Indie Pop

New album: Miss Melody Sunshine || Sweet Little World

Planting the seeds of a great record collection

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

The best children’s albums never feel like they’re talking down to anyone, and Sweet Little World succeeds by inviting listeners of every age into its happy, dreamlike universe. Laura Elizabeth Stone’s Miss Melody Sunshine project wraps sugary stories and merry melodies in shimmering 1960s-inspired girl group-like pop, where analog warmth, soft harmonies, bicycle bell ringing, and vintage textures evoke the comforting glow of a carefree childhood set in a pastel-colored utopia. For young ears, this is a commendable invitation to a lifetime of listening, but for older generations it also functions as a fairytale to which we would like to surrender, especially in these times.

What began in the singer-songwriter’s modest Vermont home studio blossomed through collaborations with musicians from around the world, giving these ten playful songs a richness and maturity that belies their intimate origins. Every arrangement feels carefully crafted yet effortlessly light, with OK Go’s Dan Konopka’s warm mix tying the album together like sunshine filtering through lace curtains. It’s a pitch-perfect collection that celebrates curiosity, imagination, and everyday wonder, music that feels just as at home in a young kid’s bedroom as on your summer road trip.



Sweet Little World—written and produced by by Laura Elizabeth Stone, mixed and mastered by Dan Konopka—is out digitally via Bubblegum Records. Featuring Laura Elizabeth Stone aka Miss Melody Sunshine (vocals, guitar, tambourine, glockenspiel, bicycle bell, toy celesta), with Pablo Arruda (bass), Gonzalo Eyzaguirre (drums), Mike Fonte (electric guitar), Christiano Galvão (drums), Antônio Guerra (keys), Han Jun Ryu (guitars), Sean Rubin (bass), and Sérgio da Silva (drums).

Add to want list: Bandcamp

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of July 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, e.g. 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 (only if supported by the artist, so no live videos filmed by the audience or anything like that), here are—in a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month.

I Fought The Law (The Crickets) by Park+Riot — digital track

Police On My Back (The Equals) by Parker Woodland — from Police On My Back: Singles Collection Vol. 1 EP (Flak Records)

Le Premier Bonheur du Jour (Françoise Hardy) by Fabienne Delsol — from Indigo Red LP (Damaged Goods Records)

…

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of July 2026Read More »

The Loose Ends || July 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

There are more wantlist-worthy releases than time to cover them all. Starting this year, 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 (30+ this month!), and a link to add it to your shelves.

Banda AL9 || Hey! Hey! We’re Banda AL9
Brazilian power pop duo Banda AL9 —brothers Matheus and Thiago Khouri—released this collection of newly remixed and remastered fan favorites alongside new material on Wicked Cool Records: hook-filled power pop songs that pair Beatlesque melodies and harmonies with youthful energy.

BIG GAINER || Frittiert
This Berlin trio plays noisy slack rock, or should we say sl-egg punk?

…

The Loose Ends || July 2026Read More »

New album: Callistemon || Beginner’s Mind

Lo-fi that wears its heart on the tape

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

Moruya, Australia’s Jake Schoer has been releasing music as Callistemon since 2019, and doing so with such humility that it’s easy to overlook the project. His Bandcamp tagline reads: ‘Exploring the human condition through lo-fi sonic experiments and melancholic yearnings.’ That’s certainly one way of putting it. I’d simply call it finger-picking guitar pop with a generous helping of samples, tape loops, and found sounds. Or perhaps finger-licking guitar pop, because Beginner’s Mind is packed with chef’s-kiss moments.

We love our music lo-fi here at Add To Wantlist, but even by our standards Schoer goes lo. At times it sounds as though these songs were recorded straight onto an old boombox. Somehow, that’s exactly what gives them their emotional pull. Strip away the hiss, tape wobble, and rough edges, and you’d probably lose half the beauty along with them.

Imagine stumbling across a forgotten box of Alex Chilton and Robert Pollard demo tapes in a dusty attic. That’s the kind of magic Beginner’s Mind taps into.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Soda Gumball || Super Honey Teaspoon!

Cuteness overdose (not) guaranteed

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

Ready for some feel good stuff? Well, look at that artwork. And how fun is that artist and album title combo?

The human being behind Soda Gumball, Jealous Yellow (not his real name, I am inclined to believe) has crafted a super fun record here, the musical equivalent of a well-stocked candy shop where every jar contains something different and you somehow want to try all of them. It is playful sunshine pop, it is quirky and twee, it is breezy, it flows oh so smoothly, and many of the songs could moonlight in children’s TV shows while being kickass underground pop hits at the same time and just as easily drift into ’60s Yé-yé. A song like Malt Shop Gizmo (another fun title) reminds me of Modern Gameplay, the 2006 underground gem by Jason Korzen’s Sprites. Super Honey Teaspoon! would not have looked out of place in that ’00s scene alongside bands like Architecture in Helsinki and The Spinto Band, bands that offered a quirky take on indie rock and indie pop without ever taking themselves too seriously.

At 45 minutes total playing time, cuteness overdose may be your biggest concern. But this tape, out on Den Tapes, is much too varied for that.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Body Type || Tally

Sharp corners start to glow

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

Now ten years into their career, Australian four-piece Body Type sound more confident than ever on their new album Tally, embracing abundance, subtlety, and sharp songwriting without sacrificing the bite that made previous releases so compelling. Nothing here stands still for long. The ten new songs sparkle with jagged guitars, driving rhythms, and angelic vocals, further expanding their mix of 60s pop and 80s post-punk, as colorful and hooky as the cover design. The art of making the ordinary shimmer: the clever, observant, relatable lyrics collide with adventurous arrangements, as dynamic as they are jangly, as contemporary as they are urgent.



