Indie Rock

New album: Sweet Teeth || The Void That Eats The Heart

Heavy melodies done the Scandinavian way

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

A lot of people got excited when Bob Mould announced Sugar would reunite for a tour. I can’t help but wonder whether anyone was happier than the two Andreases, Joona, and Jocke from Sweden’s Sweet Teeth. They’ve been keeping that sound alive while Sugar was on hiatus. And I don’t mean that as a criticism. Quite the opposite. If ever there was a band proudly wearing its influences on its sleeve, it’s Sweet Teeth.

The Void That Eats The Heart is a worthy follow-up to 2022’s High Anxiety and the band’s spectacular debut EP, Acid Rain. It’s heavy without becoming oppressive, melodic without losing its bite, and packed with songs that feel oddly familiar from the very first spin. More than anything, this is a record made by people who genuinely love plugging in guitars, turning the amps up, and making a glorious racket together.

Listening to Sweet Teeth, I can’t shake the feeling they’d be the perfect opening band for any major rock act touring Scandinavia. They’d win over the crowd long before the headliner hit the stage.

The Void That Eats The Heart is out now via De:Nihil Records, Engineer Records, and Scene Police.



Add to wantlist: Engineer Records || Scene Police || De:Nihil ||

 

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)

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New album: Mopar Stars || Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil

The past, present, and future of underground guitar rock, all in 28 minutes

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

Look, I know I get excited about bands a little too easily. My enthusiasm has raised more than a few eyebrows among friends, family, and coworkers over the years. I doubt any of them understand just how much I’ve been looking forward to this week, because Philadelphia’s Mopar Stars have finally released their debut LP.

It has been a long time coming. Their 2023 EP Shoot The Moon was one of those rare “where has this band been all my life?” discoveries. A year later, Burning Question somehow proved it wasn’t a fluke. Then Stupid Bag Records did us all a favor by collecting both EPs on one essential LP. But Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil is the real thing: a full-length statement from a band that has been quietly building an impeccable batting average.

The higher your expectations, the greater the chance of disappointment. Not this time. Press play on opener Wreck The Bike. Isn’t that one of the finest indie rock songs you’ve heard all year? It’s the opening chapter of a breathless 28-minute songwriting masterclass. Mopar Stars isn’t trying to reinvent rock ‘n’ roll. Quite the opposite. The band works with the same familiar building blocks everyone else has access to. The trick is that they somehow arrange them into songs that feel fresher, brighter, and more irresistible than they have any right to.

That probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mopar Stars is made up of members of Poison Ruïn, Zorn, Positronix, TVO, ICD10, and Sheer Mag, all seemingly using this band to indulge their collective power pop addiction. George Orwell never actually wrote this, but he probably should have: all hooks are equal, but some hooks are more equal than others. If someone stuck me in an MRI scanner while this record was playing, I’m convinced they’d discover an entirely new section of the brain devoted exclusively to Mopar Stars hooks.

There are traces of ’70s power pop and classic rock, ’80s college rock, and ’90s alternative rock all over Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil. But none of that really explains why this record is so good. Some bands just have that rare ability to make great songs sound effortless. Mopar Stars has it in absurd quantities.

If there is a better guitar record coming out this year, I’d genuinely like to hear it. Until then, this is the one I’ll be trying to convince everyone else to fall in love with.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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?

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The Loose Ends || July 2026Read More »

New album: Tycoon Machete || Xenoblaster

Broadcasting a kaleidoscopic tale from the fringes of the American dream

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Indie Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Tycoon Machete is an art rock quartet from Salt Lake City, featuring John Whipple, Erin Stout, James Perry, and Sean McCarthy. Their latest record, Xenoblaster, came out two weeks ago, but I still can’t quite grasp it, layered and surreal as it is, both in terms of music (in their own words: guided by the ghosts of 1930s blues, 1960s psychedelia, 1980s electronica, and 1990s grunge) and lyrics (a romanticized, explicit history lesson). It seems sensible to let the band’s songwriter explain the themes here: “It’s based on the exploits of Dr. John R. Brinkley, an American hero who cured impotence by inserting goat testicles into sad men’s nutsacks. We thought this would be an apt metaphor about the American alignment of stupidity and power.”

It’s an eccentric concept album that thrives on chaos and cynical satire, but somehow it works. In ten extravagant songs, the bizarre life story of the infamous ‘goat gland’ doctor, radio pioneer, and self-made millionaire is told, set to psychedelic prog rock that is alternately dark and funky. With swirling textures, eclectic instrumentation (including a 1942 lap steel, 1890’s plectrum banjo, singing saw, synthesizers, and samplers), experimental twists, and black humor, Xenoblaster feels like a fever dream broadcast from a forgotten radio tower: strange, theatrical, and itense, yet captivating and impossible to ignore.



Xenoblaster is out digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (here you can also find the complete backstory and lyrics of all tracks).

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: Little Gold || Public Dog

An album that already feels like a great gig

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

Athens, Georgia has never been short on indie rock talent, so any project drawing from that scene immediately has my attention. Little Gold is the latest example, a passion project led by Christian DeRoeck (Woods, Meneguar) and featuring members of Big Trouble, The Howdies, Drew Beskin & The Sunshine, and Footings.

Public Dog is already the band’s fifth album, serving up an inviting mix of country-tinged indie rock and college rock. But what I like most about this record is that it keeps making me think about the live show. The sequencing plays like a well-planned setlist. Rockers like Cochise, Born To Loose (sic), and Pissin keep things moving, while quieter moments such as the percussion-free The Queen’s Weed, the instrumental Philomena (Pt. 2), and slow burners like Early Internet and Mercury provide exactly the breathing room and emotional heft they need.

Some records make you want to hear them again. Public Dog makes me want to find out when Little Gold is playing next.

Buy the LP via Tall Texan Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Attic Salt || Stay In The Midwest

Midwest indie punk comfort food

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

“Recycled guitar riffs / From songs no one would miss.”

It’s a casually delivered line from the middle of Attic Salt’s third album. Not an apology, not a confession, just a statement of fact. Attic Salt isn’t all that interested in being unique. They’re far more interested in being worth your time. And Stay In The Midwest is time well spent.

The band plays the kind of modern power pop I usually file under indie punk: endlessly melodic, instantly likable, and wrapped in a warm, unassuming package. The alternating lead vocals add even more charm, while fans of The Beths or the more power pop-minded side of Superchunk should feel right at home here.

Recorded between 2020 and 2025, Stay In The Midwest sounds less like a band that took forever to finish a record and more like one that refused to rush it. These songs sound like they had time to become themselves, written by people who genuinely enjoy making music together. Let’s hope they never stop.



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

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