New album: Magnatech || Herr Magnatech Bittet Zum Tanz

By / / Surf Music / 1 Comment

Johannes Bernardus Verhoef was still in Ireland when we wrote about his previous release, but he has now ended up in Germany. I guessed that this explained the title of his fourth album under the moniker of Magnatech, Herr Magnatech Bittet Zum Tanz, but it turns out there is more to it: “It’s a journey that will lead you from the US to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, France and back to the Netherlands again.” Anyway, expect sixteen short instrumentals, as always a mix of surf-pop and Indo-rock influences. There are stompers and twist tunes as well as ballads and soundscapes, all original, cinematic and kind of danceable.



Herr Magnatech Bittet Zum Tanz is out now digitally and on CD through Sharawaji Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Dot Dash || 16 Again

By / / Indie Rock, Power Pop / 1 Comment

Somewhere in our little rock’n’roll universe there is a person who has yet to have heard of Dot Dash, the band featuring members of The Saturday People, Julie Ocean, and Youth Brigade. That person probably is not alone. We all know it is not uncommon for amazing bands to fly under the radar. Fortunately, if there was ever a time to jump on the Dot Dash bandwagon, it is now.

The band just released their first vinyl LP 16 Again, which is comprised of 15 gems plucked from their illustrious discography and a Televison Personalities cover (Jackanory Stories). I am not sure who picked the songs, but that must have been both really easy and extremely hard. You see, the band has already released seven stellar full lengths (all on The Beautiful Music Label) and I have trouble thinking of one song by the band that I would label as either subpar or filler. As such, it may be a Herculean task, but you can’t really go wrong when making a greatest hits LP from the band’s output.

Thinking of amazing songs in Dot Dash’s discography is easy. Part of that is because of the memorable lines that are omnipresent in their lyrics and how they are delivered – the snarky “Don’t call it a jumper, you know it’s a sweater// Stop saying cheers no one says that here” from Unfair Weather, one of my favorite Dot Dash songs, is just one example of the word play that is permanently etched in my brain. It’s not just the words that get me every time, it is the band’s distinct sound as well, a sound that is warm and charming, rockin’ and melodic. Perhaps the most fitting term is generous. You could classify Dot Dash as power pop or jangle punk, and you wouldn’t be off the mark. The mod scene’s red white and blue hues are another hint of what to expect. But, whatever you call it, I think I prefer to describe 16 Again as a clinic. Fact: these songs still sound as fresh as the first time I’ve heard them.



LP available through Country Mile Records
Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New single: The Killing Floors || Too Far Gone b​/​w You Know It Ain’t Right

By / / Garage Rock / 1 Comment

It took exactly three seconds to realize that I had to reach for the volume button, because five amazing minutes were about to follow. Stylish Los Angeles-based rock ‘n’ roll machine The Killing Floors makes it happen. Songwriter Jorge Martinez, Jr. (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Mario Garcia, Jr. (lead guitar, backup vocals), Joel Isai Giron (organ, backup vocals), Timothy Conaway (bass) and Irbinn Daniel Rocha (drums) play raucous garage rock the way it was invented in the 1960s. Although they’ve been around for quite a while, this is their first stand-alone release on vinyl, and both A-side Too Far Gone and B-side You Know It Ain’t Right are pretty cool. Gritty vocals, a swinging organ, tight guitars, and a good dose of fuzz, everything you need to dance excitedly. To consume loudly.

Too Far Gone b​/​w You Know It Ain’t Right is out now digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Outro Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Outro Records

New EP: Satanic Togas || Your Choice

By / / Punk / Leave a Comment

A couple of months ago, I witnessed Satanic Togas absolutely crushing it on a stage in Rotterdam on a double bill with the amazing Gee Tee. Somehow, I forgot to write about the amazing 7″ Euro Tour single the Australians brought with them. Here is a chance to make that right. The masked outfit’s latest single Your Choice has five songs of mutant punk from the dark side. Written, recorded and mixed by Satan, out now on 7″ at Sweet Time. You know you want it.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Tex Crick || Sweet Dreamin’

By / / Indie Rock / Leave a Comment

Tokyo-based Australian singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tex Crick returns with his sophomore album Sweet Dreamin’ under his belt. It more than lives up to the title, because sweet and dreamy is what you get, although it could just as easily be called Warm Travelin’. The nine piano-led songs have a laid-back 70s vibe, Crick’s baritone vocals tell stories about love and sentiment in an introspective way. Poetic, jangly and stripped-back, sunny, sultry and atmospheric.


Sweet Dreamin’, written/performed/recorded/mixed/produced by Tex Crick, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Mac’s Record Label. Piano, pianet, guitar, bass, synthesizer, percussion and vocals performed by Tex Crick, drums by Miles Myjavec.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || MRL

New album: Dan Koshute || Intravolve

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

You won’t expect it when you hear it, but singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dan Koshute recorded his new DIY indie-rock album Intravolve in a hidden studio in the back of a yoga studio in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He sings of hard-won personal truths and their contradictions derived from experiences of introspection and outlook, loss and lossless-ness and big time individuality. That still fits with yoga-like practices, but the intense, raw and direct way in which the eight original songs are delivered transcends that. Koshute again didn’t half-ass it: he plays every instrument on the record and it’s his distinctive multi-octave vocals that attract attention and convey a sense of urgency. Standout track For Reasons hits me the hardest, but the other tunes also evoke the opposite effect of what yoga would do, and most times that’s not a bad thing at all.

