Power Pop

New album: Grey Blue Ashes || Shallow People

Italy is home to so many great bands in the pop punk/powerpop stratosphere, it’s easy to miss a band here and there. Take Rome threepiece Grey Blue Ashes, a band I haven’t heard before. Shallow People is the band’s (Rome, Italy) second album and most recent output, which follows their 2019 debut. On Shallow People, Grey Blue Ashes are not your typical Italian pop punk band though. They sound like punks who play a lot of ‘90s altpop, and ‘80s powerpop and new wave in their tour van. It’s like Jeff Burke and Bob Mould joined forces out of a shared love for the Dirtnap Records catalogue, early The Police, ’80s powerpop and ’90s britpop, if that makes sense.

Shallow People is out now on pretty spectacular looking Half Blue/Half Yellow w/Black Splatter Vinyl through Otitis Media Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Otitis Media Records

New EP: Los Refrescos || Los Refrescos

Los Refrescos, not to be confused with The Refrescos (Spain), are from Santiago (Chile). The band started out unprompted when three of his friends (Tomi and Pipe of Devlive, and Tapia of ninjas mutantes adolescentes and my light shines for you) heard the solo material Darby Trash (Ebullición, Confesional, Pizza Boys) was writing in the pandemic lockdowns. They couldn’t wait to join forces and Los Refrescos were born.

This four-song EP feature the first recordings of the band, and it’s immediately clear what his friends saw in the raw material Trash was churning out. Killer hooks, crisp guitar work, an upbeat rhythm section and super sweet melodies. It’s full on garagepop with a touch of late ’70s pop punk and a whole lot of fun fun fun.

For now, add Los Refrescos on your bands to watchlist, and download their EP for a price of your liking. They are only getting started and hope to record new material soon.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Dot Dash || Madman In The Rain

Singer/guitarist Terry Banks (Tree Fort Angst, St. Christopher, Julie Ocean and the Saturday People), bassist Hunter Bennett (Julie Ocean) and drummer Danny Ingram (founding member of Youth Brigade, Emmapeel, Madhouse) have nothing left to prove. They have made their mark with several memorable and classic records. For the past 11 years, their main project has been Dot Dash, releasing six full lengths in that period. If this is the first time you hear about Dot Dash, i can’t really recommend one out of the six. All of these records are worth checking out. Dot Dash simply seem incapable of making a bad record, and if you’d make a greatest hits record of the band’s discography, it would feature an equal amount of songs from each release. Those who are familiar with the band, will probably smile at the idea of a greatest hits record, and how insanely great that would be.

Dot Dash’s last album dates back to 2018, and I was surprised to discover there is a new one out this week. It’s called Madman In The Rain, and Banks, Bennett and Ingram again do not disappoint. Madman In The Rain will sound instantly familiar to fans – the warm and distinct voice of Banks is such a joy to behold. The band’s sound still has firm roots in eighties music and is a mix of jangly powerpop, mod, punk and indie rock. Songs like Forever Far Out, Tense & Nervous, Airwaves and Saints / Pharaohs are prototypical Dot Dash hits. The new record feels more varied than the average Dot Dash record though. There are more pop oriented and slower songs, and the record closes with Dead Gone, a song that may very well be the most upbeat song in the band’s discography yet – I have to test this assumption later.

Dot Dash have nothing left to prove but they keep going at it, winning over hearts and minds of music fans one at a time. Really, this band deserves a much bigger fanbase. Or like Dot Dash sing “You can’t go on, you can’t go back. You gotta have a heart to have a heart attack.” Madman In The Rain is out now through The Beautiful Music.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Rabbit || Good Love Is A Hot Chip

Recently, I saw Melbourne power pop sensation Romero perform their first European show. They met my high expectations, and their debut LP is a lock for my AOTY list. Here is the debut by a band from Hobart, which lies 700+ kms south of Melbourne on the island of Tasmania, that I have been equally excited about since their amazing debut single. I am talking about Rabbit, and the Australian connection is not the only similarity between the two. Both bands have a guitar driven powerpop sound, and both have a powerhouse vocalist. But whereas Romero seem to have a good level of soul in their DNA, Rabbit are punks at heart. That reveals itself in the pace and level of bite in certain songs on the band’s debut album Good Love Is A Hot Chip. The record opens strongly with two major hits Sunday Best and Safeguard. Rabbit absolutely find the sweet spot between powerpop and punk on these songs: Both are loud, yet full of contagious melodies.

