Niek

New EP: Crocodile Tears || June

With a band as great as Crocodile Tears (Austin, Tx), you can’t help wonder why they don’t release music more frequently. I’ve been digging the powerpop rock’n’roll of the band since their 2017 debut EP (Back Alley Boys). Five years later, and here is Junie, still only their third EP. Like their previous two EPs, it has four songs. That makes 12 songs in total – any label releasing them together on one convenient piece of vinyl perhaps? Without exception, the sheer quality of these songs have been amazing.

The Junie EP is all about loud guitars, killer riffs and sweet pop melodies. I absolutely love this band. Three originals, one Tom Petty cover. All good.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Sick Thoughts || Heaven Is No Fun

With a couple of months left in 2022, Sick Thoughts enters the race as a favorite for punk record of the year. In the mid ’10s, Sick Thoughts was one of the most prolific punk bands around, but the act has been relatively quiet in recent years. Heaven Is No Fun is a glorious return to the exciting songwriting of Drew Owen. His songs are still aggressive, fast, full of memorable guitar riffs and attitude. Owen piles on hit after hit with the spontaneity of the finest punk around on Heaven Is No Fun. At the same time, the record shows the most accessible side of Sick Thoughts yet. The production is still very much punk, but the roughest edges have received some polishing. As such, I expect Heaven Is No Fun to open some new ears to the appeal of Sick Thoughts.

This record is so much fun. Songs like I Hate You, Hole In The Wall, Smash The Mirror, and No Life No Life offer that instant jolt of energy of discovering punk for the first time. It makes you wonder, can loud music simultaneously be this fast, this aggressive and this catchy? Sick Thoughts make it sound like this never even was a point of discussion. There are also some proto punk anthems (Mother, I Love Satan and Rich Kid) that offer a change of pace and some welcome variety on the record. And then there are the sleazy glam influences that pop up every now and then, which I love.

Heaven Is No Fun is out now through Total Punk Records. It’s going straight to the collection.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Total Punk

New album: The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness || The Third Wave Of​.​.​.

Three records in and the Scotland (Andrew Taylor of Dropkick) by the way of Spain (Gonzalo Marcos of El Palacio de Linares) connection that is The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness is still finding ways to churn out perfect pop songs. The ten songs on Third Wave of… feel vibrant and comfortable. There is no peacocking in the the music of TBWTPN, no bells and whistles, it’s all about writing upbeat and sunny powerpop/indie pop hits with a hint of nostalgia and a touch of melancholy. It is a familiar sound for fans of the band, although TBWTPN does sprinkle some surprises here and there on their new record. Like the guest appearance of Mary Lou Lord on Isolation, and how the band for a good portion of the record seems to have replaced Teenage Fanclub with late ’70s American power pop as their primary source of inspiration: Most noticably on songs like Look Back (written by Alastair Taylor), In The Right, Old Pictures of Ourselves, and Out Of Time. Those are some of my favorite tracks on the record.

TBWTPN have become one of those bands that are a sure bet for my AOTY list any time they release a new record, and this one is no expection. The Third Wave Of… makes for perfect late Summer/early Autumn listening. It is out now through Bobo Integral Records and Tear Jerk Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Various Artists || Sea Creatures Stared at Us and We Stared Back at Them

A cynic may argue it is utter madness to start a record label in 2022. A romantic would see it as prove that there will always be passionate musicians and fans of music crazy enough to spent their most valuable resource (i.e., time) on putting out and promoting the music of others. That romantic may have thought about starting a label as well, but scared to take the plunge.

Count us among the romantics. Hence, it’s been a joy to witness the birth of Wilbur & Moore, a label started by two Dutch friends (Joep & Bas) who live 10.000 miles apart but share a love for experimental indie music. Early on, it was clear that the label had the looks – the art direction by Bas van Genugten is pretty great. And now we finally have a first impression of the sound direction. Or perhaps not, since the label’s debut release is an eclectic selection of artists covering the music of Jeffrey Lewis. The comp contains lo-fi rockers, anti-folk, slacker pop and stripped down acoustic tracks and everything in between. The comp is all over the place really, and if there is a commonality among the songs it is (a) the home recording vibe (b) the heart and soul the artists have put in their renditions. Indie rock, underground pop and alternative music seem to be points of departure for Wilbur & Moore, no hard borders or boundaries.

Sea Creatures Stared at Us and We Stared Back at Them is a bold start by Wilbur & Moore. Like the best tribute compilations it offers a lot to discover and makes you want to check out many of the artists featured – and revisit the orginals, for which the label made this convenient playlist. Below are some of my favorites. Press play and, if you are curious, read more about the label’s backstory here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Mythical Motors & Antlered Auntlord || Split

Earlier this year, prolific jangly underground rocksters Mythical Motors (Chattanooga, Tennessee) had recorded yet another set of songs. For reasons of convenience and timing, HHBTM Records decided to pair the ten songs on a tape with ten songs by another act: Antlered Auntlord, a solo project by Jesse Stinnard (Athens, Georgia).

