Indie Pop

New album: Lunchbox || Evolver

A time capsule of playful invention, pressed to vinyl at last.

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

The trumpet in the opening second goes: Taa-dada-da-daa! What a way to pull you into a record.

Lunchbox are back with a flourish on Evolver, out now on Slumberland. But technically, this isn’t a new album—it’s a rediscovered one. Originally recorded more than 20 years ago by Donna McKean and Tim Brown using “half-broken reel-to-reel tape decks and vintage synthesizers,” Evolver now gets its first-ever LP release (make it a double), complete with bonus tracks.

Don’t expect a conventional indie pop record. While there are absolute pop gems here—like the title track, Letters from Overend, and Satellite—the overall vibe is more eclectic and exploratory. Think dream pop, trip hop, psych pop, and plenty of unexpected turns. Even the most accessible songs aren’t typical three-minute hits. The experimental touches feel playful and organic, like two talented musicians learning their way around strange gear and enjoying every second of it.

This is my first time hearing Evolver, and I’m kinda blown away that it was made so long ago. Lunchbox were ahead of the curve—doing then what a lot of bands are doing now. What a cool record this is!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Slumberland

New album: The Gum Tree Girls || Zoanne

Lo-fi garage pop with a wild streak

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

San Francisco five-piece The Gum Tree Girls take their name from a ’60s grassroots organization that fought to save Glen Canyon. That alone should tell you something about the band’s ethics—and what to expect from their music.

The cover of their debut album Zoanne screams Girls in the Garage, but it’s actually a photo taken out in nature. That playful contradiction sets the tone for the whole record. Mix in some nursery rhyme-style lyrics of rebellion and ecological resistance (“Goodbye Joshua Tree, you got some needles stuck in me”) with simple, effective instrumentation, and you get a mix of primitive lo-fi punk, garage rock, and the occasional dip into underground indie pop (Gingerbread Houses). Zoanne veers from the bouncy (and referee-whistle-infested) Hitch-Hike, to fast, furious, and howling (Serenity), all with plenty of tongue-in-cheek attitude. Just before closing out with their pretty outrageous theme song (GTG Anthem), the band drops a fun version of Gary Numan’s Are ‘Friends’ Electric?—a cover I didn’t even recognize at first.

I’m not sure I love every moment on Zoanne, but I’m definitely on board with this band.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Bad Bad Bird || Si Brutal

Bad Bad Bird turn up the charm on their debut LP

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

It’s funny how quickly a new record can win you over when the first song you hear is as irresistible as Toi et moi tout l’été. It kicks off Si Brutal, the debut album from Bad Bad Bird—a four-piece from Nantes (France) we first wrote about in 2022. Bad Bad Bird sings in their native tongue and plays alt pop with a bright, slightly pop punk edge.

Let’s call it a 50/50 split: half the tracks lean into alt pop, the other half into catchy, faster-paced pop punk. While I personally gravitate toward the more high-energy tunes, the variety gives the record depth. Vocalist Madeleine stands out in either mode—her delivery is articulate, emotional, and easy to fall for.

Si Brutal is out now on LP and tape via Kicking Records. A strong debut that promises more good things ahead.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Lily Seabird || Trash Mountain

Intimate songs of home, loss, and resilience

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Trash Mountain is a pink house on a former landfill in Burlington, Vermont, a place where artists have been gathering for years. Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Lily Seabird lived there for a while while writing and recording her new album, naturally entitled Trash Mountain, dedicated to this residence of friendship and inspiration. From the the 1pm version of the title track: “Where the wind blows everything // I try to remember and forget // On the edge of town // Where when I’m home I rest my head.”

The successor to last year’s impressive Alas, LP contains nine sparse indie folk songs, intimate and heartfelt. Gentle music for heavy days, and the hope that follows. A meditation on change, grief, and belonging—finding beauty in the mess. From It Was Like You Were Coming To Wake Us Back Up: “And the stranger rode by us delicately slow // And she held my glance, but how could she have known // That in her we saw our friend who had gone // That in her we saw our friend who had gone.” Breathtaking.



Trash Mountain, recorded by Kevin Copeland, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Lame-O Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Lame-O Records

New album: Dumb Things || Self Help

Jangle therapy from Australia

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Self Help, the third album by Dumb Things, is one of those low-key records that quietly sneaks up on you. Just listen to the first lines of the opening title track:
“Lately I’ve been working hard on my personality / Cos you got to keep it up, to keep it together ah ha / Been trying to find the time to put the work in / Yeah, I’ve been working out how to work it out.”
Both in words, sound, and delivery, it’s wonderfully David Berman-esque—darkly funny and emotionally gutting at the same time. It’s a memorable start, especially when they hit the chorus: “I’ve been reading self-help like I just can’t help myself.”

