New album: Wurld Series || What’s Growing

By / / Indie Rock / 2 Comments

What’s Growing is the second LP of New-Zealand indie rock band Wurld Series. I quite liked the band’s previous work, but not enough to make the wantlist. Five songs in, I am already searching for the best place to order this new record from. The instrumental intro song Harvester builds up to what is the first standout track on the record: Nap Gate, a classic ’90s indie rock track with fuzzy guitars (video below). It’s followed by Supplication, a short and sweet song with beautiful interplay between an acoustic guitar and a stylophone. We then get Moved In, which may be the most pop-oriented song on the record. It essentially is 96 seconds of catchiness. In the middle of the record the band slows down the pace and opts for some experimentation. Given the accessibility of the first part of the record, some may be put off by these out-of-the-box songs. The interlude kind of works for me though. It nicely slides into the latter part of the record which mirrors the first 5 songs in terms of variety and strength. The songwriting skills of Wurld Series shine particularly bright on Grey Men. The song is short and straightforward, but hook filled and it has excellent guitar work – a recurrent theme in the songs of Wurld Series.

Overall, What’s Growing is a very effective and efficient record. It’s only 30 minutes long, but offers A LOT, with none of the songs overstaying their welcome. It’s a strong collection of songs that should appeal to fans of classic indie rock (Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices, or more recently: Kiwi jr). Out now on Melted Ice Cream (New Zealand & Rest of the World), Meritorio Records (Europe & USA), & Osborne Again (Australia). By the way, lead guitarist Adam Hattaway will release another record next week, keep an eye out for that one.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio Records

New single: Career Boy || Scam Jam

By / / Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

What’s Next? was the title of the first song by Career Boy. Then it remained silent for 9 months, but now there is an answer to that question: next is second single Scam Jam. Think of it as a “job rock” alternative to Nada Surf’s Popular. It’s a great energetic track with entertaining tips and tracks to be successful as an artist. The music sounds a lot more exciting than this description though, so give it a listen.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Outpatient || Unreality EP

By / / Punk / 2 Comments

Outpatient’s Unreality EP was first released early 2020. Dead Broke Rekerds called it one of their favorite EPs of the year and recently put it out on cassette. I am glad they did, because I don’t think I’d found out about this one otherwise. If I did, it would’ve made my top 2020 Singles list as well. This is a great example of how punkrock can still feel fresh and exciting. It’s catchy, it’s loud, it’s a blast. And, although the vocals are quite buried in the mix, Outpatient singer AJ elicits bittersweet memories of Kurt Cobain and Kim Shattuck. Four songs. All killer, no filler. Play this one loud!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Throwback Thursday: Palms || LOVE

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

To my surprise, I just found out that Australian indie rock band Palms have released a new single entitled Calling. Not bad at all, and cool that they still make music! It reminded me of LOVE, their great track from 2012, which can also be found on the album Step Brothers (2013). The song is backed by a fun video by Angela Bermuda, inspired by Hanna-Barbera cartoons and featuring heaps of A-list celeb cameos. One not to forget.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New single: JAGGUAR || Guessing in a Row

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

“Thought I was on a roll // But it was just a couple good guesses in a row // Thought I hit my stride // But it was just a couple good days, a few good nights // Thought I was gettin’ on track // But now it seems a little bit better lookin’ back // Oh, oh.” – Lyrics that I would have liked to write myself. However, these are the words Christian Fenn, Tyler Fenn, Dimitri Treheles, and Keith Trivers composed for their band JAGGUAR’s most recent (digital) single Guessing in a Row. It’s one to add to one of your uplifting playlists. I also like the lyrics with which the song ends: “Da-da-da, da-da, da-da-da, da, da-da-da.” 🙂

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Gimme 5! Jakob Mind Shares 5 Classic Albums That Inspired The One Who Got Away

By / / Power Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

With ‘Gimme 5!’ we take a peek into the collections of artists we admire. The premise is simple: artists WE like share 5 records THEY love. Previous installments feature Rob Nesbitt (The Suitesixteen), Scott Davis (Virginia Trance), Jacob Lewis (Western Threads), and Chelo (Fievre).

