New album: Judge Grumble || Overruled!

Judge Grumble are an indierock/indiepunk band from Richmond, Virginia. They recently released their second album, Overruled! It’s the second act in a trilogy of concept albums and it’s quite the trip. Buckle up for an eclectic mix of poppy indiepunk tracks (Shy Guy, Kudos To You), quirky indierock (Literati, Quiltbag), and sketches that are plain weird. I asked the band to explain the origins of their cartoonesque bandname and the spoken word sketches on their record. “Back in high school we had this joke where we would come up with random phrases and call them “indie band names.” I’m not 100% sure but I think Judge Grumble was one of those. Waaaay way back in the first iteration of the band (2012 or so?) the “character” of judge grumble became an inside joke. We’d do the whole voice and improv little skits during practices and stuff. Eventually we decided we wanted to bring some of those skits to life in between the tracks for fun (and also to pad the length).”

Given the variety of songs, and the quirkiness of the sketches and some of the songs, it’s unlikely that you will like every single track on Overruled! But, Judge Grumble have made an album that is definitely worth your time. I particularly like how the band aims to make every song interesting. Listen to the many elements they’ve stuffed in Chewed Out for example. Right before the 5-minute song appears to overstay its welcome, the band introduces a pretty cool group vocal harmony that transitions in a punkrock fade-out. Judge Grumble doesn’t need to be quirky or eclectic to be interesting though. The straightforward indie rock of Braindead is one of my favorite songs on the record. But the song that especially drew me in to Judge Grumble is Weehawken, a throwback to the emo poppunk of the early ’00s with an infectious chorus. The band explains: “On the surface, Weehawken is about a little town on the far north side of new jersey and the ennui of a guy who commutes between there and NYC. But none of us have ever lived in NY or NJ… we just really liked the name—it sounds slangy, like “are you hawkin’? cause we hawkin’.” Somehow Alex turned that wordplay into something more meaningful.” Download Overruled! now on Bandcamp.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Missile Studs || With Love From The Missile Studs

Managing expectations is important. So when a band self-describes as “stupid music for stupid people,” and the tagline of their label is “purveyors of low brow music from around the world,” don’t say you weren’t warned. The Missile Studs are a snotty punkrock band from Adelaide, Australia that knows the power of playing songs that are fast, loud and fun. And the power of not taking yourself too seriously – according to the band’s FB page, band members include Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

I asked the band about their upcoming record (With Love From The Missile Studs) and how they managed to record it in a pandemic: “We actually recorded it before COVID. It was part of the same sessions as our split with Thee Evil Twin which came out in the middle of last year. Our influences are pretty self evident in our songs, we’re not trying to re-invent rock n roll. We just play a style that is as close as we can get to the stuff we’ve grown up listening to. We’re not smart, we’re not trying to pretend we have some insightful message. We just try to write songs that we’d want to hear. Catchy little ear worms that are fun to play.”

If you haven’t already, that split LP with Thee Evil Twin is worth checking out. The new record includes three songs from that record, including the super catchy Missile Studs Theme song. Anyhow, the new record is a classic case of underpromise and overdeliver. My favorite track, at least for now, is Boredumb, which is a classic ’77 punk nugget. With Love From The Missile Studs will be out on May 7 jointly released by Stamp Out Disco and Dirtyflair Record Company (Australia) and No Front Teeth (UK). You can stream it in full on bandcamp. Meanwhile,The Missile Studs are patiently waiting out the pandemic: “It’s still a bit too uncertain to be able to make any real plans, I’m sure at some point things will get a bit more predictable and then we’ll start working on the next stage of blowing this planet up.”


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Waste Man || One Day It’ll All Be You

I’ve never understood why moody postpunk bands like Protomartyr and Fontaines D.C. are such critics darlings and tend to end up in a lot of AOTY lists. Okay, Fontaines D.C. have some songs I like, but for the most part bands like that are too bleak or too boring for me. Basically, I have trouble connecting with them, which, of course, is a matter of personal taste – or more likely, a lack of complexity in my taste palet. But every now and then, there is a band that manages to pull off moody and complex postpunk in a way that I can fully get behind. Take Waste Man from New Orleans. On their second LP (One Day It’ll All Be You) they take punk and hardcore in new directions without losing any of the thrill of actual punk music.

Waste Man offer tempo variations, edgy bass lines and excellent guitar riffs. They constantly keep you on the tip of your toes with the unpredictability in their songs. It’s a record full of surprises that offers thrills, excitement, and cathartic releases that I often find to be lacking in this kind of music. Album opener The Siren is a good example of the many sides of Waste Man, where danceable postpunk verses and hardcore punk choruses bounce off each other. Run All Night is one of the most catchy songs on the record, which distantly sounds like a mashup between the Stooges and Thin Lizzy. Proofreaders, Singles, And Philosophers is one of the most exciting songs released in 2021, and already is one of my favorites of the year. And then there is album closer Wishful Thinking, in which Waste Man introduce the power rock ballad to the postpunk world. Quite the week for Feel It Records, who simultaneously released that excellent Spread Joy record.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Feel It Records

New EP: Dazy || The Crowded Mind

Early 2020, Dazy released a three song digital single called Revolving Door. It was my first taste of the band, and the 90 second song Weatherman Got It Wrong hinted upon your-new-favorite-band material. Three months later, we are treated to an 8-song EP that shows even more potential: The Crowded Mind. Dazy play noisy and fuzzy altpop that will appeal to fans of Lemonheads and guitar-driven britpop. Underneath Dazy’s distorted sound are excellent pop songs, and tracks like See The Bottom, Right As Rain and Perpetual Motion would have received major air time in the nineties.

