Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 13
10 Recent Tracks + Music Reviewers/Publications (+5 More Songs!)
February 29th finds Guitar Pop for Now People leaping deeper into 2024…with a quick glance over our shoulder.
Fact is, it’s impossible to keep up with all the great guitar pop being released these days, so sometimes we have to stop to look at what we might have missed.
Such is the case with a few tracks below including “Lollygagger” by The Dumbanimals, “Blame Brett” by The Beaches, “Above Your Head” from Flying Underground, and the reemergence of Brit poppers The Kynd with their Badfinger-esque “Song for Baby.”
But we’re also showcasing plenty of 2024 tracks from around the rock and roll globe like the dreamy indie pop of R.E. Seraphin’s “Bound,” the lo-fi indie rock of fanclubwallet’s “Band Like That,” the ‘60s-meets-’80s alternative rock of Spearside’s “Passion Merchant,” and five additional re-issues and recent discoveries.
As always, we’ve included a quote about each artist/track from a trusted reviewer along with a link to the site so you can check out more of their excellent writing.
What’s your favorite track below? Join the conversation in comments!
10 Recent Tracks and Music Reviewers/Publications
“I wish I had heard The Dumbanimals’ album at the time of its release back a few months ago. It would have easily made 2023’s best of power pop list. Near the top. Occasionally punk-pop, once in a while Weezer-like but always hooky and smart, the ten tracks within Thrift Pop are as catchy and engaging as anything I’ve heard in quite some time.”—Richard Rossi, Power Pop News
“I feel the organ is the subtle star of this album on tracks like ‘Whispers and Tones’ and ‘Spitfire Summer.’ And then there’s the Badfinger pop buoyancy on ‘Song For Baby.’ Timelines confirms The Kynd as the great lost Britpop band, back to reclaim their place in the pantheon.”—Dennis Pilon, Poprock Record
“‘Heaven Shook Me,’ ‘I’ll Give You More,’ and ‘Shark Attack’ show off the band’s power pop side nicely, with catchy melodies and smart(ass) lyrics, while ‘Terrible Crime’ adds a bluesy shuffle to the aesthetic and ‘Hark’ goes full-on noise punk.”—Michael Toland, Big Takeover
“(Westall 66) offer up five songs incorporating widescreen heartland rock, loud and boisterous power pop, perennially out-of-style ‘orgcore,’ and a pop punk earnestness.” —Rosy Overdrive
“Both sonically and emotionally charged, it’s safe to say that Blame My Ex is a bold and brazen record that shines a light on things that everyone needs to hear in their lives. Spanning life’s lowest lows and highest highs, The Beaches have managed to explore the hard notion of healing and self-discovery whilst enjoying what life has to offer and poking fun at themselves from time to time.” —Shannon Garner, Clash
“Thriving in the musical hinterland somewhere between the subdued fuzzy production of Mo Troper at his most reclined and the dulcet, downplayed jangle that is simultaneously all things Pete Astor and the Triple J vibe, ‘Bound’ feels like an unflappable celebration of what can be achieved when indie-pop, lo-fi, and guitar-pop modernity are merged at their most precious points.”—Jangle Pop Hub
”This is garage pop-‘n’-roll played by punks who build on the ‘70s psychedelic rock, jangle and protopunk portion of their respective collections. Yet, beneath the surface, echoes of other decades of rock, roll, pop and soul add even more layers of depth.”—Add To Wantlist
“I am still finding lots of great music that shouldn’t be swept under the rug because it’s a new year. Flying Underground is a terrific Cincinnati, Ohio band that deserves your attention with its debut album.”—Aaron Kupferberg, Powerpopaholic
“There is something of the ‘60s about ‘Passion Merchant’ but perhaps a second-hand sound of that decade, one as in a sound passed down via ‘80s scenes such as The Paisley Underground sound and more Jangle Pop sentiments.”—Dave Franklin, Big Takeover
“This spring, fanclubwallet will release the new EP Our Bodies Paint Traffic Lines. First single ‘Band Like That’ is a bleary, lo-fi indie rock jam about admiring your favorite bands so much that you want to become them.”—Tom Breihan, Stereogum
And Since This Has Turned Into RTL’s NEW MUSIC WEEK…
Here’s another handful of re-issues and recent discoveries.
Remember The Lightning—A Guitar Pop Journal, Vol. 2
The second volume of our semi-annual music journal featuring some of today's best music writers and talented modern artists on the music/genres that inspire them.
So glad you mentioned The Beaches! Their most recent album has been one of my favorites for months, especially Shower Beer and Everything is Boring!