Glam Rock

New single: The Drowns || Just the Way She Goes / 1979 Trans Am

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

Aaron Rev-Peters (guitar, vocals), Andy Wylie (bass, vocals), Simon Short (guitar) and Jake Margolis (drums), the Seattle, Washington-based street punks of The Drowns, are back with a double A side single featuring two pretty cool three minute songs. Just the Way She Goes is a catchy and uplifting pop-punk anthem that features sing-along lyrics and handclaps, with a video that suggests that life on the road is a constant party. Equally infectious is 1979 Trans Am, a glam rock stomper with gritty vocals en irresistible guitar licks, more in line with their take on The Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz that we shared earlier this year in our monthly overview of the best covers.


Just the Way She Goes b/w 1979 Trans Am is out now digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Pirates Press Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Linnea’s Garden || Mirrors

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Linnea’s Garden have a new EP out with 5-songs of their signature sound that is hard to pinpoint to one single genre. It’s slightly glam, a tad power pop, definitely kinda garage-y, and indie pop as well. Pathological Liar opens the record strongly, and with Comeback, Linnea’s Garden close out the EP on a high note. Another nice one by the Boston band!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Smooch || A Force To Be Rockin’ With

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Okay, this was actually released one year ago by Legless Records, but it’s hard to find outside of Australia. That all changes, because German label Wanda Records has reissued the record on black, as well as sweet looking splatter colored vinyl. There is another reason why I’m sharing the record: If there is one release among today’s pile of new releases that screams TGIF, it is A Force To Be Rockin’ With by Smooch. Featuring members of Drunk Mums, Reaper, Dumb Punts, Mesa Cosa & Meat, and formed pre-pandemic, Smooch are a quartet from Melbourne that is all about rockin’ out. This is straightforward rock’n’roll, an attitude heavy hybrid of Kiss and The Runaways, with killer guitar work. One year after its release, this one has lost nothing of its appeal. Play loud and have a weekend!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Nico Bones || Lipstick Alley

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If you like your rock ‘n’ roll dirty and dangerous, bold and bruised, raw and radical, please listen to Nico Bones’ debut full-length Lipstick Alley. We’re talking about the untamed Los Angeles-based band featuring Nico Bones (guitar), Kristin Cooper (bass), Mick Jaguar (guitar), Beef Stew (drums), Joe Guevara (keyboards) and Gabriel Sundy (saxophone), who follow in the footsteps of 70s troublemakers like Hollywood Brats and New York Dolls. In 32 minutes, 14 high-energy songs – an electrifying mix of proto-punk and glam rock – rush by that will knock your socks off. This is fast and furious guitar violence attacked by brave sax and piano shots. Breathtaking.



Lipstick Alley, self-produced, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Dental Records and Savage Magic Records. Except for the covers of She’s So Tuff (The Demons) and Worms (traditional) all songs are written by Nico Bones.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Moron’s Morons || Go Pop!

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Quite the year for Warsaw’s Moron’s Morons. Following up their gritty gritty punk’n’roll sleazefest High-Tension Situation (released in February of this year), here is an amazing two-song 7″ single on Big Neck Records. The title is Go Pop! and you may want to take that as a hint that it is a bit more melodic relative to High-Tension Situation. It has a slightly lower pace as well, but the energy level is off the charts, it is still loud and honestly, these two songs rock like crazy. Play this one loud!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Big Neck

New EP: Jonesy || Doppelgangbangers

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Canadian four-piece Jonesy plays a cool mix of bubblegum punk, glam rock and power pop, with big riffs borrowed from classics like Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water and Rainbow’ Since You Been Gone, supplemented with a catchy organ and an effective cowbell. The 70s sound of the four new tracks here is just as sleazy as the hormone-driven lyrics – this Doppelgangbangers EP – “ten inches of sleazy pleasure centered around girls, cats and rock & roll” – rocks and swings, and is a nice counterbalance to everything that is too well-behaved and politically correct these days.

Doppelgangbangers is out now digitally and on 10″ vinyl through Heavy Medication Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! C.C. Voltage Shares Five Recommended Records In Celebration Of His New Podcast (The Eradicators) And Forthcoming Autogramm LP

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With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share five records THEY love.

We’re not keeping score, but of all the nice people we’ve met since we started this website – and there are a lot-, C.C. Voltage may be one of the nicest. It’s truly admirable for someone managing such a busy schedule to stay this kind. In the past year or so, alongside his day job, he launched his own PR agency (No Rules PR) and released a killer single. Yet, there is more.