Hailing from Brisbane, Dumb Things sound unmistakably Australian in their laid-back jangle pop—they call it “hangover pop” themselves. One of the things that sets them apart is their multi-vocalist, multi-songwriter setup. Ever heard of a boat with four captains? Exactly. Usually, that ship sinks or vanishes without a trace. But Dumb Things make it work. The varied perspectives are a real asset, giving Self Help a dynamic quality where each track feels fresh.

Depending on where you’re coming from, you might hear shades of Dick Diver, Quivers, Pavement, or The Go-Betweens. There’s a bit of slacker indie rock, a whole lot of jangle, and even more pop—making Self Help an extremely likable, charming record.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Album review: Buffet Lunch || Perfect Hit!

A lo-fi expedition through life’s odd corners

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Less than nine months after their For Display Purposes Only LP, Scottish indie pop outfit Buffet Lunch return with a new full-length album on the menu. Its title Perfect Hit! should not be taken too seriously, because we are dealing with a band that values ​​rattling and fallibility (you know, we like that). The updated lineup—founders Perry O’Bray and Luke Moran and new members Matthew Lord and Jack Shearer—charms with jangly melodies, semi-nonchalant vocals and witty lyrics.

It’s all lo-fi and a bit wobbly, but that only makes it more appealing, especially when you realize that some of the songs are quite personal, built from small moments and big questions. Highlights include the title track (about a swordfish sighting), Blue Chairs, Blue Floors, Blue Folders (written in the waiting room of a maternity ward), and Blip (on the importance of kindness)—chiming anthems for the restless and reflective.



Perfect Hit!, recorded by George Horler, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Upset The Rhythm.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Upset The Rhythm

New album: Tennis Elbow || The Narcissist Blues

Ten aces by Ryan Wentz

By / / Indie Pop, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Tennis Elbow is the “tennis music” project of New York City-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ryan Wentz. On his new album, The Narcissist Blues, it is his vocals, guitar, bass, keys, mandolin, and drums that you hear in ten sophisticated songs that slide between chamber pop and indie rock. The lyrics are quirky (titles like Sewing Machine, Astray, Barnstorm, and Getty Images pique the curiosity), and the sound is somewhat theatrical, so there’s a lot to discover here.



The Narcissist Blues—composed, mixed, and mastered by Ryan Wentz—is out now digitally via Outline Skates. Also featuring Rhiannon Dewey (saxophone; flute), Christopher Bill (trombone), Calvin Langman (cello), and The Tennis Orchestra (cello, violin, viola).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: State Parque || State Parque

Summer starts here

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

In a sunny corner of Bandcamp I stumbled upon State Parque, a young Boston-based band featuring Aniebiet-Abasi Akpan, Garret Hoffman, Justin Lengvarsky, and Noah Lindeman. Their eponymous full-length debut album features twelve surfy pop/rock songs—hooks galore—that can be labeled summery and shimmering. Bright guitar melodies pair with lush vocals, a tasteful and lighthearted soundtrack for your next BBQ or beach party (I predict visitors will pull out their phones to Shazam who these guys are, because they deserve to be discovered). This is cheery and charming music, highly recommended if you like Vampire Weekend, Spoon, Modest Mouse.




State Parque’s self-titled LP, produced by Sarah Passinhas-Bergman, is out now digitally via Listless Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Crayon Cats || Songs About You 1 & 2

A lo-fi sugar twee punk rush from Jakarta

By / / Indie Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Alright, alright, alright, now this is how you do twee punk! Straight from Jakarta, Crayon Cats bring nervous energy, ramshackle charm, and a pots-and-pan production style that feels perfectly unpolished. Songs About You 1 & 2 is loud, sweet, and irresistibly fun—I can’t stop coming back for more of their sugar-on-a-budget sound. It’s the kind of record that feels like a spontaneous practice room recording session where every take is the right one simply because it exists.

Out now on Subjangle in limited supply, this release compiles the two EPs the band dropped over the past seven months. Mandatory listening for fans of scrappy underground pop music that wears its heart on its sleeve.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! Sean Turner Shares Five Records That Have Influenced The Photocopies’ Greatest Hits

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

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.

One certainty in the Add To Wantlist crew’s listening diet over the past few years, is that we always could count on new songs from The Photocopies, the solo indie pop project of Michigan-based Londoner Sean Turner. And so we arrive at Greatest Hits Volume 4, an extraordinary achievement. The fourth compilation since 2022, out today, contains 15 of the best tracks released on singles and EPs over the past year and a half. Standout tunes include Heard It On The Radio, Trying Not To Catch Your Attention, and A C86 For Christmas (listen below), but you really can’t go wrong here (each and every one of them is an earworm, melodic and catchy)—the album title is not even an exaggeration.

We’ve been admiring witnesses to The Photocopies’ steady stream of jangly, quality tunes—more original than the band name suggests—which was reason enough to ask Sean if there were any artists he’s personally influenced by. In no time at all, I received an extensive response, with different picks than I expected, though no less excellent.

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