Rabbit aren’t afraid to experiment though. Putting two six minute slower songs in the middle of a record that otherwise is pretty loud and fast? That takes guts. Somehow, Rabbit pull it off. The songs function almost as an interlude offering a breather to the listener, and make the remaining 4 songs hit even harder. Rabbit just dropped a mesmerizing video for one of these two songs and it definitely adds to its power. The video contains self-recorded footage of the Tasmanian masked owl and the grey goshawk. Beautiful birds that are endangered species and actually prey on RABBITS. Yeah, to say Rabbit is a pretty cool band would be an understatement.

Yayna is the song to kick off the latter all frills section of the record. It is another example of how natural a fit the punky powerpop sound is for Rabbit. The album closes with Gone Gone Gone, the first song I heard from this band. It has lost nothing of that first spark. It’s pretty awesome to see a band that released just one highly promising single succesfully make the jump to a great full length. Good Love Is A Hot Chip is a blast and a must own. Recorded with Zac Blain of A. Swayze & The Ghosts, mastered by Mikey Young, it’s out now on Tape through Rough Skies Records. Please tell me a vinyl release is in the pipeline.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Christopher Peifer || Sacred & Profane

Songwriting truly is a craft and few genres have such a thin line between greatness and “meh”ness as powerpop. Whereas in punk you can offset a lack of skill with intensity, volume and passion, in the less loud subgenre of classic powerpop it’s pretty tough to hide. However, those that do have the talent, ability and determination can make quality powerpop sound almost effortless. Cristopher Peifer is one such artist, as shown with his work in Kowalskis, Blockhouses, Sir, Frances Farmer My Hero, and Heavy Creatures. I am particulary enthusiastic about his recent solo work.

Sacred & Profane is Peifer’s third solo record in as many years. It completes his Covid trilogy and like the previous two it showcases his top notch songwriting skills. Sacred & Profane has a warm production, well developed songs and is full of hints of Paul Westerberg, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Alex Chilton. Like these artists, Peifer takes his songwriting seriously while maintaining an authentic sense of rock’n’roll. Sacred & Profane is a subtle record full of concise power pop gems, with a new favorite popping up on each play.  Listen to two of my current favorites below.

Peifer is ready to leave the pandemic behind, and plans on finally touring this project in 2023. New music in the works as well. We’ll be listening!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Various Artists || Tracknaphobia Vol. 2 (Tarantula Tapes)

We don’t often write about compilations, but they (still!) are a great resource to discover new music. Compilations are of course also a great way to put the spotlight and celebrate a certain label and scene. Both of these strengths apply to the new Tarantula Tapes comp Tracknaphobia Vol. 2. In the liner notes, Tarantula Tapes give a third reason why comps can be great: it’s a way to build a community and a scene. Tracknaphobia Vol. 2. serves as the label’s thank you to everyone involved in keeping the underground music community alive – from musicians, labels and techicians to designers, podcasts and writers. The sense of gratitude applies not just to the past, but has its eye on the here and now, and the future: The 16 band, 16 song comp sounds curated by someone who is on top of the diversity and quality of the current punk rock and indie scene. If this was a weekly radio show, I’d sure be tuning in again and again.

