Surf Music

New EP: Monster Wave || Curse of Monster Wave

Storytelling without words

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Asheville, North Carolina-based surf rockers Monster Wave—Casey Willis (lead guitar, bass), Joel Shuman (rhythm guitar), Ryan Grisso (keyboard, bass), and Lee Rubenstein (drums)—take the high standard of their 2023 Pazuzu Luau LP even higher with this new EP. The three instrumentals that make up Curse of Monster Wave excel in original melodies that are refreshing and energetic. However, what really sets these musicians apart, is that they tell gripping stories full of plot twists without using words. As elusive as The Thing From Voodoo Island is, it comes fully to life here.

Curse of Monster Wave, mixed and mastered by Ryan Grisso, is out now digitally (self-released). It’s the first of four EPs that will be released this year.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Aweful Kanawful || Endless Pleasure

Glorious crash pop chaos from rock ’n’ roll stuntman Austin Lake (Televisionaries, King Vitamin, Flip Shit)

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk, Surf Music / Leave a Comment

Better check your bank balance before pressing play below. Must-have record coming atcha in one, two, three…

Aweful Kanawful is the brainchild of Austin Lake, one of the three talented brothers in the mighty Televisionaries. He’s also a stuntman, which explains the Evel Knievel-esque name of this solo basement project that he’s been taking to live stages as both a four-piece band and a ten-piece ensemble. Endless Pleasure is his latest album—his sixth already. I missed the first five (and some short-format releases), which reddens my face in shame but also makes me ecstatic at the thought that the previous 60+ songs might be as awesome as the ones on Endless Pleasure.

Like his work with Televisionaries, there are some surf and rockabilly-leaning tracks, but Austin Lake draws from a broader range of rock ’n’ roll influences—not unlike Daniel Romano. And not just in the ’70s protopunk art direction or the track list, which includes titles like Horse With No Name and Some Girls. Opening track Halitosis kicks off with a riff reminiscent of Black Flag’s Rise Above before morphing into high-octane surf rock ’n’ roll. Horse With No Name wouldn’t have been out of place on the latest Televisionaries record. Natural World is a late ’70s mod/power pop hit, followed by the equally catchy Pretend You’re Sleeping.

In the middle of the LP, Seventeen and Hello It’s Me provide a breather in a way Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello would approve of. The second half strikes a perfect balance between classic power pop (Bombs Away), ballsy rock ’n’ roll (Some Girls), punkrock-a-billy (High Noon, Hopeless Romantic), and the standout pop ’n’ roll hit Jimmy The Jetpack. This is one talented dude who can truly play, sing, and scream beautifully.

You could slap just about any label on this record, but the stuntman himself calls it “crash pop,” and that’s okay with me, that’s okay with me!. LP available at Folc Records. A no regret purchase if ever!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Mary Ann Hawkins || Helsinki Surf City

Nordic waves dance through spaghetti westerns

By / / Garage Rock, Surf Music / Leave a Comment

It’s freezing cold in Helsinki right now, but that doesn’t stop Finnish surf rock outfit Mary Ann Hawkins from releasing their summery sophomore album Helsinki Surf City. Their self-titled debut LP made it to my year-end list of 2022, this new one is just as much fun, but more diverse. Back then it was all about instrumentals, now Finnish vocals—by Stepa, Marko Haavisto, Maria Stereo and Minja Koski—can be heard on some of the tracks. Whether or not that is the case, appealing reverb-drenched riffs always go hand in hand with galloping heat waves from the spaghetti western desert, suitable for any dance party. This is an action-packed adventure, dynamic and energetic, with a warming effect and much to discover.



Helsinki Surf City, recorded by Valtteri Väänänen and produced by Lauri Eloranta, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Svart Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Svart

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of January 2025

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf Music / Leave a Comment

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.

