Garage Rock

New EP: Itches || Kingdom Upstairs

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

Wow, Vorselaar (Belgium) three-piece Itches hold nothing back on their EP Kingdom Upstairs. It’s a wild and loud affair of ramshackle garagerock that the Belgians bring to the table. If you are into modern garageacts like Ty Segall and Oh Sees, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one. What I’m even more sure of: Itches sound like they are a must see live act when they are in your neighborhood. Put on Down The Drain, play it loud and get swept away by this exciting act.

Out now digitally through Ronny Rex, vinyl coming sooner or later.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: KMES || King Mike Entertainment System

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

Mike Abbate is best known as the bass player of Screaming Females and co-founder of State Champion Records (New Jersey), but he also gets creative as a solo artist under the moniker KMES. King Mike Entertainment System is his first record as KMES and it’s a thing of beauty. That is, if you are a fan of punchy powerpop that makes up what it lacks in polish with a strong sense of melody. Not that I’d count the unpolished scrappy sound as a negative by any means. KMES reminds me of two bands I love: Laika’s Orbit and Tenement. Like both those bands, KMES sounds essentially as a punk outfit, but with a record collection that includes many other styles and genres.

KMES is very much an Abbate project. He wrote everything on the record and the bass, guitar and synth work (and singing) is all his. Jenna Fairey helped out by providing drums on all the tracks, and Marissa Paternoster and Quinn McDonald make an appearance on the excellent closer Algorithm & Blues. With songs like that one, and Ended Up Dumb, It’s Nice and Just Another Mike, it’s easy to fall for King Mike Entertainment System. Purchase the record on tape now through State Champion Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || State Champion Records

New EP: Big Rat || Rock ‘n’ Roll Fever

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Enjoying that Tuxedo Cats EP and in the mood for more garagerock’n’roll? Here’s Big Rat, a four piece I have trouble finding any intel on. I’m guessing here, but surely, these dudes must like their rock’n’roll sleazy, dirty, snotty and with a punk rock edge. The four song Rock ‘n’ Roll Fever EP, out now on tape through Oakland label Manic Noise Records, sure is a fun introduction to the band. There even is a Leader Of The Pack like dialogue between the members in one of the songs (ACAB) that fits this band very well.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Manic Noise

New EP: Tuxedo Cats || Out The Bag

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

Every now and then you stumble on a record that makes you drop everything and tell all of your friends that you’ve found a new favorite band. It’s that time (again)! Please meet Tuxedo Cats, a NYC five piece featuring members from Tough Shits, Apache and Dancer. If you are familiar with those acts, you should know what to expect: Glammy garagerock-‘n’-roll with a strong ’70s vibe. That’s right in my wheelhouse so I expected to like this release. I did not anticipate to be blown away though, which is exactly what Tuxedo Cats did with Out Of The Bag – the band’s debut EP. And still do after four consecutive spins of the EP. Tuxedo Cats lure you with massive hooks, electrifying dual guitar work, gang vocals and all around coolness. Their songs are like magnets that you can’t escape once you get exposed to them.

The Out The Bag EP is out now on 7″ vinyl through Reminder Records, a record label that usually only puts out killer music from past eras. That alone tells you something about the authentic awesomeness of Tuxedo Cats.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Reminder Records

New album: Les Robots || Exploring the Boundaries of the Multiverse

By / / Garage Rock / 1 Comment

Pop quiz fans take note. Mechanical men from outer space Les Robots are back with 19 new strange objects on double-album Exploring the Boundaries of the Multiverse, 19 new pieces of music varying in length (between 01:18 and 14:29) and styles (space rock, surf, electronic, avant-garde, rock ‘n’ roll, sound collages, experimental). Everything is written, recorded, performed and produced by D.V.R. (aka Dave Mellaart aka Dave von Raven) and R-JoHN (aka Arjan Spies), whose creative brain modules are fed the craziest sounds from Joe Meek, Link Wray, The Ventures, The Shadows, Jean Jacques Perrey, The Ted Taylor Four, Booker T & the MGs, Terry Terauchi, 60s cinema soundtracks, etc. The technology may be different from the usual analog instruments, but these melody machines can handle it all. For us earthlings it’s a great challenge to be able to name the sources of inspiration, to make up our own stories with the amazing song titles, and to get used to extraterrestrial influences.

