Alternative Rock

New album: Adam Hattaway and the Haunters || Woolston, Texas

By / / Alternative Rock, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

A week ago Wurld Series delivered their second LP, with Adam Hattaway as lead guitarist. For fans of his work there’s already more! Adam Hattaway and The Haunters from Christchurch, New Zealand have just released their third full-length album. The “alternative rock and roll” band has a classic setup with two dueling guitars, bass and drums (there’s also an organ popping up), and I think I hear influences from classics by The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Teenage Fanclub (I could also call it a mix of power pop, country, soul, R&B and rock). Yet it’s quite an interesting, varied and captivating record, not at least because of the singing style of the front man, who seems to use a different voice for each song, enhanced by the backing vocals of the three other band members. I kept listening to get it all in and when the ten songs were over I started all over again. Standout track Sympathy gives you an idea of what to expect.

Woolston, Texas is out now digitally, on CD and on vinyl LP through Holiday Records. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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New album: Space Cadet || Lion On A Leash

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

Space Cadet is quite the departure from the in-you-face punkrock Matt Hock and David Walsh used to play with The Explosion. Their debut album Lion On A Leash features  the kind of guitar driven dreamy postpunk that slowly but surely gets under your skin. Hock explains at Glide Magazine: “The record sounds like two guys who love reverb and chorus pedals, The Stone Roses, Cock Sparrer and The Rolling Stones.” A Spotify  playlist curated by the band also notes The Jam, Wire, Joe Strummer, John Cale, Slowdive, Oasis, and Sugar as influences. It’s hard to really pinpoint any of these bands to the sound of Space Cadet, but there is a sense of familiarity to most of their songs. For example, If Only and Scream For You have a ’80s new wave vibe, and Bad Luck clearly nods to Britpop. My favorite tracks are Forever For A While and Start Running Way.  Those two sound effortless and confident, and are among the punchier songs on the album.  They are the recommended entry point for those sceptical about the new musical direction Hock and Walsh take with Space Cadet. Ultimately, I think Lion On A Leash is quite the leap from The Explosion, but it’s worth the trip.  Out now on Wiretap Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Wiretap Records

New album: Drip-Fed || Kill The Buzz

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Okay, this one may be my favorite surprise among this week’s releases. Hardcore kids may have seen this one coming given the band’s past releases, but for me Drip-Fed wasn’t even a blip on my radar.  I’m glad that has changed because  Drip-Fed have a very interesting sound that’s loud yet dynamic, hardcore yet melodic, and agressive yet catchy. In short: it rocks.

I’ll let you in on how I fell for this record. The first two tracks on Kill The Buzz definitely warmed me up, breaking down my defenses for what comes next. The opening track is particularly strong, with excellent drums and guitar interplay.  But it is track 3, the title track, where everything clicks. That song hits all the right notes at the most unexpected but still perfect time. It starts with a bass riff, quickly mirrored by the drums and guitars, creating a wave of groovy loudness. After 30 seconds or so, the band eases up with cleaner sounding guitars. It’s when the screaming starts, moving towards a gang vocals chorus that feel more like a battle cry. It’s the remainder of the song where I finally get hooked in full. There is an amazing, super catchy middle part to the song, where bass, drums and guitars bouncing off each other. And if that’s not enough, the band slides into an insane guitar solo. The song is less than 3 minutes long, but it’s packed, and it’s blast. And that’s just that one song. The record is full of great moments like that. Drip-Fed keeps you interested and intrigued throughout. This is rockin’ hardcore in the vein of Every Time I Die,  Fucked Up and Touché Amoré (24 Hour Firework Stand), but slightly more accessible, and may appeal to fans of metal and alternative rock as well.  Out now at Head2Wall Records (US) and  i.corrupt Records (EU).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Head2Wall Records || i.corrupt Records

New single: Forgivers || Some Future

By / / Alternative Rock / Leave a Comment

Now this is a great debut single! Meet American rock band Forgivers: Alex Levine and Alex Rosamilia (both from The Gaslight Anthem), Jed Winokur (The Ratchets) and Trevor Reddell (Let Me Run). They describe both their attitude and their music as “Gothic optimism”, but don’t be put off by this term or by the mentioned influences (The Cure, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Clash, Oasis) – just listen. The guitar-driven song slowly but surely draws you in, to end in an uplifting polyphonic climax: ‘Some future! Whoohoo!’ Let’s hope for a future with more music from these guys.

‘There’s a shallow in our souls // And it was filled by rock and roll // Don’t know what to tell ya’

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Fake Fruit || Fake Fruit

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

Rocks In Your Head is a record label from San Francisco founded by Sonny Smith. I am a huge Sonny (and the Sunsets) fan, and I am excited by the early goings of this label, which clearly reflects Sonny’s broad musical tastes and knack for experimentation. Rocks In Your Head has already put out a solid compilation and albums by The Gonks and Galore and the most recent Sonny and The  Sunsets record. This week, the label released a debut by a band that probaby will release their next album on a much bigger label. Not because Rocks In Your Head is not a good fit, but because the band sounds like they are on the verge of breaking out to a bigger (huge?) audience. I am talking about Fake Fruit, whose self-titled record sounds chaotic yet focused, messy yet confident. The album is full of cool guitar riffs, and frontwoman Hannah D’Amato strikes just the right balance between singing and howling that works perfectly for this type of music. On the great opening track No Mutuals, there is a sonic similarity to Sleater Kinney, and album closer Milkman sounds like a Parquet Courts jam, but throughout the record, Fake Fruit have very much created their own niche. It’s a dynamic and diverse corner of the planet, with start-stop postpunk (Miscommunication, No Space For Residence), garagerock (Old Skin, Don’t Put It On Me), and indie rock balladry (Keep You, and the delightful Stroke My Ego). Don’t sit on this one folks!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Portabella || Return To The Fountain Of Olives

