Glam Rock

New album: Ozzie Hair || Madhouse

Slow burning rhythms and talk-sung tension

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

Ozzie Hair is already a familiar name around here through his work in three bands that have landed on our wantlists and ultimately in our collection: The Prize, The States, and The Judges. So yes, when he steps out solo, we pay attention. Madhouse follows his 2025 Uninsured EP and arrives via Hot Sounds and Lulu’s Sonic Disco Club as his first full-length statement as Ozzie Hair.

Madhouse is an apt title for what unfolds. This is a clear departure from the three-minute power pop, rock and roll, and punk staples of his other projects. Across seven tracks (six if you leave out the 30-second intro) and roughly half an hour of music, Ozzie trades hooks and immediacy for atmosphere and tension. These are slow paced, suspenseful pieces built on repetitive rhythms and sharp edges, with Ozzie Hair delivering a hypnotic talk-sung vocal that pulls you deeper into the fog.

The reference points name checked by Hot Sounds Magazine (The Stooges, Simply Saucer, The Deviants, DMZ, Radio Birdman, and Bo Diddley) give a loose idea of the territory. Still, it feels less like blending those influences and more like stapling them together into something jagged and unpredictable. The result is dense, strange, and deliberately unsettling.

This is not a record for everyone. But for listeners craving something off-center and fully committed to its own weird logic, Madhouse is a fascinating and rewarding ride.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

The Loose Ends || January

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

NEW FEATURE! There are more wantlist-worthy releases than time to cover them all. Loose Ends is our monthly fix for the great records that slipped through the cracks. Expect a key track and quick take on each release, and a link to add it to your shelves.

Big Bruiser || 2 song Promo
New super poppy garage punk rock project featuring members of Teini-Pää, Axe Collector, Band Argument, Big Blue World, and GOLD.

Cassie || Change My Image
Insanely grateful to whoever made this collection available for streaming. These early ’80s studio recordings from Isle of Wight punky power pop band Cassie will send fans of The Shivvers, The Go-Go’s, and the Cichlids into a small frenzy.

…

The Loose Ends || JanuaryRead More »

New EP: Videoflip || Videoflip II

Turbocharged punk ’n’ roll from France

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

Videoflip II is the second self-titled EP from Videoflip, and it picks up right where their 2024 debut left off: loud, loose, and stupidly fun. That first EP made me an instant fan, and there’s no sophomore wobble here. Videoflip features members of Scaners, Beaten Brats, Claimed Choice, and Mogs, united by a shared love of early pub rock and Australian/UK punk.

The EP kicks off with Si Tu Savais, a wild French-language cover of Ted Mulry Gang’s You’ve Got It. It works so well it could pass for a Videoflip original—a turbocharged glam-stomp punk’n’roll ripper. The band arrived fully formed on their debut, and thankfully they haven’t lost an ounce of spark since. If this is how 2026 is starting, we’re in good hands.

Vinyl should be available soon via Dangerhouse Skylab.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Dangerhouse Skylab

New single: The Stones || Leaning on a Domino b/w (I’m a) Drama Queen

NYC rock-’n’-roll with its chest out

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

Late last year, The Stones (New York, not the UK) pretty much knocked the house down with their debut single: throwback rock ’n’ roll played with maximum swagger. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long for a follow-up. Once again, it’s a two-song single, and once again it’s recorded live to tape.

The A-side, Leaning on a Domino, is a grooving, rock-and-rolling number built on cool guitar work and forward momentum—a song about a love that collapses if you breathe wrong, but you keep leaning into it anyway. On the flip, (I’m a) Drama Queen feels like a direct sequel to Rock ’n’ Roll Band. Where that song asked the rhetorical “Ain’t you glad that your man’s in a rock ’n’ roll band?”, this one proudly embraces being the loudest problem in the room (“I think you know just what I mean // That I’m the resident // President // Drama queen”).

