop bands inspired by ’60s girl group like April March’s Pussywillows.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Jeanines || Don’t Wait For A Sign

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Jeanines are Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith; the latter making his second appearance on ATW this month. Don’t Wait For A Sign is Jeanines’ second album, and like their self-titled debut from three years ago, it is an instant indie pop classic.

At its core, Don’t Wait For A Sign builds on the best parts of the previous record. If you like that one, you’ll love this one. The high pitched choir like vocals give the scrappy indie pop a folky vibe, and even though you’ll find no loud distorted guitars in the sound of Jeanines, the simple upbeat instrumentation gives Don’t Wait For A Sign a level of punch I appreciate a lot. There almost is a punk simplicity and directness to Jeanines. They waste no time on detours, their songs are concise by design. In its 20 minute playing time, you’ll get 13 hits and an insane amount of earworm melodies.

Alicia Jeanine explained Jeanines’ formula for succes last year in a fun interview at Chickfactor: “I always say I write sad folk songs and Jed turns them into indiepop gems. So yeah, I handed them to him as simple acoustic things, and he transformed them into pop hits!” It’s a match made in heaven, just like Slumberland Records is the perfect fit for the band.

Have a taste of Any Day Now – video produced by a member of Artsick, another band we like a lot at ATW. Then press add to cart and order.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Slumberland

New EP: Little Murders & The Eddies || Wait ‘Til The Summer Comes (Split EP)

By / / Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Let’s get right to it. Wait ‘Til The Summer Comes is a perfect power pop song. If you are a fan of the genre, you are in for a treat and should press play below right away.

It’s the latest single of legendary power pop band Little Murders – Australia’s own version of the new wave of power pop in the late 1970s and early 1980s, who are still writing new music in 2022. The song is part of a four-song split EP with US mod/powerpop outfit The Eddies. All four songs were written by Little Murders frontman Rob Griffiths though, who also sings on both songs by The Eddies.

This is some premium quality powerpop, certified fresh.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Yeah Maybe || Ok, Sure

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock / 2 Comments

Is there a more quintessential name for a slacker rock project than Yeah Maybe? Ok Sure is the Tacoma duo’s debut release, a three song catchy, fuzzy guitar driven affair with hints of Nirvana and Car Seat Headrest.

What stands out with Yeah Maybe are the strong vocal melodies. Clearly, these dudes know how to write a tune. And, they have already planned “at least two albums,” which sounds surprisingly ambitious and out of character for a band called Yeah Maybe.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Terje Torkellsen || Feeling Things

By / / Indie Pop, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Well, hello there Terje Torkellsen from Oslo (Norway), nice to meet you. I quite like your debut EP with its four lo-fi bedroom power/indie/jangle pop hits. No, that’s an understatement, I think it’s pretty great. Could you make some more please?



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Real Distractions || The Real Distractions

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

The Real Distractions (Olympia, WA) are a band of scene veterans including Tobi Vail (Bikini Kill, Frumpies, Spider and the Webs and MODs), Ricky Meyer (Rik and the Pigs), Peter David Connelly (The Mona Reels, Bangs, Quayde le Hue) and with newcomer KTB. The band’s aim? To follow the “rich tradition of DIY bands crafting instant pop hits entirely on their own terms, which has long been the hallmark of the International Pop Underground series.”

And so the five-song EP (four of which are on the 7″) was recorded live, giving them a loose and authentic vibe. The result is a brand of rock-‘n’-roll that feels quirky and authentic. I am particularly drawn to Stupid, a song I can’t seem to stop playing these past couple of days.

I think the press release describes The Real Distractions better than I ever could: “It’s like they cut up a bunch of bomp and kicks magazines, stuck them back together and made a wish to turn them to a real band.” 7″ now available as a co-release by K Records and Perennial.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || K Records

New EP: Crosshairs || Demo 2022

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Ready for something a little shorter, faster and louder? Meet Crosshairs, a new three piece from Vancouver Island (Victoria) featuring members of Kraxxa, Bootlicker, Off The Clock and Last Crusade. Crosshair’s sound is a mix between classic ’80s American hardcorepunk and second wave UK Punk – a bit like The Chisel, but more hardcore-oriented. They open the EP with the insanely catchy stop-go moshpit inducing Picked Clean. By the second track, the rock-and-rollin’ Lechon, I was all in. They finish the EP off with two effective bullets that barely surpass the one-minute mark.

Four songs, six minutes of exciting hardcorepunk. If this is only a demo, I can’t wait for what’s next. Out now on limited cassette Slow Death Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Bad Bad Bird || Ni Peine Ni Peur + Voudras​-​Tu ‘adorer?

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

My French is pretty bad, but when I read Bad Bad Bird’s tagline of “chansons d’amour power pop en français” my heart made a petite jump. To my ears, the French language and powerpop are a match made in heaven, the peanutbutter and jelly of rock-‘n’-roll music. Somehow they are a perfect fit.

Technically, both songs on this cd-single were released individually on streaming services last year, but since we totally missed those, we’re happy to share them now that they will be out on the almost extinct CD-single. Of both songs, my favorite is Ni Peine Ni Peur which I think fits the late ’70s, early ’80s powerpop label better than the more contemporary sounding Voudras​-​Tu M’Adorer – a song that is constructed well and gets more powerful the longer you listen to it.

Hopefully Bad Bad Bird will find some extra time to work on more tunes like these two, because I think they are tres bien!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Les Salvatges || El Caliu I La Cendra

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Les Salvatges (“The Wild Ones”) are a poppy punkrocktrio from Barcelona. Their latest album is filled with easy to digest, highly enjoyable tunes. Only one song passes the 3-minute mark, and most songs have a punk pace and a pop heart.

With El Caliu I La Cendra, Les Salvatges will make you bop your head and brighten your day – even though the lyrics are quite dark. And with the album art, they entice you to get creative doodling in your notebook during boring video calls or meetings.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Joyride! || Miracle Question

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 3 Comments

With Easter 2022 in the books, let’s kick of the work week by injecting a high dose of energy and melody. San Francisco indiepunks Joyride! went on hiatus in 2016 – finishing school, starting professional careers and all that, but kept on writing songs throughout the years. When the band decided to finally make a comeback, they had plenty of songs to pick from.

And that shows. Their new record Miracle Question is all killer, no filler. It’s full of life and heart, it’s scrappy and super catchy. Its scope should appeal to a broad audience, from indie rock aficionado’s to fans of pop punk and even twee. What makes Miracle Question such a tight and effective record is that Joyride! have mastered the art of trimming songs to their best parts only. The 86 second jolt of energy that is Flyover States is probably the best example of this. Routine Maintenance is another example. Why waste time on intro’s, when you can  seduce listeners from the get-go?

With Miracle Question, Joyride! come eerily close to indiepunk perfection. If you’re looking for 28 minutes of uncomplicated fun, look no further. Out now through Salinas Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Salinas Records

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