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New EP: Entrez Vous || Tell Her a Joke

Countrified garage pop meets opera house grandeur

By / / Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

I’m not going to repeat the impressive pedigree of Carrboro/Chapel Hill-based duo Clark Albert Blomquist and Kelly Reidy—you can read that here—but I will say again that their project Entrez Vous is an undisguised blessing.

Take their brand new five-song EP Tell Her a Joke. It’s over in a zip, and not just because the songs are short but because time flies when the getting is this good.

And this different…

Spoiler alert: This EP starts with countrified garage pop and ends with an instrumental that belongs in an opera house. Between those bookends, Entrez Vous take detours through who-knows-where and make every stop count. It’s the kind of record where you best let it take you wherever it wants to go. I think you’ll like it. Or as the band likes to say “c’est le top, y’all.”


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Sonny Smith || Anthology of Unknown Music Volume 1

Sonny Smithbuilds worlds and then writes the soundtrack

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Psych, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

Sonny Smith (of Sonny and the Sunsets) combines a wildly creative mind with a generous soul, consistently making the world a nicer, prettier, and more fun place with whatever he touches. His latest release is a particularly strange and wonderful one. Anthology of Unknown Music Volume 1 is presented as a collection of rare and obscure musical works by unknown artists such as Vondalee Cheauvrant a.k.a. Blood World, Rip Van Funky, Terius “Big Foot” Lingerfelt, Helen Slaymaker, Gus “Goins” Goings, and Big Leg Ida. Of course, these people exist only in the colorful, restless brain of Sonny Smith.

Don’t come to this record expecting the garage pop of Sonny and the Sunsets, nor a sequel to his 100 Records Vol. 3 LP (2013). Much of Anthology of Unknown Music Volume 1 is instrumental, unfolding as a wildly imaginative mix of world music from all corners of the globe. It’s kind of mind-blowing to realize this all comes from one person, but I suppose Sonny Smith simply contains multitudes.

Whether you’re looking for a soundtrack to a hyper-focused workday or background music for a lazy Sunday spent reading and drinking coffee, this record belongs near the top of the pile.

Out now on Rocks In Your Head Records. A companion zine is also available, featuring biographies and backstories of the supposed artists behind these songs, like the tale of Umar Mubarak, sometimes called “The Man With No Head,” “The Headless Singer,” or “Non-Cabeza” in Mexico, a Sudanese musician born in 1972 near the Nile River, who, famously, had no head. Believe it or not, it somehow all makes perfect sense here.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

A little note from us

Your support is much appreciated!

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Almost five years ago, we started Add To Wantlist with a simple idea: build a cozy corner of the internet to share our musical discoveries—no ads, no paywalls, just pure enthusiasm, us geeking out about underground music and hoping you discover your next favorite band.

October means invoice season (hosting, domain renewals, spam protection—all the glamorous stuff!). We happily cover it because we believe in what we do, and we’ll always keep Add To Wantlist free and independent. But if you’ve enjoyed what we do and want to chip in to help cover those costs, you can do so via this Ko-fi link.

No pressure—the site isn’t going anywhere. Your reads, shares, and messages already mean the world. This is just here for anyone who wants to throw a virtual coffee our way.

Thanks for sticking with us and for giving a damn about the bands and labels that need it most. You rule.

New single: English Like This || Feels Like Heaven / Can’t Keep You

Feels like home

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Ian Ehrhart and his friends from Denver, Colorado-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit Jesus Christ Taxi Driver—their bluesy punk rock on 2023’s Lick My Soul LP is a must-listen—have started a new project under the moniker English Like This. Following the promising 4-track EP Like This? from earlier this year, they’ve now released two new songs—completely different—that up their game. Feels Like Heaven is a cool dad rock stomper with a feel of 70s glam and Stones-y swagger, Can’t Keep You is an Americana-tinged ballad that’s good for daydreaming. Even if you’ve only just discovered this music, it immediately feels like coming home.

Feels Like Heaven b/w Can’t Keep You is out now digitally (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

 

New album: Charlie Continental || Singles & Jingles 2016-2021

Chuck Coffey’s musical side hustle is better than most day jobs

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Not sure whether Chuck Coffey has a LinkedIn page, but if he does, I imagine it reads like a bit much—enough to make you question whether it’s even real. Let’s see: guitarist in SPELLS, head honcho of Snappy Little Numbers, producer, engineer, DJ and the list goes on. It’s the kind of résumé that breeds envy, because it sounds like he’s outworking us all and having way more fun doing it. That can’t be right!

Over the years, Coffey has also written songs and jingles for podcasts, TV shows (notably for comedy trio The Grawlix), and companies that don’t suck. Eight of those tracks are now compiled and remastered under his Charlie Continental moniker for a limited tape release on his own SLN label.

If you ask me, Singles & Jingles 2016–2021 is worth the price of admission for the old-school poppy punk hit Monotony of Care alone. But there’s more to love—some songs even sound like the blueprint for bands Coffey would later sign to his label, like Night Court (check Rotten Wood!), The Drolls (Monotony of Care again), and Tuff Bluff (Quit Wastin’ My Time).

Lots to like on this one—no filler, all jingle, eh, killers.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || SLN

New single: GEM || GEM Demo

College radio-ready crunchy pop songs

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Certain songs make you want to be a curator of a radio station. I haven’t received an offer yet, nor am I expecting one. But if I did, here is a song that I would put in heavy rotation: Got It Right The First Time from GEM’s new two-song demo. It’s a crunchy, concise pop song that is instantly enjoyable and comes with a strong chorus hook. The second track, I Wanna Know, isn’t exactly filler either. All in all, a pretty cool new project that features GEM (Big Baby)!