In about four weeks, Jakob Mind (Sweden) will release his solo debut ‘The One Who Got Away’ on Lövely Records. It’s a record we very much look forward to. If you are unfamiliar with Jakob’s music, he plays in Rotten Mind and is a master in hitting that sweet spot between garage, punk and power pop – listen to exhibit A:

Based on the first teaser tracks, The One Who Got Away is a bit more stripped down and may be even more melodic and contagious than the most recent Rotten Mind record. Watch The City Burn already is a frontrunner for my favorite song of the year (watch below, exhibit B). Unsurprisingly, pre-orders for the record are going fast.

We are delighted that Jakob wanted to share 5 records that influence his music. Click on read more to see his list. Jakob added words to explain his picks, and we included a video of his favorite song of each record. Thanks a lot, Jakob!

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Gimme 5! Jakob Mind Shares 5 Classic Albums That Inspired The One Who Got AwayRead More »

New single: The Erratix || You Don’t Care

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

Swedish indie label Beluga Records has a talent for unleashing new powerpop and punk bands onto the airwaves. On April 2nd, they will release the debut single of The Erratix of Minneapolis on pink and black wax. It’s a single three years in the making. You can already available to stream on Bandcamp, and I invite you to do exactly that. It’s a must listen for people who like their power pop energetic with plenty of punk attitude, or their punkrock with plenty of pop sensibilities. The tasteful addition of keys give the songs some extra schwung. The band plans to record their first LP in a couple of months. Definitely one to look out for! FFO: The Cry!, Something Fierce, & The Cute Lepers.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Lake Artifik || Dream Park

By / / Indie Pop / 2 Comments

Listen, I found another gem! Close your eyes and let yourself be enchanted by the nine songs that make up Dream Park. It’s a coming of age album that 23 year old Swiss musician Carlos E. Cordero made under the acronym Lake Artifik, with a sound driven by acoustic guitar compositions merged with layers of textures and ambiences, with intimate and cryptic lyrics. Slightly sad, but intriguing and not depressing.

To gain more insight into the mystery of Lake Artifik, I asked Carlos how the tracks came about. He explains: ‘After having spent time with my close friends and family, I felt strongly isolated and nostalgic when entering my apartment in Berlin, realizing that I might not be able to return soon because of the traveling restrictions due to the pandemic. Slowly I began to dwell into memories of my youth there and the people that surrounded me then, the anxieties I feel facing the passage to adulthood. Essentially, I felt that there were many things I had on my mind that I needed to excavate in order to move on. I wrote each song with a clear episode in mind, something that I recalled from my past and meant something special to me. There were those flashbacks that I kept dreaming about and left me miserable as soon as I woke up, because they were just fragments from a past time that I couldn’t affect anymore. In a way I guess it helped me put my (short) life into perspective and realize that I had been living many things for the past 23 years.’

Over a period of five months the project was entirely written, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Carlos himself in his apartment, he even designed the accompanying artworks – each song has its own image, all just as beautiful as the songs itself. The ultimate DIY project, very impressive.

“What if I’d know what I know now? // What if I’d done everything right? // What if we’d had a whole other time? // I guess I could leave you behind” (52100)

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Wolf van Elfmand || All Blue

By / / Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

American songwriter / performer / producer Wolf van Elfmand not only has an intriguing, beautiful name; he knows how to write atmospheric songs, he has a pleasant voice, he is a great guitarist, and he also knows how to use the Ultrabeat Drum Machine. His new album All Blue counts seven good, atmospheric songs in the corner of country, folk, rock & roll, and blues, songs about sweet regret, a little sadness and Norman Rockwell. As said, Wolf van Elfmand himself is a good musician, but the guests who play bass, pedal steel, (real) drums, and harmonica take the tracks to an even higher level.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Forgivers || Some Future

By / / Alternative Rock / Leave a Comment

Now this is a great debut single! Meet American rock band Forgivers: Alex Levine and Alex Rosamilia (both from The Gaslight Anthem), Jed Winokur (The Ratchets) and Trevor Reddell (Let Me Run). They describe both their attitude and their music as “Gothic optimism”, but don’t be put off by this term or by the mentioned influences (The Cure, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Clash, Oasis) – just listen. The guitar-driven song slowly but surely draws you in, to end in an uplifting polyphonic climax: ‘Some future! Whoohoo!’ Let’s hope for a future with more music from these guys.

‘There’s a shallow in our souls // And it was filled by rock and roll // Don’t know what to tell ya’

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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