New album: Hidden Pictures || Well Hell

'90s/'00s power pop revival done right by Richard Gintowt and friends

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Power Pop / Leave a Comment

Fans of ’90s/’00s power pop will get an immediate kick out of the new Hidden Pictures album. Well Hell is the band’s fourth, and their first in over a decade, although a recent single did catch our interest.

Band leader Richard Gintowt has filled the record with instantly likable songs that reflect where he’s at in life now. There are wry snapshots of adulthood and (failed) marriage (Mommy’s on Molly, Screentime), nods to his affection for country and Americana (Powder Blue, Hayward Hall of Justice), and plenty of power-pop craftsmanship that recalls bands like Fountains of Wayne and The New Pornographers. It’s an easy record to like, and an even easier one to enjoy.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tom Lawns || Peace Out, Robot Wingman

Lo-fi alt pop, straight from the couch into your heart

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

Tom Lawns is the kind of artist who’s hard to find, but once he’s on your radar, you’ll follow him anywhere. I completely missed the three EPs he released over the past 15 months (available on one convenient CD), but his debut full-length arrived this Friday, and if you ever want to argue that some of the most interesting pop music is still being made in bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms on the most rudimentary gear, Peace Out, Robot Wingman is Exhibit A.

Billed as a “couch symphony,” the record tips its hat to Ace Frehley in title and artwork, but any sonic resemblance to KISS mostly stops there. There’s no bombast or theatrics, just gorgeous songs wrapped in a delightfully unpolished haze of hiss and noise. This isn’t about rock ’n’ roll every night and every day; it’s more a happily-stuck-on-the-couch-with-a-guitar kind of record. And somehow, the melodies shine through no matter what.

Take Heavy Ghost, a song that sounds like it wandered out of the Lemonheads’ better timeline, or Metal Girl, a standout infused with rock ’n’ roll romanticism that makes it feel like the universe is quietly rewarding you for reasons unknown. And those are just two highlights—this record is full of moments that sneak up on you and refuse to let go. Find this release (and many other worthwhile ones!) on Lawns’ own Terminal Releases label.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Fragiles || Sing the Heat of the Sun

David Settle finds beauty in uncertainty and strength in persistence

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

David Settle is back with his indie pop/rock project The Fragiles, releasing their third full-length album, Sing the Heat of the Sun. It feels like a journey through the wide-ranging landscape of no man’s land, also a meditation on endurance, with lyrics circling uncertainty, stalled motion, and the ache of waiting (relationships caught on fault lines, choices deferred, faith and work requested, and love remembered more vividly in absence than presence): “Let the mess you made // Comfort you // Let the less you take // Guide you through” (from Unglued).

The ten original songs vary in tempo and intensity—from gentle guitar picking to weighty riffs and everything in between—but are always heartfelt and honest. From quiet confessionals to roaring reckonings, every note carries intent, every tune is captivating.



Sing the Heat of the Sun is out digitally and on cassette through Living Lost Records. Featuring Catherine Dwyer (bass) and Gavin Perez-Canto (drums), with Fran Lyons (synth) on select tracks. All proceeds will be donated to Anera, to Palestinian refugees.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Living Lost

New album: Nuoruus || Katatoninen Nuoruus

Finnish dirt pop done right

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

I’m a sucker for scrappy pop punk. You know, dirt pop that lives right in the sweet spot between garage punk rock, indie punk and old school pop punk. Finnish fivesome Nuoruus hit that zone perfectly on their sophomore album Katatoninen Nuoruus. It’s the kind of record genre lifers will go wild for, and one with sufficient pull to tempt others to step outside their usual niche.

Sung entirely in their native language, the record packs about 25 minutes of ragged charm. It’s catchy in all the right ways, energetic without overdoing it, and strikes a great balance between cohesion and variety. The songs fit a familiar mold, but never feel like leftovers from your favorite bands of yesteryear (or more recent favs like Martha and Heavy Lag to name a few). There’s a freshness here that keeps things moving, and Nuoruus hold your attention from the first track to the last.

Katatoninen Nuoruus is out now on Bandcamp, with a tape release coming via Helsinki label Dracula Mountain Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Doe St || Same Day

Australia’s Doe St turn the volume and the edge up

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Australia’s Doe St follow up their 2023 LP Stepping Stones (Legless Records) with a new line-up and a new four-song EP. Where some bands mellow out over time, Doe St do the exact opposite, coming back sounding louder and more ferocious. Recording the songs themselves and live to tape clearly paid off, because there’s a newfound edge here that really hits.

This is raw rock ’n’ roll–fueled punk with exceptional guitar work, a hard-hitting rhythm section, and a whole lotta swagger. One Sunnyboys cover (Thrill) and three Doe St originals, with the title track an absolute lock for my best songs of 2026 playlist. SAME DAY OOO OO OO OOO!

