New album: Dion Lunadon || Systems Edge

Dion Lunadon is a rock’n’roll romantic born in New Zealand and currently residing in N.Y.C. His third record Systems Edge is out now on In The Red Records – the same label that put out his 2022 record Beyond Everything after Henry Rollins forwarded an early tape of the record. It’s easy to see what attracted Rollins. Dion Lunadon is the real deal, his music loose and raw. Standout Diamond Sea is just one example of the killer garage rock’n’roll Lunadon churns out.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || In The Red

New album: Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers || The Age of Invention

This week’s imaginary award for most eclectic and exuberant album goes to Rory Danger & the Danger Danger‘s for their second full-length, The Age of Invention (their previous LP The Age Of Exploration was released in 2014, although they make it seem like it was 1914). We’re talking about New Orleans’ first and only theatrical stunt rock cooperative, a creative 7-piece that comes up with 22 tunes in which more happens than we can list. It’s a weird but effective melting pot of genres, styles, tempos and instruments, ranging from rockabilly and folk to musicals and soundscapes, from synths and saxophones to fiddles and flutes, from adventurous pieces of over 7 minutes to a cover of the Everly Brothers’ Bye Bye Love and advertising-like skits. Even the more straightforward songs (listen below) contain many inventive hooks and sounds, such as the organ alarm in Death Ray (“There are so many @#$$% buttons // And one of them is reddish in color, look at it”). Extravaganza rules, fun to the max.



The Age of Invention, produced by Bill Malchow, Andre Bohren and Aurora Nealand, is out now digitally and on vinyl 2LP (self-released). Featuring Rory Danger (vocals, saxophones, fiddle, flute, penny whistle), Pepe Peligroso (vocals, guitars, lap steel, cello), C-Jay Bongo Danger (guitar, percussion, vocals), Billy Digits Danger (piano, organ, synths, accordion, vocals percussion), Spike Danger (guitars, vocals, lap steel), Professor Potts (bass, screams) and D’Ranger Danger (drums), with various musical friends on selected tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || Louisiana Music Factory

New album: The Terminal Buildings || Coming to Terms With the Terminal Buildings: Best Ones 2021​-​2023

I’ve eagerly awaited the perfect moment to write about The Terminal Buildings, a solo home recording project out of Glasgow. This week, that opportunity presented itself with The Terminal Buildings releasing a greatest hits compilation of its initial years. The record opens a gateway to The Terminal Buildings’  prolific output – a mostly low-key personal project, with its artist releasing almost everything he records. “When I’ve completed a set of songs for an album or EP I find it difficult to leave out the less-good ones, especially if I’ve put any amount of work into them. I don’t have much of a quality filter,”  confessed Finlay, the mastermind behind Terminal Buildings, whose last name remains unknown.

Coming to Terms With the Terminal Buildings: Best Ones 2021​-​2023 prioritizes quality over quantity. The 15-song compilation will undoubtedly be treasured by enthusiasts of discovering hidden gems in underground pop music. It is not far-fetched to include The Terminal Buildings among lo-fi modern power pop acts as 2nd Grade, Tony Molina and Mo Troper, while hints of Guided By Voices and Teenage Fanclub also shine through. Most songs are concise. yet brimming with timeless melodies. Songs like Struck Me Down, More like That and Lori Jean are just some of the highlights, and they are illustrations of why I am so excited about Finlay’s songwriting.

I asked Finlay about his decision-process in picking the songs for the compilation. He replied: “At the point I’m aware of which songs are my favourites, usually it’s the ones that were quickest to write that stick in my head. I tried to include a variety to give the compilation a collage feel, while also sticking to the most poppy and succinct tunes. So some of them are really rough and lofi and others are the most polished recordings I’ve ever done, but I like to think they’ve all got strong melodies. I also recently recorded acoustic versions of some of my songs, so revisiting them in that form made me think more about which were my personal favourites.”

I hope that this compilation marks a new step in the career of The Terminal Buildings, because the caliber of songwriting is exceedingly promising and deserving of recognition. Given that our platform focuses on sharing music worth exploring, let’s close this post with some recommendations by Finlay: “Codist, Lemon Drink, Peter Cat, I Wanna Be a Truck Driver, and Headcleaner are all Glasgow-based bands worth checking out. I’d especially like to mention Lane Goldman, whose live band I played in a few years ago, and who has recently released a new album called Coin – she is an incredible songwriter with unparalleled creative vision.”




