Early 1987, The Ramones played their first ever show in Argentina. Now, almost 34 years later, we still reap its rewards. Fievre, from Buenos Aires, are clearly ‘Ramoneros,’ and their new selftitled record consists of twelve instant bubblegum punk classics. From album standout La vía es bella to No sos como yo, an awesome cover of the Muffs’ Not like me, Fievre clearly wants you to pogo your way through Covid-19.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (name your price download)
As far as I know, the Irish alternative-rock band NewDad – none of them can call themselves a dad, not even the girl from the gang – haven’t released a physical release yet, but their previous track Blue already got quite a bit of airplay in the UK. Now they present fifth (digital-only) “single” I Don’t Recognise You, in which dreamy vocals and powerful guitars alternate. The lyrics are quite heavy, but the accompanying video shows what the band stands for: ‘Fun, easy going and desperately trying to sound cooler than we are.’ An EP is said to follow in early 2021, one to look forward to.
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Jiffy Marx knows his way around a tune. He plays in Autogramm, who released a bunch of great singles (this is my favorite). He just released his first solo 7″. It’s a classic double A-sided power pop single. Here is She’s my Witch, a song about his wife, who I am sure he loves very dearly. The video, another solo effort by Jiffy, is build around a classic optical illusion that smartly complements the lyrics. Well played, Jiffy. Well played!
Australia and New Zealand have become a hotbed for a lot of today’s best punk acts, with Amyl and the Sniffers, Dennis Cometti, the Chats and Stiff Richards. The Cavemen are cut from the same mold. Their 2019 record Night after Night comes highly recommended. On their latest single Euthanise Me, they blister through 4 classic punk tracks in less than 8 minutes. High intensity, plenty of melody.
Add to Wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Slovenly Records
Now this is a good way to start the weekend. The New Madness delivers energetic garage / blues rock with punchy riffs, a high-pitched voice and lots of whoohoos. It kind of reminds me of the Cato Salsa Experience, although it has been some time since they were active, but you probably also hear influences like The Black Keys. The debut single Love Sick, my favorite track from the album, was released three and a half years ago and is now bundled with the songs that followed along the way. Berlin-based / Danish-born Bjarke Sørensen wrote the music and lyrics and he’s also responsible for vocals, guitars, synth moog, rhodes, drums, and percussion (yes, there are also some other artists playing along). The LP After Hours is out today through Crunchy Frog.
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What happens if members of The Shifters, Pop Singles, Dag and Chook Race, come together to see what can be made of abandoned songs, left over from each member’s various projects? That’s exactly what Tristan Davies, Tam Matlakowski, Dusty Anastassiou and Rob Remedios did in June 2018, and the result can now be heard. The Melbourne ‘superb-group’ Permits sounds like you would expect from the combination of backgrounds of the band members: ‘a wonky VU-bentism,’ in their own words. Their debut album Time Permits is out today on Tenth Court.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Tenth Court
Adele & The Chandeliers is a new project by Adele Pickvance of Go-Betweens fame. Adele’s bass-playing is a driving force on their debut First Date, which consists of ten groovy radio friendly post-punk tunes with dashes of 60’s pop, soul and power pop. Pre-order now at Pretty Olivia Records (Spain).
Back in the day, the Italian power pop band Radio Days has already made some very catchy music (they represent the pop side of rock’n’roll, as they call it themselves). Four years after their latest work, they are now back with a great new 7″ EP with three songs and cool art work I Got a Love is out on December 11 via Snap!! Records.
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Another band from Australia, Perth to be precise, who make delicious likeable jangly guitar music. What’s in the water over there? Too Deep For The Desert, The Spunloves’ second full length album is one you would love to play again and again. Listen to Love Letter (Return to sender) below, my favorite track from the LP.
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Pretty much everything about this is intriguing. First of all, the band name Lylyly, of course, but also the singing style of frontwoman Emily Mineo, lyrics like I Thought That I Was Dying (Same As Yesterday) and the self-drawn artwork of the self-titled LP, even the name of the label – goodhowareyou records – intrigues. Check interviews with Rawckus or Vents Magazine if you want to know more, but better: take a listen and let the music speak for itself.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp