Saturday, November 15, 2025

Adult Learners - Demo 2025

Wow! I don't have a whole lot of information about Adult Learners, but I can tell you that the Boston trio's new demo is an absolute delight. Demo 2025 delivers five tracks of upbeat, punk-influenced garage pop. Bands like this have always been in Boston's musical DNA, and Adult Learners sure seem to have the makings of something special. These are fun, catchy tunes, and you can immediately sense that this band would be a hoot to witness live. I think we'll be hearing a lot more from these folks in the very near future. Stay tuned!

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The Rip Taylors - Negativity Bias


It seems I'm on quite the Mom's Basement Records kick right now, and why shouldn't I be? My roots in this whole underground punk rock universe are in pop-punk, and I just keep going back to this stuff. It's feeling like 1995 up in here! The Rip Taylors have one of the greatest band names of all-time, and their music is pretty dang good to boot. This Nashville-based trio plays snotty, ballsy pop-punk that isn't afraid to wear its love for Screeching Weasel and The Queers on its sleeve. I'm also reminded quite a bit of the heyday of Mutant Pop Records, and that's surely a positive checkmark in my book. Mikey Livid is on vocals and guitar, and he's backed by just about the most star-studded rhythm section you could imagine: Ryan Sweeney from Sweet Time Records is on drums, and the mighty Classic Pat is on bass. Lyrically, this is traditional pop-punk fare pulled off with a wink and a nod. Song titles like "I'm Not Stupid," "I Don't Know How to Be a Decent Person," "I Gotta Bad Attitude," and "I Don't Wanna Be Alone With You" make it clear that The Rip Taylors are not attempting rocket science. Every song title on the album begins with the pronoun "I," so it's not wrong to call this a concept album. And as Niek wrote, the sheer catchiness of these songs is at an A+ level. It takes some real smarts to make songs this dumb so utterly irresistible. 

When it comes to pop-punk, it's not the style that makes or breaks a band. It's the execution. And The Rip Taylors execute this style with energy, enthusiasm, and earworm hooks for days. Why let negativity get you down when you can harness it in such a satisfying way?

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Dropped Out - Always Trust Your Dog


Back with its second long player, the long-running Austin, Texas–based trio Dropped Out really hits the mark on Always Trust Your Dog. Out on Mom's Basement Records, this album takes me back to the '90s heyday of pop-punk and melodic punk without coming off as dated or overly derivative. You can always count on Dropped Out to deliver strong melodies, smooth vocals, and snappy, relatable tunes about love and life. Truly, I'd say this is one of the most under-appreciated bands in the modern-day pop-punk scene. If pop-punk leaning to the pop side is your cup of tea (as it is mine), you'll find lots to like on Always Trust Your Dog. As a fan of self-deprecating humor and self-deprecation in general, I really get a kick out of the lyrics on this record. 2022's Get Lost! was a really good album, but Always Trust Your Dog is even better. There's not a single dud track to be found. How can you not appreciate a band that can write a song called "A Nail in My Anus" and have it be one of the most likeable tunes you'll hear all year? 

The thing about Dropped Out is that it doesn't try to re-invent the wheel. This band executes the pop-punk style brilliantly and writes damn good songs. Those are things that never go out of style. And how many rave reviews of records that Tron Carter played on have I written over the years? That can't be a coincidence. Jennie Cotterill's cover art alone justifies the purchase of Always Trust Your Dog, but the music will keep you coming back! 