The self-produced Intravolve LP is out via Magna Persona Music, streaming only for now.

New single: LEATHERMAN || Telephone / Tryin’ 2 4get

By / / Garage Rock, Power Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

“Think The Exploding Hearts, The Shivvers, Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest all wailing on each other in the street.” Leave it to Legless records to up the excitement level for its latest roster addition. The words are about LEATHERMAN, a formidable 5-piece from Melbourne that I am sure will send shockwaves around the globe with their hard-hitting debut 7″. The 7″ is comprised of two songs, each a powerhouse in its own right. Telephone rocks and has a lot in common with the best parts of Sheer Mag songs. Tryin’ 2 4get is an electrifying power pop blast that wastes zero seconds.

Brace yourself for a wild ride with lung piercing vocals and instruments that fly around frenziedly. You’ll find yourself irreversibly hooked! From the looks to the tunes, LEATHERMAN appear to be the real deal. This 7″ will sell out quickly.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

Album Premiere: LEWIS || Growing Pains

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

We proudly share another album premiere with you, one that exudes character, inspiration, and magnetic charm, a captivating fusion of pop and rock sensibilities. LEWIS is the emerging Los Angeles-based dream-rock band around Christopher Lewis (vocals, guitar), on sophomore LP Growing Pains collaborating with Paul Fig (guitar), Conner West (bass), Nathan Van Hala (keys) and Sam West (drums). Christopher explains that he had no shortage of inspiration: “During the writing of the album, songs kept coming and coming. Paul finally had to say ‘hey, we have enough, save some for later.'” Of the almost ninety(!) songs demoed, these twelve choice cuts rightly made it to the record.

Thirty years ago they would all have been ‘permanent wave’ hits (Based on a New Story and The Outside stand out as prime examples), but actually these hazy vocals, howling guitars, melancholic melodies and clear production are as timeless as contemporary. Musically, they find a sweet spot somewhere between Beatlesque pop and Bob Mould-like rock influences. Lyrically, humor goes hand in hand with vulnerability. “The new album threads a needle between error and success,” Christopher admits. “While the lyrics of Growing Pains were penned with sincerity, they aren’t intended to be taken overly seriously,” he adds. “Some carry a tongue-in-cheek tone, touching on moments of being in trouble (again), and needing a call to my mom; others pay homage to pleasantries. One track narrates an encounter with my hearing-impaired neighbor, who I met at a communal pool BBQ, pleading with the world to show her some love. Another captures the essence of the first day of Summer, coinciding with my daughter’s birthday.” This makes Growing Pains a collection of songs that feel both familiar and refreshing, which gives confidence that LEWIS’ journey has only just begun.

Growing Pains is out this Friday, digitally, on CD and vinyl LP (self-released). Produced, engineered and mixed by Paul Fig. Also featuring Corey Britz and Vince Jones.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Twin Temple || God Is Dead

By / / Blues & Roots, Garage Rock, Psych, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

“Despite relentless death threats and moralising, our allegiance to Satan and the golden oldies remains unwavering. God Is Dead is our most blasphemous, horny and painstakingly period-correct work to date. Saturated with the blood of babies and forged in the ashes of burning churches, we spared no one in the making of this album. See you in Hell!” Well, that sure is one way to introduce your new record, Alexandra and Zachary James, aka the duo that makes up Twin Temple. On their second LP God Is Dead, Twin Temple sound like a throwback act build on Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound, but also ’50s and ’60s rock’n’roll. If you love that sound, you will go crazy for Twin Temple. There is one caveat though, as hinted upon in the quote above: you must not mind occult references and explicit lyrics.

Elevate your next gathering with friends by putting on God Is Dead and introducing them to the captivating world of Twin Temple. Prepare for their curiosity to soar as they draw comparisons to the likes of Shannon And The Clams, Amy Winehouse, and Phil Spector. Brace yourself for the inevitable barrage of questions: “Did she really sing Be A Slut?” and “Are they really singing Let’s have a Satanic orgy?” Spoiler alert, the answer to both of these question is yes!

The Jameses describe their sound as Satanic Doo-Wop, and it sounds fine with me. God Is Dead is out now at Pentagrammaton Records.




Add to wantlist: Twin Temple || Discogs

New album: Black Mekon || NEAT!

By / / Garage Rock, Uncategorized / Leave a Comment

Last Friday (the 13th), Birmingham, UK-based garage punk duo Black Mekon released their 13th album, NEAT!, named after their own fanzine. With this, the 2 masked brothers deliver 12 new songs that are as eclectic and surprising as they are growling  and swinging, but also sound better than their previous work, the result of an (unexpected) deviation from their strict ‘one-take-will-be-fine’ DIY ethos and the contribution of labelmate Lucern Raze as producer. They make forays into harmonica-fueled rhythm & blues, folk, films, and old school rap-rock including scratches and skits, and miraculously it (almost) all works. Another intriguing experience.



NEAT!, produced by Lucern Raze, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through PNKSLM Recordings. There’s also a magazine with a CD.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || PNKSLM

Scroll to Top