New album: Dropped Out || Get Lost

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

This is not science and fully anecdotal, but with Spring in full swing and Summer on our doorstep, the mood for pop punk increases. Am I right? This week I finally was able to get my hands on a vinyl version of Parasites’ classic Retro-Pop Remasters and I am grateful to Otitis Media Records for doing a reissue. That same label also recently released a modern pop punk platter from Dropped Out that shouldn’t be overlooked. Not just because of the fun artwork and the gorgeous pinwheel vinyl variant, but also because of the tunes.

Dropped Out are a three piece from Austin (Texas) who play pop punk that is at the midpoint of Lookout Records and Fat Wreck Chords. The band’s sound on Get Lost is full on ’90s, fast, smooth, polished and super catchy. Album opener I’m Still Alive and album closer 20 Below (a solid Teen Idols cover) will show you all you need to know about this band, but in between there is plenty to enjoy as well. Solid, fun stuff tailor made for this time of the year.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Otitis Media Records

New album: Savak || Human Error / Human Delight

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

Five records in, and Savak (featuring members of Obits, Holy Fuck, The Nation Of Ulysses, and The Cops) is still finding ways to keep their mid tempo indie rock interesting. Human Error / Human Delight is a subtle record, which makes it the perfect soundtrack for a busy work day. It’s the kind of record that offers an ebb and flow of attentional demand that feels natural. It’s the kind of record that keeps you moving forward, and where each of the songs have moments where you are pulled in without ever becoming too distracting. It’s a layered and diverse piece of work, intelligent but not pretentious, and well suited for multiple plays.

I’ve noticed several reviews of the record describing Savak’s sound as postpunk, which I guess reveals my ignorance about that genre. To my ears, there are definite ’80s influences but more from punkrock, powerpop and American underground pop. Above all, it’s quality guitar driven indie rock.

Give Human Error / Human Delight a couple of spins, it’s an understated yet rewarding record, and it keeps growing on me. LP available now through Peculiar Works Music, Ernest Jennings Record Co. and Geenger Records – the black and white splatter version looks particularly appealing and complements the stylish artwork very well.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New EP: Your Pest Band || Reflecting Board

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

We almost exclusively cover new releases on our site. But still, I can appreciate how Dead Broke Rekerds every now and then places the spotlight on previously released work that they feel has been criminally overlooked. It’s how I discovered this great EP by Outpatient. And here’s a recent reissue I am grateful for: Reflecting Board, a mini album Japanese veterans Your Pest Band released in 2021.

Reflecting Board features 7 tracks that takes influences from ’70s classic rock and ’80s punk, which combined sound like a mix of early ’80’s powerpop and The Replacements. Classic songs from a veteran band in full possession of their songwriting chops and, I fully agree with Dead Broke Rekerds, far too good to pass up.

Reflecting Board is out now on 12″ vinyl. The artwork is kinda ugly, but the tunes are kinda awesome.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Green/Blue || Paper Thin

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

Listen. We get it. There is a definite rebound effect to the pandemic. Records were shelved, tours were postponed. Bands and fans had to wait for what felt like forever to get reacquainted and celebrate their shared love of music. As such, we’ve seen so many releases this year that we’re struggling to keep up. But it gets worse when bands release not one but two great records a mere six months apart. So damn you, Green/Blue!

I’m looking at you, Jim Blaha (Blind Shake/Shadow In The Cracks), Annie Sparrows (Soviettes/Awesome Snakes), Dan Henry (Sgt 6 Assault/Dummies/France Has The Bomb), and Hideo Takahashi (France Has The Bomb/Sweet J.A.P./Nice & Neat Records). I know you are respected veterans of the Minneapolis scene, but you are turning us into spoiled little brats if you continue on this path. With your short and tight mid-fi mesmerizing new wavish, garagy, postpunky pop nuggets. With these ten tracks on Paper Thin that are just as great as the ten songs on Offering. Another reason to be kinda mad: how am I going to pick one of these records over the other in my AOTY list?

On Paper Thin, Green/Blue sound like a punkrock version of the Cure or like Arcade Fire on a diet of everything that is good about underground ’80s music, or like Jeff Burke (of Radioactivity/Marked Men fame) fronting either of these bands. It’s freakin’ great and out now through Feel It Records. But in all fairness, it should be the last Green/Blue record for at least six months.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Feel It Records

New EP: Los Recuerdos || Entre Macca Y Juan Gabriel

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

There is no shortage of solid powerpop and rock-‘n’-roll bands from Spain, and Los Recuerdos is one of my favorite new ones. The band’s second EP is out now and it’s called Entre Macca Y Juan Gabriel. The title is a nod to the wide range of influences of the band, including Paul “Macca” McCartney and Juan Gabriel. But despite their many likes, the sonic aim of Los Recuerdos ultimately seems straightforward and, if you’d ask me, in exactly the right direction.