Exploring the Boundaries of the Multiverse is out now digitally, on CD, vinyl 2-LP and 2-MC through Double Crown Records, Topsy-Turvy Records and Music on Cassette.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Sekunderna || Här Ha Du Ditt Liv

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

Succeeding several promising short format releases the debut LP of Sekunderna (Umeå, Sweden) is finally here. It’s called Här Ha Du Ditt Liv (Here’s Your Life – a nod to the Swedish classic movie from 1966 if I’m not mistaken) and contains 12 tracks sung exclusively in Swedish. Co-released by Bloated Kat Records (USA), Luftslott Records (Sweden) and Rockstar Records (Germany), Här Ha Du Ditt Liv has that classic Dirtnap Records sound: scrappy, melodic and melancholic garagy punk rock with a strong and steady motor that keeps the songs running smoothly.

Marked Men, Radioactivity and Lost Balloons fans should take note of this record, even though Sekunderna is not copying that sound one-on-one. I love how the band offsets the dark, moody and/or melancholic undertones in their music with super sweet and catchy melodies. Listen to the “Aaaaaah, shanana shanana” in Mellan Väggarna for example. But don’t just check out a couple of songs, listen to the whole thing. The quality throughtout the record is consistenly impressive. I’m definitely getting this!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Rockstar Records

New album: The Veras || V For Veras

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

Band name, artwork, sound, style – everything matches and everything fits, how nice is it that the songs also convince. UK four-piece The Veras have infused influences from 70 years of pop and rock history into the cocktail shaker, but the proportion is different with every song they pour. And that’s cool: whether it’s 60s psych, 70s power pop, 80s glam rock or 90s Britpop that predominates, every tune radiates infectious fun. The band members – Matt Bond (vocals, guitar), Neil Runalis (bass), Jon Gray (organ, vocals) and Dan Taylor (drums) – have previously played with various rock legends, and through that experience they know exactly when a touch of handclaps, cowbell or vocal harmonies should be added for optimal effect. Their full-length debut album V For Veras features 12 hook-packed hits that are a victory over any bad mood. Cheers!

V For Veras is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Spinout Nuggets.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Spinout Shop || The Veras Shop

New single: Natalie Sweet & Brad Marino || Second Time b/w Over My Head

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

When I found out Natalie Sweet would join forces with Brad Marino for a two-song single on Reta Records and Rum Bar, I was already a fan before hearing any of the music. The single is out now, and it’s even better than expected. Boy, is the Sweet-Marino partnership a match made in heaven.

Both artists operate in the same corner of the musical universe. It’s a spot where melody, bubblegum, punkrock and rock’n’roll are in a complementary relationship. The dual boy/girl vocal attack and sweet harmonies are a natural fit and only further add to the success.

I sure hope this won’t be the last Sweet Marino team-up. Make it a series please!

By the way, ICYMI both artists were featured in a Gimme 5 on our site; read here and here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (Reta) || Bandcamp (Rum Bar)

New EP: Equus || Caos

By / / Garage Rock, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

We haven’t written about music from Costa Rica before, but it’s about time. San Ramon trio Equus releases Caos, an EP with five raucous tracks that are just as surreal as their cover art. Francisco Sanchez (vocals, bass), Kenneth Chavarria (guitar, backing vocals) and Edward Rodriguez (drums) play bluesy garage rock laced with punk, psych and even metal influences. Not as chaotic as the title suggests, but quite diverse. Always heavy, energetic and enchanting, played tightly – very worthwhile.

Caos is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Kryng || Twelve Hymns to Syng Along

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

Idiosyncratic and as cool as a cucumber, Dutch garage rock / nederbeat trio The Kryng expand their oeuvre without paying too much attention to what’s hip and happening. Mark Ten Hoor (guitar, vocals), Peter Kroes (bass, guitar, mellotron, backing vocals) and Arjan Spies (drums, guitar, piano) write original songs rooted in the 60’s, timeless songs that constantly put a smile on your face. Twelve Hymns to Syng Along is their 6th full-length album in as many years, Dave Von Raven guests on 3 tracks. The new LP features – you guessed it – 12 lo-fi tunes that are more pop-oriented than their previous work, but just as catchy and appealing. The Beatlesque stamp suits them well though (the musicians are involved in other projects with wantlist-worthy output, so we already knew what styles and genres they’re up to, but the quality of their productivity never ceases to amaze); regardless of the sound they conjure out of their instruments, everything is always about creating the perfect song, and they’ve done it again here, 12 times.

Twelve Hymns to Syng Along is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Soundflat Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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