Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 36

10 Recent Tracks + Music Reviewers/Publications (+ Playlist)

Jan 31, 2026

Guitar pop can be a great escape from the news of the day.

Songs (often) about the universal themes of love, longing, and loss—all set to a strong backbeat with hooks and harmonies galore—don’t demand much from us. It’s perfect music for unwinding after work, setting the weekend mood, jamming the jukebox..or just shutting out the world 3 minutes at a time.

To my ears, the 10 tracks below do just that. Many are from 2026, a few are ones I missed in late 2025. Give them a spin, click the reviewer links, and check out our comprehensive Spotify and YouTube playlists. If you like what you hear or have other recent songs to recommend, join the conversation in the comments.

“‘T-Shirt Salesman’ combines solid rhythm guitar playing with some sparkling lead notes to effectively cradle a soothing pop melody. The arrangement of overlapping vocals gives the tune a slightly other-worldly demeanor.”—Dennis Pilon, Poprock Record

“The Pretty Flowers really know how to craft a hook, and the advance track ‘Came Back Kicking’ is excellent. Hope we get more of that when the LP releases in March.”—Aaron Kupferberg, Power Popahilic

“When it comes to the type of music I like, Disket could not be much more on the money. The New York–based band has just released its first single on General Speech, and it's the perfect mashup of old school punk and late '70s-style power pop.”—Lord Rutledge, Faster and Louder

“The crisp arrangements fans have always enjoyed ring out with verve, but instead of breakneck speeds and aggressive formats, they deliver brisk tunes reminiscent of early Weezer, The Cars, and Fountains of Wayne.”—Adam P. Newton, Trebelzine

“Two Hundred Thousand Dollars is a concept of sorts, about losing and gaining the money. But the whole thing is so engaging, the studio chatter makes you feel like you are there. But the thing that grabs you most are the awesome chunky riffs, they crash in at will, wonderfully so.”—Don Valentine, I Don’t Hear A Single

“A fuzzy, hooky anthem about putting your own struggles into perspective.”—Abby Jones, Stereogum

“‘Pendar’ is the first Much release since 2018, and the Malang jangle-pop band’s still got it. They sound as peppy as ever, and even if I’ve got no idea what Dandy Gilang is saying, there’s enough sunshine in her voice to keep me hooked.”—Zac Djamoos, The Alternative

“Musically speaking—well, we’re all mortal, and, for Sweet Reaper, that means there’s no time to waste in between churning out garage-punk pop hits.”—Rosy Overdrive

“This song is another ‘Addison special’ with a soaring vocal line while the guitars/bass/drums all follow right in line and it turns out to be another minute-and-a-half corker!”—Daggerzine

“With its euphoric and anthemic drive, ‘Calm & Delivered,’ is a swirling propulsion of emo, post-hardcore, and alt-rock, channeling the band’s shared love for The Get Up Kids and Weakerthans with flourishes of that dog. and The Breeders coursing through its sonic energy.”—Big Takeover

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