Sparkle Blood - ZIP ZAP

From Lethbridge, Alberta, Sparkle Blood is a terrific trio making punky, poppy, modern rock with thoughtful lyrics and hooks a plenty. On its new album ZIP ZAP, the band (Tyler Stewart on guitar/vocals, Bre Day on drums, and Bailey Kate on bass/vocals) dishes out 12 earworm tracks in just 27 minutes. As a songwriter, Stewart is a master of efficiency. Each song comes in, grabs your attention, and then quickly makes way for the next. A lot of these songs (like "Mad About It," "The World Is Run By Sexist Men," and "In Real Life") are political in nature and don't hold back anything. But overall, the vibe of this record is warm and upbeat ("Totally Ignorant" has to be the happiest-sounding angry song I've ever heard). Stewart has the gift of being someone you can't help but like the moment he opens his mouth to sing. He can write serious songs without getting pretentious about it, and themes of friendship and fun loom large throughout this record. "This album speaks to the importance of recognizing we all have to take an active role in shaping the society we want to live in," says Stewart. "But at the same time, we can't take every moment of every day too seriously." From start to finish, the quality of the songs is top-notch. And the energy level rarely takes a dip. Yeah, I know there are thousands of new tracks coming out every day. It's just so hard to keep up. But Sparkle Blood is very much worth your time. These three make music that will give you hope in humanity. You'll want to buy their record. You'll want to drink beers and watch hockey with them. If this is "happy punk," sign me up for more!

-L.R.

https://sparkleblood.bandcamp.com/album/zip-zap
https://open.spotify.com/album/5tc9wzpziu2QZBfj1DiorD
https://sparkleblood.com/
instagram.com/sparklebloodlovesyou

Consensus Madness - Endeavors

On its debut album, Chicago-based Consensus Madness fills a rather large void in today's punk rock scene. Certainly there are more than a few contemporary bands that could trace their spiritual and stylistic lineage back to The Clash, Sex Pistols, Stooges, Buzzcocks, or Black Flag. There's a whole subgenre devoted to worshipping at the church of the Ramones. But when was the last time you heard a new band and thought, "This is like a modern-day Bags"? Well, Consensus Madness slots into that space nicely with a powerful, rapid-paced sound that meets at the intersection of first wave punk rock and early hardcore with a touch of post-punk/new wave to boot. On Endeavors (out on Iron Lung Records), the band breathes new life into a classic sound. OG California punk vibes co-exist with a distinctly Midwestern sensibility, and you can feel the urgency in the music, vocals, and lyrics. A younger version of me would have been won over simply by a band attempting this sound. But what impresses me is how well Consensus Madness pulls it off. These tunes are killer, and the band sounds tight and energetic. And lead singer Sarah is the real deal. She may be following in the footsteps of Alice Bag and Poly Styrene, but she's no copyist. She's an original in her own right with charisma for days. If you're looking for a band that's got something important to say about life and the world in 2026, crank tracks like "Let's Go To War," "Living and Dying," and "Superfund" as loudly as possible and join the resistance. At a lean 10 tracks, Endeavors will hit you with everything it's got and leave you wanting more. A superb debut!

-L.R.

https://ironlungrecords.bandcamp.com/album/endeavors-lungs-309
https://open.spotify.com/album/36KSCzUoDmty2Qe3zgNDKf
https://www.instagram.com/consensus_madness/

Songs From The Film* - "She Don't Mind"/"Waiting For the World to Explode"

I didn't have much time to cry in my beer over the sudden split of The Cheap Cassettes. Charles Matthews has already launched his new solo project Songs From The Film* (who doesn't love a good Tommy Keene reference every once in a while?). A debut single (and video!) have been unleashed on this very blessed day. Are you ready? Are you excited? 

The beauty of recording solo material is that it doesn't necessarily have to fit in with any particular band or even any particular genre of music. You can just write the songs that are in your heart. Whatever comes out is whatever comes out! My history with writing about Charles's music now dates back 30 years. We were both young men then. Now, we're somehow still young men since 55 is the new 30. The first thing I'll say about this single is that it sounds like Charles. This is him on a plate that you'll absolutely want to eat up. This isn't specifically a punk rock project or a power pop project, but you can hear elements of both — along with all that bubblegum glam rock and big hair new wave pop we all grew up on. Anyone who loved the Dimestore Haloes and Cheap Cassettes will recognize Charles's signature style and voice. It's not like this is his Metal Machine Music. He's still in the familiar territory of hooky three-chord rock 'n' roll with punchy guitars. But at the same time, this is something a little different. You can hear Charles experimenting a little with his guitar tone, vocals, and the overall vibe. The guitar riffs on "She Don't Mind" are by themselves worth the price of admission. 

Upbeat and rockin,' "She Don't Mind" is a more conventional loud pop love song and certified smash. I literally laughed out loud at the entire first verse — not just because of the cleverness of it all but also because I recognized my own experience in those lines. If you can find your person who can put up with all your weirdness and return it with their own wonderful weirdness, that's a priceless, beautiful thing. A line like "And the day we met, I knew I'd be your singin', dancin' clown" hits me so hard that it gives me chills. If that's a little too much feelgood for your tastes, the mid-tempo rocker "Waiting For the World to Explode" ought to be very much to your liking. Who can't relate to a song about being so disenchanted with living in this dystopian timeline that you start thinking that the complete obliteration of the world might be a best-case scenario? Tailgating the apocalypse with a six-pack of Corona would be half-hearted; a 12-pack, though, is a full commitment. I love social commentary, sarcasm, and dark humor. Put them all together, and you've got pure gold. 

Recording by yourself has to be way harder than it seems. You are responsible for getting every detail right, and you're likely to be far more critical of yourself than you'd be of bandmates. When it comes to all those hours spent rehearsing and recording in solitude, you better damn well hope you like the company. It takes a special temperament and skill set to excel as a solo artist. For every George Michael, there are ten Stings. Thankfully, Charles Matthews is the antithesis of Sting. When I first heard "She Don't Mind," I knew that he had freaking nailed it with this new project. It was an immediate "Holy shit! This is good!" reaction. And before I could consider that maybe I was just a weirdo with funny taste in music, bona fide movers and shakers like Malibu Lou and Ryan Meyers had joined the fan club too. I'll gladly throw my lot in with those guys. Songs From The Film* has come out firing like a rocket. Digital is available now from the mighty Rum Bar Records. Vinyl is coming soon from Sioux Records. And how cool is that music video? Add the title of "filmmaker" to Charles's resume!

-L.R.

https://chazmatthews.bandcamp.com/album/she-dont-mind
https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/she-dont-mind
https://www.instagram.com/songs_from_the_film/

Sugar - "Keep Looping"

"Swipe and scroll.

Drop and roll.

Heads on fire." 

It still blows my mind when I realize Sugar is really back — as if I merely daydreamed this reunion and will soon wake up to discover that I imagined the whole thing. If anything, it seems like people are not talking enough about Sugar being revived and sounding very much like, uh, Sugar! "Keep Looping" is the band's third new track since last October, and the thing is blistering. On this song, Bob Mould is raging against AI and screen addiction, and that certainly could not be more topical in 2026. Sometimes I live in denial that we're living in a nightmare dystopia, but good ole' Bob is confronting the madness head-on. This is the punkiest and most ferocious the band has sounded since reuniting. Listen to those guitars! Listen to that rhythm section! The song would not have sounded out of place on Cooper Blue or Beaster. Man, this was no half-assed comeback. Sugar is ripping it like a band in its prime, and "Keep Looping" is truly a song for these times. Keep 'em coming, fellas!

-L.R.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1BjbjLb4KRgD8a3zrnD1qA
https://sugarcopperblue.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sugarcopperblue/
https://www.instagram.com/sugarcopperblue
https://www.youtube.com/@sugarcopperblue
https://www.threads.com/@sugarcopperblue

Get The Net - Til House Lights

Sometimes I'll hear a band, and instantly, it's all the feels. New Jersey's Get The Net was a King Ralph recommendation, and I'm extremely thankful to have been made hip to the trio's full-band debut album. Starting out as Ryan Raichilson's solo project back in his college days, Get The Net has been reborn and revamped into a proper band — and a very promising one at that. 

