Boogadas! - Heartbeats and Heartbreaks

2024 has been an excellent year for pop-punk. The hits just keep on coming. That continues with Heartbeats and Heartbreaks, the debut album from Brazilian foursome Boogadas! Agnes, Jennifer, Priscila, and Renata demonstrate what I've long believed about pop-punk: that you don't need to break new ground to excel at this kind of music, and that perhaps, it's better if you don't. Heartbeats and Heartbreaks is pop-punk the way it ought to be, rooted in simple yet undeniably catchy songwriting with strong melodies and heartfelt lyrics. Essentially, this is pop-punk for pop-punk fans. So it's no surprise that one of the biggest pop-punk fans out there, John from Mom's Basement Records, heard this band and quickly signed them to his label. John knows good pop-punk, and he has found us an absolute gem in Boogadas! I mean, come on: How great is "Punching Above Your Weight"? And that's not the only ace song in the bunch. At just eight tracks, Heartbeats and Heartbreaks is filler-free and certain to leave you wanting more if '90s/early 2000s era pop-punk is your jam. Look for a physical release from Mom's Basement in the near future.

-L.R.

https://boogadas.bandcamp.com/album/heartbeats-and-heartbreaks
https://open.spotify.com/album/2TKqcygf25GMn0sjxqfXyH
https://www.instagram.com/boogadas

shiverlane - Sketches from the Departure Lounge

A debut album from Boston foursome shiverlane was on my musical wish list for 2024. And now that it has arrived, I must say it's as good as expected. Shiverlane is one of those bands you talk about and keep saying over and over, "They're such great songwriters!" Maybe that's just stating the obvious. Are there really any great bands out there that don't write great songs? But perhaps you get what I mean. Of course these guys know how to write quality tunes full of earworm melodies. But beyond that, they are storytellers, philosophers, and wordsmiths of the highest order. They are veritable bards of power pop! 

Shiverlane's ability to write highly intellectual pop songs without coming off as pretentious is rare in the music scene, and Sketches from the Departure Lounge is a splendid little debut album. Influences run the gamut from jangly '60s pop to quirky '90s indie/alternative to the late '70s/early '80s heyday of new wave pop. While 37 1/2 percent of Sketches from the Departure Lounge is comprised of standout singles previously released by shiverlane, the other 62 1/2 percent of the album is absolutely at the same level. And while the singles ("I Get Nervous," "Aeroplane Driver," and "Little English Pleasures") worked wonderfully as standalone releases, they are even more enjoyable as pieces in a beautifully conceived series of musical vignettes. Likewise, "Bella Bereaver" and "Hippie Bottom Bell" would have been worthy singles in their own right. Add in a couple of choice deep cuts in the near-epic "Beat Skipper Wings" and grand closer "The King's List," and you've got an album that feels complete and satisfying in spite of its brevity (eight tracks running less than 25 minutes). If you like smart, well-crafted, and undeniably catchy guitar pop, shiverlane needs to be on your radar.

-L.R.

https://shiverlane.bandcamp.com/album/sketches-from-the-departure-lounge
https://open.spotify.com/album/5breDtqeKhWDt2TkrfSX1a
https://www.instagram.com/shiverlanerock/
https://www.facebook.com/shiverlanerock/

Tiikeri - Tee se itse E​.​P.

 

Tiikeri, a band from Turku, Finland, really hits my sweet spot with its Tee se itse E​.​P. This band plays '77-style punk rock with a pop influence, and it does it well. The formula is simple: three chords, two-minute songs, and lots of energy and enthusiasm. The production is minimalist and DIY but not necessarily lo-fi. If you had told me this EP was recorded in 1977 or '78, I would have totally believed you! Catchy, bouncy numbers like "Punkkari oon" and the title track reaffirm my belief that punk rock is still the greatest form of music ever created by humans. Physical copies of the EP are out there if you can manage to track one down. Otherwise it will be well worth your time to check out this free download from Bandcamp!

-L.R.

https://tiikeri.bandcamp.com/album/tee-se-itse-e-p

Randells - Peel Eat Repeat

Back with their first full-length album in more than three years, Sweden's Randells remind us why they're one of the world's premiere bubblegum pop-punk rock 'n roll bands. Peel Eat Repeat brings non-stop hooks and endless summer vibes, and it's the type of pop-punk record that begs to be played at the loudest possible volume. Over the course of 11 tracks, the band gives us a satisfying mix of fun sing-along punk tunes, straight-up love songs, and cranked-to-eleven rockers. Lyrically, the band covers a lot of ground, touching on everything from existential boredom to chubby chasers to Paul Stanley to fatal shark attacks to smoking hot zombies to an ex's hair band. What's not to love? These guys are masters at crafting rockin', ultra-catchy pop songs that sound great in the car with the windows down. The slick production, which might dull the edge of some other pop-punk bands, is absolutely perfect for these songs. The band has definitely dialed up the rock for this release, and I am all about it. It's always a party when a Randells record is playing! As we approach the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere, Peel Eat Repeat can still give us instant summer whenever we crave it.

