New album: Smoker Dad || Smoker Dad

By / / Alternative Rock, Garage Rock / Leave a Comment

“Rock ‘n’ roll, smoke a bowl.” That’s the motto of Seattle-based 6-piece Smoker Dad, which gives you an idea of what to expect (if the band name didn’t already). The cover photo of their self-titled debut album shows that they also have a tasteful sense of humor. More importantly though: Trevor Conway (vocals, guitar), Chris King (vocals, keys), Teagen Conway (guitar, vocals), Chris Costalupes (pedal steels, guitar, tambourine), Derek Luther (bass, vocals), and Adam Knowles (drums) know how to play Southern fried rock music. The ten songs here – nine originals, one cover (Ron Pederson’s Puget Sound) – are loud, fast, raucous and dirty, as it should be. Smoker Dad rocks hard, but always with a sense of melody – swinging guitar riffs and powerful vocals – that will make you dance like crazy.

Smoker Dad is out now digitally and on cassette via Freakout Records and Den Tapes. RIYL The Jim Jones Revue, The Datsuns, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Daddy Long Legs.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Les Salvatges || El Caliu I La Cendra

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

Les Salvatges (“The Wild Ones”) are a poppy punkrocktrio from Barcelona. Their latest album is filled with easy to digest, highly enjoyable tunes. Only one song passes the 3-minute mark, and most songs have a punk pace and a pop heart.

With El Caliu I La Cendra, Les Salvatges will make you bop your head and brighten your day – even though the lyrics are quite dark. And with the album art, they entice you to get creative doodling in your notebook during boring video calls or meetings.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Joyride! || Miracle Question

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop, Punk / 3 Comments

With Easter 2022 in the books, let’s kick of the work week by injecting a high dose of energy and melody. San Francisco indiepunks Joyride! went on hiatus in 2016 – finishing school, starting professional careers and all that, but kept on writing songs throughout the years. When the band decided to finally make a comeback, they had plenty of songs to pick from.

And that shows. Their new record Miracle Question is all killer, no filler. It’s full of life and heart, it’s scrappy and super catchy. Its scope should appeal to a broad audience, from indie rock aficionado’s to fans of pop punk and even twee. What makes Miracle Question such a tight and effective record is that Joyride! have mastered the art of trimming songs to their best parts only. The 86 second jolt of energy that is Flyover States is probably the best example of this. Routine Maintenance is another example. Why waste time on intro’s, when you can  seduce listeners from the get-go?

With Miracle Question, Joyride! come eerily close to indiepunk perfection. If you’re looking for 28 minutes of uncomplicated fun, look no further. Out now through Salinas Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Salinas Records

New album: Bonzo || Modest Life Advice

By / / Indie Pop / Leave a Comment

The four friends (in their early 30’s) from Leuven (Belgium), who together make up Bonzo, struggle with adult life. For their new record, the band dug through more than 250(!) demos about feelings such as alienation, trust and being stuck, written by the prolific singer-songwriter Thijs Boyen. We should see the 10 chosen songs – true winners – on their second album Modest Life Advice as a humble handbook for life in your twenties. As far as I’m concerned, that age indication is not necessary. This is well-crafted guitar music in the rich Belgian pop/rock tradition, both lyrically and musically appealing for all ages, with pleasant melodies, surprising hooks, and sympathetic vocals. Modesty is not necessary, because the way this advice sounds is way above average.

Modest Life Advice is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through UhmYeahSure Records. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Los Retumbes || Colección De Canciones De Mierda

By / / Garage Rock, Surf / Leave a Comment

And here’s another great Spanish garage rock ‘n’ roll release from Family Spree Recordings. Masked duo Andrés Alonso (guitar, vocals) and Ana Pérez (drums, vocals), who have been performing as Los Retumbes since 2017, put out their full-length debut album Colección De Canciones De Mierda. Translated the title is ‘collection of shitty songs’, but you have to take that in a positive way: shit here is everything we like: rhythm, distortion, howling, teenage rush, etc. These are 14 hits for fans of raucous rock ‘n’ roll, garage punk and surf rooted in the 60’s – not innovative, but extremely entertaining and very cool.

Colección De Canciones De Mierda is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Family Spree Recordings.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Shake Some Action! || Wide Awake

By / / Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Named after The Flamin’ Groovies’ 1976 masterpiece, Seattle-based power pop band Shake Some Action! set the bar high, and 15 years after debuting they’re still going strong. Now a duo, singer-songwriter James Hall (vocals, guitars, bass, keys) and Corey Knafelz (drums, guitars, keys), have put out their new album Wide Awake, featuring 10 modern classics. Opening song Paint You a Picture immediately grabs you, then you don’t get the chance to let your attention slip. This is half an hour of powerful music that approaches perfection. You’ll hear diverse, summery indie rock with well-crafted melodies – guitars that alternately jangle and scream – interspersed with elements of shoegaze and psych. RIYL Ash, The Posies, Nada Surf, The Stone Roses.

