Jangle Pop

New album: Astrologer || Maiden America

Garage pop for crate diggers and daydreamers

By / / Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych / Leave a Comment

“Mid-fi powerjangle & pop oddities” is how Astrologer describe themselves, and for once, the self-assessment is spot on. On their third album, Maiden America, Andy Cline and Candy Caballero blend garage pop with decades of pop and rock’n’roll history, creating eight songs that feel less like quirky curiosities and more like hidden treasures.

The duo cast a surprisingly wide net here, hopping effortlessly between jangly guitars, power-pop hooks, and offbeat flourishes without ever losing sight of the song. The result is a compact but rewarding listen that reveals a new detail with each spin.

The album may be oddly absent from Bandcamp, making it harder to point you toward individual highlights, but the opening run of Clarion Call, Drug of Choice, and Coyote is as good a place to start as any. Better yet, dive into the whole thing.

Maiden America is out now on LP via Lolipop.

Add to wantlist: Lolipop Records

New album: Yea-Ming And The Rumours || Residue

A masterclass in understated beauty

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

Residue, the new Yea-Ming And The Rumours LP, is another stunning display of romance, melancholy, and quiet seduction. It is the fourth album from Yea-Ming Chen and her Bay Area cohorts (this time featuring Ryli bandmates Luke Robbins and Rob Good alongside longtime Rumours member Eóin Galvin), and a worthy follow-up to the wonderfully charming I Can’t Have It All from 2024.

These songs practically beg for black-and-white videos featuring stylishly dressed musicians wandering through beautiful, windswept landscapes with nowhere particular to be. This is jangle with a twang, pop with a wistful ache, Camera Obscura by way of Yo La Tengo. The arrangements are patient and unhurried, allowing lines like “is it a cheap thrill or is it love?” from Cheap Thrill to linger a little longer, and making the following ooohs sound even sweeter.

With Ryli providing an outlet for her more extroverted, rock-oriented side, Yea-Ming leans into introspection and vulnerability here. As always, her voice is a cheat code. Few singers make melancholy sound this inviting. No matter how understated the arrangements become, it unlocks emotional depth, reveals hidden pathways through the songs, and transports you somewhere else entirely. This is perfect staring-out-the-window music. And if your eyes well up during the sequence of Uncommon Dreaming and Fine Afternoon, well, we’re only human, right?

In a fair world, Residue would be a major release from one of pop music’s brightest stars. Yet part of me still likes the idea of Yea-Ming Chen remaining a treasured secret passed between those in the know. Then again, every time she releases a record this good, that becomes a harder position to defend. The best-kept secret in indie pop keeps making a terrible case for remaining one.

Residue is out now on LP and CD at Dandy Boy Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Sensitive || The Sensitive Complete Discography

Compiling all of the output from Jakarta's twee pop band extraordinaire

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

Indonesia continues to be one of the most exciting places on the planet for indie pop. Unfortunately, in the case of Jakarta twee-pop outfit The Sensitive, the magic appears to be coming to an end. If I’m reading the liner notes from Untune Records correctly, this compilation serves as the band’s final release, with farewell performances scheduled for Jakarta Popfest over the weekend.

As such, The Sensitive Complete Discography gathers the band’s entire recorded output from 2018 to 2026: 23 songs of jangly, stripped-down indie pop built from simple ingredients. A drum machine, guitar, bass, a handful of melodies, and an obvious devotion to the genre. Whether The Sensitive was a one-person operation or not, the music carries the intimacy and determination of a true DIY project.

The compilation includes covers of beloved indie-pop touchstones by The Wake (On Our Honeymoon), Lawrence of Belgravia (We’re Selfish and Lazy and Greedy), Blueboy (Too Good To Be True), The Pastels (Nothing To Be Done), and Mighty Mighty (Where Would I Be). Just as revealing are the originals. Song titles like Forever Twee, Indiepop Politics, and Anoa Records Is My Shepherd radiate a powerful “if you know, you know” energy. This is music made by someone who didn’t just listen to indie pop but genuinely lived inside it.

