Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 19

10 Recent Tracks + Music Reviewers/Publications

Aug 31, 2024

It’s Labor Day weekend here in the U.S., a time to recognize workers and their many contributions and achievements.

I’d like to celebrate all the hardworking people who keep the rock and roll machinery running, from the musicians and stage/road crews, to the A&R reps, band/tour managers, agents, bookers, PR teams, drivers, producers, sound/recording engineers, guitar/drum techs, studio runners, lighting operators, merch people and countless other unsung heroes toiling away behind the scenes.

It’s pretty staggering when you stop to consider all the effort required to bring us new music and live shows—the years of work that go into learning to play and sing music and/or perfect a technical skill, the endless rehearsals, long recording sessions, late nights, miles traveled, and personal sacrifices. So many emails and text messages.

This song comes to mind:

I think about all of that sometimes when I hear a new track or see a band live.

The sheer amount of time and energy that went into those three minutes playing while we commute, work out, shop, or drop the kids off somewhere; those musicians playing their asses off on stage while we down drinks, dance and decompress from a long week.

Like all art, it’s the end result of a lot of back-breaking work by many more people than normally get credit. So, here’s to all the members of the rock and roll circus.

And, of course, we need to celebrate the dedicated reviewers who point us to the best new music. As always, you’ll find ten recent tracks below along with a link to a review.

Give them a listen and click away.

⚡️ What Are Your Favorite Tracks Below? 💥

10 Recent Tracks and Music Reviewers/Publications

“‘Sick Sweet’ is one part distorted, punk-y power pop (this is a band that’s played shows with Dazy and Guided by Voices recently, after all), but there’s a huge Mellon Collie-like grandiosity to the track as well...” —Rosy Overdrive

“On solo album #4 Berk continues her journey into emotional and melodic complexity and where we end up is predictably impressive. Berk opens the record with a solid, should-be hit single. ‘Good Impression’ flashes some Cars rhythm guitar shots so effectively I’d swear I was tuned to a 1981 car radio.”—Dennis Pilon, Poprock Record

“Tennessee band The Cle Elum is the duo of Sarah Sargent Pepper and Ian Lee. Stylistically, it is all over the place, but it’s got some great songs here. The opener, ‘Handclaps & Harmonies’ is a perfect rocker for fans who don’t trust the singer and ‘don’t care what the words mean.’”—Aaron Kupferberg, Powerpopaholic

“I’m reminded at times of Alex Lahey’s I Love You Like A Brother with Taucher giving a gauzy update to the similar themes and sounds of that record, with songs that Paramore or Avril Lavigne (or hey, Olivia Rodrigo) would’ve made proper hits out of; ‘Old Enough’ bridges spitfire pop punk choruses with combustibly sentimental songwriting, ‘TWENTYSOMETHING’ hopelessly opines the ires of young millennials and Zoomers, and ‘Drag Your Feet’ is fiercely brilliant Top 40 ballading.”—CJ Simonson, Merry Go Round Magazine

“The flipside of the single will be a cover of ‘Try Me,’ a 1958 hit for James Brown and the Famous Flames. The song you'll find below really deserves to be a hit too. It's a catchy punked-up slice of power pop and it's called ‘Crime Of Love.’”—Just Some Punk Songs

“This new single sets a tone for the upcoming live dates, and its accompanying music video (the splendid creation of Courtney O'Hearn) gives you a little taste of what to expect. It's just a great rock 'n' roll song — a feel good hit about setting aside your worries, hitting the club floor, and dancing until you drop.”—Faster and Louder

“There’s a feeling of amiable aimlessness to their music, conjuring images of John Lurie ambling down the streets in an early Jim Jarmusch movie. Rex Tycoon channel this feeling best with the hazy acoustic ‘Cash Reward’ and the grimy kiss-off ‘Fine By Me.’”—Aaron Eisenreich, The Alternative

“Ten songs in little over 15 minutes, hitting the sweet spot between indie pop, indie punk, and ’60s garage pop. And who’s complaining? It’s a Bermuda triangle you’ll want to get lost in, especially when the melodies are this rich, and the delivery is as scrappy and charming as Slippers pull off.”—Niek, Add to Wantlist

“Best Bets, on this track, adopt a considerably more minimalist approach compared to their predecessor, incorporating the melodic, tempered crunch of front man Joe Sampson’s previous Salad Boys act into a genuine jangly melodic slacker essence that is reminiscent of the languid beauty of the Young Scum musical palate and emphasizes the ability of this band to imbue all manner of musical nuances into their releases.”—Jangle Pop Hub

“On The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel, Andy Pastalaniec stretches out a bit and mixes it up as well; and as much as I loved (their self-titled) debut, this is a better, more varied record.”—Tim Hinely, Daggerzine