Jangle Pop

New album: The Love Variants || Life of Riley

A subtly great jangle dream pop debut from Austin

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

Austin quartet The Love Variants emerge onto the underground indie pop scene as subtle as their music. Their eight-song debut cassette, Life of Riley (released by Keeper Records), is one of those records where one spin in, you already know they are not your average jangle dream pop band.

Take Golden Age, where it becomes clear how much this band values letting melodies linger and shimmer rather than rush past you. The vocals match that mood, romantic and dreamy, but with enough melancholy underneath to keep things grounded.

The Love Variants feel like peers of Bay Area acts like The Reds, Pinks & Purples and Chime School, but there is also a strong ’80s UK current running through this. At times, it sounds like they are auditioning for a spot on a John Hughes soundtrack. They even throw in an instrumental, Red Moon, which plays like a strange but effective hybrid of surf and spaghetti western.

Life of Riley is a joy to spend time with.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Keeper Records

New single: The Kitchenettes || Sunday Best

Another jangle pop gem from San Francisco

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

From the bountiful San Francisco jangle pop scene comes The Kitchenettes, who share members with The Umbrellas and The Snogs, but sport a more Pacific Northwest sensibility. Their inaugural single (though not their first release) Sunday Best finds a home on storied indie labels Slumberland, Meritorio, and Galaxy Train. In comparison to their 2024 demos collection, which boasted a slightly caffeinated take on the K Records sound, the ambience here is soft and dusky—think The Softies, not Tiger Trap. 

Lead tune Sunday Best is the jaunty one: a winning number held together by charming vocal interplay and an insistent snare. Mood Ring and Hummingbird are equally joyful but forgo the use of percussion entirely, instead relying on the gentle strum of acoustic guitar and occasional lift of violin. The trio demonstrate a deft hand for arrangement throughout, managing a sound both ethereal and earthbound, intentional and off-the-cuff. 

Here are three sweet, irresistible songs that envelope you briefly before dissolving into the afterglow, leaving you wanting more—just as a good single should. 

Sunday Best is out now on 7″ on Slumberland, Meritorio, and Galaxy Train. 

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio || Slumberland

New EP: Research Vessel || Part of the Charm

Research Vessel's gentle twee pop is the prescription you need

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Here’s a sweet and tasty treat from Research Vessel, another growing-out-of-hand project from Danny Rowland (Seapony, Transmittens, Space Daze). After two cassette releases, Research Vessel finally becomes available on vinyl and CD. If you missed the first two releases, I’m kinda jealous because there’s a special pleasure in discovering this band for the first time. Research Vessel songs have a way of releasing the tension in your shoulders with their gentle and humble nature. Doctors may want to include it in their prescriptions because this may outperform any prescription drug.

Press play on Wish I Knew and let its jangly guitars tickle your brain and the hushed warmth of Rowland’s voice soothe your soul. Surely it’s one of the finest twee pop songs this year will bring. I would buy this EP for that one alone, but there are four additional songs which together open a portal to spring.

7″ vinyl and CD EP out through Sunday Records (US), Vinyl Exchange (UK), Hands and Arms Records (EU), and The Stone Records (Japan).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

The Loose Ends || March 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk / 1 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.

Aswan Dam || In the Playpen of the Damned
Cool new band featuring Harry Wohl of Uranium Club. Jangly guitars, post punk wireness and pop sensibilities complement each other well on their 10-song debut album.

Atlanter || Clock
The pioneers of “viddeblues” sound revitalized, blending their signature Norwegian folk-desert blues fusion with renewed chemistry, intuitive interplay, and a confident push into fresh sonic territory.

Bait Bag || Cut Fruit
Punky garage pop trio Bait Bag (North Haven, Carolina) can sing, really sing well, and while they play their songs with a punk urgency, it is the POP that lingers.

…

The Loose Ends || March 2026Read More »

New album: True Green || Hail Disaster

Stories that linger like sirens in the distance

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

“Putting out music right now feels like handing out your resume at a funeral” and “things in Minneapolis are really shitty right now,” yet that situation doesn’t stop Dan Hornsby and Tailer Ransom from releasing a sophomore album with their indie folk project True Green. It only makes the meaning of the thirteen new tracks on Hail Disaster even greater, I guess. The lo-fi haze of their debut LP My Lost Decade—we called it wobbly bedroom pop at the time—has been exchanged for something fuller, warmer, and quietly devastating.

Dan Hornsby writes like a novelist because he is one; his songs read as short stories about cruelty, obsession, and loss. His voice stays soft, but the weight behind it has shifted; these are hard-earned reflections. The organ, banjo, synthesizers, concertina, and guitar by multi-instrumentalist Tailer Ransom wrap everything in a fragile glow, at times somewhat reminiscent of The Velvet Underground, equal parts homespun and haunted. It led to a beautiful and impressive soundtrack for the current context; outside the world burns, inside this music documents the turmoil with unsettling grace.