Wide Awake is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: The Bug Club || Two Beauties

By / / Indie Pop, Indie Rock / 1 Comment

Six months ago South Wales trio The Bug Club – Tilly Harris (bass, vocals), Sam Willmett (guitar, vocals), and Dan Matthew (drums) – released their amazing mini album Pure Particles. It ended up high in our year-end lists of 2021, and we’d like to emphasize that a vinyl repress is very much needed. At the beginning of this year, the single Intelectuals followed, which initially raised questions due to a playing time of 10:42, but when listened to it turned out to be 5 new tracks, recorded back-to-back in one take. And now the band shares Two Beauties, 2 new songs: Lay Down Your Roses is a typical catchy Bug Club hit that you’ll immediately love, Pretty as a Dog in the Light proves that the band can also write beautiful acoustic ballads. It is the prelude to a full-length LP that should be released later in 2022 – something to look forward to!

Two Beauties is out now digitally via Bingo Records. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son || We Go On

By / / Alternative Rock / Leave a Comment

Asbury Park, New Jersey has delivered stars before, and alternative rock band Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son could just be the next success story. Bobby Mahoney (vocals, guitar), James McIntosh (drums), Andrew Saul (guitar, vocals), and Jon Chang-Soon (bass, vocals) shared the stage with the likes of Frank Turner, Against Me!, and The Gaslight Anthem, and their influences seem to be heard here. In any case, their new EP We Go On is convincing, featuring 5 hit-sensitive songs, both rockers and ballads – all passionate, with a big sound, sing-along lyrics (“Sha la la, sha la la // Hey hey // Get ya thru the day “), and grand gestures. Standout track Take What You Can Get is an ode to the great Jersey rockers, and blue-collar work ethics and culture, and also a scathing review of capitalism. The emotional Bon Jovi-esque single Lay It On Me was inspired by the very-American old Western movie posters in the extremely-American Disneyland Paris’ Hotel Cheyenne lobby, and reflects on the general idea of what being an American is over the last few years. All the ingredients for a breakthrough are present.

We Go On is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Pagans S.O.H || Le Coq EP

By / / Alternative Rock, Funk & Soul, Uncategorized / 1 Comment

And now for something completely different, something for which the term eclectic was coined. The Pagans S.O.H (Shepherds of Humanity) fuse elements of hip-hop, funk, punk, ska, metal, jazz, gospel, and reggae to create a cool and fun vibe, somewhat reminiscent of the crossover sound of bands like OPM, Jaya The Cat, and Dog Eat Dog 25 years ago. They rock, but also show their funky and psychedelic side. The UK 4-piece – Marcus Lesycsyznski-Hall (vocals), Daragh Guest (guitar), Conor Hodgkiss (drums), and Nathaniel Hellier-Allport (bass) – released Le Coq EP, featuring 3 previously released singles – Banananah (2018), Pagan Pilgrimage (2019), and The Pagans Are Alive (2020) – plus brand new song Cocky. All great tracks, with delicious raps and danceable riffs – a little crazy, but above all energetic and exciting. Want more of this too? The next EP will follow in the fall.

Le Coq EP is out now digitally, on cassette and CD trough Rare Vitamin Records. “Music to actually hold in your hands and take possession of” – not available on Spotify. (Coincidentally, I was listening to 1986 compilation Buried Alive by US punk band Pagans earlier this week, but as far as I know, despite the naming similarities, it’s unrelated.)

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New EP: Stephen’s Shore || Green

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

The five members of Stephen’s Shore (Sweden), arguably one of Europe’s finest janglepop bands of today, share a love for California, skateboarding, moody pop songs and jangly guitars. You can tell from their sound that pop music is in their DNA – kind of a common theme in the country of Sweden. Stephen’s Shore play a special kind of pop though.

The band’s newest release is a 4-song EP called Green, which follows the Brisbane Radio EP (2021) and the September Love LP (2018). To be fair, I loved the Brisbane Radio EP and would have been happy if the band had just kind of copied that EP song-for-song. But now that I’ve heard the Green EP, I’m amazed by the growth of the band. Stephen’s Shore sound more confident, patient and in fuller posession of their powers than before. Unafraid to let their strong melodies simmer and their guitars jangle, Stephen’s Shore will slowly break down your defenses and let their songs find a permanent home in the reward centre of your brain.

The first song to find its way? Probably Ocean’s Calling, which I think is the best Stephen’s Shore song to date. I could play that one all day, and immediately feel like I’m taking a beach walk during a gorgeous sunset.

The Green EP is out now through Meritorio Records – on green vinyl of course.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Meritorio

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