Out now as a NYP download, with tapes expected shortly, courtesy of Legless Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Album review: Anytime Cowboy || Slab Songs

Slack rock and outsider country with a warped heartbeat

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

File Anytime Cowboy under bands that coulda/shoulda made the wantlist earlier—because with Slab Songs, we’re officially making good on that. The new album blends slack rock, outsider country, and dark post-punk into something that feels slightly off-kilter in all the right ways.

The musical project of illustrator Reuben Sawyer sounds unsettling, but never alienating. The vocals feel warped, like they’re spinning on an unreliable record player, and that fragility is very much a feature, not a bug. Slab Songs is laid-back without drifting into boredom; in fact, it’s surprisingly vibrant and colorful beneath its dusted-over surface. That energy matches the artwork perfectly: stark black-and-white backdrops interrupted by oddly drawn cowboys splashed in bold, strange colors.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Wristwatch || III

Madison noise at full strength

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

“PUNK ROCK!!” — my exact response while listening to the third Wristwatch LP, appropriately titled III for those keeping score.

Wristwatch is yet another project from Bobby Hussy (The Hussy, Whippets, Cave Curse, Julian Heresy, etc.), here joined by longtime collaborator Tyler Spatz on bass, Ben Dederich on guitar, and Eric Hartz on drums. III feels like a proper band record: every member gets their moment, every part pushed way up in the mix. It’s loud, ripping, and constantly moving.

There’s a strong garage rock ’n’ roll backbone to Wristwatch that sets them apart from the pack. Yes, there’s melody, but there’s zero sugarcoating—this is angsty, sharp-edged stuff that feels wired into the general unease of 2026. Fast, messy, and alive, III sounds like a band playing at full volume because that’s the only setting that makes sense right now. Madison’s finest have absolutely nailed it.

III is out now on pretty white vinyl with blue/red splatter via Hussy’s own No Coast Recordings.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Clubs || The Clubs EP

The kind of power pop debut that makes your heart beat faster and louder

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

What do you get when you lock members of Slander Tongue, Les Lullies, Patrol and Klavo in a practice space with some amps, instruments, and drums? The Clubs! Oh yeah, and a whole lot of very excited music bloggers who live for discovering stuff like this.

The Clubs’ debut EP dropped around Christmas, and while I’m still catching up on the flood of recent releases, this one stands out. This is exactly the kind of power pop I love: ’70s-leaning, rock ’n’ roll–rooted, romantic without being soft, and sounding like it was written and played in a slightly smelly garage. Think a European counterpart (okay, Germany, France and Spain) to bands like The Whiffs.

As Josh Rutledge rightly pointed out, the production here is just about perfect for this style—neither too polished nor too punchy, not overly hi-fi, but clean, natural, and totally authentic. Four songs, four hits, zero filler. Favorite new band alert!

Four-song EP out now on NO FUSS Tapes. Vinyl release expected on Bachelor Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || NO FUSS

New single: Zenxith || All The Time In The World

A DIY jangle pop missive where every detail actually matters

By / / Jangle Pop / Leave a Comment

Hot on the heels of last November’s What’s Happening To Me? LP, prolific British singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Daniel McGee returns with a new 7″ from his Zenxith moniker—his 37th single, also a preview of upcoming album 6 Weeks Holiday, Nowhere To Play, which should be released next month.

The A-side, All The Time In The World, is five minutes of lo-fi jangle pop brilliance, with a tambourine and shaker replacing the drums and an earworm chorus that lets you dream of unimagined possibilities. The B-side, I Just Want You, is cut from the same cloth, though considerably shorter and a little sturdier.

In true DIY spirit, the artist is responsible for all the details, not only in terms of music, but also for the design of the cover art, the center labels, and an included postcard. A piece of handcraft to love.

All The Time In The World b/w I Just Want You—written, performed, and recorded By Zenxith—is out now digitally and on very limited 7″ vinyl through Zenxith’s own label, Salt Mine Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Bull Shannon || Stamina

Zigzag punk from L.A.

By / / Alternative Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Phat ’n’ Phunky have found another cool band that makes our ears run hot. Bull Shannon debuted in 2022 with the four-song Chill Power!!!!! EP, and their Stamina pairs six brand-new tracks with that EP tucked onto the B-side.

For the new material, Chris Candy (Chotto Ghetto), Bob Vielma (Shinobu, Fuss), and Neil Hennessy (Lawrence Arms, Sparta) are joined by Jeff Rosenstock on six-string bass and baritone guitar. On paper, that’s a triple-bass situation, but in practice the songs sound huge, like there are far more moving parts at work. No bass fetish required to enjoy it.

Bull Shannon play punk that feels genuinely different—spastic and melodic in equal measure, full of stops, starts, and sharp left turns. It’s heavy and aggressive, but somehow also uplifting. Much easier to enjoy than to explain, so do yourself a favor and just hit play.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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