Music
The Return of the Rentals After Six Years Away
The Rentals release a space-themed album, Q36, with one absolute gem of a song.
29 Oct 2020
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The Lemon Twigs Amp Up the Glam Rock Obsession on 'Songs for the General Public'
The Lemon Twigs' influences and tastes run deep, and Songs for the General Public shows that they can wrap all these ideas into a beautiful, oddly consistent package.
20 Aug 2020
Music
The Dawn Drapes Deliver Power Pop Perfection With "Oxygen" (premiere)
Philadelphia indie rockers the Dawn Drapes' latest video, "Oxygen" provides us with a quick glimpse into the soulful energy, jangling guitars and refined vocal harmonies that help define the group's sounds.
12 Aug 2020
Music
Vistas' 'Everything Changes in the End' Is Catchy and Fun Guitar Rock
Vistas' debut, Everything Changes in the End, features bright rock music that pulls influences from power-pop and indie rock.
05 Aug 2020
Music
The Orange Peels Trace the Evolution of a Song with "Something Strange Happens" (premiere)
The upcoming reissue of the Orange Peels' 1997 debut album offers 40 tracks and plenty of insights into the group's creative process. Bandleader Allen Clapp recalls how one stunning song blossomed.
29 Jul 2020
Music
Vistas' 'Everything Changes in the End' Is Catchy and Fun Guitar Rock
Vistas' debut album, Everything Changes in the End, is a chunk of bright rock music that mainly pulls influences from power-pop and indie rock.
28 Jul 2020
Music
Catholic Guilt Deliver Accidental Anthem for Pandemic via "A Boutique Affair" (premiere)
Catholic Guilt's "A Boutique Affair" taps into the zeitgeist of distance, isolation, while adding a spirit of uplift and community.
22 Jul 2020
Music
Thin Lear's 'Wooden Cave' is Chamber Pop Perfection of the Highest Order
The latest album from Queens-based singer-songwriter Matt Longo, aka Thin Lear, is an impeccably crafted ode to loners, death, and alienation.
21 Jul 2020
Music
The Beths Are Sharp As Ever on 'Jump Rope Gazers'
New Zealand power-poppers the Beths return with a sophomore album that makes even the most senior indie-rock acts feel rudimentary by comparison.
09 Jul 2020
Music
Steve McDonald Remembers the Earliest Days of Redd Kross
Steve McDonald talks about the year that produced the first Redd Kross EP, an early eighth-grade graduation show with a then-unknown Black Flag, and a punk scene that welcomed and defined him.
09 Jul 2020
Music
Indie Pop's Fuller Delivers Moment of Levity With "Crush Me" (premiere)
Indie pop's Fuller delivers the infectious "Crush Me" from an upcoming EP. "It's about knowing that I might fail, but not fearing failure, because never trying would be the biggest failure of all."
08 Jul 2020
Music
Power Pop's Lewis Says "Bathe Clean" (premiere)
Former Kinison frontman Christopher L. Lewis releases Son on the Floor in August, and shares the infectious new single, "Bathe Clean" today.
29 Jun 2020
Music
Cocktails Reach Power Pop Ecstasy on "Bun E. Carlos" (premiere)
Cocktails' "Bun E. Carlos" taps into the fantasy side of rock 'n' roll. It's the new single from their upcoming LP, Catastrophic Entertainment, a "raw and dirty monster of a pop record".
11 Jun 2020
Music
2nd Grade Go From 'Hit to Hit' with Indie Power Pop Delights
Some sincere goofiness would feel glorious right about now. 2nd Grade, a power-pop group from Philly, have the goods we need in heaps on their full-length debut, Hit to Hit.
09 Jun 2020
Music
Buzzcocks' 1996 Album 'All Set' Sees the Veteran Band Stretching Out and Gaining Confidence
After the straightforward and workmanlike Trade Test Transmissions, Buzzcocks continued to hone their fresh identity in the studio, as exhibited on the All Set reissue contained on the new box-set Sell You Everything.
28 May 2020
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
OK Go's Emotional New Ballad, "All Together Now", Inspired by Singer's Bout with COVID-19
Damian Kulash, lead singer for OK Go discusses his recent bout with COVID-19, how it impacted his family, and the band's latest pop delight, "All Together Now", as part of our Love in the Time of Coronavirus series.
27 May 2020
Music
Buzzcocks' 1993 Comeback 'Trade Test Transmissions' Showed Punk's Great Survivors' Consistency
PopMatters' appraisal of Buzzcocks continues with the band's proper comeback LP, Trade Test Transmissions, now reissued on Cherry Red Records' new box-set, Sell You Everything.
27 May 2020
Music
Drum Machines? Samples? Brendan Benson Gets Contemporary with 'Dear Life'
Powerpop overlord and part-time Raconteur, Brendan Benson, grafts hip-hop beats to guitar pop on his seventh solo album, Dear Life.
26 May 2020
Music
'Sell You Everything' Brings to Light Buzzcocks '1991 Demo LP' That Passed Under-the-Radar
Cherry Red Records' new box-set issued in memory of Pete Shelley gathers together the entire post-reunion output of the legendary Buzzcocks. Across the next week, PopMatters explores the set album-by-album. First up is The 1991 Demo LP.
