Miss Georgia Peach - "You Blow My Mind" b​/​w "Do You Know What Love Means?"

I've got some good stuff for you today! Back in August, I mentioned that Miss Georgia Peach had a new solo album in the works. The good news is that the album has been completed and is slated for release on Rum Bar Records. It's gonna be a country record, and I'm so pumped to hear it! Georgia and her total babe husband Travis Ramin recorded the album with Blaine Cartwright and Ruyter Suys from Nashville Pussy. With Mark and Scott from Nine Pound Hammer also featured on this release, it's no exaggeration to say that MGP has assembled a supergroup! In advance of the album, "You Blow My Mind" b​/​w "Do You Know What Love Means?" has been released as a teaser single. Both of these tracks are in right in my '60s/'70s sweet spot of classic country music. The latter, an exuberant sing-along, was previously featured on Rum Bar's XOXOXO Volume One compilation CD. The former, a rollicking & punkified duet with Cartwright, justifies your chosen purchase price even if you already own the comp. MGP is not just one of the greatest voices in contemporary music -- she's also one of the most versatile. Whether she's singing garage rock, heavy punk rock and roll, or old school country, Georgia is always a force to be reckoned with. If these teaser tracks are any indication, the full album is gonna be hot!

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/you-blow-my-mind-b-w-do-you-know-what-love-means
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords

The Cheap Cassettes - "Endless Summer Ends"

Well here we are on the last day of summer 2021. Just thinking of that gives me a tinge of melancholy. I feel as if another summer has slipped by without me making the most of it. Being the clever cats that they are, The Cheap Cassettes timed the release of their new single & music video "Endless Summer Ends" to coincide with this very occasion. "Endless Summer Ends", the Seattle trio's first new song in nearly two years, is a teaser for the band's forthcoming album Ever Since Ever Since. Suitably, "Endless Summer Ends" captures the wistful vibes of end of summer reflections. It's a thoughtful, mellow pop song that saunters past the four-minute mark without wearing out its welcome. As you would expect from The Cheap Cassettes, this is a quintessential power pop tune. That hook just might stay stuck in my head until next summer rolls around! The Cheap Cassettes are part of my holy trinity of favorite bands, and I would surely give them a glowing review even if they covered "Achy Breaky Heart" with kazoos. But I've got to say that they've really delivered something truly special with "Endless Summer Ends". This is music with heart, grounded in timeless melody. And the video, filmed & edited by Anna Parkhurst, is absolutely fantastic. Look for Ever Since Ever Since releasing on Rum Bar Records this December!

-L.R.

https://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/album/endless-summer-ends-new-single
https://www.facebook.com/cheapcassettes/

The Prostitutes - "Headcase"

Now here's a great way to start a week! "Headcase" is the brand-new digital single from the legendary Prostitutes. Kevin has kept this band going strong through 26 years and moves from Central Pennsylvania to Columbus, Ohio to Long Beach, California back to Central Pennsylvania to Baltimore, Maryland, and now back to Columbus. The locations and supporting players change, but the constant is that The Prostitutes represent punk rock music at its very best. Part of what's made Kevin a success as a veteran punk rocker is that he's never settled into a rut where every release or song sounds the same. He's managed to sustain a progression and evolution in the music of The Prostitutes while still keeping it sounding like...The Prostitutes! He describes "Headcase" as "A Different Kind of Tension meets China White experimentation". Name one other band out there that's trying that! "Headcase" is a raging punk tune with a cool modern edge. The lyrics are quite minimal and classic Kevin. You can grab "Headcase" right now as a name your price download on Bandcamp. And be sure to pick up the recent and totally essential EP Shapeshift if you haven't already!

-L.R.  

https://theprostitutes1.bandcamp.com/track/headcase
https://www.facebook.com/tutespunk/
https://www.instagram.com/tutespunk/

Blunt Bangs - Proper Smoker

Blunt Bangs manage to be a 21st Century indie rock supergroup who tap into my nostalgia for the sounds of the late 20th Century. Featuring co-songwriters Reggie Youngblood (Black Kids) and Christian DeRoeck (Woods, Deep State), this Atlanta-based trio finds the sweet spot where power pop converges with '90s indie/alternative rock. The band's debut album Proper Smoker is a satisfying collection of loud/noisy pop tunes mining the Weezer/Teenage Fanclub/Superchunk corner of the musical universe. Yet even with the obviousness of the influences, this band seems to be modernizing the sounds of '90s college radio more so than it's simply reviving them. Youngblood and DeRoeck both show a devotion to a timeless craft of pop songwriting. But as you would expect given these guys' past work, this is still very much a contemporary-sounding record. You could call Proper Smoker indie rock for people who like power pop, or maybe it's power pop for people who like indie rock. Either way, it's an excellent debut full of well-crafted earworms.

