Indie Rock

New EP: Itches || Kingdom Upstairs

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

Wow, Vorselaar (Belgium) three-piece Itches hold nothing back on their EP Kingdom Upstairs. It’s a wild and loud affair of ramshackle garagerock that the Belgians bring to the table. If you are into modern garageacts like Ty Segall and Oh Sees, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one. What I’m even more sure of: Itches sound like they are a must see live act when they are in your neighborhood. Put on Down The Drain, play it loud and get swept away by this exciting act.

Out now digitally through Ronny Rex, vinyl coming sooner or later.



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New album: Dateline || Dumb For My Age

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

We had to go all the way to New Zealand for it, but this discovery was totally worth it. Here’s Dateline, the grungy indie rock band of musician/songwriter Katie Everingham, which now also includes Callum Devlin (Hans Pucket), Priya Sami (Trip Pony, Sami Sisters, BUB) and Ruby Walsh (Lips, Trip Pony). In sound and feel, their full-length debut album Dumb For My Age takes you back to the alternative pop/rock of the 90s and early 00s – you’ll hear nine chilled songs with raging guitars, dazzling vocals and lyrics full of emotions. The video for the title track has been around for over a year, but still is fun enough to share (for more recent footage, there’s a brand new video for the track Love Hertz). This is indie rock the way it’s meant to be. RIYL The Cranberries, Snail Mail, Dude York, Diet Cig.

Dumb For My Age is out now digitally via Sunreturn Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Bundy Bunch || The Bundy Bunch EP

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

The Bundy Bunch hail from Kopervik, a coastal town in Norway that’s a three to four hour drive from Bergen. They debut with a five song self-titled EP which offers a nice blend of garage pop and slacker indie rock. They have a knack for writing songs that are easy on the ear, instantly likeable and don’t outstay their welcome. Already curious what these fellows will cook up next. We’ll be listening. The Bundy Bunch EP is out now through In Black Records.



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New single: State Drugs & ZEPHR || Split

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

In their latest release, Snappy Little Numbers send two of the finest parts of their roster to the frontlines for a 7″split single. Catering to their strengths, State Drugs and ZEPHR both return unscathed. State Drugs (no strangers to regular visitors of our site) showcase their distinct sound (i.e., subtle ’90s alt pop influenced punkrock) in a song called Mr. Untitled. It’s a good one, though I may prefer ZEPHR’s contribution Landline (J’ai Une Ãme Solitaire). It’s quite the punkrock anthem with hints of ’90s indie rock and emo that’s given me just the right amount of nostalgia.



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New album: Emily Jane Powers || Always

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

Earlier this week, Dennis shared a 50 song (4LP) record. That’s insane – not by Dennis but by the artist. For a blog trying to strike a balance between sharing as much great new music as possible but also spending sufficient time with said music, a record of that size is close to a nightmare. Here’s one that is more like a dream: Always by Emily Jane Powers. Listening to the record will take less than 13 minutes and you get 10 songs in the time spent. That’s great! Even better, Always is a treat to the ears. Inspired by the songwriting of Tony Molina, the spontaneity and straightforward nature of Always works really well. There is a natural flow to the songs, which are meant to be experienced in sequence and in one sitting.

Expect short and sweet upbeat indie rock songs which Powers infuses with ’60s girl group melodies. It’s hard to beat the feeling of stumbling on songs like I Don’t Miss You Much When You’re Around, I’d Love You More (If Only You Want Me), Will You Call Me Over and I Changed My Mind. Always is out on Tape in a small run of 50 pink cassettes with handmade artwork, most of which are sold already.




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New EP: Mt. Misery || The Time It Takes

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

Hartlepool (UK) three piece Mt. Misery are a fine example that quality indie pop is not exclusive to the San Francisco Bay Area or Australia. There are just four songs on their new EP – 3 originals and a lovely Wannadies cover. They pass by like a breeze, sounding way more sunny and upbeat than the band’s name and location suggests. What’s next for Mt. Misery? A second full length they are currently working on. If the songwriting of The Time It Takes EP is any indication, we’re in for a treat!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Penpals || CAARRS

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

Penpals are a legendary ’90s altrock/altpop band from Japan. The band broke up in 2005, then reunited in 2011, but CAARRS marks their true return to writing and recording new music. And boy, what a glorious return it is. CAARRS is a strong collection full of slacker rock and altpop in the vein of contemporaries like Evan Dando and Stephen Malkmus. Warm, fuzzy, unpolished, laidback and rockin’, Penpals sound inspired on CAARRS.

