Punk

New album: Enamorados || Baila mi Ritmo

By / / Power Pop, Punk / 2 Comments

Of all European countries, none embraced powerpop and rock-‘n’-roll music more than Spain. And Spain’s not just a fertile touring ground for foreign bands, they have many bands that stand their own in terms of catchy guitar driven music with a healthy dose of punk and rock-‘n’-roll attitude. Take Enamorados from Barcelona. Their new 8 song mini-album Baila mi Ritmo (‘Dance to my beat’) is full of bubblegum pop punk that aims straight for your heart. It’s the follow up to their self-titled debut. That one was released 5 years ago, has only 7 songs, but is much fun and you should be able to snatch it on Discogs for a budget-friendly price.  With 5 years between two releases, Enomarados aren’t the most prolific band. Perhaps they understand the allure of scarcity and delayed rewards – the band’s tagline reads ‘the favorite band of your ex-girlfriend.’ Anyhow, when they do record music, it’s right on the money. Songs like En Mi Corazón, Te Pedí Vernos are instant hits. Out now on Hotel Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Ghoulies || Reprogram

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Perth four-piece Ghoulies released their debut album Flat Earth last year. It was full of high octane synth punk with a healthy dose of melody to balance the relentless hyperactivity of the songs. A year later, Ghoulies return with a new EP on Goodbye Boozy records – a perfect fit if you ask me. The EP builds on the sound of Flat Earth, and yet feels like a step forward by the band in term of their songwriting skills. It’s a lot of fun, and Petey Jones’ Locker and No More Bands have the potential to become modern day punk classics. It has 7 songs that fit on one 7″ and I am adding this to the list.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Hideous Sun Demon || Development Hell

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

How is your monday so far? I am pretty hyped. I just played Gimmicks by Hideous Sun Demon (Australia) four times in a row. It’s a tight angular punk tune, with repetitive lyrics full of frustration and anger delivered in a talk screaming manner. It’s perfect, and it is followed by another winning tune: Squitter. The songs on the Development Hell EP are quite the departure of older recordings of the band, which had more psychelic garage leanings. “We had grown pretty bored of our old sound. We had kinda gotten into this formulaic approach to songwriting that was defined by fuzzy guitars and doomy riffs. We were eager to adopt a wider breadth of influences, especially since Jake and Vin had bonded over their love of post-punk and new wave in their youth,” the band explains at Life Without Andy. I am totally behind the new trajectory of the band, and the four song Development Hell EP is the first release by the band that has made my wantlist. Out now through Marthouse Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Jakob Mind || The One Who Got Away

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Last month on this site, Jakob Mind (Jakob Arvidsson from Sweden) shared 5 releases that influenced his songwriting. As I wrote in the introduction to that post, Jakob (Rotten Mind and Real Tears) is a master in hitting that sweet spot between garage, punk and power pop. That skill is on full display on his solo debut LP The One Who Got Away that is out now through Lövely Records. In slightly less than 30 minutes, Jakob Mind treats us to a strong and varied collection of tunes. Songs like Watch The City Burn, Let Them Know and Too Fast To See are fast and melodic, like the ones  Jeff Burke wrote for Marked Men and still writes in Radioactivity. They are my favorite songs on the record, and Watch The City Burn is a frontrunner for song I played the most in 2021.  Rock n’ Roll Got Me All Messed Up  also belongs in that category,  it is an irresistible garage pop nugget. The remainder of the record shows that Jakob Mind is unafraid to incorporate different styles, tempos and influences. There even is a moody postpunk  instrumental  (The Little Evil One) in the middle of the album. The album closes strongly with another standout I Don’t Wanna Be (Around) You – that chorus gets me every time. I’ll be playing this one a lot this year.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Side Burns || Freakout 509

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

Rockabilly from Hong Kong, why not? Please meet The Side Burns: Ziad ‘Rumplestiltskin’ Samman (guitar / vocals), Philip ‘Wolfy Gimble’ Emond (drums / deyboards / vocals), and Paul ‘Mr. Pink’ Thompson (bass / vocals). They play an entertaining mix of country punk and greasy rock ‘n’ roll, reminiscent of The Clash. Their second album Freakout 509 is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Astral Traveller Records. The ten songs are surprisingly varied: Ode To My Lungs and Liver for example is almost a Rancid-esque song to jump on, while Tequila Blue is a sweet cocktail song with horns. Meant to play loud as you tear down a lonesome dusty road.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Shivvies || The Shivvies