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Sunday, November 09, 2025

Mala Vista - Snub Nose .38


Back with its first release since March 2024's criminally overlooked Fun Time LP, New York's Mala Vista brings the heat on the electrifying four-songer Snub Nose .38. The EP, released in Europe by Ghost Highway Recordings and here in the States by the illustrious Spaghetty Town Records, finds Myke, Manny, Erik, and Ben leaning more than ever into their love of class of 1977 punk rock. While Fun Time showed a more melodic side of Mala Vista in many spots, Snub Nose .38 is a more focused attack of fast-paced, down and dirty, punch-you-in-the-mouth street rock 'n' roll. '77-style punk has always been my thing, but you just don't hear enough bands doing it right anymore. Mala Vista pulls off the tricky task of making contemporary old school punk sound timeless rather than retro. Influence-wise, you can hear everything from Teenage Head to The Boys to The Vibrators to Eater to Slaughter and the Dogs to the Dead Boys. But again, there's often a fine line between inspiration and imitation, and Mala Vista doesn't cross it. This kind of music is part of the DNA of New York, and Mala Vista does the city proud. Snub Nose .38 is a kick-ass EP from perhaps the best '77-style punk band out there. Don't miss out!

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Saturday, November 08, 2025

The Sideshows - "Brand New"/"The Start"


It's no secret that Rich Ragany is one of my favorite songwriters. I've had the pleasure of reviewing his music on ten occasions and interviewing him a couple times. He has made seven appearances on my top ten albums lists over the years (I'm pretty sure that's a record). A year without ole Rags in the F & L universe never feels quite right. And now we have something new and special on that front: the debut release from The Sideshows! This is a band comprised of Rags, his longtime drummer Simon Maxwell (Yo Yos, The Loyalties, Role Models), and the legendary Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe, Jetboy, Jerusalem Slim, Demolition 23, New York Dolls, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, etc.). Now that, my friends, is a power trio! 

It all started with Yaffa inviting Rags to come to his home studio in Mallorca, Spain and record a couple of new tunes he'd been working on. And sure enough, Rags, Maxwell, and Yaffa caught lightning in a bottle. This wasn't just a Rich Ragany solo project — it was a new band! And so here we have "Brand New"/"The Start", released on European Phonographic. By now you ought to know what to expect: powerful, anthemic rock 'n' roll that's full of heart and soul. The lead track is a full-on Rags-style glam/punk/rock 'n' roll sing-along anthem. He's been writing songs like this for years, and it never stops being exciting. And how amazing is it to have Sami freaking Yaffa playing on a song like this? I've got chills! B-side "The Start" is another Rags specialty: a song that starts off sounding gentle and restrained, and then suddenly that chorus hits like a ton of bricks! These are both great songs, and the recording sounds amazing. I can't help visualizing these three guys rocking out in the Spanish countryside with the windows and doors wide open, bringing these songs to life in a way that Rags could never have foreseen. That sounds like the stuff of a future legend! This is likely not the last we'll hear from The Sideshows. For now, crank this debut loud and enjoy!


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Goin' Places - Imperfect


Back with their first new album in four-and-a-half years, Staten Island's finest have delivered the absolutely terrific Imperfect. With their first two albums, Girl Songwriting 101 and Relationship Sneakers, Goin' Places helped define the post-millennial era of underground pop-punk. Then on 2021's Save the World, Richie, Victor, and Frank demonstrated how pop-punk band can grow up but still sound like pop-punk. Out on the home of the hits, Mom's Basement Records, Imperfect finds the trio continuing to live by the motto of "give them what they want, but keep them guessing." 

I can't imagine any Goin' Places fan being disappointed in Imperfect. The album finds the band still leaning on its love of harmonies, songs about girls, and '90s pop-punk by way of early rock 'n' roll. Songs like "Let's Go to the Beach," "Laundry Girl," "The Girl with the Eyes," and "TV Girl" bring a sound that will be familiar and comforting to anyone who has enjoyed the band's previous releases. But at least half this record finds the trio thinking outside the pop-punk box. The melancholy, dramatic pop of "Never Again" is a clean break from punk rock. "The Next Wake" is a genuine ballad and a good one at that. And even some of the songs that still sound fundamentally like Goin' Places find the band taking a surprisingly deep lyrical direction. "In My Mind" is a reflection on mental health struggles and the difficulties of just making it through each day. "The Times" is literally about the utterly messed-up times we live in. "Beautiful" and "Imperfect" are linked songs. One ponders the superficiality of infatuation, while the other examines how real adult love thrives when two people embrace each other's imperfections. "Home Depot Daze" seems like it's going to be a silly song but ends up being a meditation on the never-ending pressures of adulting. 