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

At the start of the new Portabella record, we overhear a discussion between its two band members Will and Jason: “We’re all gonna play our best, if people don’t like it, that’s okay, it’s not for you then.” Should we interpret this as management of expectations, a coping mechanism to mask insecurity? Or is it a disclaimer that this record is something different, and won’t be for everyone? My conclusion after listening to Return To The Fountain Of Olive? It’s definitely the latter. The record is full of experimental rock and psychedelica and quite the trip. No scratch that, it’s pretty weird. It’s probably further from my comfort zone than any of my other posts here. And yet, even though there are several songs that I don’t particularly enjoy, the record kept pulling me in. Album opener Angelic Super Slide (video below) offers a great taste of what to expect. It is arguably the most accessible songs on the record. Other cool tracks areThe Wrong Way, Nothing Left, Nothing, Insufferable Glow Boy and Earthworm Parachute. Out now on tape at the San Francisco label Paisley Shirt Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Smirk || LP

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

Smirk is a solo project of Nick Vicario. He also plays (or played) in hardcore acts Autistic Youth, Crisis Man and the guitar heavy postpunk act Public Eye – make sure to check out their 2020 LP. Sonically, Smirk has the most in common with his work in Public Eye. Still, this is very much a distinct musical project. A little bit more punk and lo-fi oriented, and a tad more groovy and hypnotic. Whereas the album title could not be more generic (‘LP’), the music is basically the exact opposite. I particularly love how Vicario efforlessly brings styles from different eras together. For example listen to Violent Game, which sounds like a Stooges and Stones mashup, and out of nowhere features a bass and drum interlude  that harkens back to a whole different era.

LP is compiled of the two Cassette EPs Vicario released in 2020. With a little help of the ever reliant Feel It Records and Drunken Sailor Records, it’s now available on vinyl. Speaking of Feel It Records, they just announced two early april releases that also look to be winners: Waste Man and Spread Joy. Is that fair? Can they do that? Of course they can! Music is not a competition right?

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Feel It Records || Drunken Sailor Records

New single: Texpack || The Early Serenade

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Let’s add Indonesia to our ever expanding list of fine music from around the Globe. To be more specific, let’s go to Bogor, Jakarta where Texpack recently released a three song EP called The Early Serenade. If you like alternative ’90’s pop, you will definitely enjoy this one. Never having heard of Texpack before, I mistakenly thought on the title track that Texpack was a new shoegaze project by Davey Von Bohlen (Cap’n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Maritime). The second track, Between 4 and 10 is a classic indie pop single including a surprise cameo of a trumpet. Speaking of trumpets, Texpack closes the EP with a well executed cover of the Eggstone song My Trumpets. Out now on Anoa Records (Jakarta).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Mary Anne’s Polar Rig || Makes You Happy

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Are you ready for some fuzzy alternative slacker rock from Sweden? Make sure to check out the debut by Mary Anne’s Polar Rig. It’s called Makes Me Happy and it is kind of a mess, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s a chaotic record, with a lot going on. The band immediately draws you in with album opener Something About Your Way. It is short, fast and catchy. It is followed by Your House, which starts tenderly before erupting in an infectious chorus. It is not the only track where the band effectively uses soft loud dynamics. Liar Liar for example, another standout track, starts with an thunderous bass riff and ends explosively, but also has a quiet yet intense interlude where singer Malin Hofvander wails “i want to feel sexy || i want to feel sure || i don’t want to be rejected || i want to be adored”. Hofvander’s voice gives Makes You Happy an edge, but ultimately Mary Anne’s Polar Rig sounds like a well oiled collective. This is quite the debut. Out now on Please Like it & Feverish. RIYL: Evans The Death and Joanna Gruesome.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

GIMME 5! || Rob Nesbitt (The Suitesixteen) Shares 5 Monumentally Important Albums That Deserve Another Look

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

(Photo by Wendy Nesbitt)

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share 5 records THEY love.

We started Gimme 5! out of curiosity and a desire to discover must-own records. We’ve been amazed by the lists so far. In addition to the picks, the best part of the feature has been the artists’ introductions and explanations. It’s a thrill to see artists share their passion and love for the music that inspired them. In fact, when the artist of this week’s Gimme 5! sent me his list, I literally got goosebumps from reading his words. I am talking about Rob Nesbitt. Rob played on the first BUM album Wanna Smash Sensation – an early nineties somewhat overlooked powerpop/pop punk classic. He then quit the band and spent the next 25 (!) years working on a Suitesixteen record. It came out last year, and it’s perfect. It is available in a custom triple gatefold, double vinyl package with a 50-page book and beautiful photography.

Rob’s list includes 5 records that were “monumentally important to him and perhaps overlooked.” Click below to read and listen. Rob wrote an extensive introduction to his list and explanations for each pick. He apologizes for it being long, but if you are like me, at the end of the post he leaves you wanting more. Thanks a lot for your generosity, Rob!

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