We seldom post teaser tracks to new albums. The reason why I am breaking this rule is my infatuation with this surfrock-‘n’-roll song by Televisionaries. Televisionaries features three Lake brothers (Austin, Brendan and Tevor) and Aaron Milka. Trevor and Aaron also play in The Shine and Danny’s favorites, two additional projects we featured. Full album expected this fall on Hi-Tide Recordings.
C-H-A-R-L-O-T-T-E, let’s go!
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Greg Antista And The Lonely Streets exceed expectations. The band consists of four veterans of the Southern Californian punk scene: Greg Antista (lead guitar, vocals), Frank Agnew (lead guitar, vocals), Warren Renfrow (bass, vocals), and Jorge E. Disguster (drums). The list of bands they played in is long and includes Joyride, Foxy, Adolescents, TSOL, Manic Hispanic and Mink Daggers. Who would’ve expected back in the eighties that these punk kids would still be making music in 2021? And, more importantly, who would have expected that music to actually sound really good?
Under The Neon Heat is the band’s second album and finds the band in perfect shape. Is it punk? Definitely not. Powerpop is probably the most apt descripion. These essentially are three minute guitar-driven and hook-filled pop songs. But the band’s sound has also been described as rock-‘n’-roll with a touch of americana and I get that as well. Fair to say, if you like the music Rum Bar Records usually puts out (e.g., Brad Marino), you will like this as well. The vocals of Antista and his vocal melodies is reminiscent of Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but without the ska and the horns. There is a familiarity to this songs which makes this record easy to get into, but there is freshness to it as well showing that the punk spirit in these four veterans is still burning bright. Like I said, the band exceeds expectations, including mine. I did not expect to enjoy this record as much as I would. Under The Neon Heat is out now on pink vinyl on Primal Beat / Smelvis Records.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Road Dog Merch
After a great uplifting single, Boy Golden now releases his debut album Church of Better Daze, which as a whole is just as enjoyable. The Canadian songwriter / musician / audio engineer called Liam Duncan in real life only wants one thing – enjoy each day and make good music – and thanks to collaboration, common goals and lots of cannabis, he succeeds very well with this character and concept. It’s a quirky, intriguing and cool record, with positive lyrics and summery, mellow melodies. Musically it’s a potpourri of indie, garage rock, alt-country, glam and gospel – varied, experimental and versatile (you keep hearing new Easter eggs) – but miraculously it works out well. Church of Better Daze is out now digitally, on CD, cassette and vinyl LP, through Six Shooter Records. For fans of JJ Cale, Dope Lemon, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. Stream the full album below.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Six Shooter Records
Jenny, the new powerpop project from Justin Maurer (Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Maniac), release their new single today. The Dirt Cult & Wanda Records co-release is the follow-up to the band’s highly enjoyable self-titled debut EP from last year. On the A-side, there is the catchy and bouncy Trajinero, which is fully sung in Spanish further adding to the summer feel of the song. Flipside Kids Of Today is classic powerpop in the Gentleman Jesse mold. Fingers crossed that Maurer will record a Jenny full-length in the near future. But for now, he is working on a very interesting and cool project called Falling On Deaf Eyes: a comedy based on his experiences as a “rambunctious teenage punk rocker living with his single Deaf mother and hearing siblings on Bainbridge Island, Washington in the 1990’s.”
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It’s usually a good sign when you have to check if a new release is not some kind of reissue of a sixties or seventies garagepunk record. But no, Ultrabann is a new band born out of befriended musicians from different bands (Ghetto Blasters, Future Virgins, Vacation, Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, Cincinnati Suds) messing with their instruments from home during a pandemic. The result is a guitar worshipping, sleazy punkrock-‘n’-roll record, with the swagger of The Stooges and the thrill of a high-octane rollercoaster. Try sitting still to Tight But Loose. Try to keep your head from nodding to the beat and guitar riff of I’m Sick. I know I can’t. And those are only two of the many highlights on the record.
I didn’t see this one coming, and it’s hitting me hard. Out now on Let’s Pretend and Mondo Trasho Records and limited to only 200 LPs.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Let’s Pretend Records || Mondo Trasho Records
Heavy Illusion is an American psychedelic rock band, led by brothers Ricky (vocals / guitar / keyboards / bass / trumpet) and Tyler North (drums). They’ve just released their seventh (digital) album, Reality TV, a quest for how we view the world through the lens of the media: what’s our reality? Ricky wrote great lyrics like “See…our progress in motion // Hear…our endless devotion // When we build ourselves a future we can thrive in // Feel…a live imagination” (from Carry On). The music sounds sunnier and less hallucinatory than what you would expect based on this theme. These are progressive rock jams that have a clever and varied structure, surprisingly entertaining. Stream the full album below.
Out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp
Those who’ve listened to Big City’s Stone Angels on the fifteen-minute drive to wherever, and are looking for something for the way back, can turn up the volume a little more for Bakemono Stereo’s first EP. All we know about the band is that they are Arnaud (guitar/bass), Hugo (vocals) and Jasper (drums), but their sound speaks for itself. The Berlin based rock ‘n’ roll trio play fast punk rock with a touch of glam that will leave you exhausted. Stream the songs below.
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New York five-piece Big City throws power pop and glam rock into the blender and then tops the mixture with a sauce of soul. Their new (digital) EP Stone Angels has five strong tracks, which make the fifteen minute ride to the mall more than bearable. The lyrics serve the music (“Pulled up in Chevy, and you said // Oh so heavy”), but the music is mighty fine, not least thanks to the horn arrangements. Stream the songs below.
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Must own single alert! There is only one way to play the Patterns EP of Tee-Vee Repairmann and that is with the volume turned all the way up. Take the guitar riffs of Sheer Mag, throw in some snotty Aussie vocals, back it up with drum beats from either a human or a machine and you get the incredible contagious powerpop-meets-garage meets-punk mashup that is Tee-vee Repairmann.
Teevee-Repairmann is the latest project of Sydney native Ishka Edmeades, a human centipede who plays in a multitude of bands (Research Reactor Corporation, Set-Top Box, Satanic Togas, G.T.R.R.C, Gee Tee), has a record label (Wartmann Inc), a zine (TV Guide), and is a graffiti artist. Want to find out more about this artist? Go here.
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Music is front and center in the life of Christopher Peifer. The New Yorker works as a producer and sound designer, and throughout the years has amassed an extensive discography with acts such as Kowalskis, Blockhouses, Sir, Frances Farmer My Hero, and Heavy Creatures. He released a more than solid solo record last year called Suicide Mission, which I enjoyed but ultimately got lost in the continous flow of new music. Now, less than a year later, Peifer has released the follow up, the appropriately titled The Social Distance. I have a feeling this one won’t get lost.
The Social Distance is 30 minutes of powerpop heaven. It’s how I imagine it would sound if Paul Westerberg and Nick Lowe started a band together. Sometimes this particular brand of powerpop can sound too glossy, or too dad rock like, but you don’t have to worry about that with Peifer. He infuses his songs with just the right amount of punk and rock-‘n’-roll attitude, and his sandpaper voice has the perfect grit size. The Social Distance truly is an outstanding collection of songs with guaranteed lifetime replayability.
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp