Power Pop

New album: Whelpwisher || Same Mistakes

Ben Grigg’s latest experiment pays off in fuzz and melody

For two weeks last December, between work and life’s daily chaos, Ben Grigg (Geronimo!, The Gunshy, Exploding in Sound Records) took on a self-imposed challenge: write and record a song every day. The twelve best results now make up Same Mistakes, the latest Whelpwisher album.

It’s not a perfectly cohesive indie rock record, but that’s part of its charm. Among the twelve tracks are some seriously good tunes, packed with reverb, fuzzy tones, and a hint of shoegaze, all tied together by a strong pop sensibility. The opening duo of Saad and the title track alone made me want to share it here. Another highlight is Green Eggs, which brings to mind The Brother Kite’s Waiting for the Time to Be Right album. Other bands that come to mind while listening to Same Mistakes are The 101, Dazy, and Ash.

More than anything, Griggs proves that spontaneity and strong songwriting can go hand in hand.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of January 2025

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.

In January we already wrote about new releases with covers of Love & Happiness (Al Green) by Boogie Rockafella, The Hunt (New Model Army) by The Daniel James Gang, Boys Don’t Cry (The Cure) by Baby Combat, Running Away From You (The Rats) by Total Whine and Strychnine (The Sonics) by Walter Daniels, but let’s highlight some other choice cuts here.

This Strange Effect || Cover: Laundromat Chicks || Original: Dave Berry
It’s brave to start your album with a cover as well-known as this 1965 classic written by Ray Davies, but in the case of Laundromat Chicks’ intriguing Sometimes Possessed LP (Siluh Records), it does a great job of setting the tone for the original songs that follow. The four-piece from Vienna, Austria deliver a half hour of charming jangle pop that they claim is like a fever dream, coming from somewhere far away or almost forgotten. I’ve been listening to this record a lot in the wake of David Lynch’s passing, so it’s become something of a soundtrack to my memories of the iconic filmmaker’s idiosyncratic work for me—both the subject matter on this album and the atmosphere the songs breathe fit in very well.

New EP: The Daniel James Gang || Darkness Over This Town

Killer E.P. with pure rock-’n’-roll energy

“I know I have like ten billion musical projects going on now, and I’m stoked on all of them, but this is the one thing I’ve been the most stoked on,” says Daniel James (Chinese Telephones, Indonesian Junk, Ramma Lamma) about his Daniel James Gang. I get it. Based on their new EP, Darkness Over This Town, this might just be my favorite thing he’s ever done.

The four-song EP is a total ripper from start to finish. Josh Rutledge once described the Daniel James Gang as “glampunk for fans of power pop,” and he nailed it—this is sweat-soaked, hook-heavy rock-’n’-roll at its best. The EP features the previously teased Misery and a cover of New Model Army’s The Hunt, but for me, the real standouts are the two new tracks. Lies is a slick, groove-heavy rocker with an instantly addictive chorus, while the title track? That one is straight fire—a high-energy anthem that feels like an instant classic and is definitely in my top two songs with Darkness and Town in the title.

On Darkness Over This Town, the Daniel James Gang is Daniel James, Logan Stang (drums), and Johnny Cyanide (bass), with Geoff Palmer and Miski Dee (City Mouse) on backing vocals.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Game Show Models || Fight Theory

A raw budget "pop" gem

Today’s sonic assault comes from Chicago and is created by the benevolently titled Game Show Models, a band that started around 2020 with two bathroom “shit tapes.” Their new 6-song EP Fight Theory has no liner notes, but according to the recording quality, they very well fit the bathroom recording prototype as well. The raw edges makes the subtle pop sensibility of the band all the more pleasing. Listen to the standout punked up garage-power-pop-n-roll hits Something’s Wrong and On The Shelf, and the budget garage pop punk hits Break Into Your Heart and Enough For Me and try not to get excited by this band. Pretty awesome stuff, right?


