Indie Rock

New album: Tatxers || Tatxers

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

When you press play on the self-titled album by Tatxers (Pamplona, Spain) on Bandcamp, a song called Labanak starts playing. From the get go, it’s impossible not to think of the Clash’s London Calling. The song invited further inspection of the band’s latest release. And, I sure like what I’m hearing. Tatxers have an accessible sound that incorporates elements from punk, new wave, jangle, surf pop, noise and underground pop. They write upbeat tunes with a heart and soul, sung with conviction, and with the bass taking a prominent spot in the songs.

Tatxers is out now through Flexidiscos and Tough Ain’t Enough Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Flexidiscos

New single: Alex Kasznel & the Board of Directors || Landlocked

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

I’ve been chewing on this one for a few weeks now, and I’m not exactly sure why, but the debut single of Alex Kasznel & the Board of Directors from Cincinnati, Ohio continues to fascinate me. Landlocked is a heartfelt lamentation about contemporary America (“If there’s a reason I should stay // You’re gonna have to show me”), sung poetry with sparse musical accompaniment that could erupt at any moment (which it doesn’t). Victoria is a guitar-driven indie rock track about more personal love and heartbreak, with equally clever lyrics (“Tori, you’re always haunting me // Can’t get you to fade from memory”). Goosebumps, right?


Landlocked is out now digitally and on CD through Air Quotes Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Mediocre || To Know You’re Screwed

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Sometimes you come across a song that immediately feels like a classic, like an all-time hit. To Know You’re Screwed – the opening track of an EP of the same title – by Californian indie rock duo Mediocre is such a song. It takes no effort to imagine how a festival field will start to jump and shout at the sound of those first guitar strokes and words of wisdom: “To know you’re screwed is to know a lot // And I’m a mothafucking genius // Don’t worry babe it’s all self taught // Could be all wrong anyway.” We’re talking about multi-instrumentalists Piper Torrison and Keely Martin, who also prove their skills in combining relatable lyrics, raw guitar-driven energy and charming but convincing vocals in the other four tunes. The five stars of the cover art are not even exaggerated, Mediocre is too good to be a one-hit wonder.



To Know You’re Screwed, recorded by Joe Reinhart, is out now digitally and on CD through Dangerbird Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Dangerbird

New single: Brontez Purnell || Jaboukie

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

Brontez Purnell used to front The Younger Lovers. He also is a filmmaker, dancer, choreographer, and author. His latest endeavour: A two-song single for Sub Pop’s Single Series.

Jabouki is a head bopping anthem built on a steady drumbeat that has Purnell’s vocals going back-and-forth with a groovy uncomplicated guitar riff. The result? Synergy! Not only is the song a lot of fun, it is accompanied by a great looking video showcasing the many talents of Purnell. The second song on the single is not to be missed either. It is an exciting reimagined version of Aneurysm, a nod to the biggest Sub Pop band that ever was, Nirvana.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Planet Birthday || Celestial Person

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

I am baffled by how many mails we receive in our mailboxes each day. It can be a pain to scroll through the mud, and the experienced guilt of not having the time to respond to every single mail is one of my least favorite things about running ATW. But every now and then, there is THAT e-mail that makes it all worthwhile. I am referring to West Oakland slacker rockers Planet Birthday’s debut EP Celestial Person that was dropped in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago. The 6-song EP is out today on Tape through Dandy Boy Records. Always behind on my mail, I’ve only started listening to it the past couple of days and I keep returning to it. This is exactly the kind of indie rock I like. Melodic, accessible and anthemic, but also loud and rough around the edges. Planet Birthday are extremely good at writing choruses that hit you in the gut. The band, named after Carvel Ice Cream mascott’s fictitious home planet and featuring members of the Heartlights, play music like their lives depend on it. This is not indie rock by the numbers, but an inspired expression of necessity. It’s still slacker rock though, it has that loose matter of fact quality as well.

