If The Speedways keep releasing new singles, I'm going to keep writing about them! "All Bets Are Off" is the third new track the band has released this year in advance of its forthcoming album The Magic Comes & The Magic Goes. It's a perfect little pop song that really leans into a late '70s/early '80s UK new wave style. It pairs an upbeat musical energy and soaring chorus with thoughtful, self-aware lyrics about trying to be a better person. If you slotted this song between "Back of My Hand" and "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" on a "best of 1979!" playlist, a lot of people would be none the wiser. The music video is quite delightful, and I got a real kick out of the Michael Jackson "Thriller" allusion at the beginning. As a band, it's so hard to have perspective on your own music. But hearing the members of The Speedways talk about this soon-to-be-released LP, it's obvious that they are pumped out of their minds to put these songs into the universe. They know they have something special cooking. All these advance singles (including last year's "Visiting Hours") have been smash hits. If we end up with the best Speedways album yet, I will not be surprised. Look for a new 7" next month!
Geoff Palmer is back doing what he does best: writing some of the most impossibly catchy pop-punk songs you'll ever hear. "Where Did His Hair Go?" is the second time he has given us a nod to The Dickies in his songwriting, but this is no cover song. It's a vintage Palmer-style pop-punk earworm about Billy Corgan and the mystery of the sudden disappearance of his hair in 1995. As someone who has also been bald since the mid-'90s, I can tell you that hair loss is usually something that everyone can see coming. When you finally go full bald, no one is surprised. But somehow old Billy hid it from all of us. What I love about this song is that you can enjoy it regardless of whether you are or (as in my case) are not a Smashing Pumpkins fan. While it's a really funny song, it's not particularly nasty. It's just searching for answers and pondering possibilities. And I'm always up for some '90s nostalgia! This is classic Geoff Palmer. He and his bandmates Tyler Spatz, Paul Kennedy, and Daniel James sound like they're having a great time powering through this brilliantly stupid song, and I'm having a great time listening to it. Billy Corgan himself would have a hard time denying that this tune is a stone cold banger!
After releasing three albums in four years, Arizona's mega-awesome pop-punk rock 'n' roll power quintet TA-80 came into 2026 with a clear plan: play a bunch of shows, record a bunch of singles and EPs, and start writing the best album of 2027. Why stop when you're on a roll?
This is a particularly significant year for the band since it marks the 25th anniversary of its formation. To celebrate its 26th year as a band (yeah, that's how the math works), TA-80 has dusted off four songs from its early years and re-recorded them for 25, a brand-new EP that is out now on Allegedly Records. You can find TA-80's digital catalog online tracing back to 2010. But there's also an early catalog of titles you can only hear if you own the original CD-Rs, cassettes, compilation albums, reel-to-reel tapes, VHS videos, floppy discs, voice mails, etc. The band would be the first to tell you that they hadn't fully found their sound when they wrote and recorded a lot of that stuff. But for this release, the band chose four songs from its early 2000s period that it found worthy of revisiting and re-recording. So they dug out their iPods, guzzled lots of SoBe Lizard Fuel, frosted their tips, and transported themselves back in time. Exactly 26 copies of a CD release were pressed — one representing each year that this planet has had the pleasure of existing with TA-80 in it. Each copy is unique and comes with caringly hand-drawn art representing a particular year in the storied life of TA-80. If you didn't know these were old songs, you might think it was just a cool new EP from one of your favorite bands. These tracks are legit good, and certainly they benefit from the "We know now what we didn't know then" perspective that the band brought to this project.
"Radio Beehive" (which originally appeared on TA-80s's 2001 album '80-'83) pulls no punches. It's almost straight-up '80s metal. Check that: it is straight-up '80s metal, and it totally kicks ass. It's fun, loud, and sure to rock your face off. These folks always knows how to get the party started, and here they do just that! You think I won't have the intestinal fortitude to choose this track for embedding? Try me! "No Call No Show," originally a 2005 demo for the band's mid-2000s lost album, 40 oz. Rose, takes the EP in a very different direction. It has more of a laidback, fuzzed-out '90s alternative rock/power pop vibe to it, and it shows that TA-80 can do pure pop with the best of 'em. "Super Slob," from the 2003 album TA-80 Are Go!, is vintage 2000s-style pop-punk that's catchy as hell but still packs a punch. "This City Night," also written for the ill-fated 40 oz. Rose, closes things out with anthemic rock energy. TA-80 might not play stadiums, but it sure makes music that could fill them. I love that this release embraces the band's past yet aligns wonderfully with its present vibe. And it's neat to hear four different members of TA-80 on lead vocals (Russ sings "Super Slob," and Jens duets with Amy on "This City Night"). Bandcamp and CD versions come with bonus tracks culled from a couple of split singles the band has done recently with The Femurs and Rob Moss and Skintight Skin (more on that one in a couple days!).
