Let’s keep this short. This is our 1000th post. Which is kind of surreal, because it feels like we’ve only just begun.
Here’s to the next 1000 posts. And what better way to celebrate by rocking out to the song that probably best describes what we’re trying to do here.
Thanks for reading, thanks for listening. And to all the artists we’ve covered: thanks for the tunes!
Good news for fans of perfect pop/rock songs with jangly guitars and vocal harmonies: Subterfuge is back! The 6-piece indie pop band from Düsseldorf, Germany, has been around for 30 years, but released their last LP in 2005. With Dots., their new (5th) full-length album, they show that they still know their stuff. Reportedly, we should consider the 12 new songs as a biography: “Just real life turned into music.” Their lyrics about life-as-it-is are tragicomic (“There’s something you said // Before I grow old // I’d rather be dead // When we were young // Your hair was long // Now that it’s gone // You look like Right Said Fred” – from Stephanie Said), the music is melancholic (the sound has its origins in the psychedelic 60’s, but with more modern influences from college rock, shoegaze and jangle pop), and their Super8 style videos are highly entertaining. “Why do I always fail to win?” they wonder in one of the standout tracks. We can safely say that the tide has turned, because this new work is definitely a winner.
Dots. is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Less Records, distributed by Cargo Records.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Less Records
Never waste a good crisis…or scam in the case of Real Sickies.
Imagine being asked to write a song for a six year old’s birthday. His name is Danny and his dad wants to pay $500 for the song. An insane amount, but you accept it since due to the pandemic you haven’t played a show in ages. The dad provides you with some cute trivia about what the kid loves. The song basically writes itself.
Suddenly, there is a problem with the dad’s bank account, and he won’t be able to send the money until later. Your gut feeling tells you something’s off. You go online and discover there is an ‘original birthday song’ scam going on targeting artists in the area. The scammer eventually pays for the song, but over deposits the money. When the well-meaning artists return the overpayed amount, the scammer’s cheque bounces. Artists lose the money they’ve returned and have to pay for the bank fees as well.
It’s an evil trick, but fortunately in this case, one Real Sickies narrowly escaped.
You know what’s best about this story? Real Sickies decided to release the birthday song (Danny) anyway, and record two additional songs. One is a rerecorded version of Danny with lyrics about the scam(mer), and the other is a short cynical happy birthday song. It’s simultaneously bittersweet, funny and ironic, and executed in the powerpop/ramonescore/poppunk style the band by now has perfected.
Leave it to Real Sickies to turn a negative into a positive. Press play, grab some popcorn and check out the band’s Facebook post on March 5th for behind the scene footage (i.e., screenshots).
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
When you call your band La Hija Del Apocalipsis (Daughter of the apocalyps), there’s an automatic association to destruction and dark times. Having the Manson girls on the EP cover further add to a sense of threat and uncomfort. And I definitely get that vibe while listening to the seven song EP 1 by the Rosario (Argentina) four-piece. But if you open your ears and mind, you’ll find a surprising level of accessibility underneath the lo-fi noisiness and aggression.
La Hija del Apocalipsis operate somewhere on a scale of garage, punk, surfpop, girlgroup and postpunk. Imagine Best Coast as a trashpunk act and you get pretty close to the sound of La Hija del Apocalipsis. That juxtaposition between pop and noise is one of the appeals of the Argentinian band. The blunt and straightforward nature of the songs is another. The band gets straight to business, wasting no time in detours.
EP 1 won’t be for everyone, but definitely scratches my “exciting new music/band” itch.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Following up on our post on the excellent Tha Retail Simps LP, here is some more rock-‘n’-roll weirdness. The Offsides are a new trio ( Paul Misuraca, Pietro O’Rourke and Keith Smith) from Detroit that plays a mix of r’n’n, blues and (post)punk.
My favorite song on this six song EP is Herky Jerky. The singer sounds a bit like Joe Strummer on the song, giving it the feel of a Clash outtake. The Cowboys are another reference point for the sound of The Offsides.
Interesting and eccentric first outing that definitely caught my interest. The Offsides EP is out now in a small run of 50 tapes at Detroit label Painters Tapes.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Do good thing arrive in twos? I guess so, because The Hannah Barberas just released a surprise EP AND announced their new full length – coming this summer through Spinout Nuggets (vinyl) and Subjangle (CD). If you don’t know the band yet, The Hannah Barberas are Damien, Lucy, Ian and Matthew, aka a bunch of DIY-ers, homerecorders, C86 and tweepop lovers from the UK.
EP opener When You Were My Boyfriend is also the first taste of the new album. It’s a delightful indiepop hit that aims straight for the heart…and succeeds within seconds. It’s probably my favorite song on the EP, although Try Hard is a standout as well with its use of a piano and cool guitar work. Harper Valley PTA is a fun closer and proof how The Hannah Barberas like to mix it up it terms of sounds and rhythms. It’s hard not to fall for the Hannah Barberas in these songs.
The EP is intentionally Bandcamp-only, in recognition of the platform’s support for artists during the pandemic. We love Bandcamp as well, but are a bit worried about upcoming changes now that they are owned by Epic Games. Fingers crossed that with the additional funds, Bandcamp will further improve rather than regress.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Let’s turn our attention to Japan for the next 37 minutes, and listen to Dazzling Azure, the wonderful debut album from Tokyo-based 4-piece Ferri-Chrome, featuring 10 jangly indie pop/rock songs in the tradition of Teenage Fanclub, Pale Saints and Slowdive. The experienced musicians from this cross-generational supergroup know how to captivate with a mesmerizing shoegaze sound, where hypnotic melodies and clear vocal harmonies are nicely balanced with powerful drums and delicate but sometimes ferocious guitars. Chances are you’ll have the tracks on repeat after 37 minutes, because this is music you can’t get enough of.
Dazzling Azure is out now digitally and on CD through Testcard Records.
Solid release week if you like your indie rock upbeat, energetic and European. We already posted about the excellent new Eades (UK) record, and here is another solid release, this time from Norway. Beachheads are 2/4 Kvelertak, but Beachheads sounds more like Teenage Fanclub with a record collection full of ’80s underground pop and punk. Side note: another Kvelertak member released a sonically similar record last year as part of the Needs. That one was a pleasant surprise, but also raises the question: should Kvelertak become a powerpop band?
The second Beachheads record builds on the band’s first, but in addition to the color change in album covers (the band went from yellow to pink), Beachheads II is more laid-back and even more pop-oriented than the band’s debut, which I felt had a more punchy vibe overall. I haven’t made my mind up which version of Beachheads I prefer, but clearly these four dudes know how to write catchy tunes.
Beachheads II is out now on Fysisk Format. The pink and black splatter LP looks particularly appealing.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
You wonder what you hear? Spacebugs! Rachel Butler (vocals, piano, trumpet) and Reina Trias (guitar, bass) have been playing music together since they were 11, and as adults they just keep doing it. They are now writing their own original music, which will appeal to fans of Courtney Barnett. After a few singles, the likeable Melbourne-based duo has now released The Fundamentals of Living, an entertaining EP featuring 5 relatable indie pop/rock songs about crushes, travel, love, family and everything that is core to being human. Standout tracks are I Wanna Live and Into You, hits that we will definitely play when we finally launch our radio show soon.
Add to wantlist (streaming only for now): Linktree
If there’s one release we’ve been looking forward to for a long time, it’s Delusion Spree, the beautifully titled full-length debut album from UK 5-piece Eades. Single Former Warnings Cluster has been a hit on Add To Wantlist HQ for over a year now, and their EP Abstract Education made it into my top 10 of 2021. In 12 raw and punchy songs, Harry Jordan (vocals, guitar), Tom O’Reilly (lead guitar, vocals), Sam Wilde (bass), Dan Clifford-Smith (drums), and Lily Fontaine (synths, percussion, vocals) mix influences from new wave, post-punk, garage rock, and 90’s alternative. The tracks were recorded live as a full band, which ensures an authentic listening experience. Arty, energetic, expressive, fascinating, fun, infectious, interesting, restless, surprising, urgent – worth the wait. The band members wanted to record a classic debut LP and succeeded.
Delusion Spree is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP through Heist or Hit.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Heist or Hit