Guitar Pop: Year In Review
The Songs, The Artists, The Interviews, The Quotes
2023 really was an incredible year for new guitar pop music.
Since launching this newsletter and our semi-annual Guitar Pop Journals in January, I’ve been lucky to interview several modern artists about their music and influences, and catch up with them on the road or in the studio.
This year we chatted with artists from all around the guitar pop globe, including the U.S., England, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, Canada and beyond. Some of them have been releasing music for years, while others only put out a handful of singles or their debut album in the last couple of years.
What they mostly have in common is a love for hooks, harmonies and high-energy rock and roll. We’re living in a guitar pop golden age and I’m happy to have played a very small part in spreading the word to the faithful.
This is not a “Best Of…” list.
Below are a handful of quotes along with links to the full interviews. Choosing only a dozen thirteen (How could I forget The Whiffs?! Fixed. ) was difficult since I connected with so many interesting and talented people in 2023. So, think of this as a quick overview of the kind of music content you can expect from Remember The Lightning in 2024.
Thanks to everybody who read RTL and the Guitar Pop Journals this year, all of our free subscribers, anybody who spread the word on social, and all of the commenters that turned this newsletter into a fun place to discuss music, books and music books.
⚡️💥 Guitar Pop: Year In Review
The Whiffs
“The venues in Europe are a lot more hospitable for the most part. That being said, touring the USA is a lot of fun. You get to know people really well over here, because you usually are at their house meeting pets, etc. after the show.” —Zach Campbell, The Whiffs
Golden Apples
“Well, I think if a song is one that really demands attention, you have one of those ‘stopped in your tracks’ moments no matter where you are. The circumstances around you kind of evaporate and the song takes over. Like, you might be in the grocery store looking at orange juice and then ‘Seven Wonders’ by Fleetwood Mac comes on the intercom. In that moment its like…both a blessing and a crime that you’re standing there with Grovestand in hand when you really ought to be sliding around on the dance floor with Mimi. Hah, indulgent. But my point is that if you are a first time listener, you are already exactly where you need to be.” —Russell Edling, Golden Apples
The Beths
“I listened to the demo for ‘Expert’ a lot after I had a made it, which is a little embarrassing (haha). But I really liked what I had made. Sometimes liking the demo too much makes it harder to translate to full band though. You have to let that version go and allow the song to morph into something new, and usually something better.” —Liz Stokes, The Beths
Tamar Berk
"I think as a female musician, you can’t help but be influenced by the female solo artists and bands that came before you simply because I used to listen to/watch them and just dream of one day doing that and being that cool. The Bangles and The Go Go’s were huge in my life! They were cool while being catchy and poppy which is exactly what I aspired to be.” —Tamar Berk
Paint Fumes
“On we go to Limoges, France. This place was haunted as hell. Looked like a scene from The Wicker Man or The Witches. But an amazing show. Fred from King Khan and The Shrines/Weird Omen came out. It was cool to see him again. Been a while. My boots smell crazy this tour, but Limoges was sick and beautiful. Drinking weird drinks and summoning ghosts through rock and roll.” —Elijah von Cramon, Paint Fumes
Spearside
“Trying to attach a specific label to your group can be dangerous because firstly, it’s never accurate, and secondly, it sets up expectations for your audience. People often come to our shows and say we sound heavier than they expected or that they didn’t know we play long jams in the middle of the set because we’re supposed to be a power pop band or something.” —Oisín Walsh, Spearside
Ryan Allen
“In reality, rock music is a dinosaur to the majority of people now…. There are a handful of big bands that can still capture attention briefly, but it's nothing like it was back in 1992. That's probably the last time we'll ever see rock music hold the attention of society. And that's honestly ok, rock had its day in the sun.” —Ryan Allen
Bory
“My writing process kind of changes from song to song, but one constant is that I never start with lyrics. It’s always melody or chords first. Maybe chords come first more often? Sometimes it feels like I’ll get gifted a melody out of nowhere through some kind of divine intervention and it makes me stop what I'm doing and pull out my voice memo app.” —Brenden Ramirez, Bory
The Evening Sons
“Obviously, you can’t be all things to all people but I personally think identity is key with bands. That said, I’m not sure we want to be pigeonholed. There’s so much overlap and complexity within musical genres anyway that it’s not too big a step from power pop to new wave or even country rock, for example, so done with care you can shift between them and still retain your ethos.” —Russ Gator, The Evening Sons
Couple
“I was born and bred in a small town called Ipoh, and I only knew much later on that these bands/acts I liked were actually power pop bands. You see, Ipoh being such a small town, there were plenty of bargain bins for tapes back then, and with them being so cheap, I just bought tapes on instinct, basing my choices on the band names, cover art, and the song titles and names appearing on the back of the tapes. That was how I got into Matthew Sweet’s ‘Girlfriend,’ Fountains Of Wayne, This Perfect Day and The Posies. My drummer Azhan got a tape of Teenage Fanclub’s ‘Bandwagonesque’ from his older brother, and we played that to death too, without knowing that all of this is power pop!” —Aidil Rusli, Couple
Astrologer
“(Genre labels) serve a certain purpose but this present day generation is obsessed with labeling and categorizing everything into nothingness. I like the idea of art or music (or anything really) existing within the realm of multiplicity.” —Candy Cline, Astrologer
Hurry
“When I think about summer music, a lot of it is nostalgia rooted. I remember listening to, like, Eagles in my parents’ car on the way to the beach. So, to this day, if I hear ‘Take It Easy’ I’m feeling pretty good. I really love listening to Neil Young records in the summer, ‘Zuma’ especially. Teenage Fanclub’s ‘Grand Prix’ for sure. I put on Best Coast’s album Crazy For You the other night, which to this day is still one of my favorite summer albums.” —Matt Scottoline, Hurry
Benny J Ward/Rinehearts
“I’ve always been in a musical flurry, but lately it’s been taken to another level through building a studio at our house. My head has just cracked wide open and I can’t stop. I’ve also given myself permission for that to be ok! I’ve stopped worrying about why and how and I’m just doing. I just want to write and release for the pure enjoyment and artistic pleasure of it.” —Benny J Ward, Rinehearts
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Great year for guitar pop and for Remember the Lightning!
Great group of artists. Added a few new listens to my Spotify liked list. Thanks for sharing!