The demo’s proceeds support Jailbreak, a Pittsburgh mutual aid collective providing bail assistance and commissary support to incarcerated individuals in Western PA, addressing critical needs in a system increasingly shaped by poverty and diminishing social support.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Joe Sampsom || It Must Be Hard Seeing Me Like This

Hyperfocus MODE ON with this instrumental adventure by Joe Sampsom (Melted Ice Cream, Best Bets, Salad Boys, T54)

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

Press play on Joe Sampsom’s new solo album, It Must Be Hard Seeing Me Like This, and you’re instantly transported into a different world. You may recognize Sampsom as the founder of Melted Ice Cream, or from bands like Best Bets (new album coming soon!), Salad Boys, and T54, but this album takes a refreshing turn. It feels like Sampsom rediscovered an old toy and breathed new life into it — in this case, a Zoom RT-123 Rhythmtrak, which he found packed with “ridiculous” preset rhythm tracks. Sampsom started experimenting, plugging in a homemade fiberglass electric guitar and pairing it with a vintage 1974 MXR Phase 100 pedal to create something truly unique.

Recorded sporadically over six years, the album is fully instrumental and plays out like the perfect video game soundtrack, with each of the 16 brief tracks feeling like a new level. For me, it’s the kind of album that induces hyperfocus, pulling me into a zone where time flies and I’m able to shut out the world while working. Hypnotic and ever-evolving, this is a mesmerizing journey of a record.

Out now on Tape at Sampsom’s own Melted Ice Cream label.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: It Thing || Spirit Level

Talents of this post-punk powerhouse from Melbourne/Hobart are on full display on four new tracks

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Melbourne four-piece It Thing have just dropped a new EP called Spirit Level, and if you’ve heard the band before, you know that’s something to get excited about. There are two key reasons why It Thing demands your attention, and both are on full display across these four tracks. First, you can’t talk about this band without highlighting Charlotte Gigi’s powerhouse vocals. She delivers every line with ferocity and passion, cutting through no matter how loud or quiet your stereo is set.

Second, It Thing pushes (post-)punk into fresh and exciting directions. The opener Persian Rug is a raw clash between Gigi’s piercing vocals and dissonant guitars, underpinned by angular drumming. Roman Baths (check out the video below) sounds like how X-Ray Spex might if they were a current band. In Ruins is a suspenseful punk track, full of tempo changes and start-stop dynamics. Finally, EP closer A Fireplace shows the band broadening their sound, experimenting with a track that builds slowly rather than shouting for your attention from the get-go.

Long story short: It Thing is one of the most exciting bands out there right now. Spirit Level is out now on cassette via Marthouse Records!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tony Jay || Knife Is But a Dream

Intrigue in Lo-Fi

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

Tony Jay (aka Mike Ramos) is a tough artist to pin down, and his new album Knife Is But a Dream (which Ramos himself wrote, recorded & mixed, and was mastered by Andy Pastalaniec of Chime School) is anything but easy listening. Some might call it strange, others might find it monotonous, and some may simply shrug. But for me, it’s mesmerizing.

In many ways, this album functions like a novel or film that leaves much open to interpretation — where each listener might come away with a different take on the narrative, appeal, and message. The record deals with grief and sadness, an awareness of the mortality of a trusted friend (a 14-year sick cat in this case) does that. Tony Jay doesn’t offer clear answers, but he does paint an intriguing picture.

On a more practical level, Knife Is But a Dream makes for excellent background music. Ramos’ delicate guitar work, combined with the subtle hiss and sigh of the lo-fi production, allows you to tune in and out as you please.  For example, when Ramos suddenly covers Todd Rundgren’s A Dream Goes On Forever. Whether you need a soundtrack for hyperfocus or a gentle space for your mind to wander, this album is surprisingly effective.

This lo-fi bedroom pop effort is unconventional, but absolutely worth exploring. Out now via Slumberland Records, Paisley Shirt Records, and Galaxy Train.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Cool Sorcery || Terra Invaders

Cool Sorcery (Brazil) unleashes a sonic intergalactical crossover event

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Psych, Punk, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

Cool Sorcery (Brazil) has unleashed one of the wildest, most ambitious egg punk records yet with Terra Invaders. Like a comic book crossover event, mastermind Marcos Assis has gathered musicians/mutants from across the galaxy to contribute their superpowers to this sonic spectacle.

Musically, it’s a delightful chaos. Terra Invaders is the mutant punk equivalent of a hip hop mixtape, a weird mash-up of styles, robots, and punk attitude. While there are some classic egg punk tracks (BRING IT ON!!! feat. Tombeau is a standout), even these leave room for experimentation and surprising twists.

The album’s scope extends far beyond egg punk. idc just kill me already (feat. Billiam) starts conventionally but evolves into an amazing, creative trip. w-we can talk this through (feat. Stray Dogs to Good Homes) sounds like Mac DeMarco’s gone egg punk. You’ll find hints of hip hop and R&B in the psych-ish she’s kinda cute (feat. Dangusangus) and omg they look so bad (feat. Gaivota Naves). There’s even a country-esque tune with The God Man’s Alien Lust (feat. BARF!).

While I don’t love every individual part, as a whole, Terra Invaders is quite magical. This deserves a vinyl release with an accompanying comic book. It’s a mutant punk mixtape that defies easy categorization and is worth digging your teeth in.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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