Garage Rock

New album: The Bug Club || Pure Particles

By / November 12, 2021 / Garage Rock, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Is there such a thing as a typical addtowantlist.com band? The obvious answer is no, if only because we write about different genres. There are some common characteristics in the music we write about, though: short but powerful guitar songs, not polished, but catchy, full of emotions, authentic and convincing. Anyway, Niek and I regularly say to each other that a certain release really fits well with our blog, that it shouldn’t be missing, A good example of this is South Wales trio The Bug Club. Tilly Harris (bass, vocals), Sam Willmett (guitar/vocals), and Dan Matthew (drums) play riffing garage rock, rattling and naive, energetic and raucous, with humorous lyrics about the most important side issues of the first world’s life. After debut EP Launching Moondream One last spring (4 tracks in 8 minutes), they now have released the mini album Pure Particles (9 tracks in 20 minutes). It has everything we like. However, one small point of criticism: standout track My Baby Loves Rock & Roll Music ends with a fade-out. A typical addtowantlist.com band doesn’t do that. But who cares? 😉

Pure Particles is out now digitally and on 12″ vinyl through Bingo Records. RIYL Holiday Ghosts, The Wave Pictures, Jonathan Richman.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New Album: Poison Boys || Don’t You Turn On Me

By / November 17, 2021 / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Their name and demeanor already give away what to expect with Poison Boys. Leather jackets? Check. Tight pants? Check. Loud and fast rock’n’roll? Check. Johnny Thundersesque sleazy guitar licks? Check. Late ’70s punk attitude? Check.

Chicago four-piece Poison Boys tick off a lot of the right boxes on their sleazefest second album Don’t You Turn On Me. And let me tell you, I am finding it terribly hard to play this record at a socially acceptable volume. The first (title) track on the record is the first highlight on Don’t You Turn On Me. Songs like Day By Day, Little Speedway Girl, Can’t Get You Off My Mind, and Nothing But Darkness also stand out for me. No lack of adrenaline rushes and dopamine releases with Poison Boys.

If you like this one, make sure to also check Killer Hearts most recent record, or vice versa. Bands like this provide a welcome escape from reality to the glampunkscene of the late ’70s.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Guerrilla Monzón || PCH

By / November 11, 2021 / Garage Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Buckle up for our latest discovery: Guerrilla Monzón is an enthusiastic three-piece from Brooklyn, New York, who passionately play primitive garage rock with attractive power pop tricks. Jason Sanchez (guitars, vocals), Eric Gordon (bass, vocals), and Reymon Sinsay (drums) gained experience in past rock bands 56k and Oh No & The Tiger Pit, and under the moniker of Guerrilla Monzón they’ve developed a sound that’s a little less lo-fi and punk. The trio now have their debut album PCH released, which was well produced by Brett Parnell. Maybe we should call it a mini-album – after about 19 minutes you’ll have to click on repeat (you’ll want to click on repeat!) – but more importantly: these are 7 catchy songs, with great hooks, and vocals that wouldn’t look out of place at the better metal bands, songs that will get you enthusiastic yourself too. In addition to the 4 fine original tracks, they not only cover Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Girl in an excellent way, but they also recorded new versions of their own work: Pronto by Oh No & the Tiger Pit, and Rey by 56k (it may be clear that this one is about the drummer of the band, but all songs are about real people on some level). Our latest discovery is a great one, isn’t it?

PCH is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

David Menke & Lionel Limiñana || The Devil Inside Me

By / November 12, 2021 / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Movies are often a nice way to get in touch with other music, but in this case it was the other way around: as a longtime fan of The Limiñanas I found a new project by the male half of the garage rock duo in Spotify’s Release Radar. French composer / multi-instrumentalist / singer Lionel Limiñana, together with German composer / producer / multi-instrumentalist / sound engineer David Menke, recorded The Devil Inside Me, which turns out to be the soundtrack of the Netflix series Monsters inside – The 24 Faces or Billy Milligan. In between blogging I just started watching the documentary: the true crime story is intriguing, the images and design are cool and hypnotic. The 16 songs – partly instrumental – on this fascinating soundtrack have the same effect, thanks to their driving rhythms that get stuck in the back of your mind. Moody melodies, dark grooves, fuzzy guitars, and fitting vocals pick up where the soundscapes from the series left off. Theme song Them, which opens the (digital) album, is the standout track (another hit to be mentioned is Illusion Song), but the rest is more than good enough to deserve a vinyl release. For garage psych fans, this could be the soundtrack of the year.

The Devil Inside Me (OST) is published via Because Music, and can be heard on all streaming services.

New EP: Las Infrarrojas || Las Infrarrojas & Indy Tumbita

By / November 4, 2021 / Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Power Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

Whenever Spanish labels Hurrah! Música and Family Spree Recordings have new music out, they have my full attention. Their latest release is a joint one and might be my favorite release of theirs this year: Las Infrarrojas & Indy Tumbita. It is the latest single of Las Infrarrojas, an awesome foursome from Spain, and I can’t believe how I missed their first two 7″s.*

The sunshine pop of Las Infrarrojas is informed by many influences, from ’60s girl group and rock’n’roll to surf and psych. Here is a band that knows how to write timeless melodies. Their songs ooze major summer vibes, quickly washing any autumn dread away.