So yes, in case it wasn’t clear: the ATW crew approves of The Stones. We think they’re pretty great. File this under: records we’d release ourselves if fear for expensive lawsuits weren’t a factor.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Single review: Seely-Jurgens Band || You Were You Still b/w Take Me There

Kyle Seely and Justin Jurgens make the old school feel current again

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock / Leave a Comment

Surprise! While on Boxing Day most of us were battling Christmas leftovers and navigating family dynamics, Kyle Seely (Sheer Mag) and Justin Jurgens (Ingrates. Dust Star) quietly dropped a new single under their Seely-Jurgens Band banner. It’s the fourth two-song release from the project this year, and these two tracks might just add up to the most accessible—and most immediately enjoyable—nine minutes they’ve put out so far.

This is a band clearly on a mission to drag classic rock into the 2020s and make it feel vital again. You Were You Still leans gently toward country, but the core SJB magic is fully intact. Flip it over and Take Me There delivers a hook-stuffed rush tailor-made for late-night drives with the windows down. This one flat-out rocks.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 2 Comments

EPs and singles are where bands tend to swing hardest — and 2025 was ridiculous in that department. I started with a longlist of well over 100 short-format releases, and cutting it down to 50 wasn’t easy, but it sure was fun. I was also happy to see some of my cuts pop up in Dennis’ list earlier this week.

Unlike my album list (as well as Dennis’ AOTY list), this one isn’t ranked but ordered alphabetically. To my ears, these releases prove that singles and EPs are no mere afterthoughts, throwaways, or warm-ups for full-lengths — they’re often the main event.

So here it is, our final year-end list: 50 EPs and singles that made 2025 louder, brighter, and better. Over the next two weeks we’ll be taking things a bit slower on the blog, before coming back fully recharged in 2026. Thanks for making this year worthwhile — happy holidays, take care!

…

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2025Read More »

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2025

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

Last week we posted the overviews of our favorite LPs of 2025 (here is Niek’s, there is mine), but this year also saw countless short-format releases that deserve to be listed. Below you can listen to the 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed most last year (note: individual songs are excluded), in alphabetical order. Links point to Bandcamp or another sales outlet (the titles), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text).

While I traditionally prefer albums, if only because you don’t have to get up as often to turn the record over, but also because it literally gives you more time to immerse yourself in the artist’s world, I’m increasingly enjoying the pleasures of singles and EPs. They’re often explosions of positive energy packed with hooks, which immediately make for a good time, and that was certainly the case over the past 12 months. If this were the soundtrack to a night out, I’d return home exhausted but utterly delighted.

…

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2025Read More »

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Albums of 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 Comment

Five years of Add To Wantlist, and the underground music scene is still fighting the algorithm with the only weapon that matters: better music. Look, 2025 had plenty of reasons to spiral: A.I.-generated music clogging up the web like malware, streaming services paying artists in pennies while investing in war machines, shipping costs that make you weep, and indie labels on shoestring budgets battling tariffs and trade barriers. And yet—and yet!—the real music kept showing up like it had something to prove.

Because 2025? It was stacked with the good stuff. Tiny labels dropping masterpieces from basements. Bands recording in bedrooms, kitchens, storage units, sheds—somehow crafting songs with more soul than anything focus-grouped into existence. Punk bands running on spite and failing systems. Garage weirdos alchemizing chaos into pure joy. LGBTQ+ musicians turning their most vulnerable moments into anthems that hit like freight trains. Jangle-pop obsessives writing hooks so good they feel like they’ve existed forever. For those paying attention, it was a year full of human fingerprints on every beat, and it was everything.

And here’s the wildest part: people still give a damn. Scenes are rebuilding from the ground up. The daily release count keeps climbing. Bands are back on the road in whatever form of transport their budget allows. I witnessed a legendary pop punk label throw an anniversary show that sold out to a room full of believers who actually showed up and loved every second of it. I stood with 5,000 people losing their minds as the hottest band around redefined what a hardcore band can be. Every week brought a new obsession—some scrappy little record punching way above its weight class. And our blog grew this year, which means more of you beautiful weirdos have joined us in the crates. Welcome aboard!

