Power Pop

Interview: Checkin’ in with The Speedways — on the new record, new lineup, and power pop’s latest comeback

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The 2026 lineup of the Speedways, clockwise from top left: Matt Julian (lead vocals & guitar), Kris Hood (drums), Adrian Alfonso (bass guitar), Dan Spagnolo (guitar). Photo by David Andrew.

Right now, classic rock ’n’ roll is having a real moment, and one of its best modern torchbearers, The Speedways, have a new album on the way. Plenty of reason to hit up Matt Julian for a Gimme 5 feature, or so I thought. What started as that quickly snowballed into a full-band interview. Turns out they had a lot to say and it is all too good not share. Long story, short: Read the interview below, and Matt’s Gimme 5 is coming next week instead. If you want to know which five bands pushed him to start The Speedways, stay tuned!

You’ve been a band for over eight years now. What are some of the moments that still stand out when you look back?

Matt: Both US tours have to be high on the list. I felt really proud when we played our first ever show over there—a sold-out Brooklyn show with a “who’s who” of our contemporaries in the crowd. 90% of the time you ask yourself “what the fuck am I still in a band for?” and then you have moments like that. The Funtastic show in 2023 always stands out for me. Supporting Billie Joe Armstrong’s Cover-Ups last year was a great moment. I’ll always remember playing Luna Fest in Portugal in 2023 and during Kisses Are History watching the sun set over the river. It sounds corny, but singing a beautiful love song while you watch a sunset is kinda nice. I mean, there are loads more standout moments from an eight-year period—good and bad. From a personal point of view, I’ll always remember the first few days after I put Just Another Regular Summer up on Bandcamp. I’ve never had such a positive reaction to anything like that before.

Adrian: First Spanish tour. We were quite a new band and weren’t expecting such a warm reception as we got when we arrived, with people queuing up to get their LP signed immediately after our first gig. First US tour, considering the plan for the band was one album and one gig. We never quite imagined we’d get quite that far, and we had the support of our contemporaries The Whiffs taking care of us out on the road. Billie Joe Armstrong wearing our band tee in a Green Day music video. It was surreal for me because that’s a design I did—it’s got my wife’s eye on it. We both grew up getting into rock music around the time Green Day were becoming popular, so it was very surreal, then of course opening for The Cover-Ups and those guys all being really genuinely supportive.

Kris: Yes, it’s been a great ride so far. Most importantly, we all became a strong family, that’s for sure. We’ve played tours across Europe and the USA. I think generally the reaction of the fans across the world has been an amazing experience for us, seeing how so many people like our music.

[Click below to read the rest of the interview.]

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Interview: Checkin’ in with The Speedways — on the new record, new lineup, and power pop’s latest comebackRead More »

New album: Ruby and the Clumsy Dollies || New and Improved

Hypeworthy NYC band that has hooks, soul, and a voice that carries it all

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

Late last month, New York’s Ruby and the Clumsy Dollies dropped their debut LP New and Improved on Folc Records. Bold title, but they back it up. This is a hypeworthy band grabbing familiar sounds and making them feel alive again.

Ruby is Ruby Rogers-Garcia, aka DJ Ruby Q. The Clumsy Dollies are Matt and Rocio Verta-Ray, plus Televisionaries drummer Aaron Mika. Professional rock-‘n’-rollers, all of them. You can hear it in the grooves. This record feels lived-in, analog in spirit and practice.

New and Improved swings between rock ’n’ soul, ’60s girl group shimmer, power pop, and garage rock like it is second nature. And the hit rate? Stupid high. Too True For You struts in with punky power-pop attitude. Star glows with garage-pop charm. Spooky Action slides into alt-country territory without breaking a sweat. Darling Cowboy leans into that loose, talk-sung swagger.

And then there is Ruby. Total cheat code. Her voice cuts through everything, pullsthe songs together and gives the already strong pop instincts even more punch. Front to back, this is a seriously fun record to spend time with, and I can speak from personal experience, is extremely hard to switch off once you start playing it.