It’s always tricky when bands reunite and record new music, but in the case of Penpals I’m impressed with the outcome. CAARRS is out now on CD through Testcard Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Testcard Records

New album: Spielbergs || Vestli

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

Oslo’s loudest and most anthemic Spielbergs weren’t lying when they named their 2019 debut LP This Is Not The End. The record, which included instant classics in Distant Star and We’re All Going To Die, marked an exciting start for the band gathering critical and popular acclaim. If you liked that record, you are in for a treat with their new album Vestli. Spielbergs come screaming out of the gates with the first four songs, all of which score a 10 out of 10 on intensity, energy and melody. Those first 14 to 15 minutes are so enjoyable it is a good thing that the band included a 30 second breather (Kano GM) before moving to the more diverse second half of the record. Thoughout it all, Spielbergs still sound very much like a mix of Cloud Nothings and Japandroids, with Vestli appearing a bit more consistent and durable than This Is Not The End.

I still need to experience Spielbergs live, but anticipate it being like a VO2 max test – in a good way. Vestli is out now through Big Scary Monsters.



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New album: Liquid Mike || A Beer Can And A Bouquet

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

Back to Marquette we go! Liquid Mike returns with their third full-length, and it’s everything I could’ve hoped for. Liquid Mike is fronted by Mike Maple who frequently pops up on our site with his own music and contributions in the work of the extremely talented circle of musicians from Marquette. Cody Marecek of Yard Waste (drums), Monica Nelson (synths), and Raymond Little (guitar – make sure to check out his excellent solo record) round out Liquid Mike on A Beer Can And A Bouquet.

Liquid Mike have kept all the good parts about their previous record Stuntman. They still very much sound like a punchy and energetic indie rock/powerpop hybrid in the vein of Midtown, Piebald, Laika’s Orbit and The Promise Ring. Liquid Mike pour their heart and soul in these nine new recordings. The band calls it their most collaborative effort to date and had a blast creating the record. It shows. Songs like Lease Agreement, Elmer’s Glue, Snoozer, I’ll Get Back To You all stand out, and the quality throughout the record is consistently strong. There is a bittersweet element to the record though. Drummer Cody Marecek moved away recently, and the future of the band is unclear. Will it mark the end of Liquid Mike? Will they continue with a different drummer? Will the band become a recording project exclusively?

The final song on A Beer Can And A Bouquet is called There’s No Rock and Roll No More // Death to Liquid Mike. It starts out as a melancholic campfire acoustic track, and finishes as a loud instrumental track. The song kinda hurts and hits hard, even though I’m sure the people involved with or without each other will continue to create music worth our ears. I cross my fingers that this is not the last thing we hear from Liquid Mike. But whatever happens, thanx for burning bright Liquid Mike!




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New album: Norm Archer || Flying Cloud Terrace

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

Will Pearce is a home recording enthusiast from Portsmouth (UK). He releases his solo music under the name Norm Archer, and Flying Cloud Terrace is a collection of songs he’s been working on since 2017. Pearce does everything on the record, helped out only on drums on some of the tracks by Ben Whyntie.

I’ve been sitting on this record for a while, but somehow keep returning to it. Each time I find new elements about the record to like, again surprised how good these songs are. You can tell that Pearce likes to take his time with his music. They do not sound like first take lo-fi home demos at all, but like accomplished full band recordings. The songs are well constructed, and Pearce clearly knows his way around hooks and delayed rewards. And as songs like South Parade, A Human Not, and The Seatbelt Won’t Release show, Pearce has a knack for writing memorable melodies.

If you are looking for a quality powerpop/britpop record, give this one a try.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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