The Mythical Motors side is full of the delightful lo-fi underground pop and indie rock we’ve come to love about the band. It’s a loose and spontaneous blend of The Clean, Guided By Voices, Television Personalities, Wire, R.E.M, Superchunk, and the C-86 scene. Mythical Motors songs in general are concise and full of sweet and catchy melodies and their side of the tape contains several gems (The Instant Forever, Orchestra Pit Of Flames, Nebulous Heaven, and Circling Elaine). Like the Mythical Motors side, the Antlered Auntlord side offers ten concise songs but there are noticable difference in sound. Most obviously, Antlered Auntlord has a more punchy and noisy sound with more ’90s alternative influences as well. In discussing a previous release, HHBTM describes the act as “the missing link between the Pixies and The Byrds if they’d been raised in the Appalachians.” I quite like that, and that also applies to the songs on this side.

HHBTM made 150 tapes of this release. Is it worth the purchase? You bet!





Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Sorels || Love Your Rock N’ Roll

Rock-‘n’-roll needs no saving, but if it did I’m pretty sure we could count on The Sorels. There is not a second on their latest EP that doesn’t reveal The Sorels’ devotion to and love for rock-‘n’-roll. The Canadian trio start the EP (and the title track) with a classic drumroll that’s the heartbeat of glamrock, before introducing loud guitars, bass, and a vocal delivery full of soul, conviction, and hints of the best pop music of 5 to 6 decades ago. Enter track two (The Jerk), a ’60s girl group throwback that takes a tour of the dance moves of a different era but rather than a party song it’s full of melancholy of days gone by. The Sorels then show their most soulful side in Make Me Party, a song with a particularly strong vocal performance. The fourth and final track is Another School Day, a fun cover of British ’70s glamrockers The Hello.

I liked the Sorels previous single a lot, but the Love Your Rock N’ Roll EP is a major step up in every way! Another strong co-release by Reta Records (Canada) and Surfin’Ki (Italy).



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Surfin’ Ki

New album: S.U.G.A.R. || II

Berlin three piece S.U.G.A.R. don’t care much. They are clearly not worried about production values. If you like your music full of polish and shine, look elsewhere. They don’t care about album length neither. Like their self-titled LP, there are only 8 songs on their sophomore record. Album titles? Not really something S.U.G.A.R. makes a fuss about. Their new LP simply is called II. Your ears? Not their problem, they will turn their amps all the way up regardless of your ear protection.

The only thing S.U.G.A.R. seems to care about is making wild and sleazy garagerock’n’roll (RIYL: MC5, The Stooges, The Dictators) that is dirty and loud. Luckily, they excel at doing exactly that and we should be grateful to Alien Snatch Records who have a way of digging up and releasing bands like these.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Prize || Wrong Side Of Town

Powerpop can take many forms. Here is a relatively new band from Melbourne that offers a particularly thrilling blend: powerpop infused with rock’n’roll energy, Thin Lizzyesque guitar work and dual vocals, played at a pace and with a bite that suggests this five-piece are punks at heart. The band is called The Prize and they got me all excited with their four song Wrong Side Of Town debut EP. And that’s not just because The Prize cover Fighting My Way Back by The Icredible Kidda Band – it’s an excellent rendition that makes me want to dig up my Incredible Kidda Band LP. The three originals on the EP are equally great. The title track sounds like A Giant Dog meets Thin Lizzy, Easy Way Out is a delight with its memorable melodies and guitar work reminiscent of DM3, and closer Don’t Know You has a bit of late ’70s UK punk vibe to it.

The Wrong Side Of Town EP is out now in two variants (Black & Baby Blue) through Anti Fade Records. There already is a sold out sign on Bandcamp for both variant. That kinda blows, because I need to have this 7″ single in my hands ASAP.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: The Hawaiians || Pop Punk VIP

Time to put on your tight jeans, Chuck Taylors and your Hawaiian shirt. Here is Pop Punk VIP, album #4 (I think) from German bubblegum pop punk three piece The Hawaiians. It’s a Travoltas meets The Queers bubblegum beach party leaving you with significant loss to the glazed layer of your teeth but positive vibes all around. The Hawaiians invite you to leave all pretentions, cynicism and worries at the gate and just enjoy the ride – and the waves. What a fun and catchy record. To top it off, there even is a guest vocal appearance of Richie Ramone on What’s Normal For The Spider, arguably the fastest song on the record.

Pop Punk VIP is out now on vinyl through Last Exit Music.

Add to wantlist: Last Exit Music || Mom’s Basement Records

New album: Uni Boys || Do It All Next Week

Note: If you are short on time, just press play below and read my one word review here: HITS.

Despite the album title hinting upon Uni Boys’ talent for procrastination, their new record Do It All Next Week is all about rockin’ out right here, right now. For the past couple of years, Uni Boys have been on a mission to recapture the magic of ’70s rock’n’roll and powerpop – particularly the sound of bands like 20/20, Shoes, Milk ‘N’ Cookies and The Records. The yields in their short existence have been impressive and Do It All Next Week is the band’s highest point to date. It’s hard not to get into hyperbole mode writing about this record. The twelve good-time rock’n’roll tracks of the Uni Boys sound unpretentious yet authentic and far from simplistic. The guitar work is fingerlicking good, and the hooks keep on coming. Combining powerpop worship with rock’n’roll romanticism (the band looks like they came walking straight out of ’70s NYC), Uni Boys may very well have written the best powerpop record of 2022.

From the looks of it, this is a really strong release week – probably fueled by the return of Bandcamp Friday. I should probably check that out sooner or later (RIP my e-mail), but I have trouble staying away from this record that we’ve been anticipating for such a long time. Do It All Next Week is a highly addictive record that I could play today, tomorrow or any day for that matter. It’s out now on Curation Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Curation Records

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