Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2023

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Our final year-end list is my 50 favorite Singles & EPs of 2023. ICYMI, Dennis published his last week, and we previously both shared our favorite albums of the year – mine here and Dennis’ over here.

I am presenting these singles alphabetically. Ranking them is near impossible and getting my longlist back to 50 releases was hard enough in itself. If there is one takeaway from this list and our other lists it’s that 2023 was a pretty amazing year in the sonic underground.

Find my list below, and a Spotify playlist with 80% available content of my list here. Wishing you happy holidays and see you all next year!

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New album: La Vivas || The Doors of Perception

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

La Vivas are an energetic guitar rock band from Worcestershire, UK, featuring Kevin Donaldson (vocals, guitar, bass), James Donaldson (vocals, bass, guitar) and Luiz Ferreira (drums, percussion). On their full-length debut album The Doors of Perception – beautiful title, gallery-worthy cover art – you’ll hear eleven dynamic, original songs in which influences from garage rock, freak folk and psychedelic blues come together, but which in terms of sound and attitude are already prepared for packed stadiums. Listen to the raucous opening track The Bell and the Butterfly and you’ll effortlessly imagine the crowd clapping and screaming along with the potent drum rolls and heavy guitar riffs at 2:30. The other tunes are less wild, but the inviting lyrics (“I’m writing to reach you // I’d write all night long // My head’s full of Tom Waits songs” – from the outstanding Waiting for your Love, hovering somewhere between Thelonious Monster and Portishead) and intense vocals make them just as exciting.





The Doors of Perception is out now digitally and on vinyl LP (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Stiletto Shakers || An EP

By / / Alternative Rock / 1 Comment

Brighton-based rock & blues outfit The Stiletto Shakers promises a full band recording in the new year, but before that happens, we now get An EP (that’s what it is, also the title) recorded in isolation by two of the band members. Lewis West-Vimpany and John Vanek pull out all the tricks in their bag. In opening track That Color Love Looks Good On You, infectious vocals and energetic horns fight for attention, followed by a successful tribute to James Dean and three jams that are more experimental, with soul and psych pop influences. Diverse, vintage guitar rock that comes alive thanks to two creative minds.


An EP is out now digitally (self-released). Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Mystic Braves || The Spinning Wheel

By / / Garage Rock, Psych / Leave a Comment

Ten years have flown by since American garage psych band Mystic Braves debuted with a stellar self-titled album (initially released under the name Blackfeet Braves, but that was changed quite quickly). Last year they released their fifth LP Pacific Afterglow, which they now follow up with the five-track EP The Spinning Wheel on Spotify. Two of its songs, The Rest Existing and Sea of Fate date from 2012, but were never properly recorded until recently, the other tunes are brand new. Although the current line-up – Julian Ducantenzeiler, Shane Stotsenburg and Ignacio Gonzales – still delivers memorable surf guitar melodies, their sun-kissed sound is a bit more laid-back and polished than before, which suits them remarkably well. These are 24 addictive minutes that will make you long for summer.

The Spinning Wheel is streaming only for now.

New single and album: Angel Face || Angel Face & I Can’t Go Back b​/​w New Generator

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

Here’s Slovenly Recordings deciding that 2023 needed one last great LP after all. Oh, and a single as well? Why not? Both come from Angel Face, a new supergroup out of Tokyo formed around Fink of Teengenerate, Firestarter and Raydios. Both releases offer not just a welcome respite from the seasonal music that is hard to escape this week, they sound like something that will soon find a place in your collection.

Angel Face’s blend of punk rock and garage rock’n’roll is not exactly revolutionizing the concept, but it is of a level that makes you do a double elbow, fist-clenching “F- Yeah!” It’s raw, it’s fun, it’s contagious as hell – does this explain why exactly 666 copies were pressed of the LP? Angel Face showcase a lot of great material on their self-titled debut LP and sophomore single, and I am particularly blown away by songs like Bad Feeling, U.S.A., Right Time, andTake It Or Leave It (serious Replacements vibes here by the way). Meanwhile, I Can’t Go Back is a killer A-side of the 7″ single. There’s really no way denying these two releases.

