Indie Pop

New album: Soft Science || Sand

Hope

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

Soft Science has known their way around a shimmering guitar for fifteen years, but the Sand LP finds the Sacramento, California-based quintet turning up the heat without losing their dreamlike glow. Twin 12-string guitars cascade over driving rhythms and ethereal vocals, occasionally pushing the ten new songs—all with one-word titles, again—towards shoegaze noise while keeping the melodies firmly in the foreground.

The lyrics explore love, distance, memory and the struggle to break free from destructive patterns: “No use waiting when it’s all built on sand // Let’s give it one more chance” (from the title track). Yet even as everything threatens to slip away, hope keeps pulling the heart towards the light. And so the search for solid ground becomes something strangely beautiful, carried by an enchanting atmosphere that never stands still.



Sand—produced by Soft Science—is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Shelflife Records (USA) and Spinout Nuggets (UK). Featuring Katie Haley (lead vocals, percussion), brothers Matt Levine (lead guitar) and Ross Levine (guitar, synths, backing vocals), partners Tony Cale (drums) and Becky Cale (bass, backing vocals), along with frequent collaborator Hans Munz (electronics).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Spinout 

New album: Herr Nilsson || Good Morning Rock And Roll

RIYL good times too

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

Almost a quarter of a century old, but Herr Nilsson continues to grow. Good Morning Rock And Roll is not only a motto that appeals to us, it is also a buoyant take on indie pop and alternative rock, where jangling guitars and tempting melodies provide the foundation for arrangements and instrumentation that travel in all directions. The sextet from Bergen, Norway happily takes the scenic route, throwing in unexpected turns and orchestral flourishes along the way.

In 42 minutes you’ll hear twelve uplifting songs in which quite a lot happens. The choruses are big and the hooks are sharp, with cornet and violin adding color without weighing things down. Behind the bursts of guitar and playful colors lies a surprisingly poignant preoccupation with time and resilience. Rather than filling those voids with solemnity, Terje Bringsvor Nilsen and his crew choose the obvious but appreciated solution: more music, more fun. Including a banger of a hit: Sensational has everything to conquer the world.



Good Morning Rock And Roll—produced by Einar Olsson—is out digitally and on vinyl LP trough Apollon Records. Featuring Terje Bringsvor Nilsen (lead vocals, guitar), Lars Jakob Stava (guitar, keyboards), Ragnhild Hogstad Jordahl (vocals, keyboards, violin), Morten Mjørlaug (bass), Jan Otto Nerdal (drums), and Johannes Førde (cornet).

Add to wantlist: Apollon || Bandcamp

New album: Jacob T. Simons || Shadow Creek

Finding the bare essentials of songcraft

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

We’ve championed Colorado-based singer-songwriter Jacob Tyler Simons in these pages before, back when he was steering the ship for the admired outfit Moon Orchids. His first solo LP, Shadow Creek, functions as a natural counterweight to his former collective’s grandiose finale (it made it into the top 10 of my 2025 year-end list), trading polished ambition for a humble, salt-of-the-earth approach. To capture a truly unvarnished sound, the musician challenged himself with a strict set of recording dogmas. He handled all vocals and guitars himself without the safety net of overdubbing, committing to full live takes where atmosphere completely trumped technical precision. If a mistake didn’t break the rhythm, it stayed on the record.

It resulted in a beautiful anti-artificial document, consisting of nine intimate indie folk songs (plus a short balcony recording of a rainstorm), anchored by guitars and a harmonica full of emotion, further enhanced by Olivia Shaw’s weeping fiddle and Paul Robert Fake’s sparse keys. Simons’ sincere voice wrestles with a nostalgic yearning for simpler days, constantly weighing the heavy dread of modern societal decay against the grounding sanctuary of enduring love: “I’ve got a compass that tells me where I need to be // I can kick the needle if you come and stay with me” (from Rosewater Beads). The blurry cover photo serves as the perfect visual thesis for the album, as an uncompromising reminder that perfect focus is not a prerequisite to reveal an artist’s deeply honest core



Shadow Creek—produced and engineered by Jacob T. Simons and Mark Anderson—is out digitally and on vinyl LP (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Archer || Ivan

An acoustic tomorrow

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

Earlier this year, Trondheim-based Norway-based alt-rock quartet Archer released their debut full-length album, The View from the Reservoir, one that has unjustly remained under the radar. Two of its twelve songs—Tomorrow and Flooring—return on the Ivan EP for a second chance, but in folk-tinged, unplugged versions that are even more beautiful than the electrically amplified originals.

The music draws you in with its atmosphere, Kristoffer Jonassen’s lyrics are what keep you there: “And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do // When everything is over and all is through // And I’m not sure just where I belong // But I liked that place where you played that song that goes // Don’t let today waste, I won’t be sleeping // I’m stuck in the dream that was yours to begin with.”

The strong title track is new here, pointing towards what may come next; its heartfelt delivery and poetic lyrics making for a particularly enticing preview of the next album. Promising indeed, but there’s still plenty to discover in the debut before we get there.