So yeah, the world’s a mess. The internet’s a dumpster fire. But independent guitar music? Still kicking, still vital, still the best argument for why we started this blog in the first place: community, curiosity, and that unbeatable high of stumbling onto a band that sounds like everything you’ve been looking for.

Here are the 50 albums (plus 50 more) that, for me, made this year worth it. As Dennis wrote in his eclectic and amazing AOTY list this Tuesday—our overlap is minimal, so dig in—rankings are just taste. What matters is the joy, the discovery, that moment when a song connects and suddenly your day is better. My ranking criteria? Simple: which records did I love spending time with the most…

You’ll find all of them below. Enjoy reading, enjoy listening, and if something grabs you, the links go straight to Bandcamp or Discogs—and to earlier reviews when we wrote about them in depth. Check out our favorite short format releases of 2025 next week! Oh, and here is a playlist with 91% of my picks  (FYI: pretty sure this time next year we’ll be on a different streaming service).

…

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Albums of 2025Read More »

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 3 Comments

“When the universe looks right at you // You’d be wise to hold its gaze // Averted, missed opportunities // A crisis on its way” (from Universe Blues by Moon Orchids).

“What once was pure through your childish eyes is complicated by the truth // What once was pure as a shot so sure has you longing for a time // When you could stand judging right and wrong through tight drawn blinds // At safe distance” (from At Safe Distance by Patterson Hood).

We live in uncertain times, but music still knows how to meet us wherever we are, whether by giving voice to our feelings, offering an empathetic hug, or simply providing a much-needed distraction. The journeys songwriters take—often more compelling than any destination—lead us through personal and family reconciliation, anxiety and imagination, nostalgia and escapism, emotions and vulnerability, holding on and giving up. Bridging past and present, my favorite musicians and new discoveries shape their messages and sounds with equal parts mind and heart (usually with a guitar in hand, but that goes without saying). Throughout last year, there was plenty to appreciate, if not get completely lost in.

In 2025, I checked out 2,600+ new albums—it’s far from possible to listen to everything that came out—which ultimately led to a diverse longlist of 130 wantlist-worthy releases (the ones I was able to buy are shown in the photo above). Let’s dive in. The 50 records I liked and played the most—is there any accounting for taste?—are listed below, each with a standout song embedded (it’s all about the music after all). Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the headings), and where available to our previously posted, more extensive reviews (in the body text). As always: add to your wantlist—or even better: your collection—whatever you like!

…

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2025Read More »

Single review: Billy Tibbals || Rock n’ Roll Kids b/w Playtime

A single that swerves, struts, and never lets up

By / / Glam Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

While working on your year-end lists (they’re coming soon!), you inevitably spot a release you somehow missed. Usually it’s fine; sometimes it stings. I won’t hand in my resignation just yet, but forgive me for only now catching the latest single from rock-’n’-roll’s finest prodigy — which dropped A FREAKIN’ TWO MONTHS AGO. Sigh.

To those who’ve had these tunes on repeat already: apologies. I’ll try harder. But if you, like me, let this one slip, hit play and prepare for a jolt. Rock n’ Roll Kids opens with a classic ’70s glam stomp before swerving into a glampop-punk’n’roll detour less than a minute in. Tibbals keeps yanking the tempo around, slamming between restraint and full throttle, tossing in sexy guitar lines and hooks sharp enough to bruise. We’re not worthy.

The B-side, Playtime, leans into Tibbals’ theatrical soft-rock impulses — still cheeky, still dramatic, and unmistakably him.

7″ single out now on Billy Tibbals’ own Fizz Fizz Records.

Add to wantlist: Discogs

Scroll to Top