-L.R.

https://bluntbangs.bandcamp.com/album/proper-smoker
https://www.facebook.com/bluntbangsband/

The New Brutarians - "Barter Baby (I'll Trade You My Heart)"

2021 has been the year of delayed records. The pressing plants are so bogged down that albums recorded now just might see the light of day before a human lands on Mars. The New Brutarians, a band I'm quite fond of, must now wait until spring of next year for their debut album Hysteria to come out. Some bands will just say, "Screw it!" and release the music on other formats. But The New Brutarians seem poised to wait this one out for another half year or so. In the meantime, Adam and Christina have turned loose an outtake from the Hysteria sessions called "Barter Baby (I'll Trade You My Heart)" . This track kind of channels the Rolling Stones by way of the Velvet Underground -- or maybe it's the other way around? As always, I dig the lo-fi glam/proto-punk vibe. Lyrics are always a highlight of an Adam T. composition, and they're absolutely brilliant on this track. I got through one verse and was like, "Man, I wish I could write like that!". While "Barter Baby" didn't make it onto the album, it's no throwaway. The song is a staple of the band's live set and would probably have been released as a single at some point. Enjoy it now, and look forward to Hysteria next year!

-L.R.

https://thenewbrutarians.bandcamp.com/track/barter-baby-ill-trade-you-my-heart
https://www.facebook.com/thenewbrutarians
https://www.instagram.com/thenewbrutarians/

The Reflectors - Faster Action

Now here's an album I was eagerly awaiting! Last year, The Reflectors released First Impression - one of the best albums of 2020 and one of the best power pop releases of recent memory. James, Nick, Ryan, and Johnny are now back with their sophomore long player Faster Action. The album is being co-released by Beluga Records in Sweden, Time For Action Records in Germany, and SNAP!! Records in Spain. It officially releases one week from today, but it's already available in digital form from the SNAP!! Records Bandcamp. Faster Action is a real fan-pleaser, sticking to the formula that worked so well on First Impression. If you like classic L.A. power pop or Buzzcocks-style punk-pop, well The Reflectors are the best of both worlds! Again the band worked with engineer/producer extraordinaire Jonny Bell to create an amazing-sounding power pop record that's chock full of hits. Quite a few of these songs were featured on The Reflectors' KXLU live broadcast, and the studio versions do not disappoint. Ralph Rivera has proclaimed "Radio Signals" the "best power pop song in forever", and he's not wrong! This album strikes a great balance between perfect pop songs like "Can't Sleep Tonight" & "Dial Tone" and punchier, punkier tunes like "Messin' Around" and the title track. And in typical Reflectors fashion, the album seems to finish even stronger than it starts. There's no filler to be found here, my friends! 

Coming off the magnificence of First Impression, The Reflectors could not have been blamed for succumbing to the sophomore jinx. But instead, they've come through with the best album of 2021 so far. Check the links below for ordering info. No joke: the TFA vinyl version actually plays inside-out!

-L.R.  

https://snaprecordsspain.bandcamp.com/album/the-reflectors-faster-action-funlp-040-funcd-069
https://reflectors.bandcamp.com/
https://belugarecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-reflectors-faster-action
https://www.belugarecords.com/products/refectors-faster-action?variant=40504523129011
https://www.timeforaction.de/shop/the-reflectors/faster-action/
https://www.facebook.com/thereflectorslosangeles
https://www.facebook.com/Time-For-Action-Records-299324823433736/
https://www.facebook.com/SnapRecordSpain/
https://www.facebook.com/punkrecords.se/

The Hi-End - "Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

Are you ready to be blasted with some rock and roll? The Hi-End is back with its first original song in nearly a year-and-a-half. Out on Rum Bar Records, the digital single "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" packs enough energy to replace your morning coffee for a week. These boys from Boston aren't fooling around. "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" is four minutes of thundering proto-punk rock and roll excitement. The guitars rip, the drums smash, and Johnny nails the vocal. And that lead guitar work is epic! Combining Detroit rock with an East Coast roll, this is a rousing and triumphant tune that begs to be played on repeat. Crank this song up loud, and you will feel invincible. Locals can experience this action in the flesh next Saturday the 25th with Stop Calling Me Frank, The Idolizers, and Shang Hi Los sharing the bill. More info here!

-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/track/actions-speak-louder-than-words
https://www.facebook.com/theHiendband/
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords