One of my biggest misses in recent years was sleeping on Keep Pretending, a great album released by Borderlines back in 2023. It's an A+ pop-punk record, and 24-year-old me would be chewing out present-day me out for being so late to the party. Luckily I get another crack at Borderlines. On February 14th, this long-running Portland, Maine–based foursome will be releasing a new EP called Repair Kit on Mom's Basement Records. In advance of the EP, the band has a new single/music video out called "Okay, Socrates." That's a brilliant title for a terrific song. I'd say Borderlines are spiritually aligned with label mates The Young Hasselhoffs and Hoaxxers. They lean to the pop side of the pop-punk style with smooth vocals and thoughtful, reflective lyrics. So yes, this is what you'd call pop-punk for grown-ups, and I absolutely love it! "Okay, Socrates" is a song about what it's like to be so stuck in a routine that you're literally trapped. I'm always a sucker for the juxtaposition of dark lyrics and upbeat melodies, and on top of that I'd be lying if I said I didn't relate to the song at least a little. If you like pop-punk, I highly recommend you check out this single and the full EP when it comes out!
It's no overstatement to call The Grip Weeds legends in the indie pop universe. They've been releasing music for more than three-and-a-half decades, and they are responsible for some of the finest psychedelic pop rock 'n' roll recordings of modern times. They've successfully brought the classic sounds of the '60s and '70s into the 21st century, and they've been a cornerstone of the JEM Records roster since it was relaunched as a proper record label a decade ago. This is one of those bands that is just pure excellence defined: any Grip Weeds recording is like a master class in guitar pop music. If you love melody, harmonies, and superbly crafted & produced pop songs and aren't familiar with The Grip Weeds, you've got decades of great music to catch up on! Early Clues, the band's new EP, is basically a teaser for its forthcoming long player Soul Bender. I love the idea of giving fans a taste of what to expect from the full album. As the title suggests, the band is dropping hints here. What blows me away is that any of these three songs could be the best song on a great album. And you know they didn't just cherry-pick the best three tracks from the album because then no one would need to buy the album. So if this is just the taster of what's to come, all I can say is wow!
"Conquer And Divide" is a garage rocker with some real pep in its step. Here the band works under many of the same influences that fueled its garage/psych covers album DiG. It rocks like there's no tomorrow, and it ought to have you jumping up and down in no time flat. That guitar solo is a stone cold ripper! "Column of Air," the band's ode to the joy of creativity, basks in gorgeous melodies and warm '70s vibes. If you're seeking majestic production and dazzling guitar work from The Grip Weeds, well, this song delivers! To close it out, the love song "Flowers For Cynthia" hits that later '60s sweet spot where baroque and psychedelic pop converge. The song, co-written by David Wojciechowski of the Insomniacs, balances its despairing lyrics with a gorgeous melody and heavenly harmonies. I can't help but sense a wink and a nod to The Zombies' "A Rose for Emily." No complaints there!
I was surprised to discover that Early Clues represents the first new original songs from The Grip Weeds since 2019. If you've been waiting with great anticipation for these tracks, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. And you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to conclude that Soul Bender is going to be a varied affair and one of the year's best albums!
Daniel James, who has been responsible for some of my favorite records of the past decade, is back with an absolutely smoking new Daniel James Gang EP/maxi single titled Darkness Over This Town. Alongside Logan Stang, Johnny Cyanide, Geoff Palmer, and Miski Dee, Daniel tears through four tracks of grimy old school Midwestern punk 'n' roll with mega-tasty pop hooks. Is there anyone out there who does this sort of gutsy punk rock with a bleeding power pop heart better than Daniel James? Daniel's songs aren't just catchy and super-tough —they're also passionate, soulful, and totally fierce. As great as all those Indonesian Junk records were, this new stuff might be at a whole other level. The EP would be worth the price of admission just for "Misery" — one of the best tracks of 2024. "Darkness Over This Town" and "Lies" are every bit as good.
I can't look at a song title like "Darkness Over This Town" and not think about how fitting it is for present-day America. I suppose you could say the exact same thing about "Misery," right? Even if these songs are more personal than political, they certainly capture the zeitgeist of 2025. To me, the vibe of this record is what solo Stiv Bators might have sounded like if he had gone in a more straight-forward punk rock direction but still retained his love for The Raspberries. I dig how "Lies" sounds huge and melodic but also totally raw in the very best way. And of course Daniel's lead guitar work is pure fire. Wait? Did Daniel cover a New Model Army song? Fuckin' right, he did! Now there's a band that never gets enough love! Darkness Over This Town is available now on compact disc from Bandcamp, or you can stream it from all the usual platforms. This is my favorite release of 2025 so far. If you love it too, you have impeccable taste.