By / / Punk / 2 Comments

Rotterdam is the pop punk capital of the Netherlands. Stardumb Records? Rotterdam. The Apers? Rotterdam. The Accelerators? Rotterdam. Giant Eagles and the Windowsill? Rotterdam. So when Marien (of The Windowsill, the Apers, Giant Eagles) starts a new band with Michiel and Robert of The Real Danger, you bet I take note. That band is The Shivvies, and their goal is to play hits in the mold of Ramones, Riverdales, Huntingtons and The Queers. They just released their self-titled debut and I have to say: mission accomplished. The record immediately puts the band in the front of the pack of awesome modern day old school pop punk bands. Really, you will sing along to most of these songs after one listen, likely creating dissonance in the pitch-perfect harmonies of the Shivvies. Sure, there is a formulaic quality to these songs, but that kind of is the point you see? Following pop punk tradition, the Shivvies even have their own theme song (“S-H-I-V-V-I-E-S, we’re gonna stab you in the back“). The Riverdales and Huntingtons vibe is particularly strong in The Shivvies. Dimwit, for example would fit on any Ben Weasel record. So yeah, The Shivvies! Rotterdam! Let’s go! Shield Recordings will release the record somewhere this summer. Stream now, buy later. I know I will!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Pedico || Murder Hawai’i

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

Ready for some Ramones & Beach Boys worship? Can’t wait for summer? Listen to Pedico! Pedico are from New York and feature Jake (guitar, vocals), Griff (bass, vocals) and Chris (drums). They roll out lo-fi surfy poppunk’n’roll tunes that are so addictive, I can’t stop playing them. And if you are a Youtube frequenter, they have that Beastie Boys knack for making fun videos as well. [continued below]


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New single: Los Pepes || Want You Back​/​Never Get It Right

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

Los Pepes are one of those bands where you know exactly what you get with each release: well executed sleazy UK powerpop’n’roll that is fast and catchy. I feel kinda bad that none of their releases have made it from my wantlist to my collection. That is about to change, because their latest double A-side single is all hits, zero misses. I am not even going to discuss which song on this single is my favorite. Let’s call it a hell of a draw. The 7″ inch will ship out early May. Don’t miss out on this one, pre-order now through the band or Black Wax Noise Division.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Lisasinson || Perdona Mamá

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

Lisasinson are a band on the verge of breaking out to a large audience. Don’t take my word for it; my antenna for sensing these things is usually well off. But the hit potential on their mini-LP Perdona Mamá is massive. Lisasinson (Spain) are an easy band to fall for. Their songs are upbeat and catchy, with plenty of group vocals and bubblegum for those who like their punky pop sugary sweet. They have fast pop songs for punk kids (Corazón, Discotea) and midpaced punk songs for indie pop kids (Tú Y Yo). Their videos are fun. And, they make you sing along to words you don’t understand: Volverte Enamoraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr! That song is about falling in love apparently. Like I said,  it’s easy to fall  for this band.  The nine-song ten-inch LP is available now through Elefant Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Proud Parents || At Home With…

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

There are at least two reasons why the new Proud Parents was on the top of my pile of new releases to check today. One: Proud Parents’ previous record was released on Dirtnap records. I essentially like every band Dirtnap puts out, and that record was a lot of fun. Two: Amos Pitsch (of Tenement and creator of one of my favorite records of the past decade) helped out with recording the record, together with some of his buddys from Dusk – disclaimer: I am interested in anything Amos is involved in.

And what a good way to start this day it is. On At Home With, the garage pop of Proud Parents blossoms as never before. The record has enough jangle, hooks, and catchy choruses to lure in the indie pop crowd, but also sufficient bite to keep the indie punk kids satisfied. I love the spontaneous nature of the record: the songs sound like they were recorded with the full band in one take and the record has the energy of a live show. But then, on closer inspection, you start to notice how well written these songs are, and how the band worked on adding harmonies and other cool elements to maximize their sound. And boy, did they succeed. There are worse places to be than At Home With… Proud Parents, and I can see myself returning to this feel good record often this year. Highly recommended. It’s available on cassette, but I sure hope they do a vinyl release rather sooner than later.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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