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New album: Amphibian Man || Ether

Instrumental surf metal from Ukraine, inspired by topics such as Crystallization, Transmutation and Purification

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Kyiv, Ukraine might not be the first place you think of when it comes to surf rock, but that’s where Amphibian Man aka Ivan Semeshchenko does just that. His latest album Ether consists of nine atmospheric instrumentals full of metal influences and reverb, excelling in layered guitar parts that bring original melodies to the table. It sounds like it’s emerging from the twilight zone, a bit heavy-handed, but definitely an absorbing listen.



Ether is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf Music / 2 Comments

Our second year-end list has landed: Niek’s 50 favorite singles & EPs of 2024! ICYMI, Dennis kicked things off two days ago with his list, and next week we’ll wrap things up with our favorite albums of the year.

The beauty of the short format of course is that there’s no room for filler, every track has to matter. This year’s picks hit that mark, though narrowing them down was no easy task. Honestly, there are more than a few gems I had to leave out-always a sign of a more than solid musical year. In a just world, these tracks would be blasting from radios and streaming platforms everywhere. So here’s to the bands, artists, and labels brave enough to keep fighting the algorithms, one single and EP at a time.

As always, and contrary to my favorite albums list, I’ve chosen to present these singles alphabetically. Ranking them feels besides the point—apples and oranges, small sample sizes, etc.

Dive into the list below, and check out my playlist featuring 90%+ of these tracks here.

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Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf Music / 1 Comment

Next week we will publish our lists of favorite albums, but first here is an overview of short format releases that were—in my humble opinion—the most wantlist worthy. It’s a mix of welcome comebacks and uncompromising discoveries, all energetic and passionate.

Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded), in alphabetical order. Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the titles), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text). Add to your wantlist (or collection) what you like!

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New EP: Los Atascados feat. Sys Malakian || Capic​ú​a

Sunny instrumentals full of spirited guitar gymnastics

By / / Surf Music / Leave a Comment

Let’s shift our focus for a moment to Mexico, where surf rock band Los Atascados and guitarist Sys Malakian teamed up for some sun-kissed sounds that make you dream away to better times. Their joint Capic​ú​a EP contains four instrumentals, two of which are collaborations and two are individual tracks. It is all about shimmering melodies, with more moods than you would expect to fit on a 7″.


Capic​ú​a, recorded, mixed and mastered by Gabriel López, is out digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Otitis Media Records. Featuring Alberto Montes de Oca (lead guitar), Sys Malakian (lead guitar, rhythm guitar), Alberto Montes de Oca (rhythm guitar), Omar “Alf” García (bass), Miguel García (bass), F. Israel Sorkin T. (drums) and Gustavo López (drums). Two of the songs are vinyl exclusive and not available on Bandcamp or streaming platforms.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Otitis

New album: Waterboarding School || The Little Sports Mirror

Sun-soaked sonic goodness from Gothenburg, Sweden

By / / Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Surf Music / Leave a Comment

Waterboarding School is not a secretive CIA plot, but a five-piece from Gothenburg (Sweden) who just dropped their third album The Little Sports Mirror. Comprised of 8 tracks that just touch twenty minutes, Waterboarding School make it almost too easy to enjoy the record.

Their surfy garage pop is sun-kissed and West Coast influenced (think Allah-Las). The band keeps the pace going—bopping your head quickly becomes inevitable, but they make it feel leisurely and relaxed, and that sure is a nice space to reside in.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Dusted || The 10 Best Cover Songs Of November 2024

By / / Alternative Rock, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Power Pop, Surf Music / 1 Comment

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 November, Haruomi Hosono (by various artists), Margo Guryan (various artists), Green Day (Billy Cobb) and Joy Division (The Routes) were put in the spotlight, and numerous Christmas classics were given new packaging, but here we list some other choice cuts.

Empty Sky || Cover: The Fleshtones || Original: Elton John
Forty-five years after their first release, New York garage rock legends The Fleshtones dropped a new worthy long-player, titled It​’​s Getting Late (​…​and More Songs About Werewolves), out on Yep Roc. Besides strong self-penned songs like Way of the World and Wah Wah Power, there are good covers of The Hearse (written by Lee Hazlewood, first released by Al Casey) and Empty Sky (written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, first released by Roy Everett but a month later also by Elton John), all in the band’s signature sound.

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