Slovenly and Angel Face make a convincing argument for giving them the last scraps of your 2023 record-buying budget.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Slovenly

New single: Happy Body || Happy Body

By / / Garage Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Late last year, Happy Body lighted up my radar. The then solo project by Ava Rose (Philadelphia) has transformed in a three-piece band with April Russell on drums, and Alex Stolte on bass. Happy Body plays exciting lo-fi trashy garagerock’n’roll, with some really cool guitar work.

Happy Body are explicit about their influences and namedrop Younger Lovers, Vexx, Thin Lizzy T-rex and Nervous Breakdown by Black Flag. They are self-proclaimed lovers “perfect crazy girl songs,” and based on the five songs on their new self-titled EP, I think their own crazy girl songs are pretty striking as well. Find out for yourself below. Tape out now on Spared Flesh Records.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New compilation: A Chaotic Pop Records Compilation – I Know It’s Only A CDR Release, But I Love It!

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

Looking for new material for your next mixtape or radio show? Curious how the underground pop scene in Indonesia is right now? In the mood for scrappy and lo-fi twee pop, jangly guitars, for some Sarah and Slumberland Records worship? Do you have a soft spot for that punk DIY spirit? Well, Tangerang (Indonesia) label Chaotic Pop Records (“As twee as pop, chaotic as fuck!”) has got your back.

The I Know It’s Only A CDR Release, But I Love It! compilation features nine bands that all are worthy of a place on your watchlist. One of the songs, by a band called Zenxith is titled Indie Pop Impersonators. Another, by The Rosebuds Riot, is called Poppy Crappy Band. Both are tongue-in-cheek funny given how authentic the indie pop of not just these two, but all nine bands sounds. Honestly, I am blown away by how many great songs and exciting bands are on this comp – Listen to some of my favorites below. We don’t write about comps all that often, but this one is definitely worth sharing.

Order the I Know It’s Only A CDR Release, But I Love It!  on cd-r now at Chaotic Pop.





Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2023

By / / Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / 6 Comments

By now you’ve probably seen our lists of favorite albums – here‘s Niek’s and there‘s mine – but 2023 also gave us lots of short format releases that were wantlist worthy. Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded). I would have liked to purchase some more physically, but that’s quite an expensive challenge with retail prices where 15 euros (16 USD) for a 7″ single and 40 euros (43 USD) or more for a six-track 12″ EP are no exceptions. Anyway, luckily there are other ways to hear them. Looking over the playlist, I guess that this music is a bit faster and wilder than that of my AOTY list – what is too exhausting for a full-length, works well for just a few songs. In my world you could have a fun dance party with this, including a few moments of rest in between to recover.

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New EP: Almost Lovers || EP #2

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

You may remember the self-titled debut EP from French-Belgian power pop band Almost Lovers that was released over two years ago, if only for the minimal cover art of two kissing mouths on a light blue background. Their second EP uses the same illustration style, only more zoomed out, with salmon pink as the dominant color and a mysterious component added. This goes hand in hand with the development of the music: again hovering somewhere between garage pop and pop punk, but warmer and more mature in sound, around a mixed bag of emotions. Or, as the label describes it much better: between a kiss on the neck and a kick in the ass. Either way, it’s exciting and appealing.

EP #2 is out now digitally and on cassette through Howlin Banana Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Nite Sobs || Fade Out

By / / Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

Remember that sugary sweet Trevor Blendour record, which sounded like “a ’50s rock’n’roller or a ’60s Beatlemaniac who just discovered Green Day’s Kerplunk?” Well Family Spree Recordings just released its natural twin: the new Nite Sobs record Fade Out. It may be a little less sweet and a bit more contemporary powerpop than Blendour’s super fun LP, but it has the same foundation of classic rock’n’roll and pop, the same vibe. The hooks are timeless, the choruses are sticky, the harmonies are ear-tickling in tune and the energy is vibrant. Bobby Fuller and The Everly Brothers would nod in approval to the fourteen songs on Fade Out, while Brad Marino, Geoff Palmer and Kurt Baker would gladly share the stage with Nite Sobs. This is quality stuff!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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