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Soft On Crime || Street Hardware

Perfectly imperfect basement power pop tunes from Ireland

Here’s another loose end from late last year: Street Hardware, the sophomore effort from Irish trio Soft On Crime. Their 2023 debut set a high bar with its extraordinary collection of songs, and this follow-up delivers in spades. What sets this band apart is their spontaneity—their songs feel refreshingly unpolished, as if they were conjured on the spot. Soft On Crime come across as a band of nonperfectionists accidently creating near perfect songs.

Take a song like Bread & Roses—it’s life-affirming, a reminder of why cool guitars and sharp melodies will always have the upper hand. Street Hardware brims with basement power-pop gems like this, made by a band clearly uninterested in playing by genre or scene expectations.

It is available now on tape and digital via Eats It.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Smoocher || Demo

New glammy garage pop trio from Calgary

Smoocher is one of those band names that instantly conjures bubblegum and glam vibes, and the Canadian trio doesn’t disappoint. Formed by Helen Young, Dallin Ursenbach, and Brady Kirchner (of The Mandates), Smoocher’s two-song Demo is definitely a promising start. If you’re a fan of scrappy, lo-fi tunes with a glam streak, Demo will hit all the right notes. Gimme The Gears is particularly likeable; a hooky song that could easily become a mixtape favorite, and should appeal to fans of power pop as well.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Clean Lines || Nuisance

The real deal in rock-'n'-roll brilliance

Members of Circle Jerks, The Briefs, Boss Martians, and Geraldine Fibbers have joined forces as Clean Lines, the latest rock-’n’-roll fantasy unleashed by the ever-reliable Spaghetty Town Records (US), Ghost Highway Recordings (Spain), and Wanda Records (Germany).

Clean Lines hit that sweet spot between rock-’n’-roll, power pop, and glam, where bratty attitude, big hooks, and killer guitar riffs reign supreme. Wannabes? Hardly. These folks are the real deal. Spin So Sharp and In The Way for some high-octane earworms, or soak in the groovy vibes of the title track Nuisance. This EP is packed with everything you’d want and more—hooky, sharp, and pure fun.

Add to wantlist: Spaghetty Town || Wanda Records || Ghost Highway

New EP: Night Candies || Rock’n’Roll Fantasies

A dazzling debut for fans of garage powerpop'n'roll

Straight from Barcelona and ready to light up your favorite dive bar, meet Night Candies. With members from Fun People, Revanche, Lego, Palladium 86, and Bombas de Amor, the band debuts with a seven-track EP titled Rock’n’roll Fantasies. If you’re gearing up to argue whether this counts as a full-length album, this isn’t the hill to die on. Clocking in at just under 9 minutes, most pressing plants could fit it on a 7”—and here’s hoping they do, because Night Candies’ garage power-pop’n’roll is right up my alley.

Sung in both French and English, this is throwback rock’n’roll at its finest: Joan Jett meets Real Kids with head-bopping, hip-shaking vibes. With tracks like Laisse-Moi, 1981 Again (I Wish It Was), and Bossin’Around, Night Candies waste no time capturing my heart and making an unforgettable first impression.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Svenssen || She’s Into Bad Boys

Vintage vibes with fresh energy from Norway

Svenssen are a five-piece from Norway with a clear love for ’60s bands like The Who, The Kinks, and The Small Faces. Their latest single was even mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, so you might think you know what to expect. And yet, She’s Into Bad Boys pleasantly surprised me—a ’70s power pop hit by design with infectious energy and sharp hooks.

The B-side, The Tambourine Man, dips deeper into ’60s territory, making for a welcome dessert to the main dish. From here on out, I’ll definitely be keeping a closer ear on these Norwegian rock ’n’ rollers.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of December 2024

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.

Da Doo Ron Ron || Cover: The Peawees || Original: The Crystals
First the good news: Italian punk rock band The Peawees have finally released a studio version of their cover of this Phil Spector classic—always a highlight in their live shows—on 7″ vinyl, as the flip side to their self-penned song Drive (taken from this fall’s One Ride LP). The inevitable bad news: the single was a present for the 300 attendees of the Wild Honey Christmas Party, that reportedly never will be reprinted. A cold comfort: you can download it for free.

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