Hail Disaster—mixed and mastered by Matt Castore—is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Spacecase Records. Also featuring Dustin James, John Goddard, Zach Mitchell, Kent Peterson, Curtis Arnett, Nik Eskola, Scott Kiefner, Isaac Butler, and Jared Bartman.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Spacecase

New album: Brody Londrigan || Isle Of Swine

Timeless guitar pop with a golden voice

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Please meet Brody Londrigan, a 17-year-old singer-songwriter/guitarist from Phoenix, Arizona with a sensitive pen and a unique voice. He makes his debut with Isle Of Swine, a 10-track album driven by jangly guitars and those distinctive vocals, reminiscent of The Smiths and Tobias Jesso Jr.

The music and lyrics evoke a melancholic atmosphere (“The shadows have their day // Your dreams don’t have to end”), fitting the cover photo that could be a poster for a new coming-of-age series. There’s a disarming sincerity and an understated charm in this sound, brimming with promise.



Isle Of Swine is out now digitally via Au Soleil.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Anoraks || Demo

Manchester duo underpromise and overdeliver on their debut demo

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

Let’s head over to Manchester for a new band by the name The Anoraks. They’re actually a duo: Louis Singleton (guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals) and Frankie Webb (guitar, bass, vocals, backup vocals). They clearly like their power pop and Britpop jangly, twee, and lo-fi, although the latter may also be a decision of convenience. The eleven cuts here are home recordings from the past five months, tagged as Demo, as if to say: this is who we are, we’re just getting started, don’t be too critical of the production quality or the songs themselves.

Well, I’m not accusing Singleton and Webb of false modesty, but this Demo is a clear case of underpromise and overdeliver. There are plenty of wonderful underground guitar pop moments here, like the double-hit sequence of Seeing You Again and Untitled. The Anoraks know their way around a melody and aren’t making you work particularly hard to enjoy them. The familiarity of their sound is a feature, not a bug. At the very least, this Demo makes you hit the follow button on their Bandcamp page in anticipation of what they’ll cook up next.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: 2m8o || Popcorn Ceilings

Vinny Earley and Staz Lindes make their basement pop sound effortlessly great

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

Confession: I had no idea what popcorn ceilings were before this album. Quick search reveals it’s that cheap, bumpy ceiling texture from the ’70s and ’80s that landlords loved and tenants tolerate. Is the title a nod to basement show aesthetics? A celebration of scrappy DIY charm over polished perfection? Probably. Either way, Vinny Earley (Vaguess) and Staz Lindes (The Paranoyds) have made another record worth your attention.

You may recall 2m8o (yes, tomato, but easier to find on the digital highway this way) from their excellent 2023 debut. Popcorn Ceilings is worth your time as well, and a quick scan will quickly lead to an extended stay. This is jangly indie pop—garage bubblegum, basement pop, slacker twee, call it whatever you want, because 2m8o refuse to let themselves get boxed in. Dual vocals, double-tap snare drum hits, and guitars that are relatively clean yet still sound scrappy make this one an easy listen that doesn’t feel lightweight.

Highlights include Danny’s Poison, which seduces you even though its message is one of warning, and the straightforward catchy upbeat pop of the title track, Lot’s to Say, and Wishy Washy. Magic Mountain is another gateway to the appeal of this band, all jangle and charm without trying too hard.

Out now on LP through Under the Gun Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Motorists || Never Sing Alone

Toronto shapeshifters deliver their most ambitious and pop-oriented record yet

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

I like the first two Motorists albums, but the Toronto band aren’t the kind where liking one record automatically translates to liking the others as the band is unafraid to shake things up. The band’s third, Never Sing Alone, continues that trajectory. It’s by far their most pop-oriented record, shedding a lot of their post-punk and power pop feathers to create a guitar pop album with broader appeal and wider ambition.

A song like The Damage is a throwback to Motorists’ sonic style on their debut, showing they can play that sound in their sleep. But clearly, this band’s aims for something bigger. Frogman sounds like Bay Area jangle pop. Scattered White Horses blends classic indie rock with classic pop singing. Diogenes has that quirky, playful indie rock sound that had a moment in the ’00s (think Spinto Band). The Man in The Circular Window has a psych pop vibe. There’s a lot to unpack, but the wrapping is easy on the ears.

Admittedly, I initially dismissed this record because I had so much other stuff piling up. But around my third spin, things started to click. Now, I’m starting to believe this is the band’s best record yet. Spending time with Never Sing Alone pays off. Put this one in the grower bin.

Out now on We Are Time Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Hanemoon || (untitled)

Hans Forster's gentle guitar pop for a world that's too loud

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

The fourth Hanemoon album is not self-titled but (untitled), and that non-description fits the modesty of its creator, Hans Forster (Seaside Stars), whose music is never in-your-face or pushy. It’s more a display of “take it for what it is, or walk around it.” For patient and gentle ears, (untitled) makes the world a kinder and better place.

This is quiet pop in a loud world. Gentle and jangly guitar pop, with Dropkick and the softer side of Teenage Fanclub as its peers. The fourth full-length since the Hanemoon debut in 2020, Forster’s Hanemoon project has grown into something durable, like that jacket you keep wearing because it has such a snug fit. There’s a warmth to these songs that can’t be faked, the kind that seeps in slowly and sticks around long after the record ends. I wouldn’t want to miss it.

(untitled) is out now digitally. Pre-order the CD at Subjangle Records (expected to ship early May).



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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