Indie Rock

New album: Crossword Smiles || Pressed & Ironed

By / / Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Pressed & Ironed may be the debut full length of Crossword Smiles, but its two members are guitar pop veterans. I’m referring to Tom Curless (Your Gracious Host) and Chip Saam (The Hangabouts and host of the Indie Pop Takeout radioshow). It should therefore come as no surprise that Pressed & Ironed sounds accomplished and mature, and is full of quality guitar driven power pop.

Curless and Saam cover a lot of bases on the record, and a lot of these songs seem to have their origins in ’80s college radio. I am partial to the rockers on the record (Feet On The Ground, Lotus, Take It On The Chin), but Crossword Smiles manage to evoke a lot of different influences. From Shoes and the dB’s to Steely Dan, from R.E.M. to Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello.

I do find myself skipping three of the songs (October Leaves, Walk Softly and Second Guesser), which I guess is a logical consequence of the broad scope of the record and my lack of tolerance of slower and softer material. But overall, there is no shortage of underground radio hits on this one – my current favs below. Out now on CD and LP through Big Stir Records, who ICYMI also released a(nother) fine Nick Frater record recently.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! Neil Evans Shares 5 Albums That Have Impacted Parallel Bars

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / 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.

It’s exactly one year ago that I stumbled upon Parallel Bars, an “irreverent and irrelevant” solo project by American artist Neil Evans. I really liked his album Malaise, which reminded me somewhat of bands that combined rock and rap-like vocals 20-30 years ago, but seasoned with emo, punk, and ska influences (for example, listen to the earworm I Like What I Like). Today he releases his new full-length album, What Are You Doing?, a question the musician probably asks himself. The opening tune with the telling title Too Young To Quit, Too Old To Care reflects his attitude:  “Another dumb song you can roll your eyes at // Another dive in my mind for the panic attacks.” Obviously, Neil Evans is far too modest (or unjustly insecure about his qualities). The ten fresh Parallel Bars songs pick up where the ten previous ones left off, although the sound focuses more unequivocally on light-hearted emo rock, with relatable contemporary lyrics. Very likeable.

Neil previously indicated that he’s influenced by just about anything with great melody, lyrics, energy, and riffs, but I didn’t expect the albums he chooses below. Hold on tight for a surprising and eclectic episode of our Gimme 5! feature, with a wonderful insight into the soul of a musician who should receive more appreciation – from the audience, but also from himself.

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New single: Green/Blue || Worry b/w Gimme Hell

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

Green/Blue already released not one but two of the finest records of 2022, and somehow still have gas left in the tank. Here is a double A-side single that only further cements Green/Blue’s reign of the airwaves. Worry and Gimme Hell were recorded in the Paper Thin sessions – the band’s second LP of 2022, but somehow didn’t make the album. Imagine writing songs this great and leaving them out of your record. Imagine being scene veterans and still be this relevant after twenty plus years. What a band. Pre-order the 7″ now through Feel It Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: More Kicks || Punch Drunk

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

What a week for musicians called James Sullivan. We already wrote about the highly recommended In The Marigolds by Jim Nothing – a three piece recalling the heyday of Flying Nun led by James Sullivan from Christchurch (NZ). And here we have the new record by More Kicks, a powerpop/altpop three-piece led by James Sullivan from London (UK).

Punch Drunk is the second More Kicks LP. Whereas the band’s self-titled debut (2019) had a more traditional powerpop/mod sound, Punch Drunk has quite a lot in common with James Sullivan’s excellent 2021 solo album. That is, More Kicks are less easy to categorize with Punch Drunk, transcending the usual genres. The press release mentions “classic 60s garage, 70s NYC rock and roll, and jagged 90s guitar pop” as just some of the influences on this record. That sounds about right and fair chance that if you like quality guitar music that is loud and has a lot of melody, you’ll find a lot to like about Punch Drunk. What doesn’t hurt is that as a songwriter, Sullivan has been in the zone for quite some time now. Anytime he picks up an instrument, he seems to turn it into something worthwhile – or perhaps he is just really good in hiding his bad stuff?

Punch Drunk is the kind of record that should sell itself. But if you need another nudge to actually give it a chance, note that it’s co-released by two of the finest labels in powerpop and punk: Dirtnap and Stardumb Records. Do stamps of approval get better than that? I know I’m getting a copy of this one ASAP.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Stardumb || Discogs

New EP: Probleman || EP

By / / Indie Rock, Punk / 1 Comment

Let’s pay a quick visit to Trondheim, Norway where Probleman just dropped their debut EP. Probleman is a three-piece (Matthias, Ludwig and Morten) influenced by three decades of emo-ish music. Mineral, Knapsack, Promise Ring, Algernon Cadwallader and Macseal are just some of the bands Probleman namedrops.

