New single: Buffalo Paradise || What’s Not To Like?

What’s Not To Like? We regularly write it in our reviews, and think it much more often. That alone is a good reason to share a single with that title here, especially if the music lives up to expectations. Sydney-based alt-rock five-piece Buffalo Paradise can’t be accused of modesty, because everything from these two new songs exudes eagerness and enthusiasm to turn them into hits this summer. Both the title track and Dressed Like Me are sunny, radio-friendly and punchy, laid-back but full of hooks and with a nice sharp edge.

What’s Not To Like?, produced by Jack Garzonio & Stefan Du Randt, is out now on the streaming services (self-released).

New album: Mainland Break || One Way Ticket to Midnight

Denver, Colorado’s Mainland Break – Evan Oliver (vocals, acoustic guitar, keys), Kevin Kohl (vocals, bass), Travis Rice (guitar, synthesizer), Ian Gassman (guitar) and Steven Hennig (drums) – play jangling indie rock (or rocking jangle pop), which they do in a pretty exciting way. After their debut EP Short Stay (May 2019), they now return with their first full-length album. As its title suggests, the One Way Ticket to Midnight LP takes us “through a lonely, reflective night that recalls distant friendships, lost love, and missed opportunity” – from sundown to sunrise. The idea is good, the execution even better. The lyrics are appealing (“I’m out tonight // To bark at the moon // My hair swept back // By a Dio tune” – from the title track), but it’s the way they are declaimed – polyphonic and infectious – that makes them come alive. However, it’s the tight guitars and thumping beats – energetic and inspired – that really make this record a glorious experience.




One Way Ticket to Midnight, produced by Mark Anderson, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP (self-released). RIYL: Rolling Blackouts C.F., Ducks Ltd., R.E.M., Kiwi Jr.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The Wind-up Birds || “Pop​.​Thinking” (with E-shaped Stories video premiere)

The Wind-up Birds are an energetic post-punk four-piece based in Leeds (UK), active for about twenty years, and probably that’s why they are so much better and smarter than most bands that want to piggyback on the recent revival of the genre. On their new EP Pop​.​Thinking, you’ll hear four pieces of evidence of this – idea-stuffed, haunting and urgent. Paul Ackroyd (vocals), Mat Forrest (guitar, back-up vocals), Ben Dawson (bass) and Oli Jefferson (drums) deliver convincing poetry reading, stirring tempo changes and gripping harmony choruses, pulsing rhythms and mean guitar riffs, and omnipresent swinging keyboard melodies. But who’s that mysterious band member touching the keys? That question is central to the video for opening track E-shaped Stories, which we proudly premiere here. It may be the best music video of the year, at least the one with the most suspense so far, with images that give the lyrics – picking on Netflix binge culture – a double meaning (“I hope by the end that you fill in all the blanks // I’ll be so happy but I won’t say thanks”). Even if you might not get a satisfactory answer, these four songs are very worthwhile.

The E-shaped Stories video is created by Hyve Music. The Pop​.​Thinking EP is out now digitally and on CD through Sturdy Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: SLW cc Watt || Purple Pie Plow

And now for something completely different, as the title and cover art imply. Purple Pie Plow is the new full-length album from American psychedelic art-rock duo SLW cc Watt: singer-songwriter/guitarist-keyboardist/illustrator Samuel Locke Ward and singer/bassist Mike Watt are back with a whopping 24 new tracks, though nearly half of them are short spoken or musical interludes (‘spiels’ – unobtrusive like most hip-hop skits but actually functional and entertaining). The ‘ordinary songs’ are not really ordinary either, but a weird and eclectic mix of psych-pop with glam, noir-jazz and doo-wop influences laced with saxophone melodies, which amazingly form an organic unity. This record, which originated from a remote collaboration, is a cinematic trip along fascinating stories.


Purple Pie Plow is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Kill Rock Stars. Also featuring Dean Clean (drums, percussion), Joe Jack Talcum (guitar, keys) and Bob Bucko JR (sax, flute).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Kill Rock Stars

New album: Snõõper || Super Sn​õ​õ​per

Snõõper are a band from Nashville that has been making waves in the punk scene since 2020. They are one of those bands that is able to attract new fans to the scene and make you excited about the future of punk. After a couple of singles and EPs and a live record, their debut full-length is finally out now, and it is great.