Holy crappers: this is how you do budget rock! Shit Missile is a band out of Berlin playing trashy lo-fi garage punk with the perfect mix of bad attitude and primitive abandon. Its new self-titled release is out on River Trash Records, a tape label out of Winnipeg run by Joe from Poison Suckers and Fashion Bathers. I heard this thing and was immediately blown away. Who needs professional production or pretty cover art when you can just put your heart, soul, and guts into some savage three-chord rock 'n' roll? There's nothing fancy going here: just raw, ear-bleeding fury that has me fondly recalling the 1990s heyday of blown-out garage punk. I'm not really a format geek like I was many years ago, but this does feel to me like the kind of release that would be awesome to experience on cassette tape. However you choose to listen to this, play it freaking loud!
Imagine if I had predicted 45 years ago that 20/20 and The Vapors would both release excellent albums in the first two months of 2025. Would anyone have believed me (especially considering I was only nine years old)? What a wonderful thing music is! Back To California (out on SPYDERPOP/Big Stir Records) is 20/20's first new album since 1998. And without trying too hard to be "vintage" 20/20, it proves to be an accomplished and truly inspired showing from legendary songwriters Ron Flynt and Steve Allen (joined by Flynt's son Ray).
Rather than attempting some kind of deliberate "return to form," Flynt and Allen have built on their entire body of work and put their virtuoso songwriting skills on display. Back To California is a splendid guitar pop record that doesn't cling to any genre in particular. Its hooks and melodies are undeniable, but it's not looking to turn back the clock to 1979. Far from a copy of 20/20's classic debut album, this is precisely the album you would hoped the band would have given us decades later. It's a little mellower and more sophisticated — more timeless American pop-rock than power pop per se. It's the work of a couple of esteemed & seasoned artists whose songwriting has matured and evolved over time while still emphasizing timeless melodies and indelible hooks.
The curse of authoring the greatest power pop ever made is that every subsequent record you release will be compared to it. But 20/20 has never looked back, and has just gone about the business of crafting first-rate pop music. Back To California is arguably their finest and most consistently strong release since that first album. Absolutely one gets the sense 20/20 has come full circle — revisiting its old stomping grounds with a perspective that can only come from living life and growing wiser. Of course the album has moments where you'll hear flickers of the 20/20 of yore, but the 20/20 of today is a joy to behold entirely in its own right. Back To California puts on a master class in guitar-forward, melody-driven pop. To paraphrase Mike Patton, what did we do to deserve this record?
If you listen to The On and Ons' new album Come On In, your first thought might be that this band surely belongs on JEM Records. This group has five albums out in Australia and has established quite a track record for turning out melody-driven, '60s-influenced guitar pop of the highest quality. Come On In compiles standout tracks from the band's back catalog along with three brand-new songs to create a true representation of the very best of The On and Ons. Needless to say, the album is stacked with hits. When it comes to The On and Ons, music is a family affair. The band was formed by brothers Glenn Morris (lead guitar/lead vocals) and Brian Morris (drums/vocals). Dennis Wilson, their brother-in-law, is on guitar. Clyde Bramley (Hoodoo Gurus, The New Christs) rounds out the lineup on bass. Stylistically, this is vintage JEM Records type stuff: exceptionally well-crafted pop-rock with musical and vocal talent in spades. I'm hearing the influence of The Who, Beatles, Hollies, etc. with touches of garage rock, power pop, and modern rock. Simply put, this is truly excellent pop music. Glenn Morris is a fantastic songwriter, and Wilson's pristine guitar work takes these songs to another level. Songs like "Roller Coaster" and "Been There" take inspiration from the golden age of pop rock 'n' roll in a way that's more timeless than retro. "Long Ride" and "She's Leaving" will give you power pop fanatics something to shout about. "Let Ya Hair Down!" is pure British Invasion goodness. "Run to Tomorrow" is garage rock as the music gods intended. Come On In is the band's JEM debut, and it stands toe-to-toe with just about anything the label has put out. Marty Scott sure knows how to pick 'em!
Kurt Baker has been on a major back-to-his-roots run with his recent singles, and I am loving it! I first came to be a fan of Baker's music back in the early 2010s, and what I found so appealing was the way he was reimagining the sounds of late '70s/early '80s power pop through the lens of '90s pop-punk. In particular, his collaborations with Wyatt Funderburk were as up-my-alley as music gets. There was something about those two guys combining their talent, influences, and creative vision that produced guitar pop magic. Well here we are in 2025, and they are still writing songs together — as they have been since 2009. Baker's new single "Warm in the Winter" is a vintage Baker/Funderburk creation: an infectious power pop rocker with more than a little Lookout! Records in its musical DNA. I'm always a sucker for a good love song, and this one concerns a love interest who runs hot and cold at the most inopportune times. Baker and his pals (Funderburk, Rich Kelly III, and Geoff Palmer, who kills it on guitar) do amazing work here imbuing this tale of doomed romance with a fun, energetic feel. Once that chorus gets its hooks into you, you'll be hearing it in your head all day. The lyrics are clever and relatable, and that melody is worth its weight in gold. The song was written during the same sessions that produced the superb Rock n Roll Club album. While "Warm in the Winter" didn't end getting recorded for the album, clearly Baker knew he still had a gem of a song in his back pocket. So here it is — fortuitously arriving in the dead of winter. If the intersection of power pop and pop-punk is your sweet spot, you're going to enjoy this one!
