New album: Depress Mode || Greetings From Mission Viejo

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

More goodness to satisfy those indie rock itches! To quote Larry David, the new Depress Mode record is pretty pretty pretty good. From the get go, Greetings From Mission Viejo is drenched in melancholy, with the band’s sole members (Riley Getz and Donovan Wildfong) singing about pandemic frustrations and longing for social connection on album opener I Wanna Hug My Friends. In other songs they sing about their social awkwardness (Social), and only feeling at home in their car (My Car Is My home).

Those dark and self-deprecating undertones in the lyrics juxtapose nicely with the music, that is surprisingly upbeat and infectious. It’s easy to fall for Greeting From Mission Viejo: a catchy and fun collection of lo-fi slacker rock tunes from the garage. Out now on Slugger Records!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Joy Cleaner || Spent Flowers

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

Since their 2017 debut (Total Hell), I’ve been enjoying Joy Cleaner’s balancing act between ’90s alt pop and classic indie rock. For a moment, I thought Spent Flowers, which was released last Friday, was the band’s third album. Then I noticed the subtitle 2015-2020, and read the fine lines: Spent Flowers is an odds-and-ends collection with songs from cassingles, flexidiscs, digital only releases and compilations. To top it off, there are four previously unreleashed tracks.

In a literal sense, Spent Flowers may be a compilation album – not unlike Superchunk’s Tossing Seeds, but to me it feels like the band’s third album anyway. This is far from a collection of throwaways, and the sequencing gives the album a natural flow. Easter Tuesday and Car Crashing Through The Door are just some of the gems included on this record, but there are many more.

Order now on vinyl at Jigsaw Records. RIYL: The Lemonheads, Guided By Voices, Connections.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Jigsaw Records

New album: The Kernal || Listen to the Blood

By / / Country & Folk / Leave a Comment

Tennessee native Joe Garner inherited the love for country music and a red polyester suit from his father Charlie, who played bass on the weekly concert broadcast Grand Ole Opry for 30 years. That’s how he started The Kernal, after the death of Joe’s father: “I thought, I’m going to put this old suit on and I’m going to be my own version of some of these country guys.” His new LP Listen to the Blood is the last of an album trilogy (the inherited red suit graces all record covers), which came about during a ten-year journey in which Joe wanted to prove himself as a musician, at the same time trying to tie together loose ends of the family history. The sound of the 9 new songs is fortunately not as dark as the somewhat disturbing and misleading cover photo and album title suggest. No, this is warm and uplifting contemporary Americana which is easy to enjoy. I’m curious what Joe will do now that he has dealt with the negative aspects of the past, because this project leaves you wanting more.

Listen to the Blood is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Single Lock Records

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || The Kernal

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New single: Nile Marr || How We Drift

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

At the end of 2020, Nile Marr released his debut album Are You Happy Now?, on his own label Oldham Street Records. Now the UK singer/songwriter/guitarist – his first name is a tribute to Chic’s Nile Rodgers, his last name was passed on by his father Johnny (then The Smiths, now solo) – is back with two new songs, in my humble opinion the best he has recorded to date. A-side How We Drift is a powerful, up-tempo track with some great hooks, but the quieter Only Time Can Break Your Heart on the B-side is the real hit here – one you won’t get out of your head after one listen. Accessible indie pop/rock that every self-respecting radio station should add to its playlist right away.

“I’ve been keeping up with the Joneses // Turned out they’ve got a great family band // And they know all of the big hits // The songs about love that only you understand”

How We Drift  is out now digitally and on vinyl 7″ through Park The Van Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: The Cheap Cassettes || Ever Since Ever Since

By / / Power Pop / 1 Comment

I had to check, but it is really 2022. For the past hour, I swear I was transported to the late ’70s and early ’80s. Why? I was listening to the new Cheap Cassettes record that has been released today. The ten songs on Ever Since Ever Since are a massive throwback to classic US power pop acts like Cheap Trick, The Shoes, The Romantics and particularly The Plimsouls – it appears Cheap Cassettes singer Charles Matthews shares more than a little DNA with Peter Case.

Admittedly, at first I thought this record would work even better for me personally if the songs were just a bit faster. But, this is top notch power pop songwriting that doesn’t need a punk rock pace to be powerful. The songs are melodic, yet gritty and heavily informed by rock’n’roll history. There is even a cover of the Elevators’ 1980 awesome underground hit Your I’s Are Too Close Together.

