Garage Rock

New album: Taxi Girls || Static

Montreal's Taxi Girls sound bratty, catchy, and effortlessly cool on debut LP

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

Some bands you just know are going to make a great record eventually. Taxi Girls were one of them. What you can’t always predict is the margin of victory.

And damnit, the Montreal crew featuring Jamie Radu (Pale Lips, Reta Records), Vera Bozickovic, Lynn Poulin (Pale Lips, Dirty Cheetah), and Gabrielle Noël-Bégin (Margarette Tracteur) have blown my expectations for Static out of the window.

Taxi Girls occupy the exact coordinates where The Go-Go’s, Joan Jett, The Runaways, and Bikini Kill converge.  That’s a recipe that requires more than just good songs. Attitude and execution matter too. Taxi Girls nail it because they don’t seem to be thinking about any of that. The confidence here borders on bratty. Just when the vocals start sounding sweet and inviting, a snarl or howl cuts through the mix to remind you that this band isn’t interested in playing nice. Taxi Girls come across as effortlessly cool, which is the hardest thing to fake and the best thing to actually be.

It helps that the songs are ridiculous. The one-two opener of Say It! and Try Harder hits the ground at full sprint. Auto Hysterics is a bona fide pop-punk gem with what sounds like serious Kim Shattuck worship baked in. Midnight Mixtape could pass for a lost ’80s new wave single that somehow never got its due. And that opening chant on Secret Handshake? Zero resistance. It kicks off a run of especially irresistible songs alongside It Makes Me Think and Highs // Lows, a Go-Go’s-indebted earworm with genuine hit potential. There is not a single moment on this record where you’ll want to skip ahead.

I expected this to be good. I didn’t expect it to be this good.


Static is out now on Stomp Records and Wild Honey Records.

Fun fact: Natalie Sweet, who previously graced the latest Yum Yums album while sucking on a lollipop, returns here as the hand model squeezing a lemon on the cover.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Wild Honey || Stomp

New album: Tiger Bomb || 15 Super Hits

The weekend starts with bubblegum, glitter, and garage fumes

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

Fifteen super hits to start the weekend? Sounds good to me. Especially when they’re delivered by Lynda Mandolyn (Fabulous Disaster), Chris Horne (The Brood), Amanda Ayotte (Legendary Unknowns), and Jessica Smith (The Resistance). Together they are Tiger Bomb, and their third album arrived earlier this month via Get Hip.

While the title 15 Super Hits is not exactly a humble brag and clearly is meant with a wink, it also happens to be a pretty fair description of what’s inside. Tiger Bomb work with a whole arsenal of time-tested ingredients. The hooks are sharp, the energy is high, and every song seems engineered for maximum catchiness. File it under garage power pop if you must, though the label’s descriptions of teenbeat garage, tough bubblegum, and glitter glam fit just as well.

The real trick is that these songs feel like they have always existed. The first spin is less like discovering a new record and more like catching up with an old favorite you somehow forgot to call. But covers, they are not. Turns out every one of these fifteen songs is a Tiger Bomb original.

Hat tip to Tiger Bomb. Now put this record on and go enjoy your weekend.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Get Hip

New compilation: Various Artists || Drunk Dial: Fakes – Volume three

The most delightfully niche compilation series returns

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

It’s been three years since Drunk Dial released the second installment in its Fakes series, a concept that tends to confuse people until they discover that Sugar, Sugar was indeed performed by a fictional band. Long story short: the Fakes compilations invite artists from the EDDU (Expanded Drunk Dial Universe) to cover songs originally performed by fictional bands.

Volume Three features a stacked lineup that includes Night Court, Spells, TV Cop, Keddies Resort, Sex Mex, The Shitfits, and Classic Pat, all familiar names around these parts. Judging by the results, everyone involved had a blast. SPELLS may have had the most fun of all, transforming The Thermos Song from Steve Martin’s The Jerk into 50 seconds of gleeful pirate-punk chaos.