The Ivan EP is out digitally via Flat Rat Rec. Featuring Kristoffer Jonassen (guitar, vocals), Kevin Solem (guitar, piano), Robin Synnøve Solem (guitar, banjo, bass), and Jim Patrik Antonsen (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Alley Girl || Kerosene Gambler

More scruffy yet gorgeous melodies from Doris Stanić

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

Doris Stanić has a system. Kerosene Gambler is the new Alley Girl album, following last year’s Peregrine Rambler EP (which we discussed here) and Paradigm Scrambler. The formula seems simple enough: find two words that rhyme, make sure the syllables roughly line up, and call it a record. It sounds like a terrible gimmick, and she recently hinted she might ditch it, but I kinda like it. It feels like an inside joke between her and the audience.

Last year turned Alley Girl, essentially Stanić’s solo home-recording project using a Yamaha MT-50, into something of an underground hype. Kerosene Gambler meets those raised expectations.

Alley Girl’s music has an out-of-time-and-place quality that somehow makes perfect sense for a Dutch-Bosnian human being living in Hollywood Heights. There is a distinctly ’60s feel to timeless pop songs like You Don’t See Me When I Cry. They sound like they could be lost hits from another era, often built around gorgeous melodies, while the lo-fi treatment gives everything a scrappy underground garage-pop edge.

It’s a pretty great compromise, or excuse if you will, for those who like their music rough around the edges but still appreciate a really good pop song when they hear one. And Alley Girl is a pretty great name to captain this particular ship.

At almost a full hour, Kerosene Gambler can initially feel a little overwhelming. Songs start blending into one another while your attention inevitably wanders. Give it some time, though, and the rewards are there. Doris Stanić has a special talent for writing vocal melodies that sound pure, honest, and entirely her own. I’m particularly taken by the underground pop hits that kick off the record, but there’s something to fall in love with in pretty much every song here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Sidesleepers || Like an almost scalding cup of tea

Witty pop songs for complicated feelings

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

Catherine Mactaggart and Mal Wales are Sidesleepers, a brand-new band from Wollongong, Australia, whose guitar pop sound is lovely. And I say that without a hint of cynicism, because Sidesleepers do a little of the small things that make a record stand out from the pack. There is plenty of jangle, hints of Belle and Sebastian, and relatable content, with plenty of emotional confusion and self-sabotage. “I’m becoming increasingly annoyed with myself / for being unable to articulate my possibly confused feelings about you” is the wordy yet catchy hook in Increasingly Annoyed, all delivered with a wonderfully dry sense of humor. And while this is definitely a pop record, it is played with a sense of purpose and movement.

Some of these songs have the makings of instant classics, like Up Around the Bend, which was part of a teaser single earlier this year. There are some surprises as well, like the violin on After All Time (a guest performance from Clare Mactaggart), but my overall takeaway is that this is one of the most enjoyable indie pop records to come out this summer.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of August 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / 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.

Are You Sure (first performed by Tammy Grimes, later also recorded by Aretha Franklin) by Tami Neilson — from Songs from the Motion Picture “Holy Days” soundtrack (Outside Music)

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC) by City Kings — from Chainsaw EP

I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones) by The Offspring — digital track (Concord Records)

…

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

The Loose Ends || August 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam 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, and a link to add it to your shelves.

ABAOAQU || BUDDHOD
Noisy, subtly mathy yet melodic indie rock from France. Consider us intrigued.

The Afghan Whigs || Soft Control
With visceral guitars, soulful intensity, and hard-won wisdom, these ten new songs find strength in embracing both the darkness and the light without losing sight of the absurdity in between.

Apes of the State || Nothing Makes Sense Anymore
Blending biting political rage, personal turmoil, dark humour, and genuine solidarity, these ten folk-punk songs turn a dysfunctional world into a surprisingly life-affirming celebration of resistance, friendship, and simply making it through another day.

…

The Loose Ends || August 2026Read More »

New album: Thee Miniskirts || Turn It! Turn It!

Teenage pop revolution/revaltion from Singapore

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

“You make my heart go!
Doo do doo do doo
Doo do doo do doo
Doo do doo do doo”

Man, is it easy to fall for the opening moments of the debut album from Thee Miniskirts, a Singapore duo that sounds like Ray Davies and Jack Lee have joined the Everly Brothers while being on a Velvet Underground kick. Ten songs of lo-fi garage (power) pop and outsider pop to start a teenage pop revolution.

Doo do doo do doo!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Diyl Tones || Diyl Tones

Stockholm's egg punk answer to the B-52's?

By / / Indie Pop, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

I am still catching up with all the fine music that came out while I was offline for my summer break. Here is a new band from Stockholm that I want to introduce you to. Their first quartet of songs sure sounds exciting. While they self-describe as eggy punk, I would say they have just as much in common with ’80s new wave like The B-52’s, especially on the instrumental Dressup Bop.

Speaking of instrumental, Diyl Tones keep the vocals to a bare minimum here, both in quantity and in how low they are in the mix. And yet, they will keep you on your toes for all seven minutes of this EP. There is plenty going on without anyone needing to tell you about it.

Let’s call it retro-futuristic pop punk then? Out now on Punk Valley Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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