Having come up in the world of '90s pop-punk, I can never get enough of a certain sound and style that Get The Net executes to perfection. That style is the less snotty, more melodic variant of pop-punk. You know what I'm talking about: punchy guitars, heartfelt lyrics, hummable melodies, and a singer who can actually sing. Music like this was practically the air that I breathed when I was a skinny pop-punk kid thirty-some years ago, and it still hits a sweet spot today. On Til House Lights, Get The Net powers through 12 tracks that take me back to pop-punk's heyday without necessarily sounding like any other bands in particular. When it comes to pop-punk, this is how it ought to be done. The songwriting and lyrics are top-notch, and the playing is tight and crisp. The production is just right — applying an appropriate amount of polish that allows those melodies to shine without dulling the power of the guitars and drums. This is a rock-solid, well-crafted album from start to finish and truly a breath of fresh air in the pop-punk universe. I will now pass Ralph's recommendation forward. If you like good pop-punk, this is a record you really ought to check out. The Garden State does it again!

 

-L.R.

https://getthenet.bandcamp.com/album/til-house-lights
https://www.instagram.com/getthenet_nj/
https://open.spotify.com/album/5blFmduHNqcLuDKBrMmdGA

Bastard - "Doctor Gong" b/w "Comfort"

Well it only took 52 years, but Bastard finally has a record out! Famously, Bastard was the early-to-mid '70s U.K. and Belgium–based heavy rock band that featured Brian James (later of The Damned) and Alan Ward (later of Elton Motello). When we talk about "proto" punk rock, Bastard was a prime example. Listening to the single "Doctor Gong" (recorded in 1974), you can hear a band building off of The Stooges, MC5, Alice Cooper, etc. and cultivating a sound that has much in common with punk rock as we know it. The songwriting and musical approach aren't quite as lean as what "New Rose" would be a couple years later, but you can hear the raw energy and hard-pounding sonic attack starting to take shape. In celebration of issuing its 30th release, the red hot Dutch label Wap Shoo Wap Records did something special and rescued these two tracks from the dustbin of history. For those who thought these recordings might be interesting for music historians or Brian James super-fans but not exactly essential tracks in their own right, I'd say this record pretty much erases the skepticism. These tunes rip! Man, that Brian James sure could play the guitar! I honestly can't believe these tracks went unheard for five decades plus. The classic punk recordings of 1976 and '77 certainly weren't created in a vacuum, and it's thrilling to find one of the most direct precursors to first wave punk finally getting a record out. With a pressing limited to 300 copies, this thing is bound to be gone before you can blink twice. Pounce, my friends!

-L.R.

https://wapshoowaprecords.bandcamp.com/album/doctor-gong-b-w-comfort
https://wapshoowaprecords.bigcartel.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wapshoowaprecords/
https://www.facebook.com/wapshoowaprecords/

Adult Learners - self-titled EP

A few months since they released a super-promising demo online, Boston's Adult Learners have a 7" record out on Saccharine Tryst Records. Just in case you wondered if having properly released music would cause this wicked awesome foursome to sell out and record in a pricey studio with some overbearing slick producer, I can assure you that the band's lo-fi, low-budget charm remains fully and enthusiastically in tact. There's really only one word that rightfully sums up this EP, and that's fun! Adult Learners may be a very hard band to Google, but they're a joy to listen to with their high-energy, organ-driven mashup of garage rock, punk, and power pop. No songs cross the two-minute mark, and they don't need to. Each track gets to the hook as fast as possible, and that leaves room for more songs on the record. That's genius! This band keeps it simple and catchy, and these tunes will make you wanna get up and dance around the house (or whatever other physical space you happen to be inhabiting as you blast these tunes — you could do a lot of damage in a drug store or dentist's waiting room). There's definitely a ton of Boston garage rock DNA in Adult Learners' music, and at times I'm picking up early Blondie vibes as well. What's not to love? Push play and bop 'til you drop!

-L.R.

https://saccharinetrystrecords.bandcamp.com/album/adult-learners-ep-2
https://www.instagram.com/adult_learners/
https://open.spotify.com/album/0yzNPSSq7OXRVTn575rX06