Part of the appeal is that many of these songs are obscure enough that you may not even realize they exist. Others ring a distant bell from movies you watched once years ago, such as Teacher’s Pet from School of Rock or Garbage Truck from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. A few are more recognizable, including Sugar and Spice from The Archie Show, Listen to the Flower People from Spinal Tap, and Somebody Kill Me Please from The Wedding Singer.

The niche premise is exactly what makes this compilation so enjoyable. The songs themselves are short, but chances are you’ll spend three times the running time looking up the originals, comparing versions, and falling down increasingly ridiculous YouTube rabbit holes. Case in point: I Love Beans by Regdar and the Fighters. Listen to the cover, watch the original, then return to the cover. Smiling is pretty much unavoidable. Just know, I saw a clip from a 1964 episode of Stingray, and it’s amazing.

More than anything, Fakes – Volume Three captures the sense that everyone involved is having an absurd amount of fun. It even reveals new sides of bands you thought you already knew (e.g., listen to the Sex Mex cover). The only concern is whether there are enough fictional bands left to sustain future installments. I sure hope so.

As always, all proceeds from the digital and cassette release go to charity. This time, funds will benefit KIND (Kids in Need of Defense), an international nonprofit that provides legal and psychosocial support to unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children. Purchasing this one comes with guaranteed zero regret.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Satisfactory || The Satisfactory

Classic songwriting instincts meet youthful ambition

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

Let’s take a look at The Satisfactory, a genre-defying four-piece from Montreal, led by singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Salvador Vaughan. Despite the appealing band name, they are anything but formulaic, blending a variety of rock ’n’ roll influences with a freshness, warmth, and personality all their own. Their eponymous debut album has ten tracks, starting with the glam rock stomper I’m Jesus (“If Jesus was an astronaut”) and closing with the acoustic folk-pop ballad Setting Sun, while exploring other genres in between.

The songs are both lovingly familiar and upliftingly alive, written with an unmistakable knack for big-hearted melodies and vivid imagery. The lyrics unite wit, vulnerability, and romantic yearning with timeless songwriting craft: “I wonder why the Joneses cut their yellow roses // As I pass their door today // Henry’s left the garden, Sydney’s shut her curtain // And I’ve the feeling somethings changed.” This is the sound of a young band arriving with purpose, armed with the hooks and strut to make an impact far beyond their local scene.



The Satisfactory’s self-titled debut album—produced by Aran Winter and Spencer Smallbridge—is out digitally (self-released). Featuring Salvador Vaughan (vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica, melodica, keyboard, tabla), Chris George (guitar), Juan Felipe Quintero (bass), and Vaughn Newey (drums), with Henry Sherman (saxophone), Aran Winter (backing vocals), and Ziggy Edwards (horn) on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Coral Fuzz || Coral Fuzz

Heavy grooves and kaleidoscopic melodies

By / / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

After making waves with 2023’s Fata Morgana LP and 45s like 2025’s You’re So High b/w Mystic Eyes, Athens garage-psych outfit Coral Fuzz returns with a self-titled second album that further raises the bar. Rooted in the raw energy of 1960s psychedelia but powered by a modern, speaker-rattling intensity, these twelve new songs surge with fuzz-drenched riffs, hypnotic grooves, and kaleidoscopic textures.

The record captures an unfiltered analog warmth that never sacrifices melody for volume. Moving between shadowy settings, explosive climaxes, and occasional Western-tinged detours, the band takes you to higher spheres: “I can see the break of light // Cause I can travel with my mind” (from standout track Reflections In My Mind). It’s a thrilling, sultry, full-throttle ride.



The eponymous Coral Fuzz album is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Sunnyboy66 Records. Featuring George Papakostas (vocals, guitars, organ, harmonica), Manos K (bass guitar, backing vocals), Argyris Aliprantis (drums, percussion, jaw harp, backing vocals).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Schneckenkönich || Alright

Raising a glass to life's beautiful failures

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

If the band name Schneckenkönich (snail king, translated from German) and the cover art (the musicians as clay figures) don’t yet arouse your interest, the combination of Bandcamp tags will (alternative, garage, indie, noise, punk, and soul). It’s even more: Alright, the sophomore full-length from the Leipzig four-piece, actually blends working-class pub rock, dusty Americana, and psychedelic blues, in a refreshingly unforced way. There’s no posturing here, just honest music that meets life’s disappointments with empathy rather than resignation.