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: State Drugs || Parade Of Red Flags

State Drugs are a sneaky good band from Denver, Colorado. Their latest album is called Parade Of Red Flags and is out now on Snappy Little Numbers & Ashtray Monument – the same labels that released their quite excellent 2021 LP Live. Laugh. Love.

On Parade Of Red Flags, State Drugs stay true to their signature sound. For the uninitiated, State Drugs play midpaced punkrock with a generous dose of alternative rock and pop. Get Samiam, Shades Apart and Buffalo Tom in a room together and you may end up with something sounding like State Drugs. As with their previous releases, Parade Of Red Flags is subtly captivating – like I said, this band is sneaky good. But opening with two standouts in Marathon To The Red Light and Crash Entry, it becomes immediately clear that this band wants you to be all ears. By the end of the record, they’ll have repaid you double.




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Snappy Little Numbers || Ashtray Monument

New album: The Wanton Bishops || Under The Sun

About ten years ago, The Wanton Bishops made a very convincing debut with their Sleep With The Lights On LP, twelve tracks of irresistibly groovy blues rock laced with Middle Eastern influences. The genius behind the band, Beirut native Nader Mansour, then traveled through America’s deep south for a while, to experience the roots of Mississippi blues. That led to a freshly inspired musical vision and the long-awaited sophomore full-length album Under The Sun, both an exploration of identity and a love letter to his hometown. In the ten new songs here, the Delta swamps have made way for the Lebanese mountains, with a sound that is more eclectic and more electronic (and to be honest: less easy to grasp, which is not a bad thing). Nader explains: “It’s Lebanese rock, a new genre, a blueprint for future music. It’s not fusion, it’s confusion, it’s not world music, it’s rock music from the world, for the world.” Heavy, danceable, colorful and special at the same time. Ten years later, The Wanton Bishops manage to surprise and impress again.





Under The Sun, produced by Jules Apollinaire, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP via gnu roam / Bucks Music Group. Featuring Nader Mansour (vocals, keyboards, synths), Jules Apollinaire (guitar, bass, keyboards) and Rene Van Diessen (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Kartel Music Group

New album: The Blips || Again

Two years ago, rock ‘n’ roll consortium The Blips captured our hearts and year-end lists with their self-titled debut album, and they continue that triumphant march with their sophomore LP, aptly titled Again. Although the band* consists of veteran front men from the Birmingham, Alabama rock scene who all hold their own when it comes to writing, singing or playing multiple instruments, this doesn’t lead to an ego battle but rather to a strengthening of forces. As if it takes no effort at all, we get another nine catchy tunes in which appealing elements of power pop, garage rock, alt-country and Southern rock come together (infectious hooks, guitar riffs, vocal harmonies and hand claps, that is). Worthy of your attention.



Again, written and produced by The Blips, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Cornelius Chapel Records. *Featuring Taylor Hollingsworth, Chris McCauley, Wes McDonald, Will Stewart and Eric Wallace.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: No Tears || Heart Shaped Eyes

If you are familiar with the music of the infectious Swedish horror pop punk band The Dahmers, discovering that frontman Christoffer “Stoffe” Karlsson went solo to unleash his love of classic powerpop is something to get VERY excited about. The project is titled No Tears and I’ve loved each and every single that was teased this year. Further adding to the hype, I received a message from one of our Swedish followers. He owned an advance copy and confidently stated I was absolutely going to love this record. Now that Heart Shaped Eyes is out, I fully agree. What an insanely smooth, catchy and fun collection of power pop tunes.

Karlsson clearly set out to write A-side singles, and the trouble I have identifying a designated hit on Heart Shaped Eyes is saying something about the amount of hits je penned. The record opens with two highlights in Dreaming and I Wanna Be With You (Tonight) and closes on two songs that are its opposite and atypical to the sound of No Tears: the inhibited instrumental The Silence Is Speaking and a semi-acoustic country duet Without Your Love that is so well executed I wonder we can expect a country side-project from Karlsson next. Between these bookends, Heart Shaped Eyes turns out as a record that can easily be played alongside the recent records by Geoff Palmer and Kurt Baker – two artist who take an similarly broad perspective informed by classic powerpop, rock’n’roll and pop punk. Plenty to like, lots to love on this one.