Tracknaphobia Vol. 2 is out now, on Tape of course.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Why Dogs Why || Better Dog In Show

I first stumbled on LA outfit Why Dogs Why when they released a cover compilation last Summer. That compilation is informative of where the band finds its inspiration: pop punk (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and Blink 182), altpop/indie rock (Violent Femmes, Grandaddy) and power pop (The Cars, Rooney). Their new record Better Dog In Show features nine songs that would not have looked out of place in the ’00s indie rock universe. Why Dogs Why particular remind me of bands from that era with a playful approach. Bands like The Spinto Band, Pete and The Pirates, Bishop Allen and Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, although admittedly Why Dogs Why has a bit more oomph than the average song of said bands.

It’s not just the music that makes Better Dog In Show such a likeable record. The lyrics are worth checking out as well. My favorite is the post-apocalyptic sad banger Reflections In Mud (“And now i’ve got some things that belong to someone else, but they’re dead. I guess i’d say i’m coping but i’m also far from content. And now i’ve got a place to live by myself, but everyone’s dead. I guess i’d say i’m coping but i’m also far from content.”). Better Dog In Show is out now.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Wends || It’s Here Where You Fall

Remember Smile from Turin (Italy)? The four-piece have shed their feathers as Smile and are now called The Wends. Their debut EP is a win win win for all parties involved. They are much easier to find on the good old internet search engine and they are less likely to be confused among the plethora of bands called Smile. But most importantly, they have kept the good parts of their sound, ran an update and sound like a new and improved version of Smile. It is still tempting to describe The Wends as Bob Mould fronting a jangle power pop band, but relative to their Smile era they take a more adventurous approach and do so with more urgency and nervous energy. Not sure whether the dudes in The Wends work in advertising, but they sure do some solid rebranding.

If you like jangle pop, classic indie rock, underground pop, powerpop and sunshine pop, there is a good chance The Wends have just the right song for you to fall in love with. It’s Here Where You Fall is out now on CD through Subjangle and We Were Never Being Boring.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp ||

New album: The Crooks || Mediacracy

In his influential book Amusing Ourselves To Death, Neil Postman compares Orwell’s 1984 with Huxley’s Brave New World. While both books are assumed to prophesize the same thing, there is an important difference according to Postman. Orwell tells the story of a society oppressed against their will by an external force, whereas Huxley tells the story of self imposed oppression though an addiction to amusement. Postman wrote the following words in 1985, but they are eerily applicable to today’s society: “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.”

I am aware this is a unusual way to start a post, but the new The Crooks record made me think a lot about Postman’s book. You see, Mediacracy is a concept record that revolves around the influence that media and social media have had in recent years on people’s lifestyle and culture in general. It’s a topic equally worrisome and fascinating and one that offers a wealth of inspiration to artists. This certainly applies to Italian veterans The Crooks – the record marks the band’s 25th anniversary. The songs on Mediacracy are extremely melodic, and the band effortlessly switch between pop punk, powerpop and ’70s glam with huge choruses. I don’t think The Crooks claim to have the solution, but I’m glad they draw attention to the issues at hand. Above all, they sure make being angry and worried about the state of our society sound good.

Mediacracy is out now on LP through Maninalto! and ProRawk.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Class || Epoca De Los Vaqueros

If I would make a list of my favorite new bands in 2022, Class would be somewhere at the top of the list. Epoca De Los Vaqueros is the band’s second release this year and follows the band’s excellent debut EP. Build on a punk backbone, the four-piece (members of Rik And The Pigs, The Resonars, Brown Sugar and The Green Teas) from Tucson (Arizona) harbor many influences and aren’t easy to pinpoint. Few bands sound as authenthically grounded in the underground music of the past (’70s and ’80s mostly, but ’60s Velvet Underground as well) and can make it sound this fresh and exciting. Each song on Epoca De Los Vaqueros is an adventure where the destiny is unknown but satisfaction guaranteed. Like a modern day the Clash, Class display an ambitious and open minded approach to punk without losing any of its ramshackle charm and liveliness.

Class are an exciting band indeed. Leave it up to Feel It Records to find bands like this. Epoca De Los Vaqueros is out now.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Scroll to Top