Sunday, January 26, 2025

Shit Missile - self titled tape


Holy crappers: this is how you do budget rock! Shit Missile is a band out of Berlin playing trashy lo-fi garage punk with the perfect mix of bad attitude and primitive abandon. Its new self-titled release is out on River Trash Records, a tape label out of Winnipeg run by Joe from Poison Suckers and Fashion Bathers. I heard this thing and was immediately blown away. Who needs professional production or pretty cover art when you can just put your heart, soul, and guts into some savage three-chord rock 'n' roll? There's nothing fancy going here: just raw, ear-bleeding fury that has me fondly recalling the 1990s heyday of blown-out garage punk. I'm not really a format geek like I was many years ago, but this does feel to me like the kind of release that would be awesome to experience on cassette tape. However you choose to listen to this, play it freaking loud!

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Saturday, January 25, 2025

20/20 - Back To California


Imagine if I had predicted 45 years ago that 20/20 and The Vapors would both release excellent albums in the first two months of 2025. Would anyone have believed me (especially considering I was only nine years old)? What a wonderful thing music is! Back To California (out on SPYDERPOP and Big Stir Records) is 20/20's first new album since 1998. And without trying too hard to be "vintage" 20/20, it proves to be an accomplished and truly inspired showing from legendary songwriters Ron Flynt and Steve Allen (joined by Flynt's son Ray). 

Rather than attempting some kind of deliberate "return to form," Flynt and Allen have built on their entire body of work and put their virtuoso songwriting skills on display. Back To California is a splendid guitar pop record that doesn't cling to any genre in particular. Its hooks and melodies are undeniable, but it's not looking to turn back the clock to 1979. Far from a copy of 20/20's classic debut album, this is precisely the album you would hoped the band would have given us decades later. It's a little mellower and more sophisticated — more timeless American pop-rock than power pop per se. It's the work of a couple of esteemed & seasoned artists whose songwriting has matured and evolved over time while still emphasizing timeless melodies and indelible hooks. 

The curse of authoring the greatest power pop ever made is that every subsequent record you release will be compared to it. But 20/20 has never looked back, and has just gone about the business of crafting first-rate pop music. Back To California is arguably their finest and most consistently strong release since that first album. Absolutely one gets the sense 20/20 has come full circle — revisiting its old stomping grounds with a perspective that can only come from living life and growing wiser. Of course the album has moments where you'll hear flickers of the 20/20 of yore, but the 20/20 of today is a joy to behold entirely in its own right. Back To California puts on a master class in guitar-forward, melody-driven pop. To paraphrase Mike Patton, what did we do to deserve this record?

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Friday, January 24, 2025

The On and Ons - Come On In


If you listen to The On and Ons' new album Come On In, your first thought might be that this band surely belongs on JEM Records. This group has five albums out in Australia and has established quite a track record for turning out melody-driven, '60s-influenced guitar pop of the highest quality. Come On In compiles standout tracks from the band's back catalog along with three brand-new songs to create a true representation of the very best of The On and Ons. Needless to say, the album is stacked with hits. When it comes to The On and Ons, music is a family affair. The band was formed by brothers Glenn Morris (lead guitar/lead vocals) and Brian Morris (drums/vocals). Dennis Wilson, their brother-in-law, is on guitar. Clyde Bramley (Hoodoo Gurus, The New Christs) rounds out the lineup on bass. Stylistically, this is vintage JEM Records type stuff: exceptionally well-crafted pop-rock with musical and vocal talent in spades. I'm hearing the influence of The Who, Beatles, Hollies, etc. with touches of garage rock, power pop, and modern rock. Simply put, this is truly excellent pop music. Glenn Morris is a fantastic songwriter, and Wilson's pristine guitar work takes these songs to another level. Songs like "Roller Coaster" and "Been There" take inspiration from the golden age of pop rock 'n' roll in a way that's more timeless than retro.  "Long Ride" and "She's Leaving" will give you power pop fanatics something to shout about. "Let Ya Hair Down!" is pure British Invasion goodness. "Run to Tomorrow" is garage rock as the music gods intended. Come On In is the band's JEM debut, and it stands toe-to-toe with just about anything the label has put out. Marty Scott sure knows how to pick 'em! 

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Thursday, January 23, 2025

Kurt Baker - "Warm in the Winter"


Kurt Baker has been on a major back-to-his-roots run with his recent singles, and I am loving it! I first came to be a fan of Baker's music back in the early 2010s, and what I found so appealing was the way he was reimagining the sounds of late '70s/early '80s power pop through the lens of '90s pop-punk. In particular, his collaborations with Wyatt Funderburk were as up-my-alley as music gets. There was something about those two guys combining their talent, influences, and creative vision that produced guitar pop magic. Well here we are in 2025, and they are still writing songs together — as they have been since 2009. Baker's new single "Warm in the Winter" is a vintage Baker/Funderburk creation: an infectious power pop rocker with more than a little Lookout! Records in its musical DNA. I'm always a sucker for a good love song, and this one concerns a love interest who runs hot and cold at the most inopportune times. Baker and his pals (Funderburk, Rich Kelly III, and Geoff Palmer, who kills it on guitar) do amazing work here imbuing this tale of doomed romance with a fun, energetic feel. Once that chorus gets its hooks into you, you'll be hearing it in your head all day. The lyrics are clever and relatable, and that melody is worth its weight in gold. The song was written during the same sessions that produced the superb Rock n Roll Club album. While "Warm in the Winter" didn't end getting recorded for the album, clearly Baker knew he still had a gem of a song in his back pocket. So here it is  — fortuitously arriving in the dead of winter. If the intersection of power pop and pop-punk is your sweet spot, you're going to enjoy this one!