New and Improved is out now on LP via Folc Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Melmacs || EUPHANCHOLIA

A fizzy blast of hooks, heart, and high-energy charm

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Four years after their year-end list worthy debut LP Good Advice, German rock ‘n’ roll quartet The Melmacs has lost none of its enthusiasm. In fact, the twelve original songs on their sophomore album EUPHANCHOLIA exceed all expectations. Max, Connie, Bimmi, and Remo Melmac stir a good dose of fun and idiosyncrasy into the basic ingredients of power pop, garage rock, and proto-punk in the cauldron of magic potion, leading to an explosion of hits and hooks. One catchy tune follows another, fueled by a relentless organ and infectious harmonies that feel universally inviting (I can imagine that a remix of standout track Keep On could also make EDM fans go wild). Big energy, loud fun, and a wink of rebellion; an Electric Night guaranteed.



EUPHANCHOLIA—recorded by Max Melmac—is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Bakraufarfita Records, Spaghetty Town Records, and Wanda Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Bakraufarfita || Spaghetty Town || Wanda

New album: Prism Shores || Softest Attack

The kind of punchy guitar pop you do not skip halfway through

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

Last year’s Out From Underneath made me a fan of Montreal’s Prism Shores. It was one of those records that kept growing with every spin. With their new album Softest Attack, they tighten the grip. More immediate, same charm, maybe even stronger.

Think the pop instincts of The Shins, played by people who have studied the Slumberland and Flying Nun catalogs front to back, with a soft spot for ’90s alt-pop and power pop. You get the idea. The RIYL list floating around name-checks favorites like The Tubs, 2nd Grade, Sharp Pins, and The Umbrellas, and that all checks out.

This is guitar-driven pop done right. Big on melody, light on gimmicks. No overproduction, no autotune gloss, no focus-group choruses or algorithm bait. Prism Shores keep it fuzzy and tactile, blending acoustic and electric into something that hits gently but sticks. The songs lift, but they also leave space to breathe. The transition from the Lemonheads-leaning punch of Idle Hands into the hazy, semi-acoustic drift of Magical Thinking is a perfect example of how well they pace this thing.

And the hooks keep coming. Kid Gloves opens with sun-soaked ’90s power pop ease. I Didn’t Mean To Change My Mind could pass for a lost Britpop gem. Precarity leans into Teenage Fanclub territory, while Guidebook brings the jangle. It adds up to a record that feels effortless without ever being slight.

Yes, I am fully in on this one.

Softest Attack is out now on Meritorio Records and Having Fun Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio

New album: Mythical Motors || Tremolo On The Punchline

Vinyl validation for a DIY hitmaker

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

Consistency is key when it comes to Mythical Motors. Matt Addison has a clear vision and holds himself to a high standard, both in songwriting and art direction. Dive into any of his releases, and there is plenty to dig through if you dare, and you will find stylish collage artwork, imaginative song titles, and concise lo-fi indie rock nuggets in the GBV tradition.

But there is something new and exciting about Tremolo On The Punchline. It is the first Mythical Motors album to get a vinyl release, which feels like a proper milestone for any underground musician battling for attention in an overcrowded, algorithm-driven musical landscape. You can pick it up through Repeating Cloud and Best Brother Records, and I recommend doing exactly that. That is exactly the kind of underground hero we like to champion.

Addison is the kind of songwriter who seems to cough up hooks every time he exhales. Rather than cashing in as a writer-for-hire in some faceless pop factory, he puts that gift toward scrappy underground pop songs of the power pop, indie pop, and college rock variety.

Not sure what came first, this batch of songs or the labels deciding it deserved a vinyl pressing. Either way, Tremolo On The Punchline contains some of Addison’s best material yet, and that says plenty.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Repeating Cloud || Best Brother

New album: Taste Testors || Come Back

An all downstrokes hit fest by members of The Briefs, Cute Lepers, Appaloosa and The Greatest Hits

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

A little over a year after their self-titled debut, Taste Testors return with Come Back, out now on Moodkiller Records. Eleven songs, no messing around, and the kind of record only lifers in this corner of garage pop punk and power pop could pull off.

Call it a Seattle supergroup if you want. Steve E. Nix (The Briefs, The Cute Lepers, Steve E. Nix & The Famous Lizards), Leif Larson (Appaloosa), Nils Larson (The Greatest Hits), and Hollywood Hudson (ex-The Cute Lepers) know exactly what they are doing. The blueprint is strict: “all downstrokes, no bass lines, no guitar solos, no filler.” Those rules lock the band into a Ramones-style framework, but they never feel boxed in. There is enough melody and personality here to keep things moving.