Tally—produced by Stella Mozgawa—is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, throug Poison City Records and p(doom) records. Featuring Sophie McComish (vocals, guitar), Annabel Blackman (vocals, guitar), Georgia Wilkinson-Derums (vocals, bass), and Cecil Coleman (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Matthew Squires & Sunk Coast || Easy Answers To Harder Questions

Folk, psychedelia, and philosophy woven into something magical

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

Singer/songwriter Matthew Squires and producer/musician Zach Totta (Sunk Coast) prove to be a perfect creative match. The three songs on their Easy Answers To Harder Questions EP feel intimate but also expansive somehow. The intriguing lyrics inhabit the uneasy space between apocalypse and enlightenment, using surreal imagery and philosophical reflections to explore identity, mortality and the collapse of modern myths. Even amid bewilderment, the possibility that beauty, connection, and renewal can still emerge: “I’ll sprout myself some wings and then I’ll sing ’til all can hear it.”

Indie folk, psychedelia, and philosophical musings intertwine into something truly enchanting, where dreamlike textures meet a melodic charm. Inspired by the idea that someone has to bear witness when the world ends, these songs offer no obvious solutions, only warmth, wonder, and a uniquely captivating atmosphere.

Easy Answers To Harder Questions is out digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Chutes || The Chutes

Welcome to the jangle

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

Right now, the Bay Area underground pop scene is so healthy it’s even luring in hardcore kids. Well, sort of. Kenneth Turner (Beg For Death, Fentanyl, Foghorn) and Erika Calderon-Turner (yes, they’re married) have never exactly hidden their love for Sarah Records, Slumberland Records, and all things properly jangly.

The Chutes is their debut together, with Kenneth handling the instruments while both share vocal duties. Given their pedigree, I expected something closer to scrappy twee punk. Instead, these seven songs are surprisingly polished, built around crisp strummy guitars, plenty of jangle, and an irresistible sense of momentum. Best of all, The Chutes possess that magical quality the finest indie pop bands seem to stumble upon so effortlessly: they somehow sound wistful and sun-drenched at the exact same time.

The Chutes EP is out now on CD, with the vinyl available to pre-order from Dandy Boy ahead of its late October release.

Add to  wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tugboat Captain || All At Once

Smell the melancholy

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

“Last night // I thought I could smell // Melancholy // For the first time // At least in a while // Last night // I thought I could see // All of my friends // At the same time // Well just the ones I like // Face pressed // Against the screw // Eyes shut // Where have I been // The last hour // Disappeared // Big thoughts between my ears // Swept up // I sense the past // The present // And the future // All at once // It hits me all at once”

Pure poetry meets perfect production. After years of constant reinvention, South London baroque-pop outfit Tugboat Captain have arrived at a record that brings everything together. All At Once expands the band’s DIY foundations with atmospheric synth textures, sweeping arrangements, and melodies that never lose sight of the emotional core beneath the sonic sprawl.

The twelve songs capture heartbreak, uncertainty, and the unsettling feeling of life shifting beneath your feet. The imaginative lyrics trace people carrying invisible burdens, searching for meaning while refusing to stop moving, even when the destination remains unclear. Elsewhere, memories, love, and loss blur together until past, present, and future collide in a single overwhelming moment.

This album is ambitious without becoming bloated, vulnerable without slipping into self-pity. The spacious orchestration and magnetic vocals—somewhat reminiscent of The Frames—hold your attention from the opening note to the final fade.



All At Once is out digitally and on vinyl LP (self-released). Featuring Alexander “Sox” Sokolow (vocals), Joshua Cobb (bass), Georgia Mancey (drums), Sophia Bartlett (violin, and Dougal James (keyboard), with contributions from Linfa Kear (flute), Eliza Dunhill (trumpet), Rhys Underdown clarinet), and the Ctrl P Community Choir (vocals).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New compilation: Various Artists || I Said Hit It (A Covers Compilation for Part Time Punks)

Familiar songs wearing unfamiliar clothes

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

Somehow we completely missed this covers compilation back in May. Time to correct that oversight, because I Said Hit It may end up being one of the most interesting compilations of the year.

Sure, charity compilations are nothing new, and neither are covers albums. What makes this one stand out is the execution and the cast involved. Instead of the usual punked-up pop songs, many of these bands take punk, garage, and underground classics and filter them through jangly guitars, acoustic arrangements, and unexpected stylistic detours.

Press play and you’ll hear the hype-worthy Bramwell transform Born To Lose by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers into a jangly ’60s gem. Then Good Flying Birds prove that Bible Belt Baby by the Gizmos works beautifully in acoustic form. From there, the compilation keeps throwing curveballs, offering fresh perspectives on songs that are well known, beloved, and in some cases probably played a little too often.

The best way to experience I Said Hit It? Don’t look at the track list. Just hit play and see how quickly you recognize the classics hiding behind the new arrangements.

I Said Hit It has been out for a while now via Manchester’s Supercrush Fanzine. All proceeds go to Punk 4 Transexualism.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Scroll to Top