Garage Rock

New album: Bag Of Cans || We Are A Band

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

For those who like their music crazy and quirky, here’s anarchic Norwich (UK) five-piece Bag of Cans. We’re talking about George Baker (no, not that one), Tom McGhie, George Bryce, Sam Watts and Joe Wilson, who are not only brimming with ideas but also have many instruments. “We are a band, aren’t we,” one of them asked cautiously at a rehearsal, a sincere remark that became their motto, and the title of their debut album. The We Are A Band LP came about slowly but surely during five years of sweat-drenched live shows and accompanying dressing room humor; in ten diverse and exuberant songs you’ll hear both the experience and enjoyment of all those hours of playing together (a lot happens, but it’s always infectious and attractive, with original hooks and witty harmony vocals), and the shameless absurdity that is at the heart of everything they do (how often do you hear lyrics about vasectomy, or about a stalking milkman with a drug problem?). Bag Of Cans can’t be pigeonholed in terms of genre, style or tempo, but they are a band for sure, a damn fun one – this is a record like an intimate slacker rock party that gets out of hand.



We Are A Band, produced/mixed/mastered by Jason Baldock, is out now digitally and on beer colored vinyl LP through Fierce Panda Records. Featuring George Baker (vocals, trumpet, piano, organ), Tom McGhie (fuitar, vocals), George Bryce (guitar, vocals, sax), Sam Watts (bass) and Joe Wilson (drums), joined by Robin Evans (slide guitar), Rob Milne (sax, clarinet) and Jason Baldock (organ, backing vocals). RIYL: The Bug Club, Personal Trainer, Dingus Khan.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Fierce Panda

New EP: El Niño Delta || We Are Flamingos

By / / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

Please meet El Niño Delta aka Alex Arcas (vocals, guitar) from Andalusia (Spain), who this week released his debut EP We Are Flamingos, recorded together with Sergio Flores (drums, percussion), Pepe Lee (double bass, bass) and Marcel López, David Galera & Hector (horns). You’ll hear six swinging tunes, sung in Spanish – basically 50s rockabilly, but spiced up with influences from blues, country, surf and flamenco. Infectious, cheerful and danceable, at least for those who can keep up with the rhythm.


We Are Flamingos, recorded/mixed/mastered by Pike Cavalero, is out now digitally and on CD through Chicken Attack Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Arrogants || Brainwash

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When we got to know French garage rock band The Arrogants via their debut EP (Introducing .​.​. , 2014) and first album (No Time To Wait, 2015), the band members were still teenagers. Thomas Babczynski (lead guitar, lead vocals), Franck Lecaille (bass, vocals, guitar), Adrien Lepers (rhythm guitar) and Simon Hallier (drums) are young men now, but they haven’t lost any of their swagger. On their highly anticipated sophomore album (Brainwash, 2023), they once again dive into the good old sounds of garage punk, mod, R&B and psych, to brew their own fresh melting pot with those vintage ingredients. The fourteen songs – ranging in length from 01:46 to 05:54 – sneer and stun, with so much variety and quality that you won’t skip a single track.



Brainwash is out now digitally, and on CD and vinyl LP around July 21, through 14th Floor Music / Dirty Water Records. Produced by Yvan Serrano & Vincent Cunat.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Asphalt || Le Blues Du Bulldozer

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

Asphalt’s Le Blues Du Bulldozer? Are we about to get flattened by a steamroller? Well, don’t judge a record by its title and band name. To be sure, there is definitely a punk attitude to the music of Asphalt, but listening to Le Blues Du Bulldozer is like witnessing a metamorphosis. The record opens with the moody protopunk track Bulldozer – see video below. With each subsequent song though, Asphalt increasingly open the curtains and windows to let the light and a breath of fresh air in. What about the irresistible Ustensile, arguably the most pop oriented and sunny track on the EP? From there on out, the transition moves swiftly. The next couple of tracks (Bunker (Technycolor) and Mopedelic) sound more like ’77 punk. Somehow, by the end of Le Blues Du Bulldozer, Asphalt start to sound like an underground pop band from the ’80s. What a trip!

Unfortunately, the EP is only on some streaming agencies right now and is expected to arrive on Bandcamp on June 15th. French label Juvenile Delinquent should have a tape of the record around July 15th – pre-order now!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Sin City || Something’s Cookin’

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock / 1 Comment

It was one of my favorite stories last year, how Sin City and their music came to be. Songwriting duo Nick Armstrong (vocals, pianos, bass, guitar, percussion) and Jack Beesley (vocals, guitars, percussion) moved from Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia, where they* recorded the Something’s Cookin’ EP. These four fresh songs should ease the wait for their second full-length, which is expected to be released at the end of this year. Their mix of rock ‘n’ roll, country and soul – tough but charming – is at its best live, but these studio versions are also great to consume at home, especially if you can grab some Belgian beer from your fridge.


