Power Pop

New EP: The Gnomes || More

Melbourne quartet turn up their amps on their winning formula

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

For their new EP, Jay Millar and The Gnomes crank up the amps, giving their ’60s beat revivalism an extra kick. Opener Thinking of Me lands much closer to fellow Australian bands like Loose Lips and The Unknowns than, say, The Beatles. It is sharper, louder, and packed with the kind of energy that belongs in a sweaty club or basement.

The other three songs are a little closer to The Gnomes’ previous output, with Magic Man emerging as the latest standout. You can practically see the crowd packed around the stage, bouncing along to the band.

The added crunch and confidence on the More EP should only add fuel to the growing hype around The Gnomes. To our ears, that makes perfect sense. This is throwback rock-‘n’-roll done right.


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 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

Single review: Roberta Lips || Coup de Bluff

The Eiffel Tower is nice, but have you heard Roberta Lips?

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Some people visit Paris for the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, or a romantic stroll along the Seine. Personally, my favorite thing to come out of the city is Roberta Lips, a bilingual quartet with an almost supernatural ability to write freakishly catchy garage power-pop tunes.

Last year’s debut EP was so sticky that I still find myself singing the theme song whenever I come across the band’s name. Ro-ber-ta Lips! I even try to mimic the accent. Sorry, not sorry.

Their new 7″ only contains two songs, but quantity has never been the issue. Coup de Bluff is a burst of energy, sweetness, and playful charm, while Como Tu reveals an extra level of songwriting sophistication that makes me even more excited about where this band might go next. And that closing singalong? Como, como, como, como tu! Good luck not immediately flipping the record over for another spin.

Two songs. Two hits. Paris does it again.

7″ out now on on Les Disques Mauvais Garcons (the label affiliated with Born Bad record store in Paris).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Les Disques Mauvais Garcons

New album: Log Flume || Go Where The Money Goes

Pure gold for people who still believe in guitar bands

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop / 2 Comments

One of the surprise hits of 2024 was Splash Hit!, the debut full-length from Chester County (PA) geek-rock heroes Log Flume. The band’s knack for combining big guitars with even bigger hooks proved highly contagious. Press play on Dynamic, the opener of their follow-up Go Where The Money Goes, and you’ll be reminded immediately what makes this band so much fun. Log Flume are fearless when it comes to catchy parts, stacking one irresistible idea on top of another until resistance feels pointless.

By the time Necessary Evil rolls around, you’ll probably notice you’ve been gradually turning the volume up. Your spouse, coworkers, roommates, or anyone within earshot may start wondering how exactly you’re supposed to be getting any work done.

The fourth track, Got This Feeling, offers a brief breather. Together with the title track and Every Single Day, it shows that Log Flume don’t need speed and volume to hold your attention. The songwriting remains the main attraction. Elsewhere, there are college-radio hits waiting to happen (Up by 9 O’Clock), a track that feels tailor-made for a future tour with Liquid Mike (Misery), and pure guitar-pop bliss (Get the Picture). And just when you think you’ve got the album figured out, Anything arrives sounding like Log Flume spent an afternoon hanging out with The Undertones.

The whole thing is over in 25 minutes. You could spend that time doing something productive, watch half an episode of a prestige TV show, fold laundry, fall down a social media rabbit hole, or listen to an end-of-times podcast at 1.5x speed. Personally, I’d recommend the new Log Flume album.

Go Where The Money Goes is out now on Dummest Records. It feels destined to become a summer favorite.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Greenberry Woods || It’s All Good, Sugar

Power pop veterans pick up where they left off three decades ago.

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Big Stir Records is steadily building a reputation as one of the great caretakers of guitar pop and power pop. Their roster doesn’t just feature excellent newer acts like Crossword Smiles and Popular Creeps, but also new releases from veterans such as 20/20, Spongetones, Sorrows, Graham Parker, and sparkle*jets u.k.

Even so, the label must have known it had something special when The Greenberry Woods resurfaced with a batch of new songs. After all, this is a band that hadn’t released new music since the mid-’90s. Songs like Trampoline, Super Geek and Love Songs remain fixtures on plenty of power pop playlists from that era. I know I was curious. As it turns out, It’s All Good, Sugar is more than a welcome return. It’s a genuinely strong guitar pop record.

Much of the album lands in that sweet spot where ’90s alternative guitar pop and power pop overlap. Thirty years ago I probably would have called this modern power pop, invoking names like Teenage Fanclub and Fountains of Wayne. In 2026, “modern” may no longer be the right word, but the songs still hit the same pleasure centers.

The Greenberry Woods aren’t content to stay in one lane, either. That Girl has more than a little of ’80s Elvis Costello in its DNA, while Waiting Round For Something To Go Wrong sounds like something Evan Dando might have scribbled down during the Come On Feel the Lemonheads years.

For a band returning after three decades, The Greenberry Woods sound remarkably unconcerned with reliving the past. We all benefit. LP and CD available on Big Stir



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Coeur à l’Index || Fatiguée b/w Mes Héros

Gone too soon, catchy until the end

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There is no shortage of great bands right now, but it still stings when one of the truly special ones decides to call it a day. Sadly, that’s the case with Brussels trio Coeur à l’Index.

Before bowing out, however, they’ve left us with one final 7″. The band first won us over with Adieu Minette, and these two farewell songs capture everything that made them so easy to love. Sung in French and overflowing with melody, they once again hit that sweet spot between indie pop and power pop, sounding effortlessly catchy and endlessly charming.

Years from now, people digging through the underground pop archives of the 2020s will wonder why Coeur à l’Index weren’t around longer. At least they leave behind one last reminder of how good they were.

Out now on La Vida Es Un Mus.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Taste || 1/2 Fantasy

14 lo-fi gems waiting to be discovered

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

Compiled from two previously self-released tapes, 1/2 Fantasy is the solo debut full-length from Taste aka Oli Lipton (Now, Cindy). The Oakland, California-based singer-songwriter filters energetic power-pop romanticism, ragged glam swagger, and psychedelic art-punk whimsy into 14 lo-fi songs that shimmer with equal parts wit and longing.

Everyday details drift through a haze of jangly guitars, distinctive vocals, and tape hiss, grounded by home-recorded intimacy, sharp songwriting, and an enigmatic smile. It’s pure and ramshackle at once, but listen closer and you’ll find a trove of clever concepts and addictive hooks buried in the noise. Idiosyncratic and restless as it is, it possesses a strangely hypnotic magnetism comparable to the solo work of Alan Vega.



1/2 Fantasy is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Tough Love Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of May 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.

The compilation Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow – Words And Music By Tom Waits And Kathleen Brennan was probably the biggest cover release of this period, but we are leaving it out of this overview due to its longer-existing inclusions—there is more than enough brand-new material to choose from.

I’m A Man (The Spencer Davis Group) by Datura4 — from I’m A Man 7″ (Rogue Records)

Song 2 (Blur) by Monk — from No Gods EP (Dine Alone Records)

I’m Waiting For The Man (The Velvet Underground) by The Routes — from Play 10″ [Chaputa! Records / Ghost Highway Recordings]

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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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