Psych

‘New’ EP: The Odd Mods || We Are The Odd Mods

Unearthed garage mayhem with decades of dirt on it

By / / Garage Rock, Psych, Punk / Leave a Comment

Far from new, but (as far as I know) now released for the first time, these four long-lost songs capture a Greek garage punk band determined to get everything gloriously wrong for 1992, the brief window between grunge’s reign and Britpop’s arrival. Armed with a a rare 1964 Farfisa Compact organ, fuzz pedals and an unhealthy devotion to the Back From The Grave and Pebbles compilations, a bunch of teenage 60s obsessives bashed out primitive three-chord workouts with snotty vocals, murky minor-key grooves and instrumental mayhem. Rescued from the vaults more than three decades later, The Odd Mods prove that their sound is timeless.


We Are The Odd Mods is out digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Sunnyboy66 Records. Featuring Dimitris Pantelias (vocals, saxophone), Apo Stragalinos (organ), Jim Kokkalis (guitars), Bill Tsigos (bass), Chris Tarantilis (guitar), and Nondas Ninos (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Antietam || The Counting Game

Old enough to know better, curious enough not to care

By / / Indie Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Four decades in, but Antietam still sounds interested in finding out what might happen next, and that is anything but tame. New album The Counting Game is a richly textured collection that moves towards soaring guitar-driven indie rock via psychedelic, noise pop, country, and post-punk detours and even more exploratory passages.

Tara Key takes the lead role once again, her guitar and voice capable of sounding both expansive and sharply economical, while Tim Harris (bass) and Josh Madell (drums) know when to push and when to leave room for the songs to breathe. Yet it is the surprising instruments and unexpected details that keep revealing new layers, still fitting Antietam’s identity. Take, for example, standout track Coco Bella, in which jazzy horns and a honky-tonk piano each freely do their best to seduce the swinging rhythm section, quite a ride.

The ten songs contain a few instrumentals and a few forgotten tunes from long ago, but actually it doesn’t matter that much what the band picks up. It is always adventurous without becoming self-indulgent, melodic without playing it safe.



The Counting Game—produced by Tara Key and Tim Harris, with Steve Silverstein—is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Dromedary Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Alley Girl || Kerosene Gambler

More scruffy yet gorgeous melodies from Doris Stanić

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

Doris Stanić has a system. Kerosene Gambler is the new Alley Girl album, following last year’s Peregrine Rambler EP (which we discussed here) and Paradigm Scrambler. The formula seems simple enough: find two words that rhyme, make sure the syllables roughly line up, and call it a record. It sounds like a terrible gimmick, and she recently hinted she might ditch it, but I kinda like it. It feels like an inside joke between her and the audience.

Last year turned Alley Girl, essentially Stanić’s solo home-recording project using a Yamaha MT-50, into something of an underground hype. Kerosene Gambler meets those raised expectations.

Alley Girl’s music has an out-of-time-and-place quality that somehow makes perfect sense for a Dutch-Bosnian human being living in Hollywood Heights. There is a distinctly ’60s feel to timeless pop songs like You Don’t See Me When I Cry. They sound like they could be lost hits from another era, often built around gorgeous melodies, while the lo-fi treatment gives everything a scrappy underground garage-pop edge.

It’s a pretty great compromise, or excuse if you will, for those who like their music rough around the edges but still appreciate a really good pop song when they hear one. And Alley Girl is a pretty great name to captain this particular ship.

At almost a full hour, Kerosene Gambler can initially feel a little overwhelming. Songs start blending into one another while your attention inevitably wanders. Give it some time, though, and the rewards are there. Doris Stanić has a special talent for writing vocal melodies that sound pure, honest, and entirely her own. I’m particularly taken by the underground pop hits that kick off the record, but there’s something to fall in love with in pretty much every song here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Sun Cult || Invocation

Psychedelic trip hop made by real instruments

By / / Alternative Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

There are records that demand your attention, and then there are records that pull you into another dimension. Sun Cult’s Invocation belongs to the latter category. It’s a tour de force from Southern California-raised/Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist Alexander Wikle, who folds the psychedelic sounds of the 60s and 70s into a hazier collision of new wave, folk, desert rock, and Eastern influences.

Largely instrumental (with the exception of Through Closed Eyes), made up of guitars and synths, these nine tracks drift between dreamy passages and heavy, hypnotic rhythms, creating a cosmos with a triphop texture. (I didn’t give it much thought before, but here you hear how psychedelic rock and trip hop share a focus on dark and mesmerizing atmospheres that bring listeners into a surreal, immersive mood. I even had the urge to shout “Midnight” in a few moments, thinking of DJ Shadow’s Midnight In A Perfect World.) This is a journey to disappear into, one slow-burning groove at a time.



Invocation—written, performed and produced by Alexander Wikle—is out digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Bobby Harlow || Less of an Apology

Co-founder of The Go takes a beautifully rough-edged detour into psychedelic country

By / / Country & Folk, Psych / Leave a Comment

Detroit-based singer-songwriter Bobby Harlow had already secured a notable place in music history (and in my heart) two decades ago as a founding member of rock band The Go, and although he heads down a different path here, his solo debut record proves a thoroughly welcome change of scenery. Less of an Apology still has the gritty spirit of rock ‘n’ roll at its core, but here it is wrapped in a psychedelic country package, giving the sound a warmer, more reflective edge.

Recorded live to 8-track tape, these nine songs leave the computers and click tracks behind in favour of spontaneous performances with plenty of room to breathe. The poetic, intuitive lyrics add another layer of intimacy, while the stripped-back production keeps every instrument and vocal close enough to touch. Although the quirky Outta Time is an entertaining standout as the most uptempo track, it is the heartfelt ballads that make the biggest impression, with Don’t Play With My Heart and Forgive Me standing out.