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Friday, January 17, 2025

The Hellflowers - Deluxe


The golden ears of Sir Malibu Lou strike again! One of my favorite things Rum Bar Records does is to do deluxe reissues of releases from the recent past that may have been overlooked, underexposed, or undeservedly slept on. In the case of The Hellflowers from Los Angeles, Deluxe is literally the name of the album! The Hellflowers have been a band for a decade and have released two full-length albums and two EPs since 2016. Deluxe, which collects the songs from the band's long players Por Vida! (2019) and Vamonos (2024), is actually my introduction to this band. I must say that I'm quite embarrassed about not already being hip to The Hellflowers. Where have I been? With its driving, pop-influenced old school punk style, this band could not be any more up my alley. How can I not dig a band that finds the sweet spot where Blondie meets the Ramones and The Go-Go's meet the Buzzcocks, all with a distinctive Southern Californian punk rock 'n' roll flavor? These tracks are catchy and tuneful without being over-polished, and singer/guitarist Christina joins an impressive list of powerhouse crooners already on the Rum Bar roster. 

At 20 tracks, you're getting a whole lot of bang for your back with Deluxe. The title is no lie! And the quality is high from start to finish. While the digital release mixes the songs up, the CD includes the two albums back-to-back. This allows you to follow the band's creative progression. Por Vida! is mostly straight-ahead poppy punk; Vamonos finds the band expanding its core sound and embracing numerous musical genres. I can't decide which I album I like better, and luckily I don't have to. Deluxe lets me have my pastrami and eat it too! If first-rate punk-pop is what you're after, it doesn't get much better than "Come On, Let's Dance" or "Vacation." And with Vamonos, the musical variety is upped in a big way. The title track is an excellent surf rock instrumental. "Little Boogie" is hoppin' hot-rod rock 'n' roll. "Running Through the Fog" is a moody, new wave-ish number that sounds straight out of the '80s. "String" is pure pop at its finest. "Fucked Up Nation" is classic SoCal punk rock with contemporary lyrical urgency. "Girl U Want" is a great take on a Devo classic. "Way Out West" is terrific country rock. 

It's weird to be just now learning about a band that has been putting its blood, sweat, and tears into its music for a decade. But Deluxe allows me (and now perhaps you) to immediately enjoy the fruits of all that hard work and perseverance. It's kind of like discovering a TV show that everyone else has known about for years and then binging it in a month. In the song "Music's My Love," Christina sings the words "Music is love." Nothing could be truer, and that love sure comes through in all these songs. And while this may be a Rum Bar product, let the record show that the very best song on the album is a Mexican-spiced love song to tequila. Lou, you knew I was going to love this album, didn't you?!

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Saturday, January 11, 2025

Total Whine - self titled


When Civil Rats reached out to me about their new tape label, Dummest Records, I knew that anything they put out would likely be up my alley. Their last release, in fact, was Log Flume's Splash Hit!, one of my favorite albums of 2024. Next up from Dummest Records is the latest album from Philadelphia's Total Whine. Now Total Whine is a hard band to research online. No matter how many times I tell Google that yes, I meant Total Whine, not Total Wine, I still get stuff about wine. Luckily the music speaks for itself. Miss Mess, Ian Rubbish, and Eskimo play straight-up punk rock that's raw, catchy, and super fun. They put out their first demo back in 2018 and have amassed an impressive array of releases over the ensuing years. There is a shared spirit with Civil Rats in the respect that both bands' songs are chock full of attitude, humor, and relatable real-life observations. 

There's something about Total Whine that reminds me of the thrill of discovering punk rock back in the '90s — especially from DIY demo tapes. Total Whine is obviously not a demo, but it has that feel of a band recording itself in the rawest, most stripped-down way as possible. I feel like if you saw Total Whine live, it would sound very much like this album. Miss Mess has tremendous charisma and spirit on lead vocals, and all these songs will have you tapping your toes and shouting along. Songs like "1234," "Corpo (Are You Talking to Me?)," and "My Room" (which is my new personal anthem) will get your heart racing if bratty yet tuneful punk is your thing. There are also tracks like "Taking It Home" and "Anywhere" that show a softer, more garage pop side of the band. All in all, this is a fantastic set of tunes. It's my first favorite punk rock album of 2025. Keep an eye on the Dummest Records Bandcamp page for information about a cassette release!


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Friday, January 10, 2025

The Roxies - "Animals"


Ah, The almighty Roxies! There are not sufficient words in the English language to convey how much I love this Berlin-based band. They have a new album called Keep You Up At Night releasing in March on Flight 13 and Dirt Cult Records — and I'm stoked, of course! In advance of the album, new single "Animals" is vintage Roxies — a head-on collision of power pop and old school punk with infectious hooks and thoughtful lyrics "about self-determination, humanity and equality." What's not to love? Once again, the legendary SmaiL ShocK is on hand for recording and mixing duties, and the track sounds great! This is music that will have you both dancing and feeling inspired! With some bands' pre-album singles, I might endorse waiting for the album. But come on: this will only cost you €1, and two months is way too long to wait! But if you do want to pre-order the album, hit one of the links below!

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