Garage Rock

New single: Street Sweeper || Street Sweeper

By / March 22, 2023 / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

If you are worried about the Aussies ruling the airwaves, I’ve got bad news for you. Their reign got even stronger.

Meet Street Sweeper from Melbourne, a four piece that Rock-‘n’-Rolls with capital R’s on their self-titled debut single. The three songs on the 7″ sound like a punked up Thin Lizzy by the way of Eddie & The Hot Rods and The Dictators, or better said, freakin’ awesome. Street Sweeper are here to scratch that itch for loud, groovy and catchy rock-‘n’-roll.

Get this one before they run out at Legless Records, whose roster (including Split System, Stiff Richards, Jackson Reid Briggs and many others) has become a thing of beauty. Oh, and about those airwaves….If I’d tell you Street Sweeper is currently working on a full length, that would be pretty great news right?



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas || Affordable Excellence

By / March 20, 2023 / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Portland r’n’r lifers Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas play Beach Boys and bubblegum infused ramonescore that is unpolished and infectious. If I had to do a three-word review, I’d say their latest (mini) album Affordable Excellence sure is Fun, Fun, Fun.

Compared to their previous two records, Affordable Excellence is the first full-band release of Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas – now a five piece. Songs like Bad Connection show the benefits of this approach. It is a massive pop punk hit with infectious vocal harmonies coming straight out the book of surfrock’n’roll. Affordable Excellence is full of songs like that. It’s not just the hooks that will put a smile on your face, the band has a good sense of irony as well. Listen to Me for example, a Ramonesesque anthem for narcissists. The antithetical Bruce Springsteen song Too Jersey is another one. Like I said before, if you’re looking for some Fun, Fun, Fun, give this one a try!



Add To Wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Thingz || In The Age Of Giant Moths

By / March 21, 2023 / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Californian garage rock combo The Thingz are back with what is their ninth full-length album. The In The Age of Giant Moths LP kicks off with wild dance banger Do The Moth, which made me expect a concept album about the creepy-crawly insect. The second track, Chicken Gang (with clucking guitars), also ventures into the animal kingdom, but then Kim Morris (vocals, bass, theremin), Mike Morris (vocals, guitar), Timothy Calacsan (keys, vocals) and Jason Cordero (drums, percussion, vocals) move on to other spaces. They themselves call it “a shadowy jungle of a self-created world of trashy rock and roll,” it turns out to be an environment that tickles your senses but in which it’s not difficult to feel at home. This is an exciting record with melodic riffs and appealing sing-along choruses, more uplifting than the title suggests.




In The Age Of Giant Moths, recorded/mixed/mastered by Johnny Cerneka, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Chaputa! Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Chaputa!

New album: Daddy Long Legs || Street Sermons

By / March 20, 2023 / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

New York City’s rhythm & blues rockers from Daddy Long Legs return with their fourth studio album, Street Sermons. The twelve new songs are exciting and raucous as ever, but more than before folk influences and resting points also seep through in the garage punk in which raw vocals and a ferocious harmonica are just as important as the guitars. While the lyrics show awareness of the dark times we live in (“We’re livin’ a nightmare”), musically Brian Hurd aka Daddy Long Legs (lead vocals, blues harmonica, resonator guitars, piano, banjo, kazoo), Josh Styles (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Murat Aktürk (electric, acoustic & baritone guitars, percussion, backing vocals) always make for a good time.




Street Sermons, produced by Oakley Munson (The Black Lips), is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Yep Roc Records. Featuring guest appearances from Wreckless Eric and John Sebastian.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Yep Roc

New album: The Lords of Altamont || To Hell With Tomorrow, The Lords Are Now

By / March 19, 2023 / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Exactly one year ago, The Lords of Altamont were on the road for a sold out tour, described as a nonstop party: lighting up stage after stage, night after night. This great recording of one of those raw and electrifying shows – at Utrecht’s DB’s (Studio Moscow) – gives you a pretty good idea of the noise and energy of the Californian psychedelic hard rock / garage punk band. Heavy guitar riffs and compelling solos, a driving drum beat, glamorous organ melodies and sing-along gang vocals, you wish you had been there. It also shows that the collective has written a number of fascinating hits in the past 20 years, which makes this record a nice entry point for those who didn’t know them yet.

