Jangle Pop

New album: I Wanna Be A Truck Driver || While No One’s Looking

A lo-fi kitchen core treat from Glasgow

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

I Wanna Be A Truck Driver might be a hard to find band at first, but once they’re on your radar, you’ll want to keep up with whatever they put out. Their latest album, While No One’s Looking, finds the Glasgow collective in particularly fine form. Their lo-fi kitchen-core sound is deeply rooted in underground pop history—the ’80s kind (cue your inevitable Flying Nun and Sarah Records references, insert hashtag The Pastels, hashtag C86 as well) with a touch of ’90s indie scrappiness.

What makes While No One’s Looking stand out is how raucous it is for a jangle pop record. Many of the songs have that raw, unpolished spontaneity of a first take, capturing the charm of imperfection. And is it just me, or does Blast Off! has everything you’d want in an underground pop hit?



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Loft || Everything Changes Everything Stays The Same

Debut LP that delivers on promise, forty years after 'Up The Hill & Down The Slope' EP

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Mid-80s, British indie pop band The Loft seemed to have a bright future ahead of them—their singles on Creation Records have proven to be quite influential—but splitting up during a gig at the Hammersmith Palais put an abrupt end to a career that had only just begun. And now they’re back!? Forty years older and wiser, the original line up of Pete Astor (vocals, guitar), Andy Strickland (guitar), Bill Prince (bass) and Dave Morgan (drums) has released their full-length debut album after all (the backstory is captured in a short documentary).

The collection of ten brand new songs, aptly titled Everything Changes, Everything Stays The Same, is everything you could hope for. That is: perfect jangle pop tunes with appealing lyrics, tasteful guitar melodies, classy hooks and magnetic vocals, shimmering and irresistible.



Everything Changes Everything Stays The Same—produced by Sean Read—is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Tapete Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Pale Lights || Pale Lights

If this is goodbye, Pale Lights sign off with grace

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That first song on the new Pale Lights album (or, at eight songs, mini-album) feels instantly familiar—it’s a rerecorded version of You & I, one of the band’s finest tracks. Its inclusion almost seems unnecessary, as if we need a reminder of what makes Pale Lights so special. But still, what a class track!

Of the remaining seven songs, five are brand new, and they reinforce that Pale Lights remain masters of indie guitar pop and jangle. With whispers that this may be the band’s final album (with other projects like Love, Burns fighting for priority), the whole thing carries a bittersweet air—but then again, a touch of melancholy has always lingered in Phil Sutton & co.’s melodies.

If this truly is the last we hear from Pale Lights, they’re going out on a high, especially with songs like Girl on a Bridge, Paper Wagons, and the stunning Changing the World.

Pale Lights is out now on LP at Jigsaw Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Tubs || Cotton Crown

Guitar-driven greatness full of grit and grief

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Two years on from their year-end list-worthy debut album Dead Meat, London-based Welsh band The Tubs are back with their sophomore full-lenghter, titled Cotton Crown. We can not leave it unmentioned: the baby on the cover photo is frontman Owen ‘O’ Williams (Ex-Vöid, Joanna Gruesome, Sniffany & The Nits), being nursed in a graveyard by his mother, folk singer Charlotte Greig (it is a promotional picture for the release of her 1998 Night Visiting Songs LP), who committed suicide in 2014—it doesn’t get much more meta than this.

The nine new songs are a bold evolution from the rising indie force: the melodic hooks are even more prominent, captured in a heavier and richer sound, but at the same time the lyrics are darker and more personal (understandable, if you know that they are centered around the aftermath of the death of his mum), reflecting emotional rawness. Goosebumps on closing track Strange: “They ask me what it’s like // If I’m alright // I say it makes me more interesting // Then we laugh // And then it’s all fine.”

Despite the theme, this record does not bring a gloomy mood, on the contrary—after tragedy comes merrymaking, as anyone who has seen The Tubs perform live will attest. The witty wordplay and memorable choruses, bright jangly guitars, and Williams’ distinctive vocals are simply irresistible.




Cotton Crown—recorded by Matt Green—is out now digitally, on cassette, CD and vinyl LP, through Trouble In Mind Records. Featuring Owen ‘O’ Williams (vocals, guitar), George Nicholls (guitar), Max Warren (bass) and Taylor Stewart (drums), with Lan McCardle (amazing backing vocals) on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New single: The Paris Match || The Letter I Sent

A ptich-perfect debut with the sound of nostalgia, reinvented for today

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

Please meet The Paris Match, a relatively new but compelling British band, named after a song by The Style Council but sound-wise a bit more akin to The Jam. An EP of acoustic demos (Ballet On Reservoirs) and an EP of a live performance (Live! at RMS) have been doing the rounds for some time, but now they have officially released their debut single.