When I say a release is limited, that usually means 100 copies. But with only 26 copies of 25 made and a few already spoken for, you best not dilly-dally if you want to get your hands on that sweet polycarbonate plastic! Tonight I will drink to the first 25 years of TA-80 and hope I'm still around to review 50 when it comes out. By then, we'll be nostalgic for the good old days before the robots fully took over!
Just in time for Week Zero of College Football season 2026, we get Vista Blue's first-ever football-themed (or as Mick Fletcher will insist, American football–themed) single! And once again, I'm reminded of why this is one of my favorite bands. Day 1 of college football season is practically a holiday for me. I'm decorating the house, stocking up on snacks, studying the two-deeps, and canceling all my prior commitments. And I'll be pre-gaming with "Championship of Love"!
The energetic & very poppy title track is the kind of song Mike is so very good at writing: a song ostensibly about an aging football player hoping for one last shot at a ring that is really a love song (about a dude hoping for, uh, one last shot at a ring). The song is loaded with classic football references (contract incentives, playbooks, the trenches, plays under review, telegraphing moves, franchise tags, hail Mary passes) which contribute to the larger metaphor. It's tough enough to find love when you're young and at your peak. But what happens when you've lost a step and your game is in decline? There's nothing worse than wanting something so badly and feeling in your gut that it's out of reach. But still, you never give up. And that's what this song celebrates. Even with me having won the championship of love a number of years ago, there was a long period of time when I wondered if I ever would. Twentysomething me is really feeling this song.
On the digital flip side, the punkier (at least two reviewers will call it Ramones-ish) "She's My Taysom Hill" at first appears to be another song using football as a metaphor for romantic relationships. But upon further inspection, I'm sensing a flipped script! This sure seems to be a love song that's really about a football player. What happens when that dependable & versatile quarterback/tight end/fullback/receiver/special teamer who has always been #1 in your heart parts ways with your favorite team? It's a tough pill to swallow, especially when you have to think about him possibly going to the Broncos and finally winning a ring. Sports breakups can be brutal (I refuse to face the fact that Kyle Schwarber will someday not be a Phillie), and sometimes music is all we have to make them bearable. This is one of the sweetest dumb songs you'll ever hear. And it pairs so perfectly with the A-side!
Alright! Vista Blue, as always, could not be any more on-point with its timing. Everybody loves football! Who's ready for Week Zero? I was so pumped that I wanted to go back to the school paper for the fifth year I never had, but the Big Ten says it won't take any former pros. I bet Lane Kiffin would hook me up. For the next 19 Saturdays, I will not be very productive. Something tells me my reviews will be getting a lot shorter. I don't think anyone will be complaining.
Three years after dropping the impressive single Two Easy, the international super-group Ruckus has delivered a 12" EP that has all the punk rockers going crazy. Drunken Sailor Records and Under The Gun Records have teamed up to unleash this beast of a record — which features six tracks that recall a time when pub rock and trashy glam rock 'n' roll collided at full speed and coalesced into the shooting star we know as punk rock. The band is made up of Kam Lindsey (The Stance) on lead vocals, Mario DaCosta on bass, Brian Crozier (NY Hounds) on rhythm guitar, Alex Palazzo (NY Hounds) on drums, Ethan Stahl (The Prize, Loose Lips, Chubby & The Gang) on lead guitar, and Nick Norrman (Ingrates) on lead guitar. That's a "Wow!" lineup, and the music totally lives up to pedigree. Ruckus manages a very old school sound without coming off like a copy of any band in particular. I love the way these songs combine a rawer approach to production with booty-shaking energy, unapologetic pop hooks, and super-tough vocals. There's really no other band out there that sounds like this. This is punk rock. This is rock 'n' roll. But it's not the same by-the-numbers punk rock 'n' roll that you hear all the time. This EP was recorded in 2024, yet you could easily convince someone it was from 1978 or 1982. Those bass lines are insane, and the double-barreled lead guitar totally works. With only four new tracks, this record still leaves us wanting more. But isn't that how you're supposed to do it? If you want the vinyl, I'd recommend not hesitating!