No handy Bandcamp or SoundCloud player this time around, but this one deserves a spot in your streaming queue.

Less of an Apology is out streaming and on vinyl LP through Lolipop Records. Featuring Robert Harlow (guitar, vocals), Ignacio Gonzalez (bass), Mikey Whiteside (piano), and Wyatt Blair (drums).

Add to wantlist: Lolipop || Discogs

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of August 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, 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 (only if supported by the artist, so no live videos filmed by the audience or anything like that), here are—in a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month.

Are You Sure (first performed by Tammy Grimes, later also recorded by Aretha Franklin) by Tami Neilson — from Songs from the Motion Picture “Holy Days” soundtrack (Outside Music)

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC) by City Kings — from Chainsaw EP

I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones) by The Offspring — digital track (Concord Records)

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Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of August 2026Read More »

The Loose Ends || August 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, and a link to add it to your shelves.

ABAOAQU || BUDDHOD
Noisy, subtly mathy yet melodic indie rock from France. Consider us intrigued.

The Afghan Whigs || Soft Control
With visceral guitars, soulful intensity, and hard-won wisdom, these ten new songs find strength in embracing both the darkness and the light without losing sight of the absurdity in between.

Apes of the State || Nothing Makes Sense Anymore
Blending biting political rage, personal turmoil, dark humour, and genuine solidarity, these ten folk-punk songs turn a dysfunctional world into a surprisingly life-affirming celebration of resistance, friendship, and simply making it through another day.

…

The Loose Ends || August 2026Read More »

New album: Ädwud || Mellow

Escaping a world that seems increasingly absurd

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

Let me introduce you to Ädwud (pronounced Ed Wood, after Tim Burton’s 1994 biopic), the solo home recording project of German music freak Jannis Friede. Last May he released the hard rock album Universe 25, which is now followed by a worthy full-lengther with guitar pop, appropriately titled Mellow. When asked, the artist explains that its twelve tracks came about in a rush after a three-year period of hardship and misery had come to an end with the previous release.

Influenced by The Band’s Music from Big Pink, Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood and Bo Burnham’s Inside, this new work is about someone looking for something to hold on to in an estranged and ever-changing world. In the lyrics you feel alienation and disillusionment, but beneath the darkness runs a stubborn desire to escape, reconnect and find moments of beauty, love or freedom amid the noise and decay: “And we walk among the flowers ’til we bleed // And we try to give each other what we need // And we never mind the mess beneath our feet” (from Flowers).

The DIY approach gives the record an intimate charm, but musically it never sounds small: imaginative arrangements, bright guitars, inviting vocals and shimmering melodies keep the songs buoyant and full of life. Lo-Fi R’n’R All Nyte, what’s not to like?



Mellow—written, performed and recorded by Ädwud—is out digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Chateau || Sometimes We Wander

A warm, woozy trip through genre-hopping pop delights

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

British singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Henry Smith gives himself free rein on Chateau’s debut full-length, a summery 28-minute stroll through jangle pop, psychedelic soul, bedroom pop, and lo-fi oddities. The versatile musician plays every instrument himself, building the ten songs—including the short intro and outro, variations of the same theme—from whatever was within reach before running the mixes through a vintage 1970s tape machine, giving everything a sun-warmed, worn-in glow.

Sometimes We Wander sounds like a record made by following whatever idea happens to arrive next, and that spontaneity is precisely its charm. Take Feeding Sarah’s Cat, an instrumental with handclaps and a bag of pet treats as percussion, said to be influenced by Toro y Moi’s Mahal (check out this interview at ASBO Magazine for more background information), which is followed by the piano-driven ballad Stubborn Mule, quite different. For me, however, the biggest hits here are the timeless You Keep Me Dreaming On (with vibrant melodies and a sing-along chorus) and the nursery rhyme-like Laissez Faire (yé-yé featuring Bebe May). Other listeners will find other highlights, but this is a playful debut that makes a persuasive case for never keeping your taste in one lane.



Sometimes We Wander—written, produced, performed, and recorded by Henry Smith—is out digitally via Earth Worms Music.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Wyldewood Green || Tales Of The Wyldewood Green

A crate-digger’s trip through heavy psych

By / / Funk & Soul, Psych / Leave a Comment

The Wyldewood Green’s debut full-length is the kind of instrumental trip that makes genre boundaries feel rather pointless. Hammond organ takes the lead, naturally, but beneath its swirling tones lurk gritty garage, deep funk, mod soul, heavy psych, and flashes of hard rock and prog. These eleven tracks are suitably unruly, with real drums, percussion, bass, and guitar providing a warm, vintage vibe that no programmed beat could replicate (passionate bandleader Marco Scarsone emphasizes that no samples, drum machines, or AI were used in this recording).

There’s plenty here for crate-diggers and fans of obscure 60s and 70s grooves (Scarsone himself is a rare vinyl DJ & collector), but the Los Angeles-based band never sounds trapped in the past. Instead, they turn their wealth of influences into a lively, fuzz-drenched soundtrack for moments that stem from questionable decisions. Although there is no singing or speaking, the cinematic and atmospheric character of this sound opens up a world of smelly emotions and colorful imagery.



Tales Of The Wyldewood Green—written, produced, mixed, engineered, and recorded by Marco Scarsone—is out digitally and on vinyl LP through LOTAH Records. Featuring Marco Scarsone (Hammond A-100, Mini Farfisa, piano, guitar, bass, tambourine, maracas, shakers), Jonathan Yang (drums), and Mike Davis (congas, bongos), with handclaps by Daphne Hsu, Yong Li, and Ria Reyes.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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