Garage Rock

New EP: La Hija del Apocalipsis || EP 1

When you call your band La Hija Del Apocalipsis (Daughter of the apocalyps), there’s an automatic association to destruction and dark times. Having the Manson girls on the EP cover further add to a sense of threat and uncomfort. And I definitely get that vibe while listening to the seven song EP 1 by the Rosario (Argentina) four-piece. But if you open your ears and mind, you’ll find a surprising level of accessibility underneath the lo-fi noisiness and aggression.

La Hija del Apocalipsis operate somewhere on a scale of garage, punk, surfpop, girlgroup and postpunk. Imagine Best Coast as a trashpunk act and you get pretty close to the sound of La Hija del Apocalipsis. That juxtaposition between pop and noise is one of the appeals of the Argentinian band. The blunt and straightforward nature of the songs is another. The band gets straight to business, wasting no time in detours.

EP 1 won’t be for everyone, but definitely scratches my “exciting new music/band” itch.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Offsides || The Offsides EP

Following up on our post on the excellent Tha Retail Simps LP, here is some more rock-‘n’-roll weirdness. The Offsides are a new trio ( Paul Misuraca, Pietro O’Rourke and Keith Smith) from Detroit that plays a mix of r’n’n, blues and (post)punk.

My favorite song on this six song EP is Herky Jerky. The singer sounds a bit like Joe Strummer on the song, giving it the feel of a Clash outtake. The Cowboys are another reference point for the sound of The Offsides.

Interesting and eccentric first outing that definitely caught my interest. The Offsides EP is out now in a small run of 50 tapes at Detroit label Painters Tapes.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tha Retail Simps || Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark

We listen to a lot of new music at ATW. If you are a regular visitor of our site, you know that being original or different is not a necessary part for great music in our book. Most of the releases we cover, I believe, have an instant likeability from mere exposure to similar sounds in the past, with just the right execution and a certain freshness to still excite us. And then, sometimes you come across a record whose individual parts may sound familiar, but its sum sounding totally different and surprising. The debut by Tha Retail Simps is a prime example.

Its press release reads: “What if the Velvet Underground had written ‘Wooly Bully’ and Sam The Sham ‘Sister Ray?’ If Ron House picked up some bongos and joined CCR or If Half Japanese and Hasil Adkins started a Meters cover band?” If that piqued your interest, wait until you hear the nine tracks on Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark. What a thrill! There is so much to discover, so many detours. It rocks, it rolls, it confuses. It’s loud, it’s dirty and full of attitude, but also suprisingly gentle and nuanced. It’s punk, but will make audiences dance rather than pogo.

A couple of spins in, I still feel I’ve only touched the surface of understanding the true value of Reverberant Scratch: 9 Shots in tha Dark. And that is one of the many reasons why this needs to be in my collection ASAP. Available for streaming purposes now, vinyl expected to ship from Total Punk on March 25.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Total Punk

New EP: Mimi and the Miseries || Mimi And The Miseries

Please meet UK’s Mimi And The Miseries (not to be confused with Dutch garage rock band The Miseries). The enthusiastic band members call themselves Mimi Misery. Monday Misery, Myna Misery, and Mona Misery, and they are what could be the new revelation in the garage rock world. They just released their self-titled debut EP, and it’s as cool as it can be, both in sound and in style. It contains four uplifting songs that echo 60’s girl groups, with raw vocal harmonies to sing along to, and awesome organ melodies to dance to. And that’s a good plan anyway.

Mimi And The Miseries is out now digitally via This Could Prove Fatal. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Split System || Split System

Any project involving Jackson Reid Briggs is worth checking out in my book. We’ve already covered his solo release and his full band release last year, and here’s his latest project. In Split System, Reid Briggs fronts a strong cast of characters from other cool bands like Stiff Richard, Speed Week, The Black Heart Death Cult and No Zu. Are you excited yet? Wait until you hear the four songs on their self-titled debut EP.

Split System’s brand of garagepunk absolutely rocks. It blows my mind that these songs were recorded remotely via e-mail. The amount of energy and aggression these dudes have injected in the recordings must have infuriated their neighbors. And it won’t be the last neighbors these Australians will drive crazy, because there is only one way to play this EP: LOUD!