One thing I'll never tire of is well-executed bubblegum pop-punk. Denmark's Thomas Stubgaard, whom you may remember from Tommy and the Rockets, has a new band called The Batter Ups going that could not be any more up my alley. This one-man operation combines a distinctly European (meaning very pop-leaning) style of pop-punk with a heavy dose of comic book and sci-fi fandom. Before I'd even heard a note of the music, the band slogan "Fast songs; Catchy hooks; Awkward crushes; Questionable decisions" had me won over! Mixed and mastered by the great Perry Leenhouts, new single "Cailee" is a love letter to the actress Cailee Spaeny. What a catchy tune! It's a perfect pop-punk song that wears its sci-fi geek heart on its sleeve. The song is taken from the forthcoming album Interstellar Crush, and you can bet I'm stoked to hear it! If you like "Cailee," be sure to check out the other tracks already posted on The Batter Ups' Bandcamp — one of which is a Green Day cover!
It seems like only yesterday that JEM Records launched its Celebrates series with a stunning tribute to John Lennon. But the math tells me that that was almost six years ago, and here we are now with the 7th installment, JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan. The fact that Marty Scott and JEM's talented roster of bands have kept this project going all this time and produced a new album every single year is beyond impressive. That shows a tremendous commitment — and I can't even begin to imagine how much works goes into bringing these albums into existence. I know not everyone is on the tribute album train; however, I love the idea of celebrating great songwriting and enrichening the legacy of great songs. In the case of Bob Dylan, we're talking about perhaps the greatest American songwriter of the rock 'n' roll era. You could do a triple album of Dylan covers and not even scratch the surface of his most essential work. So song selection was going to be critical here. JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan does an excellent job of choosing some of the obvious classics but also going outside the box a few times. And, as we've come to expect in this series, none of these bands/artists settle for a note-for-note cover. Marty Scott gives them all free reign to make these songs their own, and they do just that.
The earlier JEM Records Celebrates installments seemed like such no-brainers because they involved such core influences (Beatles, Kinks, Who, Beach Boys) on the label's roster. But with these last two albums (Dylan and David Bowie), we're really starting to see what makes this project interesting. It's clear that all these artists are big Dylan fans, but you might not always notice it in their own music. So to hear them take these classic songs and put their own signatures on them is very exciting.
The Half/Cubes come the closest to a "straight" cover with their version of "The Mighty Quinn," but still they interpret the song through the lens of power pop and classic guitar pop. The Airport 77s make "It Ain't Me, Babe" sound like, well, The Airport 77s! The Midnight Callers give 1965's "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue" a fresh makeover that brings to mind Big Star and Badfinger. The Weeklings tackle one of Dylan's most iconic songs, "Rainy Day Woman #12 and 35," and completely transform it with their master class harmonies. Similarly, The Grip Weeds and The Anderson Council make "This Wheels On Fire" and "Queen Jane Approximately" sound like classic slices of later '60s UK guitar pop. The On and Ons imbue "Meet Me In The Morning" with a vintage garage rock feel, while The High Frequencies reimagine "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as an early '80s new wave hit. It's no surprise that Paul Collins (covering "Stuck in Mobile with The Memphis Blues Again") and Nick Piunti (covering "Mr. Tambourine Man") both knock it out of the park. Then there are the two curveballs. The Jive, making its debut for JEM, has at "I Ain't Gonna Go To Hell for Anybody" from Dylan's gospel period. It's both a surprising selection and a surprisingly sophisticated performance — sounding completely unlike what I would have expected from The Jive. I feel like I've walked into a room and found the class clown solving the impossible math equation that the teacher left on the board. Perhaps the album's most extraordinary cut is The Cynz's rocking take on the extremely controversial "Neighborhood Bully." The song has been a fixture on The Underground Garage this summer, and hats off to Marty Scott for having the guts to back up the band's song choice.
Like its six predecessors in this series, JEM Records Celebrates Bob Dylan does exactly what it aims to do: celebrate an artist who changed music. In the liner notes, Richard Barone writes, "Does the world really need another Bob Dylan tribute album? The answer, at least for the foreseeable future, will always be 'Yes.'" I could not agree more. You don't even have to be a huge Dylan fan to enjoy this album. The songs speak for themselves, but what these artists have done with the source material is remarkable in its own right. If you view a cover song not as act of generating filler but as an act of love and admiration, I think you'd have to say these JEM Celebrates albums demonstrate how it ought to be done. Great songs ought to be both played forever and re-made forever. Even hardcore Bob Dylan fans, who will surely listen to this record critically, will have a hard denying that these 12 bands and artists truly get it.
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