This four-song EP shows a lot of promise, and if you like emo with twinkly guitars and energy, you should definitely give this band a chance. “We are lucky enough to have a studio situated down at the docks in Trondheim. All our songs are rehearsed, recorded, mixed, and produced here. The place gives us the space to write and record and take our time with the songs,” the band explains at Get Alternative. Probleman hopes to release their debut full length in the first half of 2023.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Jim Nothing || In The Marigolds

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop / 2 Comments

Yesterday, I found myself severely lost in Jim Nothing’s In The Marigolds. Jim Nothing (Christchurch, New-Zealand) is James Sullivan (Salad Boys), Anita Clark (Motte) and Brian Feary (Wurld Series, Salad Boys, Melted Ice Cream Records). Full of ramshackle charm, sweet melodies and a variety of styles, In The Marigolds is a feast for the synapses. It’s the kind of record that let’s you escape to a place of excitement, but also of peace and appreciation.

At its core, In the Marigolds is James Sullivan’s love letter to Flying Nun Records. Effortlessly switching between slacker indie rock (Never Come Down, Already Gone), jangle goodness (Seahorse Kingdom), and strummy indiepop (Fall Back Down), Jim Nothing takes all of the good parts of NZ/AU underground pop to create something exciting and new that sounds delightfully familiar. One of the many highlights on the record is Nowhere Land, a song where Anita Clark takes the award for best support act with her violin playing and you start to wonder if the violion and scrappy vocals could turn into the PB & J of indie rock.

In The Marigolds has the feel of a modern classic. It is out now through Meritorio Records (Spain) and Melted Ice Cream (NZ/AU) – the latter “a worthy successor to Flying Nun” according to this #1 fan of FN. Safe bet this one will be on heavy rotation this Autumn.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio || Melted Ice Cream

New EP: Feral Joy || EP

By / / Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

With their 2021 self-titled debut in the books, Feral Joy (Athens, Georgia) return with a 6-song EP called EP. The four-piece recorded most of the songs in one of the members’ bedroom and what they may lack in production value (if you value such a thing), they make up with excitement and energy. Feral Joy are Exhibit A of how you do scrappy and ramshackle indie rock, which they play at a decent tempo and inject with some heartfelt emocore tendencies. The quality of this batch of tunes is consistently strong. Pick any one and you should get an idea what this band is all about. Recommended!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Mo Troper || MTV

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

Mo Troper is the kind of artist who writes songs like there is no tomorrow. Out of necessity perhaps, an overflow of creative juices. By now, Troper has found, or should I say created his own niche of first take lo-fi pop nuggets – power-, psych- and ’60s pop nuggets to be more specific. MTV may be my favorite Mo Troper record yet. It’s full of adventure and detours to explore. I’m pretty sure I Fall Into Her Arms is my favorite Mo Troper song yet. Subject to change of course, ask me again in a couple of weeks. Surely Troper will have released a new batch of hits by then.

MTV is out now through Lame-O Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Dentist || Making A Scene

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

Dentist (Asbury Park, New Jersey) started about a decade ago and just dropped their best release yet with Making A Scene. The band’s contemporary indiepunk (or punchy indiepop) sounds bouncy, upbeat and is full of poppy vocals and surfy guitar lines. On standout tracks Understand It and The Pilot the band evokes Alvvays and Say Sue Me, but I’d count Tacocat and particularly The Go-Go’s as reference points as well. Those influences should give you an idea of the amount of fun and strong melodies on this one.

Making A Scene is out now on CD and (pink) vinyl through Cleopatra Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Various Artists || Sea Creatures Stared at Us and We Stared Back at Them

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

A cynic may argue it is utter madness to start a record label in 2022. A romantic would see it as prove that there will always be passionate musicians and fans of music crazy enough to spent their most valuable resource (i.e., time) on putting out and promoting the music of others. That romantic may have thought about starting a label as well, but scared to take the plunge.

Count us among the romantics. Hence, it’s been a joy to witness the birth of Wilbur & Moore, a label started by two Dutch friends (Joep & Bas) who live 10.000 miles apart but share a love for experimental indie music. Early on, it was clear that the label had the looks – the art direction by Bas van Genugten is pretty great. And now we finally have a first impression of the sound direction. Or perhaps not, since the label’s debut release is an eclectic selection of artists covering the music of Jeffrey Lewis. The comp contains lo-fi rockers, anti-folk, slacker pop and stripped down acoustic tracks and everything in between. The comp is all over the place really, and if there is a commonality among the songs it is (a) the home recording vibe (b) the heart and soul the artists have put in their renditions. Indie rock, underground pop and alternative music seem to be points of departure for Wilbur & Moore, no hard borders or boundaries.

Sea Creatures Stared at Us and We Stared Back at Them is a bold start by Wilbur & Moore. Like the best tribute compilations it offers a lot to discover and makes you want to check out many of the artists featured – and revisit the orginals, for which the label made this convenient playlist. Below are some of my favorites. Press play and, if you are curious, read more about the label’s backstory here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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