Ever Since Ever Since showcases a band at the top of their game; a band that has found the magic formula to revive the golden years of classic power pop. All we can do now is sit back, and nod our heads appreciatively to the hits.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New Single: Aiko El Grupo || Niños Furbito Y Niñas Lo Que Sea

By / / Indie Pop, Punk / 1 Comment

Madrid-based twee punks Aiko El Grupo kick off the new year with a two-song (digital only) single. The title track and accompanying video, with its playful take on high-school stereotypes, has FUN written all over it . Flipside La Seli is a bit more mellow but further proof that this four-piece is still getting better with each release.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tampopo || Magic Noodles

By / / Indie Pop, Jangle Pop / 1 Comment

And now for something completely Twee…Magic Noodles by Danish three piece Tampopo. Most, if not all of the songs were written and recorded solo by Kasper Clemmensen in 2017 and 2018, and you can find the early versions of these songs on Bandcamp. On Magic Noodles, Clemmensen rerecorded the songs with the latest version of Tampopo including Ditte Duus and Morten Hougaard.

To my ears, the rerecorded songs are a major upgrade over the originals. Released on the final day of 2021, Magic Noodles is a great jangle pop/twee pop/C86 record full of sweet and catchy underground pop songs. I could reference comparables, but why not listen for yourself? You’ll know within a minute if this is for you. For me? Yes! With a capital Y, that is!

Make sure to also read Janglepophub’s post on the record – if you like this record and haven’t bookmarked that site yet, you are in for a treat.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

“New” single: The Roxies || The Roxies Are Coming

By / / Power Pop / 1 Comment

Powerpop fans rejoice! The Roxies are coming! The Roxies are a Berlin-based classic powerpop band who will release their debut LP sometime this year – a co-release by Family Spree Recordings (Spain) and Dirt Cult (USA).

As a teaser, Family Spree just dropped a 7″ single on Bandcamp that shows a great deal of promise. To be fair, the single dates back to 2019 and the two songs have been available on the band’s Bandcamp for a while now. Regardless, the single is a great reminder that The Roxies are here and will soon unleash their hits onto our planet. I can’t wait!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Pigeon Pit || Feather River Canyon Blues

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Rock, Punk / 3 Comments

As stated in my AOTY list, I thought 2021 was a great year for music. If the early releases are any indication, 2022 seems destined to continue on that path. The Drolls and Sweet Knives already dropped great records, and here is another one. It is a record I found myself playing front-to-back this weekend while taking a walk outside in dreary weather – not skipping any of the songs. I am talking about Feather River Canyon Blues by Pigeon Pit, a band I admittedly hadn’t heard before.

I immediately warmed up to folky indie rock of Pigeon Pit, although I probably should also include emo, punk, bluegrass and country when describing the sound of the band. This broad range of musical genres may scream RED FLAG! to some, but Pigeon Pit pull it off and make it sound very natural. In addition to the classic drums, guitar and bass setup, Pigeon Pit tastefully incorporates the fiddle, pedal steel and banjo. Meanwhile, all 7 members of the band contribute vocals, giving the songs a communal feeling.

There are a lot of elements I enjoy about Feather River Canyon Blues. For one, the songs are as earnest as they are catchy. In their execution, Pigeon Pit kinda sounds like a mix of John K Samson/The Weakerthans, Nana Grizol, Pinegrove, Conor Oberst and Neutral Milk Hotel – all good in my book. Then there are the cool and slightly unnerving parts where multiple singers sing different lyrics over the same melody line, for example in the standout Milk Crates. Another strength of Pigeon Pit on this particular record is how they strike the perfect balance between more jubilant tracks and more introspective ones, giving the record exactly the right kind of flow that makes listening to the record such a rewarding experience. The sequence of Milk Crates – The River – Empties is a great example of this.

I can see myself playing this a lot this year!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Sweet Knives || Spritzerita

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

Sweet Knives finds it origins in Lost Sounds, the Memphis band that marked the start of the career of Jay Reatard. Jay sadly died in 2010, but Lost Sounds broke up five years earlier while touring Europe. The remaining members all went their seperate paths, playing in bands like River City Tanlines, Black Sunday, Mouserocket, Lover! and Thing. They resumed playing together in 2015 as Sweet Knives.

Spritzerita is the Sweet Knives’ second LP. Officially out next week, and with the vinyl versions expected to arrive this spring, Spritzerita contains 12 songs of guitar heavy powerpop that kinda sounds like a heavier version of Mary Timony’s Ex Hex. Singer Alicja Trout has the perfect voice for this kind of music. It has bite and sugar, giving the songs pop with an edge. Oh Danny and Blockin’ The Lanes are good examples of Sweet Knives hitting the sweet spot between punk, pop and garage. Those are my favorite moments of the record, though I must admit that I also really enjoy the more Sleater Kinney-esque Don’t Think Too Much and the mellow closer Fruitcake.

Spritzerita will be out 1/14 at FDH Records (US) and Push My Buttons (EU). Pre-order now!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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