Indie Pop

New album: Cowbell || Waiting For Yesterday

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Indie Pop / 1 Comment

Of all the musical instruments, the cowbell is probably the coolest to pick as a band name, even if the music has little to do with the legendary Saturday Night Live sketch starring Blue Öyster Cult. On their fourth album Waiting For Yesterday, Cowbell mixes influences from rock ‘n’ roll, soul, blues, folk, and garage rock into a fresh sound of their own. These are 11 varied, wonderfully constructed tracks, in which a lot’s going on, with appealing lyrics. Each song is a surprise, as if this is a summer movie soundtrack that has to express the emotions of different scenes. Think of a compilation featuring artists like The Byrds, Mazzy Star, John Paul Keith, The Maharajas, Reigning Sound, and The Wheels, but all played by Jack Sandham (vocals / guitar / keys) and Wednesday Lyle (vocals / drums / percussion), this time assisted by Fabio D’Agostino (guitar / sitar / synth) and Tom Wright (bass). Just as cool as their band name.

Out digitally via Damaged Goods and on vinyl LP through the band’s own Cool Jerk Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Telephone Numbers || The Ballad Of Doug

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

It’s always a gamble when you pre-order a record after hearing just one song. The Ballad Of Doug by The Telephone Numbers is an example where that gamble pays off. The San Francisco jangle pop band (featuring members of The Skygreen Leopards, The Reds, Pink and Purples, The Lovebirds, The Umbrellas) is firing on all cylinders on their debut full-length. Like the colorful album art, the nine songs on the record are vibrant, exciting and a joy for the senses. I usually highlight certain songs in my posts as an easy entrance point for our readers. The Telephone Numbers set such a high bar in their songs however, that I find it near impossible to do. The Ballad Of Doug has no fillers and is best experienced in full. Just press play on album opener You’re Nowhere and let The Telephone Numbers take you anywhere.

A while back, I wrote how I was underwhelmed with the number of quality jangle pop releases in 2021. But with this record, and the ones by Quivers, Massage, Gap Year, Roselawns etc I have to take that back – browse our archive for more jangle goodness. All of a sudden, it’s starting to get crowded in the AOTY jangle, and it is not even July.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Paisley Shirt Records

New album: Mt. Misery || Once Home, No Longer

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Sitting in the shade of a large fig tree, sipping a glass of iced coffee, I listened to Once Home, No Longer, the debut album by UK indie pop trio Mt. Misery. A rare moment when nothing has to be done, and the music contributes to a satisfied mood. Although singer/songwriter/guitarist Andrew Smith’s lyrics aren’t light-hearted (matching the band name), they do come across as sunny. “My dreaming days are over now // ‘Cause I can’t get back the time I wasted,” he sings in the opening track. He conveys his message so beautifully – valuable contributions from fellow band members Stephen McGrother (guitar) and Lewis Flower (drums) – that you slowly but surely dream away, but that’s OK: these 38 minutes are well spent. RIYL Whitney, Real Estate, Andy Shauf.

Out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Prefect Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Prefect

New album: 2nd Grade || Wish You Were Here Tour Revisited

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

I tried to get Pete Gill, who is the mastermind behind 2nd Grade, to do a Gimme 5 for our site in anticipation of his new record. I loved 2nd Grade’s previous album that included the smash hit Velodrome, and I was intrigued by the backstory to the new album which technically is not so new, hence the ‘Revisited’ part in the album title. About that backstory: The songs on Wish You Were Here Tour Revisited have their origins in the summer of 2018; A year in which Gill rented Swan boats on the Delaware River, listened to the Beach Boys all day every day, and wrote a crazy number of songs – to his own estimate, somewhere around 150. Out of this motherload and over two weekends, Gill picked a number of songs and recorded them to Garageband, never expecting to release it. Fast forward three years, and with a succesful record in the books, Gill decided to remaster some of the original recordings (14 songs) and rerecord eight additional songs together with members of Remember Sports, Friendship and 22 Degree Halo. Together, these songs make up Wish You Were Here Tour Revisited, which is an extremely enjoyable record full of powerpop and indiepop gems. Gill’s ability to write short and catchy pop songs makes me envious and makes me want to pick up a guitar and write songs myself. It’s like the Beach Boys minus the surfvibes, although there are also subtle hints of Weezer in some songs, like the title track and The Bad Boys Of Rock And Roll. I also like the set-up of the record which allows you to hear the difference between the original versions and the reworked versions. Although the demo versions are decidedly more lo-fi, they illustrate the songwriting prowess of Gill, and his ability to write memorable melodies.

The 2nd Grade Gimme 5 ultimately did not happen, which is our loss, because Gill ended up doing a similar feature for Brooklyn Vegan where he shared not 5 but 10 records that influenced this album. Seven of his picks are Beach Boys albums, and it’s arguably a great read. So yeah, Pete Gill is the one that got away. No hard feelings though, just keep on writing songs this good, Pete!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Double Double Whammy

New album: Massage || Still Life

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / 3 Comments

In our Gimme 5 feature with Massage, the band shared 5 albums that influenced their sophomore album Still Life. Today marks the release of the record, and although I sorta kinda already reviewed it in the Gimme 5 (“There is a warmth, vulnerability and delicateness to the music of Still Life that, in combination with the band’s songwriting chops, gives these songs that little extra that helps to distinguish a lovable record from a likeable record…I have no doubt Still Life will end up in many AOTY lists.”), I’d like to add some words if only to remind you of the sheer quality of this one.