I’m not going to put a spotlight on any individual tracks, because this is a quadruple A-side single that I need to have in my collection ASAP.



* Fun Fact: all three Las Infrarrojas singles have an A-side with songs sung in English, and a B-side sung in Spanish.

Add to Wantlist: Bandcamp || Family Spree Recordings

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of October 2021

By / November 6, 2021 / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Punk, Roots / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists occasionally play a song they know from one of their heroes. Often they are songs that deserve to be dusted and polished, simply because they should not be forgotten. Some of those cover versions are so good, 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.

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door || Cover: The William Loveday Intention || Original: Bob Dylan
It’s unbelievable how much good music Billy Childish continues to create, with originals and covers, but also adaptations of his own earlier work. Last month, with CTMF, he released the great single Bob Dylan’s Got a Lot to Answer For (“Even an idiot must admit that Bob Dylan made some great tunes, but despite his many achievements it must also be said that Bob has got a lot to answer for, so we wrote him a complementary tune”), and from the moniker of The William Loveday Intention also appeared an impressive cover of the master’s Knockin’ On Heavens Door. It’s a classic that has been covered many times, but this is possibly the most epic one. That goes for the 10-minute vocal version, but the even longer instrumental is even more compelling. Out on 12″ vinyl through Squoodge Records and digitally via Damaged Goods.

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Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of October 2021Read More »

New album: The Parrots || Dos

By / October 31, 2021 / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

When I saw The Parrots live five years ago – touring their debut album Los Niños Sin Miedo – it was a party to the max: sweat was dripping from the walls and there were literally people hanging in the ceiling lamps. The Spanish slacker rockers – Diego Garcia and Álex De Lucas – have now released their second LP, Dos, which was produced by Tom Furse. While melodic garage rock still is the foundation sonically, you’ll hear them experimenting with more modern soundscapes and electronic grooves, even using samples. “Most of the record was written before the lockdown, but that unexpected pause in all of our lives made us rethink some of it and finish bits off in a different way. We decided to invite a lot of our friends back home to the studio. That made recording feel almost like a celebration,” the musicians explained in a press release. Influences from bands like LCD Soundsystem, Gang of Four, ESG, Devo, Beck, and Los Zombies provide a fresh sound – for example, jazz seeps through in Lo Dejaría Todo and How Not To Be Seen, and You Work All Day And Then You Die and It’s Too Late To Go To Bed are a kind of dance punk or mutant disco. Surprisingly enough that works out well, and these tracks don’t feel out of place, but for the fans of the first hour there are still Black Lips-esque hits like Amigos, and Romance (featuring Los Nastys). These guys prove they still can write strong, catchy songs, and I’m sure they still know how to party too.

Dos is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Heavenly Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Heavenly

New album: Wine Lips || Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party

By / October 29, 2021 / Garage Rock, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

Wine Lips are a garage rock band from Toronto featuring Cam Hilborn (Guitar and Vocals), Aurora Evans (Drums), Jordan Sosensky (Guitar) and Charlie Weare (Bass). Their latest release features some of the coolest artwork i’ve seen lately, but their music is pretty sick as well. Wine Lips play a modern form of garage, psych and indie punk that sounds fresh yet familiar. Fans of Fidlar, Audacity, Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall should definitely take note of this record.

Most songs on Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party are hyperactive, and soaked in buzzsaw guitars and shrieky vocals. But there are also welcome variations on that sound, such as Mall Walker, a song that is slower paced and has a lot of swagger. One of the most interesting songs on the record is the 7-minute trip Suffer The Joy. It’s like a jam session, but one that doesn’t lose focus, builds up tension and provides cathartic release.

When a band manages to capture the level of energy on tape as Wine Lips, I can only imagine how exciting these songs will be in a live setting. Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party is out now on Stomp Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Stomp Records

New single: The Unknowns || Monster Mash

By / October 29, 2021 / Garage Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

Straight from The Sunshine Coast of Australia come The Unknowns. The three-piece deliver compilation ready primal garage rock’n’roll nuggets on their latest 7″ single Monster Mash. Of all the Halloween themed releases that are catapulted into the airwaves lately – a trend which I personally could care less about, this is the one that made it straight onto the wantlist. IT WAS A MASH! A MONSTER MASH!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Smoggers || Funeral

By / October 28, 2021 / Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

This one is for fans of raw, fuzz-driven garage rock: Spanish garage punks The Smoggers have released their new (eighth) full-length album Funeral. It consists of ten powerful songs – eight strong originals written by singer / guitarist Fernando Jiménez, and two successful covers (The Moving Sidewalks’ 99th Floor, and The Wailers’ Hang Up) – with a hypnotic Vox Corinthian organ, heavy guitars, and gritty vocals. You know what to do: music this primitive and wild only comes across if you play it loud. Stream the full album below.

Funeral is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Soundflat Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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