Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 4

10 Recent(ish) Tracks + Music Reviewers/Publications

May 24, 2023

The (should be smash) hits keep coming!

There is so much great guitar pop being released these days that it’s almost impossible to keep up. Lucky for us, there is an international army of dedicated reviewers sifting through the constant crush to curate the best cuts.

In this fourth installment of the ‘Guitar Pop For Now People’ series, we’ve got an incredible selection of recent songs from around the rock and roll globe. I mean, technically “Silver Velvet” by The Courtneys is from 2017…but it’s new to me and the write up about is so good that I just had to share. (Seriously, check out Zachary Lipez’s “Unsung Power Pop Gems From All Eras” Bandcamp article. Link below.) And, well, the Delivery track is from 2022—close enough for rock and roll.

If you’re in the U.S. like me, you might be headed into a three-day weekend. All ten of these tracks are perfect for your beach, barbecue or road trip playlists. But let’s be honest—guitar pop sounds amazing all year long, no matter where you live and no matter when it was released.

As usual, I’ve included a couple of sentences about the track and a link to the review I got them from. Please listen, click and share.

What’s your favorite from these 10 tracks? What other recents songs would you recommend? Join the conversation in the comments.

10 Recent Tracks and Music Reviewers/Publications

“‘I Won’t Care’ sounds like any current hooky pop rock band, Tracy Tracy’s light and breezy vocals here are riding a propulsive guitar backing. There’s an Ivy-like sophisticated polish to the overall sound.” —Dennis Pilon, Pop Rock Record

“Kurt Baker returns to true form for ‘Secrets,’ and it’s no secret that Kurt is one of the top power poppers out there.” —Aaron Kupferberg, Powerpopaholic

“Early single ‘Baader Meinhof’ is one of the highlights on an already top album. It pulsates and fills you with the band’s joyful spirit, stabbing keyboards and a kicking rhythm holding it all together in an almost Dandy Warhols vibe while the vocals riot along. And it’s in the interplay between the vocalists, especially between main vocalists James Lynch and Rebecca Allen, that the band really find their niche to stand out from the crowd.” —Nathan Whittle, Louder Than War

“When the fuzz lays just below the sweetest, most epic of harmonizing angst, the power pop judges must decide if following the letter of the law is more important than following the spiritual question that is part of all power pop deliberations: Would a million teenagers, alienated from anything existing outside of their libido and record collections, break up with each other to these songs?” —Zachary Lipez, Bandcamp

“Hightanic Socialites is album #4 by the three-piece and it has all the elements of their trademark sound. Huge street punk singalongs and strong melodies over a dirty glammy guitar sound. Press play on opener ‘Monsters Won’t Show’ and let the music speak for itself.” —Add To Wantlist

“The opening track, ‘Héroes, Disco, Perfil,’ showcases how catchy the album can be, with a power pop energy, revving power chords, and synths that give the mix a good amount of heft. Colino’s vocal performance, which on past releases often defaulted into a soft head voice, is firmer now—somewhat nervous but determined all the same. It’s all immediate.” —Jaden Amjadi, Merry Go Round Magazine

“Plenty of indie pop fans will recognize Tiger Trap/Go Sailor’s Rose Melberg’s voice singing along with Dezember on opening track ‘Summer’s Coming On’—it’s a nice bonus, but as the rest of Night Walk demonstrates, Dezember can deliver indie pop capably on his own as well. The Ashenden Papers do breezy jangle pop very well on the record’s first two songs, both of which are extremely well-put-together collections of hooks.” —Rosy Overdrive

“Songs change direction at will and are essentially pop rock, but head in all directions from beat pop to indie guitar pop and everything in between. …‘Straight Shooter’ is somewhere between power pop and a revue band song. It is possibly the best thing on show here.” —Don Valentine, I Don’t Hear A Single

“SUPER 8 (aka Paul ‘Trip’ Ryan) has to be one of the hardest working musicians on the scene. This being album number eight in a five year period is clear testament to that. …‘Jennifer Anne’ is steeped in Who-esque rock but also flits to a harmonica based ode…” —John Welsh, Into Creative

“The album opens with 'Feel The Fuzz' which is very lo-fi and garage sounding. There are hints of 13th Floor Elevators, The Seeds, etc. It still has the hooks of guitar pop and is a joy to listen to.” —Julie Fowler, Colours Through The Air

Tell 10 Friends!

Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 2

Guitar Pop For Now People—Part 3

Remember The Lightning—A Guitar Pop Journal

A new semi-annual music journal featuring some of today's best music writers on modern guitar pop, and talented modern artists on the music/genres that inspire them.

Available in Print & eBook Editions

Exclusive contributions:

James Goodson (of Dazy) on Being Power Pop-Adjacent
Annie Zaleski on the Beths
Mo Troper on Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos"
Rob Nesbitt (of the Suitesixteen) on the Exploding Hearts
S.W. Lauden on the Whiffs (Our debut cover models!)
Mary E. Donnelly on Sloan
John M. Borack on Juniper
Paul Myers on Tinted Windows
Mike Randle on Popsicko's Off to a Bad Start
David Laing on Power Pop's Country Roots
PLUS: Custom Cover Art By Brian Walsby