26 May 2020
Music
Aubrey Haddard Embraces Classic Pop with "Thin Line" (premiere)
Boston singer-songwriter Aubrey Haddard offers up a terrific, poppy earworm on her new single and video, "Thin Line".
21 May 2020
Music
From Norway and Oregon Come the No Ones with a Potent Dose of Classic Jangle Pop
Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck's the No Ones took their sweet time on their debut, The Great Lost No Ones Album, but it was well worth the wait for any indie or pop fan.
05 May 2020
Music
Built to Spill's Daniel Johnston Homage Is Too Plain for Its Own Good
Built to Spill offer up a so-so guitar-based, power-pop tribute to outsider artist Daniel Johnston that doesn't live up to the eclectic 2004 Johnston covers LP.
28 Apr 2020
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
All Kinds of Time: Adam Schlesinger's Pursuit of Pure, Peerless Pop
Adam Schlesinger was a poet laureate of pure pop music. There was never a melody too bright, a lyrical conceit too playfully dumb, or a vibe full of radiation that he would shy away from. His sudden passing from COVID-19 means one of the brightest stars in the power-pop universe has suddenly dimmed.
02 Apr 2020
Music
The Lickerish Quartet Take Us on Classic Pop Journey with "Lighthouse Spaceship" (premiere + interview)
Former Jellyfish members combine forces as the Lickerish Quartet for a collection of imaginative songs influenced by one of rock's most creatively fertile eras. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. discusses the group's origins and debut track, "Lighthouse Spaceship."
12 Mar 2020
Music
Ash Compile the Indie-Disco Classics on 'Teenage Wildlife'
Ash harnessed their teenage angst and energy and built a career on it, as you can hear on Teenage Wildlife, a career-spanning, hit-filled compilation album.
12 Mar 2020
Music
'Meat Bones Chemicals Electricity' Is Eamon Ra's Love Letter to '60s Psych-Pop
The new album from Seattle's Eamon Ra, Meat Bones Chemicals Electricity, is a pitch-perfect throwback to a golden age of youthful innocence and killer hooks.
06 Mar 2020
Music
Scantron's 'Electric City' Is a Four-Song Blast of Engaging Garage Rock
Philadelphia garage rockers Scantron continue their "single-slinging" tradition on the satisfying, riff-heavy new EP, Electric City.
19 Feb 2020
Music
Nada Surf Get Philosophical on 'Never Not Together'
Never Not Together is the best record Nada Surf have made in quite a while, as it sees the indie rock/power pop group stress the need for more empathy in the world.
13 Feb 2020
Music
Kiwi Jr.'s Debut 'Football Money' Is an Indie Pop Gem
Kiwi Jr.'s Football Money is a jangly, sugar-coated, charming debut album destined to be cherished by indie pop/rock fans of all stripes.
15 Jan 2020
Music
The Pedaljets Celebrate Contentment With "Sleepy Girl" (premiere + interview)
"Let memories happen later. Live now," says the Pedaljets's Mike Allmayer as he discusses the themes running through the group's upcoming LP, Twist the Lens. Hear "Sleepy Girl" now.
02 Dec 2019
Music
Marshall Crenshaw Preps New Reissue Campaign With "Misty Dreamer" (premiere + interview)
Marshall Crenshaw is re-releasing five albums beginning with 1996's Miracle of Science. The new bonus track by singer-songwriter Daniel Wylie is the first taste. "There are lots of great things in Daniel Wylie's catalog, including this dark, beautiful gem," says Crenshaw.
22 Nov 2019
Music
Can Jukebox the Ghost Be More Queen Than Queen?
We endeavor to find out in this HalloQueen interview with Jukebox the Ghost's Ben Thornewill.
24 Oct 2019
Music
"She's Older Now" Is a Previously Unreleased Tune From Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue, Featuring Mick Ronson (premiere)
Ex-Bowie/Ian Hunter six-string legend, Mick Ronson lends his formidable talents to tune that could have/should have been a hit in the dimming days of the 1970s. Just image the Top of the Pops performance.
16 Oct 2019
Music
Donaher's Pledge of Love and Fidelity "Before Anyone Else" Has Edge (premiere)
Love songs don't have to be sad or overly sentimental. Sometimes they can make their case and be clear-eyed about it as pop-punk's Donaher prove on "Before Anyone Else".
03 Oct 2019
Music
Ric Ocasek and the Cars: Just What We Needed
That mullet, those shades, the slender build, and his angular mug in those epic videos from the days when MTV ruled. The Cars' Ric Ocasek was the picture boy of '70s and '80s new wave / power pop.
17 Sep 2019
Music
Chicago's the Safes Deepen Sounds and Emotions on 'Winning Combination' (album stream)
The Safes gather extended family for a gorgeous chamber pop album that stands as the group's finest hour to date. Full of surprise and sorrow, Winning Combination is the perfect Safes album.
05 Sep 2019
Music
Talay Confronts Getting Ghosted on "I Want U 2 Call" (premiere)
On "I Want U 2 Call", former folkie turned rocker Talay offers up a slice of visceral power pop to confront the emotions of being ghosted and the travails of modern dating life.
22 Aug 2019
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