First of all, his band Autogramm has a new record coming out Nov. 17 on Stomp Records (North America) and Beluga (Europe) – pre-order here. The video for the first single WannaBe already has garnered close to 90k views, so the band may very well be rock stars by year-end. But seriously though, I’ve had a sneak peek and Music That Humans Can Play sounds amazing and absolutely briming with powerpop and new wave magic. I’m talking ’80s chart-topper material.

But that’s not all. Recently, C.C. embarked on a podcast venture with his buddy Joseph Martin. The direction of the podcast (The Eradicators) is delightfully broad. A short explanation would be that the duo talk about life with old buddies from the road. But based on the first episode I believe it may actually be about aging gracefully, about staying forever curious (for the best travel spots, the best places to eat, the best music etc.), and about finding a healthy alternative to burning up or fading away. Episode one is with Justin Maurer (Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Jenny) and I liked that one a lot. Check it out wherever you listen to podcasts.

Sufficient reason to touch base with C.C. and ask him about some music recommendations for our infrequent Gimme 5 feature. Somehow, he found the time to get back to us despite his busy schedule and being down with the flu. Like I said, one of the nicest people in the industry! [continue reading below]

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Gimme 5! C.C. Voltage Shares Five Recommended Records In Celebration Of His New Podcast (The Eradicators) And Forthcoming Autogramm LPRead More »

New album: Kurt Baker || Rock ‘N’ Roll Club

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

Rock ‘N’ Roll Club is the second best title for the latest Kurt Baker release. An even better title would be Rock ‘N’ Roll Debate Club, because Baker takes us along so many substrains of rock’n’roll, it is almost like he wants listeners to discuss whether his songs still fit the label. It’s a sign of an artist brimming with confidence about his musical skill and freed of the straightjacket of genre expectations. On his new record, Baker goes from ’80s arena rock (Hittin’ Rock Bottom) to glammy party stomper (Go Getter), and from ’80s new wave pop (Good Feeling) to Oasis worship (It Was You). Baker even makes a sidestep into the world of disco with Love Express, which is probably my least favorite song on the record. It’s not like I hate it though. Besides, it is offset by the power pop perfection of Missed Connection and Anchors Up.

In an insightful interview at Sweet Sweet Music blog, Kurt Baker talks about the wealth of song ideas he had for his new album and how Little Steven helped pick out the most promising ones to develop further. And develop, Baker did! There are no ugly ducklings on Rock ‘N’ Roll Club. Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello will nod in approval to the songs Baker penned for the record. Buy it now at Wicked Cool Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Savage Beat || Tomorrow (Might Never Come) / Used To Be A Tiger

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The emergence of Wap Shoo Wap Records (Amsterdam) has been impressive. Since 2022, the purveyors of high octane rock’n’roll have been steadily unleashing modern updates of classic punk, rock ‘n roll, rhythm & blues and glamrock unto the airwaves, including ATW favorites in The Covids, The Mocks and Doctor Velvet. Add Savage Beat (also from Amsterdam) to that list. After a number of EPs, singles and a full length, the band’s first single for Wap Shoo Wap works like a combined shot of adrenaline and dopamine. The single opens with the sleazy rock’n’roll streetpunkish original Tomorrow (Might Never Come), a song that comes with an anthemic earworm chorus. Flipside Used To Be A Tiger is a cover of a song from 1969 by 32nd Turnoff – Eddy Grant’s side-project during his time with The Equals. It’s a great pick and the execution by Savage Beat is impeccable and fun.

7″ single should be shipping out soon at Wap Shoo Wap. Order now!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Gee Strings || Speed Soul Racer

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Cologne’s The Gee Strings see themselves as one of the best ’77 punk bands on the planet. The high level of confidence is not a bad thing for a musical style that works best when delivered with a good deal of attitude. The Gee Strings sure rock out in style on their new LP Speed Soul Racer, their first in eight years. Relative to their previous LP I’m So Gee, The Gee Strings have exchanged some of their sleaze and bubblegum for a more straightforward rockin’ punk sound. Listen to the two-minute midpaced blast that is Popgun, a song that starts out as classic American punk, but becomes something with a frantic guitar solo at the midway point. It’s one of several moments where I’d like to scream “Rock’n’Roll!” with clenched fists up in the air.

Speed Soul Racer is less than twenty minutes long, but 30 years into their career as a band, The Gee Strings need even less to make an impression. If you have time for just one song right now, may I suggest Rock’N’Rolls? It is a pubrock’n’roll party platter sung in French and is simply fun fun fun. Speed Soul Racer is out now through Wanda Records, Ghost Highway, Dangerhouse Skylab, KOTJ and Strychnine Productions.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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