Well if you know, you know: most of you don't need me to tell you that The Reflectors are one of the greatest power pop bands currently in existence. When a band of this caliber releases a new record, you buy first and ask questions later. That said, I think The Reflectors' third album Going Out Of Fashion (out now on Neon Nile) will surprise you a little. At the very least, it surprised me. With power pop bands, a sophomore jinx is rare. On the other hand, that third LP can be problematic. If your third album sounds too similar to the first two, people get bored. But if your ..read more

Well here's another release that will have most of you going nuts! Cola Cubes are a trio from Liverpool, and their debut single sounds like an unearthed treasure from 1980. "Bold Street Beach" lives at the intersection of power pop, punk, and surf, and it's a stone cold smash. It's catchy, rocking, and totally fun. This track is sure to get your heart racing if Nikki and the Corvettes and early Go-Go's are your jam. Backing "Bold Street Beach" is a really great cover of Dolly Mixture's classic "Dream Come True." What a way to make a first impression! Cola Cubes refer to themselves as "your n ..read more

You've probably been hearing a lot about Kate Clover's new album The Apocalypse Dream. Believe what you're hearing: this thing is an absolute treat for anyone who loves first wave punk rock, powerful pop, modern garage rock, or all of the above! If you enjoyed Clover's last LP Bleed Your Heart Out, you can count on The Apocalypse Dream being everything that album was and much more. Any reader of this blog will find Clover's musical approach still hitting their sweet spot, but with this release her songwriting rises to another level. It's quite a task to channel classic punk & new wa ..read more

A couple weeks back, I tipped you off to the arrival of your new favorite band. Anyone reading this who hasn't already downloaded CB Kiddo's first demo and mailed in their fan club application is either a robot or a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. Emily could have retired from music right then and there and still had the coolest single of 2024. But luckily she has not retired from music, and she quickly got to work on topping the lo-fi punk-pop magnificence of her debut. No less of an authority than Mick Fletcher has proclaimed that CB Kiddo graduates from the halls of th ..read more

Wow: The Bacarrudas sure knew how to pick the perfect debut single! Excuse me while I go pick my jaw off the floor. Notice I said The Bacarrudas, not  The Barracudas or Barreracudas. The Bacarrudas are a '60s-style frat rock band from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. As fellow citizens of this commonwealth, they are entitled to free admission to any music fests I will someday arrange along with complementary Faster and Louder varsity jackets. Technically, their debut single was a Christmas release which came out at the end of last year. But for their first proper single ..read more

Well it's April 1st, but I'm not fooling around. Today I've got not one two new EPs for you from one of the best rock 'n' roll bands out there. With these two new releases, The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs pick up right where they left off on 2021's killer long player One More Drink. Call the Dogs is a ten-inch record out on Warsaw's Heavy Medication Records. Crazy Operator is a 7" out on Madrid's Ghost Highway Recordings and limited to 250 copies. Both of these releases were timed to coincide with the Cheetahs' tour of Europe — which is still ongoing with several gigs in Spain over the next few ..read more

The Cynz, a New Jersey/New York–based rock 'n' roll band, release their fifth album today — and their first with the illustrious JEM Records. The Cynz are probably best known for their electrifying live performances which revolve around the chemistry and charisma of lead singer Cyndi Dawson and guitarist Henry Seiz. It may have been a slight surprise when this '70s punk–influenced, full-throttle rock band signed to JEM. But anyone who hears Little Miss Lost is sure to conclude that The Cynz fit in perfectly on the JEM roster. This is the kind of record that is timeless to me — a big, ho ..read more

Unicorn Dogs are totally a breath of fresh air in the pop-punk scene. The Baltimore-based trio has released two singles in advance of its forthcoming album Age Typical Junk Behavior, and I just can't stop listening to these tracks! Two-thirds of Unicorn Dogs were two-thirds of Charlie Brown Gets a Valentine, so you probably have some idea of what to expect. But while Unicorn Dogs share certain characteristics with CBGaV, this is a different band with a different vibe. These guys are still doing gritty pop-punk, but they're writing shorter and catchier songs with lyrics that are fre ..read more

Wait! Has Tambourine Girlfriend gone and covered all of Irving Berlin's songs from the classic musical film Easter Parade? Not quite. Instead they've taken all the song titles and turned them into original songs — in essence creating an Easter-themed indie pop album. Is this one of the most ridiculous concepts for an album I've ever come across? No doubt. But do I totally love it? Abso-freaking-lutely! Tambourine Girlfriend are Mike and Rusty from the wonderful holiday podcast Snow in Southtown. Tambourine Girlfriend's Easter Parade was conceived as a joke on the show, and the ..read more

Itchy & the Nits' demo tape was one of the most exciting debut releases of last year, and thankfully we did not have to wait long for more music from this Sydney-based garage punk trio. Total Punk Records has compiled the seven demo tracks with five brand-new cuts to form a proper debut album for Itchy & the Nits called Worst Of. This, my friends, is an instant classic in the garage punk world — sounding like something that might have come out on Radio X in 1996. These ladies understand what great rock 'n' roll is all about, and the simplicity of their musical approach ..read more