To Hell With Tomorrow, The Lords Are Now, recorded by Guyom Pavesi, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Heavy Psych Sounds.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || HPS

New album: The McCharmlys || The McCharmlys

By / March 18, 2023 / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Please meet The McCharmlys, a Californian five-piece that plays vintage rock ‘n’ roll for the broken hearted. They just released their debut album, featuring eleven great tunes in the tradition of all the good things of the 50s and 60s, surf, beat and doo-wop at the forefront. Basically sweet and smooth, but with a peppery and raw edge in guitars, vocals and sound. This is a record I can’t get enough of, and the same will probably be true for other fans of bands like Shannon & The Clams, The Courettes, The Growlers and The Pipettes.

The McCharmlys’ self-titled debut LP is out via Varitone, streaming only for now, but hopefully there will also be a vinyl release some time soon.

New EP: Itchy & The Nits || Itchy & The Nits

By / March 17, 2023 / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

“THEE BEST GARAGE BAND in Sydney” ~ Wartmann Inc

“Succumb to your new favorite band! Sydney’s best weird budget-garage squad ever” ~ Tremendo Garaje

Just two blurbs on Sydney trio Itchy & The Nits to give you a sense of what other people are saying about their debut Tape. That amount of hype can be a blessing in disguise, better to underpromise and overdeliver and all that. But press play below, and within seconds you’ll quickly discover that everything you’ve heard and read about this band is true. Itchy & The Nits are fun, trashy and catchy as hell. Think early Donnas and you’re not far off.

Itchy & The Nits open their record with their eponymous theme song. It is brief, funny and cheeky, and if a song is this much fun on record, I can only imagine how great it will be at their live shows. It brings a smile on my face that lingers after listening to the final track I’m Not Listening. Believe the hype, jump on the bandwagon, The Itchy & The Nits Tape is ten minutes of trashy bubblegum garage awesomeness.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Owen Adamcik || Owen Hollywood & The Starcrossed Hearts

By / March 16, 2023 / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Here’s an artist that by now should be on your radar. Not just because he appears to release a new record every couple of weeks, but because of the promise that Owen Adamcik’s productivity harbors. His latest record is his most ambitious and most accomplished yet. A concept album of sorts, Adamcik wrote the record from the perspective of a high school rockstar (Owen Hollywood) in a fictional touring rock band (The Starcrossed Hearts). While Owen Hollywood may a fictional character, Adamcik takes on the role with full conviction. Meanwhile, his band (essentially all Adamcik) does a good job of channeling Exploding Hearts – Lip Bites sure sounds like a Guitar Romantic outtake, doesn’t it? Owen Hollywood & The Starcrossed Hearts is a record that is full of hooky and garage-y powerpop tunes with punk attitude. Still pretty lo-fi, but more polished than previous Adamcik releases, this is definitely a record to get excited over.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Various Artists || Lower Than Underground Vol. 1

By / March 14, 2023 / Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Do you like underground pop and punk? Do you like cover songs? Do you like fanzines? Do you like music festivals? Old Bad Habits Label and Shambotic Recordings have got you covered! The first volume of the Lower Than Underground series fanzine has exclusive interviews and articles “by and for Nick Godfrey and his Precious recordings taken by Jim of the Jasmine Minks, Rocker Rosehip, Damo Suzuki of Can, Darren & Caroline of Next phase Normal records and The Manhattan Love Suicides, Kissamatic Lovebubbles, Tim Wells, I, Ludicrous, politics in music by Tim Rippington, record store day by Darren Lockwood, connection between punk and indie pop by Dimitris Patsonis, 1st interview of the next big thing of Greek pop The Secret Postcards,” and much more.

It comes with a 22-cover song cd, 6 of which are exclusive to the comp. It’s the kind of cover compilation that is perfectly balanced between well known hits and deep cuts, and with a variety of approaches and styles by the covering artists. Highly recommended, and if you need an additional reason to purchase this: Proceeds of the sale of the fanzine and comp will help fund the 1st Athens Pop Underground fest & convention, happening in Athens, Greece, at the end of spring (19-20 of May 2023). Lower Than Underground Vol. 1 is a win win win win!





Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Pollo Del Mar || Speed Of Dark

By / March 14, 2023 / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

You wonder what the Speed Of Dark is? That’s what you hear when Californian surf rock legends Pollo Del Mar (est. 1993) return after a long hiatus. Songwriter Ferenc Dobronyi (guitar), Jono Jones (guitar), Jeff Turner (bass) and Jeremy Rexford (drums) recorded ten instrumental masterpieces with psych, prog and spaghetti western influences. The new record is versatile and exciting, danceable and entertaining, cinematic and as colorful as the cover art. Standout tunes include Surfin’ With Keith (with a Rolling Stones groove), Pose of Awareness (flowing through six different movements) and a cover of The Pyronauts’ Sifaka (back in the day a live favourite, with added shouting).



Speed Of Dark is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through MuSick Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Scroll to Top