7″ out now through Legless Records. WANT!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Clown Sounds || Born Under A Bad Sigh

When a band is called Clown Sounds, the best you can hope for is a case of underpromise and overdeliver. That is exactly what Clown Sounds do with Born Under A Bad Sigh. This shouldn’t come as a surprise I guess, given that the band consists of a crew of people associated with Recess Records, Toys That Kill, The Underground Road To Candyland, and Nos Da.

Born Under A Bad Sigh is a messy yet exciting collection of punkrock tunes that keeps you on your toes. Thoughout it all, Clowns Sounds make you feel part of their community and the fun they have together. Want to be a bigger part of their community? Pay $20 or more for this name your price and your name will be on the sleeve as an executive producer. Pay $40 (or more) and your likeness will be included in the comic insert that will be included in the LP release.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Fast Color || Fast Color

Some people may already have listened to the songs Jimmy Red (a saga) and Ginger Baker (a tribute) last year, but for everyone else: please meet Californian rock ‘n’ roll trio Fast Color. Kelly Larkin (vocals, guitar), Sean Doherty (lead guitar), and Aaron Frankl (rhythm section) have just released their self-titled debut EP, featuring four delicious slacker rock tracks (the two mentioned plus two new ones). Entertaining and laid back music, recommended if you like The Growlers, The Strange Boys, Dead Ghosts. We can reportedly expect more work from these guys this year. This is a promising start!

Fast Color is out now digitally and on cassette (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Swami John Reis || Ride the Wild Night

You may know John Reis from bands like Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Sultans, The Night Marchers, and Rocket From The Crypt, but he still had more than enough energy and inspiration left for an awesome solo album – as Swami John Reis. In the 10 energetic songs on Ride The Wild Night, 60’s and 70’s punk, folk and rock ‘n’ roll melt together, with a clear John Reis stamp. He’s backed by J. Sinclair K. (Hot Snakes), Joe Guevara (I Wish I), Chris Prescott (Tanner, Pinback) Gar Wood (Hot Snakes), Glen Galloway (Truman’s Water), Jacob Turnbloom (Mrs. Magician) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician, PLOSIVS), but Reis’ signature “velvet yawn” vocals are always on the forefront. John Reis is a man who knows what he’s doing, and what he does, he does very well.

Ride the Wild Night is out on vinyl LP through Swami Records, John Reis’ own record label.

Add to wantlist: Discogs || Swami

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of February 2022

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.

You’ve probably seen compilations with cover versions of songs by Todd Rundgren and Yoko Ono elsewhere, and for some reason at least 3 different artists released a new reimagination of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire (don’t ask), but there was a lot more to choose this month.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere || Cover: Guerrilla Monzón || Original: Neil Young
At the end of last year I wrote enthusiastically about PCH, the debut EP by New York trio Guerrilla Monzón. Now Jason Sanchez (vocals, guitars), Eric Gordon (vocals, bass), and Rey Sinsay (drums) are back with Make It Home, featuring 7 new songs worthy of your attention. There’s this telling cover on it, which I don’t want to withhold from you (this way the legacy of Neil Young can still be listened to on Spotify, sort of ;)), but their own songs are just as good.

New album: Dennis Augustsson || Under

Let’s start this week off right with Swedish singer songwriter Dennis Augustsson. And with singer songwriter I’m not referring to the folky kind. His new record Under is very much an electric project, and I have to assume Augustsson prefers Thunders & Westerberg over Simon & Garfunkel.

Under feels like a punk record. It’s full of attitude, energy and emotion and a lot of that comes from the voice of Augustsson. Sonically, it’s all over the place and some of the slower songs won’t be for everyone. But, Augustsson knows how to write a hook, and the best songs on Under are something special. Listen to Flottigt Hårs Historia for example, which sounds like a classic punk track from the late ’70s. Allting kvar, Så länge vi är vi, Blanka blad, and Det brinner en eld also standout.

Under is available for streaming now. Want to get in touch with Dennis Augustsson? Find him on FB or Instagram.


Add to wantlist: Ehm…streaming only for now I guess

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