First things first. We need to talk about how perfect of a pop song Made Of Moods is. Remember how Bill Murray woke up to I Got You Babe every day in Groundhog Day to his increased frustration? If that alarm clock song would have been Made Of Moods, he at the very least experienced three and a half joyful minutes each day. It’s one of those songs that I enjoy each and every second of, with it’s jangly guitars and hushed vocals that almost have a Beach Boys vibe, especially in the verse. Truly, it’s a song for the ages. But the best news about Still Life is that it offers eleven additional underground pop gems. If I had to list everything I like about this record, I would get no work done today. But let me randomly point out two other highlights as a quick sample. Sticks & Stones has a great chorus with lyrics that warm your heart (“And I know || There is nothing I can say || There is nothing I can do || There is nothing I would change || About you”). And then there is Michael Is My Girlfriend, a song that has everything I liked about the first Massage record – still rooting for a repress of that one by the way. It’s a short and simple and straightforward delightful jangle pop hit. Okay, final thought: this record keeps getting better with each play. So make sure you do at least a couple of spins before you make up your mind about it.



Half Life is a co-release between Mt. St. Mtn., Tear Jerk and Bobo Integral Records and is out now!
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Spud Cannon || Good Kids Make Bad Apples

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Last month, Spud Cannon shared 5 albums that influenced their new record Good Kids Make Bad Apples on our site. In that feature, I gave my first impression  of the album, describing it as energetic and celebratory indiepop’n’roll with plenty of bite and having the raw energy and authenticity of a live show. Today marks the actual release of the record, and I am writing this post as a reminder that this record is worth your time. If you miss those early zeroes indierock releases, you’ll enjoy this one. If you feel down, this record will lift you up. If you miss going to shows or festivals, the songs on this record are absolute made to be experienced live.  Album openers Juno and Supersonic may be the best songs on the record, and I can see songs like You Got It All (NOT), Na Na Na do particularly well with live audiences. There is a sense of anarchy, joy and fearlessness to Spud Cannon, a band who won’t ask permission to record their album at your local squash court or play live shows at your rooftop.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Hemi Hemingway || The Lonely Hunter

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The Lonely Hunter was a small record store in an ancient street in Leiden, a small town in the Netherlands, where I once bought the Stones’ Exile On Main St. and The Best Of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels LP. I had to think about that when I saw that Hemi Hemingway’s debut EP is called The Lonely Hunter. For this story it would have been nice if the 6 songs on the mini-album had influences from the mentioned bands, but that’s not really the case. This is an ode to the sound of 50’s doo-wop and 60’s girl groups that fans of Shannon Shaw’s Shannon in Nashville or RF Shannon’s Trickster Blues will appreciate.

Hemi Hemingway is a project of London based New Zealander Shaun Blackwell, in which he’s part heartbroken crooner, part emotional explorer. This is sad but beautiful music, melancholic and cinematic, poetic and intriguing. The self-penned songs may be even stronger than Move Over Darling, the only cover on the record (originally recorded by Doris Day). And wow, he played everything himself except the saxophone. The EP takes its name from Carson McCullers’ 1940 novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. That also applied to the Dutch record store, which had the full title on its facade. So the link I made turns out to be logical after all.

Out now digitally and on vinyl 12″ through PNKSLM Recordings. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Gap Year || Flat Out

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Gap Year are a 5-piece from Perth. Their debut-album Flat Out offers an intriguing mix of ’80s jangle pop and modern breezy guitar pop bands. Flat Out open strongly with Dot And Tarlene which sounds like a hybrid of Real Estate and The War On Drugs. Bon Soir is another great track and sounds like the best song The National wrote in the past decade. What a strong and pleasant debut this record is. It is like a cool breeze after months of simmering heat.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Blue Grey Pink

New album: Las Penas | Sin Dolor

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

Las Penas are a trilingual (Spanish, French & English) 5-piece from the San Sebastian region in Spain. The band’s psychgarage sound is informed by a love of ’60s and ’70s music. The eleven cuts (10 originals and one cover of No Exit by the Grassroots) on Sin Dolor are short, sweet, and make it near impossible to sit still. What makes Las Penas particularly stand out is their knack for writing strong melodies and memorable choruses.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Green Mohair Suits || Sink or Sing

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

Green Mohair Suits are a country / folk outfit from Sydney, Australia. After their last album Evans St (2016) it remained silent, but now there is suddenly the (digital) EP Sink or Sing with four new songs. Jason Mannell, Brian Campeau, Richard Cuthbert, and Ben Romalis have outdone themselves. Especially opening track Don’t You Mind is a very beautiful song. The country of Gram Parsons is a little further away, here it is as if The Byrds meet Brian Wilson. as if it has always been there. Nice that new classics are still being made.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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