Both songs—The Letter I Sent and Sweet Sorbet Lady—have a vintage feel but are completely in the now, excelling in yearning melodies and shimmering hooks, with lyrics you can sing along to right away (“You got something I want // You got something I need”), and celestial harmonies. Jangly power pop hits, made for the repeat button.

The Letter I Sent b/w Sweet Sorbet Lady, produced by Euan Hinshelwood, is out now streaming via TPM Records Ltd. Featuring Dylan Woosey, Oscar Stokes, Thomas McGuigan, Sander Priston, Oliver Richardson and Rocco Marche.

Add to wantlist: Linktree

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of February 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg 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, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it was jam-packed with worthy covers. Here are ten songs you should definitely listen to.

Jubilee Street || Cover: The Color Forty Nine || Original Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
San Diego, California-based indie rock band The Color Forty Nine have brought together a selection of nine more subdued songs on a beautiful new full-length album, appropriately titled A Whisper (self-released). A moody reworking or Nick Cave’s Jubilee Street—with a feel reminiscent of The National—fits in seamlessly.

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Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of February 2025Read More »

New album: High Sunn || This Was Something…

Bittersweet swan song brings 20 lost songs to life by popular demand

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High Sunn, the brightcore project of prolific San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Justin Cheromiah, has been a constant and welcome factor in my life over the past 10 years. The Hopeless Romantic EP and Missed Connections LP in particular have made quite a few rounds on my turntable, but I’ve also found his more recent work, such as Flawless Recollections, worthwhile (I’ve written about other albums here, but not everything is available online anymore, so I’ve removed those posts). Anyway, this compilation featuring 20 rarities, unreleased songs and deleted tracks is reportedly the official last ever release of High Sunn.

It’s hard to believe that these tunes were nearly lost, because what a joy it is to hear hits-that-will-never-be like AI School, Sore Throat, Playlist and Honestly—those signature jangly guitar melodies and hazy vocals, irresistible as ever. Thanks for everything, Justin!




This was something that you wanted me to share, so I hope you can understand this is our secret is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Nik Brinkman || World Within

Heartache and beauty interwoven in shimmering soundscapes

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On his latest album World Within, New Zealand singer/songwriter Nik Brinkman looks to his inner self to find his own enlightenment from the outside world, to remember the magic that has always been there. The ten cinematic indie-pop songs expand nostalgia with new horizons in shimmering soundscapes and dreamy melodies. At first glance, the record doesn’t seem all that special, but it has a magnetic quality that draws you back time and time again, with a comforting effect. From the melancholic vocals to the jangling guitars, it’s all elegant and addictive, making these dark times a little more bearable.



World Within, written and produced by Nik Brinkman and Emanuel Lundgren, is out now digitally via Fine Arts Records / Declared Goods. Featuring Alistair Deverick on drums.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Dropkick || Primary Colours

Another gentle, jangly power pop delight from Andrew Taylor

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

From Edinburgh comes veteran songsmith Andrew Taylor to warm our hearts and unburden our heavy moods with his latest batch of creations. Despite the ominous clouds on the album art, Primary Colours is classic Taylor, and classic Glaswegian jangle power pop made famous by Teenage Fanclub.

From his previous Dropkick work, Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness records and his pandemic project The Harmonizers, we know that Taylor’s songs can sound delicate for a power pop band, but also punchy for a guitar pop band, in part due to his distinct softly delivered vocals. On Primary Colours the balance tilts to the more upbeat punchy kind, making for a record that’s right up my alley—especially given the high quality, super appealing melodies Taylor has put to pen and tape this time around. Joining Taylor are Ian Grier and Alan Shields, the latter contributing and singing his own song (Highs and Lows), which is not the only song that has hints of R.E.M..

Whether you’re a long-time follower or new to Taylor’s world of melody, Primary Colours is a welcome addition to your musical diet. LP available now through the band and Bobo Integral. Sound Asleep (Sweden) has the CD-Release.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: moodlighting || Gutter Rabbit

L.A. band finds beauty in small griefs

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For a record that deals with small griefs, like roadkill and deceased pets, Gutter Rabbit by moodlighting (L.A. by way of Denver, yet dreaming of being a Melbourne band) sounds life-affirming instead. Often striking the balance between nostalgic melancholy and rays of sunshine, the band’s second album fully delivers on the promise of their early singles.

It’s lo-fi and delicate, with a heart full of pop. Take Ahoy for example, a song that starts out nice and strummy, then hooks you with an infectious chorus backed by jangly guitar and some fine woodblock tapping. Or the chime and lushness of Anna, where the gentle angelic delivery of moodlighting singer Sophie is spine-tingling. At 16 songs, Gutter Rabbit leaves much, much more to discover.

Out now at Gopher Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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