The crazy thing is, Dazy is not even a band. It’s a solo project by a music publicist (James Goodson). Goodson is also a member of grungepunk band Teen Death and poppunk band Bashful – make sure to check out their 2020 album Driving. Dazy’s releases are currently digital only. Let’s hope that Goodson ultimately will release his best tunes on a LP.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Natvral || Tethers

Kip Berman had already made his mark with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but with his new solo project The Natvral he continues his career in a way that deserves your attention. The full-length debut album Tethers features nine indie folk rock songs that are more intimate than what we were used from his previous band (that’s what family life also does to artists), sung with his distinctive voice that draws attention to the lyrics. One of my favorite tracks is New Moon. Berman explains to Stereogum that this one is about a struggling musician he knew coming to terms with a love that wants something (or someone) a bit more stable – and knowing, almost before they do, that it’s not him. Listen below. Out now trough Kanine Records / Dirty Bingo Records.

‘Oh it’s time to save what’s left of your life // You’ll survive another night, then another night’

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs || The Natvral

New EP: Hex Girls || Pop Fluff

Hex Girls‘ favorites playlist on Spotify includes T. Rex, Iggy Pop, Talking Heads, Cage The Elephant, White Reaper, Todd Rundgren, Spacehog, and more great artists that we can appreciate here at Add To Wantlist, and all those influences can be heard on the new EP Pop Fluff, and more. The track Lookin ‘for the Facts, for example (listen below), is based on the riff from The Specials’ Little Bitch, which previously also inspired The Dandy Warhols for Bohemian Like You. The potpourri of styles from music history forges the American five-piece “rough and tumble” rock band into six catchy, varied songs with enthusiastic vocals – lots to discover, very well done. Out now digitally and on 10″ vinyl.

‘I shouldn’t have to ask // I been lookin’ for your facts // I like to twist ’em yeah’

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: Brett Newski feat. Steven Page || I Should’ve Listened to Ferris Bueller

I like it when a song has a meaningful or funny title, I also like it when there is a good story behind the music. Those two things undoubtedly apply to this rock ‘n’ roll tune. Highly prolific 90’s kid Brett Newski saw Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies live when he was 13. That changed his life – their frontman Steven Page became his first musical hero – and he even went to work at McDonald’s to pay for his first guitar. Fast forward, last year Newski uncovered old notebooks of song ideas from that period while still in high school, including early lyrical ideas for the “coming of age” tune I Should’ve Listened to Ferris Bueller, which is now the lead track to It’s Hard to be a Person, a book and soundtrack album about defeating anxiety, surviving the world and having more fun. To complete the story: while finishing the song, Newski reached out to Steven Page to see if he would guest-vocal on the track. No sooner said than done. See and hear the result here, with illustrations from the book in the video. Likeable on multiple levels!

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp (music) || brettnewski.com (book)

PS  For younger readers unfamiliar with the name mentioned in the song title: the teen comedy film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) is a classic.

New album: Spread Joy || Spread Joy

Efficient and effective. I apologize for the business lingo, but those are the first two words that come to mind after listening to the debut LP of Spread Joy (Chicago). The record is less than 14 minutes long, but it’s enough for Spread Joy to make an impression. Here is a band that understands the power of scarcity, leaving listeners wanting more, like a love interest playing hard to get. This is classic punk/no wave with tight drumming, excellent angular guitar work, a voice that is a perfect fit for this style of music, and a bass player that is absolutely killing it. Let me add a third word to describe this record: Awesome. Just listen to songs like St. Tropez, Unoriginal, Kanst Du and Mystery Curtain, and you’ll see what I mean. Spread Joy is out now on the ever reliable Feel It Records. It is a perfect purchase if you are looking to exercise more, because you will keep returning to your turntable tow switch sides every 7 minutes or so.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Feel It Records

New album: Elizabeth King || Living In The Last Days

Easter weekend feels like an appropriate time to share some fine “Sacred Soul” music. Here’s gospel veteran Elizabeth King’s full length solo debut Living In The Last Days, released today on Good Friday. She joined Memphis’ Gospel Souls in 1969 after seeing them in concert, and stayed 33 years with them. Songs from that period have recently been collected on The D-Vine Spirituals Recordings (2019). At the age of 77, King is back, with a line up of seasoned, Memphis session musicians, to bring recordings of early D-Vine material back to life. It sounds exactly like you hope it sounds: a mighty voice that calls on Mighty Good God and covers the traditional You’ve Got To Move beautifully. The title track stands out. Out now through the Bible & Tire Recording Co. (Big Legal Mess Records, distributed by Fat Possum Records).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bible & Tire

New album: Spit City || Long Dark Night

These ten songs on Spit City’s debut full-length are recorded in a trailer on the Rock, SMTX. That fact, together with the cover photo and album title Long Dark Night, immediately evokes all kinds of images. Picture it, songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Sean Rose, working on new music there, guitar on his lap, a six-pack Lone Star beer on the drum that functions as a side table, above which the ghost of his idol John Prine floats. Even before the pandemic broke out, Rose was dealing with the hardest years of his life. “Been sitting inside my house // Just counting the bricks // I’ve been building around me // All this time // To keep the whole world out,” he sings in the opening track. In this album, he breaks down that wall completely; the songs span from remorse over loves lost and friends gone, painful looks in the mirror, the manic energy of getting drunk alone, and wishing for what so many of us simply call “before.” Heavy stuff, but it has led to really good rock songs, which are sung and played with conviction.

Spit City – Sean Rose (vocals, guitar, drums), with additional guitar or bass playing from Jordan Good, Patrick Ford or Donnie James Rio – delivers an impressive punk-infused Americana debut that hits hard.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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