The eight new songs understand struggle but refuse to surrender to it, finding dignity and warmth among society’s overlooked characters. With affectionate instrumentation and potent vocals, this record feels handmade and heartfelt, like a welcome seat at the bar when you need one most.



Alright, recorded by Charlie Paschen, is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Sounds of Subterrania.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Sounds of Subterrania

New EP: Telematch || Telematch

A debut from Madrid that sparks instant curiosity

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

A lack of information has never stopped us from championing a great new band, and the debut EP from Madrid trio Telematch is far too much fun to keep to ourselves.

Across five songs, Telematch prove difficult to pin down, and I mean that in a good way. Opener Stump and We Are Here slot neatly into the punky power-pop folder, while Ce Soir leans into garage rock swagger. The slower Phone Number and closing track Lonely Bird reveal a fondness for classic rock and indie rock that broadens the band’s appeal even further.

For a debut, this is an impressively confident introduction. Consider us intrigued and eager to hear where Telematch head next.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Get Alongs || Second To None

RIYL: The Replacements, The Lemonheads, Primal Scream, The Lemon Twigs

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

On their sophomore full-length Second To None, Toronto’s The Get Alongs sharpen the cool nonchalance of 2024’s debut LP Weather Permitting, delivering a hook-filled set of guitar rock that pulls from ’60s garage, ’70s power pop, ’80s heartland rock, and early ’90s grunge. The ten new songs hit with instinctive energy and punchy immediacy, ranging from mean riffs, catchy rhythms and ragged vocals to jangling melodies, tempo changes and introspective moments.

It’s that sweet spot where grit meets gloss, never letting one overwhelm the other, which contributes to the magnetism it radiates. The same applies to the lyrics, rooted in relationships, fleeting moments, and everyday uncertainty, thriving in life’s in-between spaces. The album title isn’t even an exaggeration; inspired and haunting, these 36 minutes keep opening up in unexpected ways on repeat listens.



Second To None—produced by Clayton Dupuis and The Get Alongs—is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Having Fun Records / We Are Busy Bodies. Featuring Harrison Pickernell (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rory Pickernell (lead guitar), Eric Wood (bass), and Tristan Catenacci (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Having Fun || We Are Busy Bodies

New single: Electric Prawns 2 || City Streets

The soundtrack to leaving work early

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Here’s the kind of record that makes Friday afternoon arrive a little sooner. City Streets by Australia’s Electric Prawns 2 is one of the most exciting singles to come out of the past week. It’s high-octane garage punk ‘n’ roll, powered by razor-sharp riffs, greasy guitar licks, and the kind of repetitive vocals that worm their way into your head before you know it.

The second track eases off the grease just a little, trading swagger for a more straight-ahead approach. It feels like someone unearthed a forgotten power pop gem and cranked it through a blown-out punk amplifier. Whether it’s an original or not hardly matters. It has the kind of chorus that moves into your head without paying rent.

PLAY LOUD!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Astrologer || Maiden America

Garage pop for crate diggers and daydreamers

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

“Mid-fi powerjangle & pop oddities” is how Astrologer describe themselves, and for once, the self-assessment is spot on. On their third album, Maiden America, Andy Cline and Candy Caballero blend garage pop with decades of pop and rock’n’roll history, creating eight songs that feel less like quirky curiosities and more like hidden treasures.

The duo cast a surprisingly wide net here, hopping effortlessly between jangly guitars, power-pop hooks, and offbeat flourishes without ever losing sight of the song. The result is a compact but rewarding listen that reveals a new detail with each spin.

The album may be oddly absent from Bandcamp, making it harder to point you toward individual highlights, but the opening run of Clarion Call, Drug of Choice, and Coyote is as good a place to start as any. Better yet, dive into the whole thing.

Maiden America is out now on LP via Lolipop.

Add to wantlist: Lolipop Records

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