-L.R.

https://randellstheband.bandcamp.com/album/peel-eat-repeat
https://open.spotify.com/album/2vvS3TkxdwOql6XwhgVceX
https://www.instagram.com/randellstheband
https://www.facebook.com/randellstheband
https://www.youtube.com/@randellstheband/featured

Intrusive Thoughts - "More Of Us Than Them"

Intrusive Thoughts, everyone's favorite German/Pennsylvanian punk rock supergroup, is back with a vengeance! If my stance on political punk rock songs is that the music has to be just as powerful as the message, "More Of Us Than Them" fully satisfies that requirement. The concept of the song is very simple: billionaires and corporations are already waging war on the people, but the people have the numbers. Just look at how on-the-nose the song's first verse is:

I'm bleeding cash from corporate greed
There's genocide on my tv
Police raids on college protests
Big brother's laser focused
Banning books and birth control
Supreme court bought and sold
Oil companies stole our future
Some heads should roll

Greg Lonesome has delivered powerhouse lead vocals on previous Intrusive Thoughts singles, and that certainly continues with "More Of Us Than Them." But for this track, the band has enlisted a veritable army of modern-day punk rock luminaries to shout the gang vocals that are so vital to the song. The "Intrusive Thoughts Choir" consists of Terminal Gagger, Kevin McGovern (the Prostitutes), Preacher Boy, Cap'n No Fun and Jeff Massacre (Total Massacre), Dratsum and Ainsley Hyde, Adam "the Howlin' Hot Dog" Caine, Celina and Mark (Critical Response), The Alien and the Cola (the Suck), El Flyin', Vivienne Page, and Jimmy and Cory (the Stivs). Musically, this song is totally in my lane of fiery and ferocious old school punk rock. Imagine the Dead Boys or Pagans if they channeled their fury into smashing the oligarchy. Those guitars are ripping! This is the third single this year from Intrusive Thoughts, and each one has been absolutely killer. And they're all free downloads from Bandcamp. If political punk rock is your thing, "More Of Us Than Them" ought to be your new personal anthem.

-L.R.

https://intrusivethoughtspunkrock.bandcamp.com/track/more-of-us-than-them

Friends of Cesar Romero - "Quick Wrath" b​/​w "Her Lipstick Dedication"

J Waylon is back! Actually he was back three weeks ago, and I've just been a slowpoke. Every release from his prolific and remarkably consistent solo project Friends of Cesar Romero is a must-hear, so of course that's true of new single "Quick Wrath." What I love about FoCR is that whatever sub-genre of rock 'n' roll J Waylon tackles, the quality of the songwriting is always beyond top-notch. This release is a thrilling 1-2 punch of ferocious garage rock and textbook power pop. Either of these songs could have been the A-side, but I do love the way J Waylon sequenced this single. You get a total banger to get you moving and grooving and then a perfect pop song you'll be hearing in your head all day. The lyrics, as always, are totally amazing and a highly underrated aspect of the FoCR experience. This release is Number 43 in the band's Doomed Babe Series, and it doesn't skimp on the doom. I freaking love this band! 

-L.R.

https://friendsofcesarromero.bandcamp.com/album/quick-wrath-b-w-her-lipstick-dedication
https://open.spotify.com/album/04OgXMfZx2UkPYEskbO3gs
https://www.instagram.com/focr

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofCesarR

Alvilda - C'est D​é​jà L'heure

I can't believe it has been more than three years since Alvilda released its debut EP on Alien Snatch Records. Man, time flies! The Paris-based foursome returns today with C'est D​é​jà L'heure, its fantastic debut long player on Static Shock Records. This full-length release finds Alvilda sticking with the sound that first captured our hearts back in pandemic times: '60s girl group pop by way of '70s power pop with an old school punk rock edge and lyrics sung in French. What's not to love? I suppose I'd get even more out of this record if I knew what they were singing about, but knowing French is by no means a prerequisite for enjoying Alvilda. From start to finish, this album delivers the catchiest and most infectious power pop punk songs you could ever hope to hear. If you wondered what Alvilda has been up to over the last three years, the answer is clear: the band has been developing its chops on stage, honing its craft, and perfecting its timeless power pop sound. Ten tracks in a little under a half hour go by so fast because every second is a delight. As the title suggests, C'est D​é​jà L'heure was a long time in the making. But there's no denying it was worth the wait.

-L.R.

https://alvilda.bandcamp.com/album/cest-d-j-lheure
https://open.spotify.com/album/5KusJjI8kk5g8q7X5ucP1n
https://www.instagram.com/alvilda.band/
https://www.facebook.com/Alvilda.Paris/