The “band” may be calling it a day, but this collection feels less like an ending than a permanent document of a scene, a sound, and a deep love for DIY pop music.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Sorry Monks || When In Rome

Timeless songwriting shines across a remarkably assured new collection

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

British singer-songwriter Oliver Paul Flanagan is one of those few contemporary indie pop artists who relentlessly push forward. Not only is the output under his Sorry Monks moniker almost impossible to keep up with, it consistently hits a high standard. Last March we wrote about his Flora and Fauna LP, and since then we have overlooked some other releases, but we really can’t ignore this new one.

The four songs on the When In Rome EP venture into Beatlesque territory, with clever pop hooks and warm vocal harmonies that bring about a slightly psychedelic and sunny mood. The title track, reportedly written as early as 2012, is the biggest hit here, a timeless hit for the ages. The remaining tunes hardly fall short, rewarding both instant affection and repeated listening. Hats off.

When In Rome is out digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New compilation: Various Artists || Pets Sounds

Super likeable animal appreciation from Skep Wax

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

A Skep Wax compilation featuring some of the finest indie pop bands around right now? Including Add To Wantlist favorites like The Cords, Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires, U.S. Highball, Jetstream Pony, Swansea Sound, Special Friend, Railcard, and The Burning Hell? And every single song is about pets? Say no more. Let me just wait for my cat to stop sitting on the keyboard long enough to place an order.

As much as Gorilla Biscuits’ Cats and Dogs and Youth of Today’s No More remain a part of my diet, there is a special joy in hearing a bunch of brilliant songwriters devote their talents to the furry little weirdos that run our households. These are songs about companionship, unconditional love, minor destruction, and the strange reality that many of us happily rearrange our lives around animals who contribute very little to the mortgage.

If you’ve ever had a cat refuse to move from your lap, a dog greet you like you’ve returned from war after a ten-minute trip to the supermarket, or found yourself talking to a pet as if it were a roommate, there is plenty here to recognize. The talksinging Under A Cat by Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires is worth the price of admission alone. Swansea Sound’s I Don’t Like Men In Uniform even lets a traumatized animal have its say.

This is not the kind of compilation where every track is exclusive to the compilation, but that’s hardly the point. What you get are 15 excellent songs about cats, dogs, and the humans they’ve successfully trained over the years.

Honestly, if you’re going to make a themed compilation, this is exactly how you do it. LP available for pre-order now, and go visit the release show on London on July 9th if you are in the vicinity.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Grapes of Grain || A Muted Hey

Understated charm in abundance

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

There’s something instantly appealing about the title A Muted Hey. Thankfully, it’s attached to a record that’s equally easy to like: Grapes of Grain deliver another finely crafted collection of bittersweet songs that comfortably mingle jangly indie pop with warm alt-country. On this fourth album (from their back catalogue, 2024’s Painted Windows stands out for me), the Dutch band embraces a more rustic palette than before, weaving banjo, mandolin, and lap steel through the arrangements.

The ten new, original tracks sound spacious and clear, leaving room for occasional offbeat flourishes, always centered around a heartfelt melody and engaging vocals. There Are Too Many Words in This World, states the opening tune from which the record derives its title, but I wouldn’t have wanted to miss any of it. This is an unhurried and rewarding listen full of detail.



A Muted Hey is out digitally via Drag Days. Featuring Alexis Vos (vocals, guitar, bass) and Berend Jan Ike (vocals, guitars, bass, drums, piano, lap steel), with Franc Timmerman (drums, guitar, bass, percussion), Harm van Sleen (pedal steel, violin), Stefan Breuer (keys, guitar, backing vocals), Lara Taska (backing vocals), and Allie Crummy (backing vocals).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Slippers || Slippers 08

A pocket-sized masterpiece of jangly charm

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

It was impossible not to fall for Slippers’ debut LP So You Like Slippers (yes, absolutely), and its follow-up is every bit as irresistible. Maybe even more so. Slippers 08 (does the album name refer to the band being the 8th band on Discogs by that name?) packs 22 minutes of jangly guitar-pop bliss into a package so effortlessly charming it feels like a mood-enhancing device.

Had a rough day? Minor existential crisis? Doomscrolled a little too hard? Slippers have a remedy for that. One song at a time, they sand down the rough edges, dust off the cobwebs, and gently remind you that life can still be pretty great. There is a kindness to these songs, a purity of purpose, and an infectious energy that makes spending time with this record feel genuinely restorative.

The funny thing is that Madeline Babuka Black (also of Yucky Duster and Le Pain) isn’t exactly reinventing indie pop here. Every chord, jangle, and beat has some distant ancestor in the genre’s long and glorious history. But that’s not really the point. What matters is that Black has an uncanny gift for turning familiar ingredients into something that feels fresh, personal, and completely impossible to resist.

The result is another excellent Slippers record and further proof that sometimes the sweetest sounds hit the hardest.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Love, Burns || Pavement Drawings

Jangling melodies greet bittersweet memories

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

With Pavement Drawings, Phil Sutton (Comet Gain, Velocette, Pale Lights) returns with his third album as Love, Burns. Backed by a stellar cast of musicians, he delivers another twelve classic indie pop songs that will make sunshine radiate from your speakers. Beneath the melancholic melodies and summery arrangements lie poetic lyrics on the things we struggle to leave behind, like lost loves, old wounds, fading memories, and the versions of ourselves we can never quite escape: “She hopes that he will never see // The things she saw today // Some days are soon forgotten // But they don’t go away // She will feel the pain” (from the title track). It’s intriguing storytelling, caught between yesterday’s thoughts and tomorrow’s possibilities, but it works especially well in conjunction with the jangling guitars, smooth organ ornaments, and warm vocal harmonies.



Pavement Drawings is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Calico Cat records, Jigsaw Records, and Spinout Nuggets. Featuring Philip Sutton (vocals), Kyle Forester (guitars, bass, keyboards, saxophone), Hannes Mueller (drums), Jo Roman (vocals), and Alicia Hyman (violin).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Jigsaw || Spinout ||

New album: The Jack Cades || Fade In

Jangling guitars, soaring harmonies, and timeless pop craft

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

Three years and two days after their year-end list-worthy Something New LP, The Jack Cades return with their fourth full-length album, Fade In. The British garage pop band, led by Elsa and Mike Whittaker, features a refreshed rhythm section and has been expanded with keyboards, but it is still the characteristic jangly guitars and warm harmonies that take center stage.

The twelve new, original songs are packed with sun-drenched melodies and rich vintage textures, wrapped in effortless style and timeless charm. What keeps the record so compelling is its steady stream of fresh ideas, delivered with a familiar touch that’s tough and tender in equal measure.



Fade In—engineered by Ed Deegan—is out digitally and vinyl LP through Beluga Records and Dangerhouse Skylab. Featuring Mike Whittaker (vocals, lead guitar), Elsa Whittaker (vocals, rhythm guitar), Dan Rowe (bass), Hayden O’Dell (mellotron, organ), and Nathan Sandford (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

The Loose Ends || May 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam 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 (40+ this month!), and a link to add it to your shelves.

Above Me || Soften The Blows
Debut LP on Dandy Boy Records from this non average dream pop project by Rick Altieri (Blue Ocean, Aluminum).

Big Nothing || Big Nothing
The third album from this indie punk/alt country/guitar pop/classic rock a-bit-of-everything band from Philadelphia just dropped their third album (with a new lineup) on Dead Broke Records. It is another fine slice of warmblooded, bighearted basement pop.

Blitzer || The New Conspiracy
Ten fierce blasts of post-punk on this exciting debut LP from Berlin trio Blitzer. Urgent, tense, and full of forward momentum. Out now through Mangel Records.


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The Loose Ends || May 2026Read More »

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