The record comes out swinging with I Don’t Like Working On The Weekend and I’m Waiting For Something Lame, the latter boosted by those sweet “oooweehooo” harmonies. The fast ones hit hard and stick, I’m Gonna Be Buried in Hollywood Cemetery plays like a ready-made ramonescore staple, and Little Baby cranks the source material by The Blue Rondos into overdrive. Elsewhere, midpaced tracks like I Might Be Thinkin’ About You and It Isn’t Very Pretty slow things down just enough to add some breathing room, leaning a bit more toward straight rock without losing the thread.

This is all killer, no filler done right. Tight, catchy, and played with total conviction.

The appeal might look obvious on paper given the lineup, but Come Back does more than deliver.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Brad Marino || Agents of Chaos

Brad Marino proves reliable greatness never gets old

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One does not judge a new Brad Marino album on its sense of innovation or experimentation. In fact, I’d probably be disappointed if he started doing something completely different. The line between Ramonescore and power pop isn’t long, but it offers plenty of space to rock and roll for Marino. Let’s say he doesn’t need all the letters of the alphabet to write a book worth reading. And right now, few artists write garage power pop as reliably great as this legend. And so, one judges a Brad Marino album by the quality of the songwriting and the execution. It delivers on both fronts.

One 30-minute ride through Agents of Chaos, and it’s such a fan-pleasing record it’s almost refreshing. Here’s an artist who knows what he is and what he isn’t, playing the music he loves and giving his fans what they crave. Whereas some of his recent stuff was characterized by downstrokes and fast beats (that Ramonescore-infested Basement Beat was pretty great, eh?), Agents of Chaos contains some of the best tunes Marino has written so far. Like Voodoo, which is a lock for his eventual greatest hits. Other favorites are the poppy Lost Without You, and the power pop ‘n’ roll hits Calling Your Bluff and Regard, the latter coming with some harmonica action I didn’t know I wanted.

And so, the man has done it again, creating some of the best garage power pop of today and making it sound effortless, together with his trusted crew of likeminded souls and limbs including Bobby Davis, Dave Strong, Gene Champagne, Zack Sprague, Ron Mullens, James Cap Nunn, and his wife Caity Marino.

LP available through Spaghetti Town Records, Beluga, and Ghost Highway.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Spaghetty Town Records || Beluga || Ghost Highway

New album: Softjaw || Softjaw

An essential add to your power pop collection

By / / Power Pop / 1 Comment

Wait, what? Yet another essential power pop LP hitting the market? Let me see… Dandy Boy and Bachelor Records teaming up to release the first LP by Softjaw, a Long Beach supergroup comprised of Tanner Duffy (Justus Proffit, Hilary Chilton), Dustin Lovelis (The Fling), Vinny Earley (Vaguess, Diode) and Daniel Michicoff (Tijuana Panthers)? I will take one, please.

Sure, I am aware this is technically not new material. The LP collects the band’s digital EPs and singles. But my gratitude for finally having these songs on vinyl outweighs any desire for new material right now. That said, I would not mind more of this sooner rather than later.

Softjaw have moonlighted as one of Paul Collins’ backing bands, but listening to songs like these, their own material easily rivals some of the best power pop bands of today, like The Whiffs, and of yesteryear. They even take on The Nerves’ Working Too Hard (one of our favorite covers of the month), alongside a cover of Playing Bogart by 23 Jewels.

Clearly, this Long Beach band know their Big Star, their Cheap Trick, their Teenage Fanclub, their Exploding Hearts, and their poppy punk rock classics. But knowing the greats is one thing. Writing songs that live up to that legacy is something else entirely. As this LP shows, Softjaw can do both.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (Dandy Boy) || Bachelor Records

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of March 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / 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, here are—in a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (The Seeds) by Sky Saxon — from The King Of Garage Rock LP (Cleopatra Records)

Working Too Hard (Paul Collins’ Beat) by SOFTJAW — digital track (Dandy Boy Records)

Put the Message in the Box (World Party) by Mary Chapin Carpenter & the Mountain Goats — from Put the Message in the Box / Migrations 7″ (Cadmean Dawn)

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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.

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The Loose Ends || March 2026Read More »

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