The Something’s Cookin’ EP, produced by Delaney Davidson, is out now digitally. *Also featuring John Segovia (lap steel guitar, Telecaster), John Egenes (pedal steel on Fringes of Life), Alistair Deverick (drums), Dave Khan (fiddle), Delaney Davidson (guitar, bass) and Takumi Yanai (bass).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Magnatech || An Evening With Magnatech!

By / / Garage Rock / 1 Comment

Half a year after his magnificent album De Favorieten Expres!, Irish musician Johannes Bernardus Verhoef is back with new Magnatech work. An Evening With Magnatech! is an EP with six instrumental surf tunes, each less than three minutes long. The opening track sets the tone with a tribute to Christopher Lee for being the best Dracula ever, what follows is just as magical and danceable – movie quotes make it extra cool. Fifteen minutes of music is far from a full evening’s program, but this sure is fun.

An Evening With Magnatech! is out now digitally and on CD through Sharawaji Records.

Add to want list: Bandcamp

New album: Gringo Star || On And On And Gone

By / / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Atlanta-based slacker rock outfit Gringo Star return with new full-length On And On And Gone. Over fifteen years into their career, Nicholas Furgiuele (vocals, guitar) and his brother Peter Furgiuele (guitar, keys) have developed their own sound that merges surf pop infused garage psych and doo-wop drenched R&B in a cinematic summer soundtrack. The ten new songs, recorded together with Joshua Longino (bass) and Mario Colangelo (drums), are dreamy, but clear melodies break through the haze. The lyrics reinforce the relaxed atmosphere: “All I do is lay around but I’ll wait // I could never tell it’s through till it’s too late” (from Hanging Around). This may be music with a vintage feel, but it will brighten up your 2023 holiday playlist for sure.


On And On And Gone is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through My Anxious Mouth. For fans of The Growlers, Dead Ghosts, Night Beats.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Gula Blend || Allt Har Hänt

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

Gula Blend is a Swedish garage rock band (named after a cigarette brand), featuring Jesper Pettersson (guitar, vocals), Lukas Feurst (drums, vocals), Petter Enghed (bass), Måns Pettersson (guitar), Oscar Johansson (saxophone) and Stina Norberg (vocals, tambourine). Their sophomore full-length Allt Har Hänt (translated: everything has happened) contains nine energetic and catchy songs telling about the highs and lows of everyday life, set to music that is raw yet melodic, tough but fragile. Influences from slacker rock, indie pop and surf punk are combined with tempo changes, clever hooks and harmony vocals, you don’t have to understand the lyrics to go wild on this one.

Allt Har Hänt is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Rama Lama Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Rama Lama

New EP: Melewai || Melewai

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / Leave a Comment

Melewai is a three-piece from Croatia that mix surf rock, garage rock and psychedelic rock into a smooth and exotic cinematic pop sound. Their first four songs, now available as a digital EP, are a successful test of competence. The song titles read like a poem – Now is forever, Dreamer and the cat, Future will be past, Heart on the train – and the groovy music wanders through dreams and time. Shimmering, soulful and summery.

The Melewai EP is out now digitally (self-produced, self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of May 2023

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

May brought us new cover releases of Munlet (Plays Devo), Dropkick Murphy’s (Okemah Rising, with lyrics by Woody Guthrie), Leftover Salmon (Grass Roots), Jarko & the Kandy Jar Joyride (Vagabond’s Delight), Healing Potpourri (Lagniappe Session) and Murder By Death (As We Wish), and various artists doing cartoon theme songs (Saturday Morning Lineup) and T. Rex (Elemental Child – The Words and Music of Marc Bolan). There was much more to choose from, but we would like to give the following ten tunes a prominent place on our stage. Perhaps our most eclectic selection to date?

Tall Cool One || Cover: Thomas Lauderdale & The Pilgrims || Original: The Wailers
In 1997 Portland, Oregon-based jazz orchestra Pink Martini released their debut album Sympathique. Reportedly, their bandleader Thomas Lauderdale also collaborated with the surf musicians – fellow townsmen – of The Pilgrims in the same period. The 13 tracks they recorded at the time are finally seeing the light of day: Thomas Lauderdale Meets The Pilgrims (Heinz Records) is out now digitally and on vinyl LP. It includes this showy cover of The Fabulous Wailers’ Tall Cool One, a favorite instrumental from the early days of garage rock – both the original and cover still sound contemporary.

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