I probably have said this before, but how awesome is it to reside in the same timeline as bands like Uni Boys, The Whiffs, The Rubs, The Speedways, and now No Tears? Heart Shaped Eyes is out now on Luftshott Records.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Luftslott Records

New album: Autogramm || Music That Humans Can Play

Just a couple of songs in and it becomes clear that the meter on Autogramm’s third album tilts heavily towards new wave, ’80s revivalism, and irresistible feel-good tunes. Autogramm brought in Lars Swenson (Catheters, Bread & Butter) as an additional member during the making of Music That Humans Can Play – a record born in the heatwave of 2022. They sound rock-solid, tight and inspired as a four-piece, and ’80s synths and majestic hooks go hand in hand on the new LP.

Everything sounds big and crisp. Whether by chance or deliberate intent, Autogramm has crafted a record that could easily have dominated the charts four decades ago, offering an impressive array of potential singles. Born Loser (with MTV-ready video), Mapee (Don’t Screw Up), Hey Allie and Love Is For Fools all are candidates, while the upbeat Plastic Punks and Westbound are personal favorites.

I can’t help but perceive the title as a commentary on the threat posed by A.I. The authentic ’80s vibe and songwriting on Music That Humans Can Play is so striking, it prompts the question: Could artificial intelligence truly craft something of this caliber if fed prompts from the defining bands of the power pop and new wave era? I doubt it. The album resonates so profoundly human, it is a confident challenge of the capabilities of A.I. by a band in absolute top form.

Music That Humans Can Play is out now on Stomp Records and Beluga Records. Stoked that this band is touring Europe next Spring!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Stomp Records || Beluga

New album: Big Mess || Cleaning Up With

One-word review of Cleaning Up With, the fourth album by Big Mess: WOW!

Big Mess’ new LP, their first for Specialist Subject Records, is an explosive mix of punk, pop and rock’n’roll. This essentially is a pop record built on barely contained youthful energy and a wall of noise. Big Mess keep a high gear on these twelve songs, each one peppered with infectious melodies. Everything is flying frenziedly around, and Big Mess effortlessly switch from street punk influences (Working, Shit On My Shoe) to powerpop’n’roll (Doo-Lang Doo-Lang, Hangin’ Round). Opening track Grooving sets off the record on the right foot, and each time you think you’ve found your favorite track on the record, Big Mess throws another standout at you. Like Telephone, a gritty powerpop classic in the making, or Messy Xmas, a sloppy theme track that is plain fun.

Perhaps somebody put something in their drink, somebody gave them their number (and they decided to use it), or they finally discovered who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp and the ram in the rama lama ding dong? Who knows, but the Copenhagen quartet sounds better than before. Warning: Cleaning Up With Big Mess is addictive.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Specialist Subject

New album: Wurld Series || The Giant’s Lawn

A downside of not being a native English speaker is that you sometimes misinterpret certain phrases. I wanted to start my write-up about the new Wurld Series LP The Giants’s Lawn by stating that the band from Christchurch (NZ) are not dialing it in. Then I looked up its meaning and discovered that I should actually state that Wurld Series are absolutely dialing it in on their new LP – I mistook the phrase for phoning it in. On their last LP What’s Growing, Wurld Series appealed to fans of classic indie rock. On The Giant’s Lawn they worked hard and meticulously on creating their own niche in the indie rock landscape. It’s an ambitious display of skill and talent.

The resulting record is not just a collection of songs to shuffle into a playlist, it’s an album that’s best experienced as a cohesive whole. The broad spectrum of influences channeled by Wurld Series and the deliberate sequencing on The Giant’s Lawn creates an organic ebb and flow, contributing to its collective strength. Some tracks offer immediate gratification reminiscent of their previous record – like Lord Of Shelves, Resplendent Fortress, and Friend To Man And Traffic. However, on other songs, Wurld Series experiment with a wider array of instruments, styles and even felines(!), yielding a more expansive sonic range. While the dividends of these tracks may unfold more gradually, they enrich the overall experience of listening to The Giant’s Lawn.

In a world where supply of entertainment is limitless and demand for attention extremely high, The Giant’s Lawn stands out as a bold artistic move, one that challenges, surprises, rewards and nourishes.

Out now on Melted Ice Cream (New Zealand & Rest of the World), Meritorio Records (Europe & USA).




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio || Discogs

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