That direction? Uptempo jangly powerpop, which Los Recuerdos have further tightened and polished on these four new tracks. On EP standout Una Idea Genial they incorporate some very welcome Undertonesque pop punk vibes. Últimos de Julio is another excellent track showcasing the band’s talent for writing strong and contagious melodies.

Curious to see if Los Recuerdos are ready to graduate from the EP format to a full length. I think they may very well be!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Yellow Pills || Too Many Metrics

By / / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Yellow Pills is the solo bedroom project by Chicago-based musician Ryan Miera. At a fast pace he writes and records cinematic garage psych tracks with surf influences, largely instrumental although occasionally vocals pop up. I like the title of his new album – Too Many Metrics – but the song titles also evoke all kinds of images and stories (What does The Letter H stand for? Does The Devil’s Drug Dealer also supply yellow pills? Etc). More importantly though, this is simply very entertaining music. Diverse, quirky and exciting.

Too Many Metrics is out now via Mint 400 Records – streaming only for now.

New album: Puhelinseksi || Vieraita Toisillemme

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

Puhelinseksi are a band of four from Rovaniemi, a city in Finland locate slightly below the arctic circle. The light can get a bit weird there, and perhaps this helps to explain the dark and melancholic undertones in Puhelinseksi’s brand of punky and melodic powerpop. Their sophomore record is called Vieraita Toisillemme, and the nine songs on it range from pretty good to pretty great. I am particularly drawn by the band’s killer choruses and the new wavey guitar work. Without understanding the lyrics, the emotion in the voice of Puhelinski’s frontwoman hints upon the dark themes in the lyrics (loneliness, alienation, mental health problems and broken hearts). This heartfelt honest voice is complemented nicely by the strong melodies in Puhelinseksi’s music.

Good stuff again from Svart Records. Vieraita Toisillemme is available on CD and on black and purple vinyl.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Svart Records

New EP: The Girls || Tea Party

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

Following up their 2021 mini-LP Armed To The Teeth, The Girls (Wilmington, North Carolina) return with another hard-to-google release; the 5-song Tea Party EP. The EP offers more of the hard poppin’ rock-‘n’-roll sleaze I’ve come to love about this band – the band has ’77 in their social media user name and on their Bandcamp page, which should give you an idea of their sound.

Recently, the band made the soundtrack of Netflix original Along For The Ride with their standout song Schools For Fools. That likely will have brought some new pairs of ears to The Girls, and the Tea Party EP makes good on the promise of that song. My favorite track on the Tea Party EP is Love Song. That chorus is massive! Make sure to also check The Girls’ version of Primal Astrology by Zodiac Panthers.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Matt Moody || Still A Kid In A Painted Sky

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Pop / 1 Comment

Los Angeles based singer-songwriter/guitarist Matt Moody has the name and the voice as well as the songs to become as much of a hero as his role models Tom Petty and Jonathan Wilson. His full-length debut album Still A Kid In A Painted Sky has just been released and already feels like a classic. This is richly orchestrated and diverse indie folk rock, full of dreams about better times after a dark period, about convincing yourself that you’re worth living – doing what feels right – and that everything will be fine in the end. Moody has a pleasantly gritty voice with a wide range, with which he manages to convey his poetic but vulnerable stories in a captivating way. His skilled band – Lee Kolarik (drums, percussion), Todd Marshall (bass), Mike Abbadini (keys, whistles), Jacob Wynne (trumpet), David Kasper (sax, flute) and Megan Sullivan (violin) – knows how to create the right, warm atmosphere for every story with its varied set of instruments. “It feels like I’ve been yappin’ my best // But I don’t have much left, that ain’t been said // Except we’ll all be dead // Like rocks and such // And I don’ t mind, it too much”, you hear in standout song I Don’t Mind, but this LP is something to remember anyway.

Still A Kid In A Painted Sky is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Supercrush || Melody Maker

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

The five songs on Supercrush’s EP Melody Maker were lying on a shelf since 2019, but they may just as well have their origins in the ’90s. This is the kind of punchy altpop that will be gobbled up by fans of It’s A Shame About Ray, Bandwagonesque and Girlfriend.

The songs were recorded in the same sessions as their 2020 debut LP, which makes me wonder why these songs were excluded from that one. They are far from throwaways, and I like to make the case that songs like Perfect Smile, Trophy and Melody Maker actually would have improved Supercrush’s already very likeable Soda Pop LP.

Melody Maker is out now on 12″ through a bunch of labels: Debt Offensive – who are on a roll lately with releases by Motorists and Night Court, Don Giovanni & KR Records (US), Erste Theke Tonträger (Europe), and Flake Records (Japan).


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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