Dandy Boy Records suggests that fans of Dinosaur jr. and early King Tuff will like this EP, and I would add Purling Hiss to that list. Planet Birthday mainly cite one band as influential: They “like Ween, and Ween only.” Basically, if you like great guitar playing and powerful indie rock made for underground venues rather than sports arenas, Planet Birthday are your kind of band. They offer a reminder of why you should always have your ears open for new music.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Surely Tempo || Surely Tempo

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

Surely Tempo are a Californian indie rock band that sound somewhat similar to British contemporaries such as Eades, The Reytons and Cucamaras. On their new, self-titled full-length, Alex Johnathan Martienz (vocals, rhythm guitar), Raymond Pardo (bass), David Ismodes (guitar) and Paul Florindo (drums) blast through 12 energetic and dynamic songs in 34 minutes. Fine melodies, clever hooks, effective tempo changes (of course), guitar bursts in the right places and – last but not least – charismatic vocals, they tick everything. If they also can convey this live in some way, this could easily become a festival favorite.



Surely Tempo, produced/mixed/mastered by Bryan Farrell, is out now digitally via Numlock.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Bug Club || Picture This!

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

It’s only been a week since we wrote about their Mr Anyway’s Holey Spirits LP – they now call it “a brief identity crisis” – and already our favorite South Wales indie rock trio returns with new work. On the Picture This! EP, The Bug Club follows the same formula as on last year’s Intelectuals, where one long track turned out to be made up of several short songs, recorded back-to-back in one take. That approach makes the title track on the A side – nearly 8 minutes long – feel like a varied and entertaining medley. B-side Out In The Streets is a (one) “regular” tune, albeit twice as long as we’re used to (and featuring an organ solo), one that could easily become a live favorite. Unbelievable how much creativity Sam, Tilly and Dan have in them, because we can expect even more this year.


Picture This! is out now digitally and soon also on picture disc(!) through Bingo Records (UK) and We Are Busy Bodies (US).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! Tom Brown (Teenage Tom Petties) Takes Us Back To His Teenage Years With His New Single And Picks 5 Favorites

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, 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.

Tom Brown has many talents. He knows chords, has a knack for great band names (Rural France, Teenage Tom Petties), knows how and when to press record on what I assume to be a primitive recording device, he is funny, and has a black belt in working a green screen. Teenage Tom Petties (TTP) is Brown’s semi-autobiographical solo project where he ruminates and reflects on his teenage years and tastes. In Brown’s case, those years were in the ’90s. Remember singing along to ’90s guitar music in the front of your mirror pretending to become a rock star? That is exactly what TTP is all about. Add in a healthy dose of melancholia and self deprecation and you start to get what makes TTP such a likeable act. The throwaway spontaneity of his lo-fi indie rock gems helps as well. This is perhaps Brown’s biggest talent: turning imperfections into something valuable and worthwhile. [post continues below]

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Gimme 5! Tom Brown (Teenage Tom Petties) Takes Us Back To His Teenage Years With His New Single And Picks 5 FavoritesRead More »

New album: Samiam || Stowaway

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

I caught myself having goosebumps. It was at the start of Shoulda Stayed, the fourth song of the new Samiam LP Stowaway. Until that song, Stowaway already had my full attention which, I have to admit, is becoming rather unusual. Frequently, when bands I absolutely loved decades ago release new music, I find myself doing a quick browse, dismissing the record either to revisit their older stuff, or to move on to the latest shiny object. Not in the case of Stowaway though, an excellent record by a band that started in the late ’80s and developed as forebearers of ’90s emotional and melodic punk rock.

To say that Samiam sounds inspired on their first new LP in twelve years is an understatement. Stowaway has that rare quality of a classic band that has found a way to expand and evolve their sound in a way that will make existing fans excited and should appeal to new fans. Front-to-back, this is a great record. It is out now through Pure Noise Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: miniaturized || miniaturized

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

What we know about miniaturized: they are a San Diego-based rock band including members of Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Pinback, No Knife and others, initially gathered for a Tom Petty tribute but eventually found their own sound. Apparently they don’t like capital letters, but the 14 guitar-driven tracks – 50 minutes – on their self-titled debut album are packed with musical exclamation marks. They build on dynamic alternative rock from the 90s, but the songs cannot really be pigeonholed, because instruments, styles and tempo are quite varied. You’ll have to take some time to let all this sink in, but there is a lot of adventure to explore here.



miniaturized, written & arranged by Timothy Joseph and produced & mixed by Mitch Easter, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP. Mark Sgarbossa was responsible for the beautiful cover art.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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