I am going to keep this short as the sound of Snõõper may be easy to describe, but it’s much harder to do justice to the experience of actually listening to it and witnessing the band at work. Basically, Snõõper sound like they play original nursery rhymes sung over mutant punk played at lightspeed blasted at full volume. It’s kinda crazy but it works.

Super Sn​õ​õ​per is out now on Third Man Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New EP: Ra Ra Viper || Pound For Pound

Ra Ra Viper are an Australian indie rock outfit featuring Oliver Bolt (vocals, guitar), Oliver Kruk (lead guitar), Jack Tesser (guitar, backing vocals), Julian Sanders (bass) and Harry Tesser (drums, backing vocals). In 2021 they released their debut EP Kawaii, which is now successfully followed by the six-track Pound For Pound EP. Personally I like sing-along stomper Sally (She Lies) the most, but I guess this is one of those bands where every listener has their own favorite tune. Expect vibrant music full of hooks, blissful, dynamic en energetic, with memorable guitar riffs and clever song structures. These guys are reportedly even more impressive live, so you know what to do.

Pound For Pound, produced/recorded/mixed by Andrew Lawson, is out now streaming and on vinyl 12″ (self-released). For fans of The Strokes, Noah Dillon, Razorlight, Eades, Kings of Leon.

Add to wantlist: Ra Ra Viper

New album: Life Strike || Peak Dystopia

If not for the occasional reference to modernity, Life Strike appear to come straight out of the postpunk/new wave scene of 1980s UK or the pop underground scene of New Zealand from the same era. Early R.E.M. and The Chills come to mind as well when listening to the latest LP by the Melbourne three-piece. Then again, Life Strike have a sci-fi feel to it in terms of mood and themes, so they may in fact be time travellers from four decades ago, who knows. I think they describe their sound as apocalypse pop, which I think is very cool. That also applies to how I’d rate Peak Dystopia: very cool, with no shortage of exceptional songs.

Peak Dystopia is out now on Stable Label (Australia) and Bobo Integral (Rest of the World).




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bobo Integral

New single: Hex Smokers || Permanent Vacation

Hex Smokers are an American garage rock band featuring S. Tipton (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rocky Garibay (bass), Josiah Tipton (lead guitar) and Lawrence Mak (drums), who are not averse to surf rock, power pop and spaghetti westerns. After a self-titled debut EP in 2020, they now return with a most charming single – two melodic tunes in which the instruments complement each other well – that makes this summer just that little bit better. A-side Permanent Vacation is a catchy sing-along hit, B-side Roky Erickson Is Gonna Rise Again is a successful tribute to their great hero. Both songs only last two and a half minutes, both are so infectious and entertaining that the repeat button can prove its usefulness again.


Permanent Vacation is out now digitally and on vinyl 7″ (self-released).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Gloriosa Rotonda || Fuera de Tiempo

Fuera de Tiempo can be translated as ‘out of time’, but for this release we are happy to make room in our schedule for fifteen minutes. We’re talking about the four new tracks from Spanish garage/psych rock outfit Gloriosa Rotonda, featuring Carlos Naval (vocals), Fernando Naval (guitar, backup vocals), Abel Maregil (guitar) and Tommy DeWolfe (bass). The musicians know how to fuse modern indie rock with vintage punk-funk rhythms – guitar riffs merge with synthesizer and drum machine arrangements – resulting in super exciting music. Surprises for the dance floor.


Fuera de Tiempo, produced by Pablo Thonon, is out now digitally through Estudio Mazmorra.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Danny The K || Cigarettes & Silhouettes

I am not sure if there has ever been a more prototypical Rum Bar Records artist than Dan Kopko. Kopko (co-)fronts The Shang Hi Los, Watts and The Peppermint Kicks. That’s a whole lot of rockin’ and shakin’ in the Rum Bar mold! If you need more proof of Kopko’s songwriting saviness, I am happy to report that he recently made his solo debut under the Danny The K moniker. Danny plays everything on the Cigarettes & Silhouettes EP. It has five songs, and as a bonus,acoustic versions of the title track and The Skateaway, two of the best songs on the EP. The other standout for me is Roller Derby Girl. Kopko plays a brand of powerpop that is heartfelt and resonates at an AM frequency.

The Cigarettes & Silhouettes is out now at Rum Bar – where else?



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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