Glam Rock

New album: Gyasi || Here Comes The Good Part

Theatrical hooks and fiery riffs fuel a glittering rock spectacle

By / / Glam Rock / Leave a Comment

T. Rex left big shoes to fill, but small-town West Virginia phenomenon Gyasi is working hard on it. After playing around for a while, sharpening skills, tunes and looks, he’s now ready for the real thing, if the title of his new full-lengther is anything to go by. Here Comes The Good Part lives up to its promise with twelve confident songs, ranging from stomping glam (most notable in Sweet Thing, Snake City and Baby Bue) to greasy classic rock (Street Life, Cheap High and Star) and slick sophisti-pop (American Dream, 23 and Grand Finale). The press release describes the record as “a bold exploration of theatrical rock n’ roll” and “a glittery and fun universe filled with infectious hooks and searing guitar riffs” and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s a fearless celebration of good old glam rock’s spirit, full of stadium-sized swagger on platform boots.


Here Comes The Good Part, co-produced by Bobby Holland, is out now on CD and vinyl LP through Alive Naturalsound Records. Unfortunately not available yet via Bandcamp or Soundcloud, but you can listen to the album in more detail via the streaming services.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bomp! || Discogs

New single: Seely-Jurgens Band || We’ll Try b/w Get Me Off

A glammy soft and hard rockin' treat from two longtime friends

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock / 1 Comment

Get a load of this! An Ingrates/Dust Star (Justin Jurgens) and Sheer Mag (Kyle Seely) team-up? Color me excited already! Sheer Mag has been one of my favorite bands of the past decade, and Seely’s guitar work is a huge reason why. As for Jurgens, I’m all in on anything he puts out, whether it’s the power pop worship of Dust Star or the glammy lo-fi garage rock of Ingrates (think Slade as played by Exploding Hearts). Still, I wasn’t fully prepared for the Seely-Jurgens Band (SJB), who quietly dropped their first two-song single earlier this year.

This is full-on ’70s classic rock worship—no surprises there I guess, given the players involved. We’ll Try leans into a smoother glam rock sound than Seely and Jurgens’ other projects, packed with killer guitar work (a treat for Sheer Mag fans) and a softly sung, earworm chorus. Get Me Off hits harder, sounding like it was pulled straight from 50 years ago—a soulfully sung hard rocker that practically begs you to crank the volume all the way up.

Honestly, I need more where this came from.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Daniel James Gang || Darkness Over This Town

Killer E.P. with pure rock-’n’-roll energy

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

“I know I have like ten billion musical projects going on now, and I’m stoked on all of them, but this is the one thing I’ve been the most stoked on,” says Daniel James (Chinese Telephones, Indonesian Junk, Ramma Lamma) about his Daniel James Gang. I get it. Based on their new EP, Darkness Over This Town, this might just be my favorite thing he’s ever done.

The four-song EP is a total ripper from start to finish. Josh Rutledge once described the Daniel James Gang as “glampunk for fans of power pop,” and he nailed it—this is sweat-soaked, hook-heavy rock-’n’-roll at its best. The EP features the previously teased Misery and a cover of New Model Army’s The Hunt, but for me, the real standouts are the two new tracks. Lies is a slick, groove-heavy rocker with an instantly addictive chorus, while the title track? That one is straight fire—a high-energy anthem that feels like an instant classic and is definitely in my top two songs with Darkness and Town in the title.

On Darkness Over This Town, the Daniel James Gang is Daniel James, Logan Stang (drums), and Johnny Cyanide (bass), with Geoff Palmer and Miski Dee (City Mouse) on backing vocals.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Smoocher || Demo

New glammy garage pop trio from Calgary

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

Smoocher is one of those band names that instantly conjures bubblegum and glam vibes, and the Canadian trio doesn’t disappoint. Formed by Helen Young, Dallin Ursenbach, and Brady Kirchner (of The Mandates), Smoocher’s two-song Demo is definitely a promising start. If you’re a fan of scrappy, lo-fi tunes with a glam streak, Demo will hit all the right notes. Gimme The Gears is particularly likeable; a hooky song that could easily become a mixtape favorite, and should appeal to fans of power pop as well.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Clean Lines || Nuisance

The real deal in rock-'n'-roll brilliance

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

Members of Circle Jerks, The Briefs, Boss Martians, and Geraldine Fibbers have joined forces as Clean Lines, the latest rock-’n’-roll fantasy unleashed by the ever-reliable Spaghetty Town Records (US), Ghost Highway Recordings (Spain), and Wanda Records (Germany).

Clean Lines hit that sweet spot between rock-’n’-roll, power pop, and glam, where bratty attitude, big hooks, and killer guitar riffs reign supreme. Wannabes? Hardly. These folks are the real deal. Spin So Sharp and In The Way for some high-octane earworms, or soak in the groovy vibes of the title track Nuisance. This EP is packed with everything you’d want and more—hooky, sharp, and pure fun.

Add to wantlist: Spaghetty Town || Wanda Records || Ghost Highway

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf Music / 2 Comments

Our second year-end list has landed: Niek’s 50 favorite singles & EPs of 2024! ICYMI, Dennis kicked things off two days ago with his list, and next week we’ll wrap things up with our favorite albums of the year.

The beauty of the short format of course is that there’s no room for filler, every track has to matter. This year’s picks hit that mark, though narrowing them down was no easy task. Honestly, there are more than a few gems I had to leave out-always a sign of a more than solid musical year. In a just world, these tracks would be blasting from radios and streaming platforms everywhere. So here’s to the bands, artists, and labels brave enough to keep fighting the algorithms, one single and EP at a time.

As always, and contrary to my favorite albums list, I’ve chosen to present these singles alphabetically. Ranking them feels besides the point—apples and oranges, small sample sizes, etc.

Dive into the list below, and check out my playlist featuring 90%+ of these tracks here.

…

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024Read More »

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf Music / 1 Comment

Next week we will publish our lists of favorite albums, but first here is an overview of short format releases that were—in my humble opinion—the most wantlist worthy. It’s a mix of welcome comebacks and uncompromising discoveries, all energetic and passionate.

Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded), in alphabetical order. Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the titles), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text). Add to your wantlist (or collection) what you like!

…

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024Read More »

New album: Savage Beat || The Singles: 2018​-​2022

Out-of-print singles compilation of Amsterdam's finest street boogie band

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

Dutch rock ‘n’ roll outfit Savage Beat is brewing up their next full-length for 2025, but Wap Shoo Wap Records and Longshot Music aren’t leaving fans hanging. They’ve assembled the band’s out-of-print singles into one explosive compilation, and it’s a wild ride through four years of ‘street boogie’ excellence.

The Singles: 2018-2022 plays like a greatest hits collection that never made the charts (but should have). Each track mixes high-octane rock ‘n’ roll with glam swagger and Oi! attitude, creating that signature Savage Beat adrenaline rush. The compilation wraps up with a revved-up take on The Nerves’ power pop gem Paper Doll and a fine rendition of The Boys’ Livin In The City—a perfect dessert to this feast of Dutch rock ‘n’ roll.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Public Toys || Public Toys

Sweet and sour punk from the French underground

By / / Glam Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

December 11th might be the official release date, but some things are too good to sit on. Like this self-titled debut EP from Public Toys (Lille), streaming now on Bandcamp and demanding immediate attention. The French quartet – operating under the gloriously dubious monikers Didine Guillotine, Fab Couz, Cowboy, and Sex Ray – have cooked up four servings of old school punk rock’n’roll that hit the sweet spot between nasty and catchy. Sure, I could’ve waited for the official release date, but sometimes you’ve got to fail the marshmallow test.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Continental Lovers || Continental Lovers

Rock'n'roll true believers finally deliver their debut

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

I’ve been riding the Continental Lovers bandwagon since their Dale Arden Vs The World EP dropped in 2022. Back then, an album was promised that same year, but hey – we all know the gap between planning is as reliable as Twitter’s algorithm.

Fast forward to the twilight of 2024, and their self-titled debut finally struts through the door. Here’s something I’ll defend as fact: if you live for that sweet spot where glam meets power pop, where garage rock dances with rock’n’roll, this record is your new best friend.

Sure, most of these tracks have made previous appearances on EPs or as teasers, but having all these gems compiled on a single platter is exactly the kind of gift I’d put on my Santa wishlist. Every song is armed with killer hooks and delivered with maximum swagger. Don’t miss out! CD shipping later this month from Cadiz Merch Store.

Add to wantlist: Cadiz

Scroll to Top