Every pop-punk band that makes it past an album or two has to figure out a plan for longevity. Do you just keep on doing the same thing and hope that no one gets tired of it? Do you break new ground and hope your fans come along for the ride? That's an even taller order when you've been in the game for a quarter-century. But Goin' Places seem to have found the secret sauce. The band is serving musical comfort food without letting the recipes get stale, mixing in its more serious side without taking away all the fun. Covers of Chuck Berry and Beethoven (see what they did there?) are icing on the cake. While most people think of Goin' Places as "that girl song band," the real heart and soul of its music are those timeless melodies and harmonies which draw from the last 70 years of rock 'n' roll. Save the World left me wanting more from this band, and Imperfect absolutely does the same. Hit up Mom's Basement Records to order an LP or CD! 

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Friday, November 07, 2025

N.E. Vains - Running Down Pylons


Since we're getting to that time of the year where I have to start working on my end-of-the-year best-of lists, first drafts are already underway. I took a leap of faith and saved a spot in my top LPs list for N.E. Vains, trusting that they wouldn't throw me a curveball and make this new record sound like Sugar Ray. I can breathe a sigh of relief: the band's debut long player Running Down Pylons (out on Big Neck Records) is a certified banger and precisely what you would expect from a meeting of the minds involving TJ Cabot, Jeffrey Thunders, and friends. 

The last time I checked, these guys were called The Vains. But because they are decent and reasonable humans, they added the "N.E." to avoid confusion with The Vains from Cincinnati. There may be some mystery as to what the "N.E." stands for. "New England" and "North Eastern" seem like obvious answers, but I haven't ruled out "Nominally Egregious," "Naturally Effervescent," "Notable Errors," "New Earmuffs," "Naval Excellence," and "Not Evil" as additional possibilities. New Haven meeting Moncton sounds like an American Hockey League match-up from 40 years ago, but in the case of N.E. Vains, it's a creative partnership between two of the coolest dudes in punk rock which began a few years ago on the Facebook Budget Rock group (possibly the only music group on Facebook not overridden with obnoxiously pretentious gatekeeping a-holes). Shandy Lawson (lead guitar), Bill Bates (bass) and Elvis Belushi (drums) were enlisted to round out the lineup, and the rest is history. Tragically, Bates passed in 2023. Scott Fitch, a notable New Haven musician and engineer, has ably filled in on the band's subsequent recording sessions. 

Running Down Pylons is, as expected, a fun punk rock record that you should not be legally allowed to play under a volume that would likely annoy anyone within earshot. We can loosely call this "garage punk," but to me, it's just great punk. I'm hearing lots of '70s punk and early '80s hardcore influences, but the overall sound is really unique. This is not just another band trying to be Teengenerate. Whatever quarantine-fueled madness inspired these songs was something akin to genius. 10 of 11 songs clock in at under two minutes, and every single track totally cranks. The thing about a TJ Cabot–fronted record is that you're not just getting run-of-the-mill punk rock lyrics. Instead you can expect lots of amusing, wild, and presumably true stories from the life and mind of this Atlantic Canadian luminary. Favorite tracks for me include the pissed-off opener "Kicked off the VPN," the ferocious title track, the blistering "Pinched Nerve," and the mid-tempo stomper "Six for Thirty Six." But honestly, the whole album kicks ass. 

So here's where I get to the predictable part of my review and say that there aren't enough records like this anymore. But I say it because it's true. This is killer punk rock, plain and simple. If you don't like this, there's something wrong with you. I would say that I would gladly listen to TJ Cabot sing the phone book, but he might be the one person to actually take me up on that. Running Down Pylons is limited to 300 copies, so move fast if you want to be able to say you owned it when pandemic nostalgia is all the rage in five years.

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