Parallel Park
Power Pop, Indie Rock, Death Metal, Sunshine Pop, Hip Hop, Noise Pop, Alternative Rock and more!
Hello y’all!
I don’t know about where you are, but in the past couple days around here things went from cold to colder.
Despite the weather, we spent a day in Toronto recently looking at this and that, trying Dad’s, and doing some quick vintage shopping. Didn’t end up grabbing any records, though my order (that I forgot I had made) of This Shit Is Geniuser came in, which I’m stoked on. I also made the trip in to catch Antarctigo Vespucci live with The Golden Apples opening, which was a great show.
Hope everyone out there follows Maple’s lead and finds a good ray of sunlight to bathe in this afternoon. Otherwise, for now here’s my latest stack of capsule reviews for ya - let me know if you’re stoked on any records lately in the comments!
Emoji legend:
⛏️ denotes picks of the week, my favs.
🌱 seedling denotes albums like a lot and expect could grow on me over the year.
✨ albums I would recommend to fans of the genre (i.e. it might not convert new listeners, but you should check it out.)
✂ denotes favourite tracks from a given record.
As always, feel free to reach out over on BlueSky or join the Rosy Overdrive Discord server where I can be found now and again.
You can also find me in the corners of Rate Your Music scrounging for obscure emo, hardcore, indie rock and pop punk.
Don’t forget: if you’re reading this in your email it will be cut off.
Read on the web for the full list of reviews!
⛏️ Ratboys - Singin' to an Empty Chair (2026)
Genres: Indie Rock, Power Pop, Alt-Country, Slacker Rock
I'll be one of the first people to tell you that I grew tired of the alt-country stem of modern indie rock (often with some light shoegaze elements) pretty quickly. Bands like Wednesday or Big Thief generally have an early album I really dug and then a string of releases that kinda got more and more boring or samey to me as they went along. Ratboys were a bit like that too, I dug AOID and GN but fell off them a little bit with later releases. The Window was a fine step back in the right direction, but on their latest they are taking those steps and building on them effectively.
"Light Night Mountains All That" and "Anywhere" are two of their most immediately enjoyable tunes in recent memory. Later, they turn an eight and a half minute slow burner ("Just Want You to Know the Truth") into something quite emotionally impactful. The B-side in particular is a surprise, with a trilogy of longer songs that don't sacrifice their energy and melodies for purely atmospheric diversions, but instead blend those three of their strengths together deftly.
All of this was established on The Window (which itself had an eight plus minute track on the B-side that) but here it feels like they're employing these tricks even more productively.
⛏️ Ulrika Spacek - EXPO (2026)
Genres: Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Rock, Krautrock, Indietronica
Cool grab bag of neo-psych indie rock stuff here. Pretty sure I heard and enjoyed Modern English Decoration back in 2017 but haven't been following them too closely since then. This incorporates some trip hop / light electronics to their sound, which work well but I still like them most when they're bouncing skewed art pop guitar riffs around with noisy blown out post-punk abandon. Singer dips into a bit of a Yorke-ian thing on "Build a Box Then Break It" which I thought was a little distracting even though I was digging the song otherwise. "Square Root of None" and "Weights & Measures" split the difference between their electronic-flecked neo-psych and arty indie rock stuff a bit more effectively. Overall though, a good one if you dig this kind of stuff for sure.
⛏️ Invictus - Nocturnal Visions (2026)
Genres: Death Metal, Thrash Metal
Likeable death metal with nearly no frills. This is straight-forward, riff-focused, secondary "thrash" tag type stuff. They keep things simple, play to their strengths and get out before they reach 40 minutes. Even with songs that (aside from the closer) don't stretch their legs out too far, this seems to be built upon dense stretches of death-thrash, which is A-OK by me.
Sometimes, this almost reminds me of a death metal take on Time Does Not Heal. My first couple spins of this album felt a little lightweight and forgettable, but over the week or two I have found myself returning to this record a bunch. It sits in a wildly comfortable place for me and is just too densely satisfying to ignore.
🌱 Skulld - Abyss Calls to Abyss (2026)
Genres: Death Metal, Crossover Thrash
Pretty massive stench/death type stuff, with riffs that definitely get into metallic/hardcore territory throughout. The stench side of the death metal coin isn't one that I'm intensely familiar with, and this seems to have some of that d-beat punk/stench angle in its DNA but seems to have some varying types of "-core" in its foundation too. A lot of mid-tempo anvil-heavy riffs with half-time drumming ("Le Diable and the Snake") that takes you by the hand and hucks you into death metal stretches with hardcore intensity. Gotta be a whiff of metalcore's reliance on the chug-heavy breakdown moments in here as well. They're taking from a lot of genres that I love, so maybe I'm just getting lost in the influence sauce and someone else will come along and be able to describe it more succinctly, but know it sits somewhere on the death/crust/hardcore spectrum at least. I imagine they will gain comparisons to early Sacrilege just on genres + singer alone. This sits juuuust on the right side of that kind of throwback metal that goes "look how retro looking out art is" but if it hauls it hauls, and this kinda hauls to me.
🌱 Lapêche - Autotelic (2026)
Genres: Indie Rock
Well rounded and driving indie rock that feels like it has its hands in a lot of different pots despite being built upon a melody-and-riff-forward alt rock foundation. Some of this has a dreamy pop element, and elsewhere they have a nervy new wave bop to them. "When R U From" sounds so much like a band that I want to use as a reference point but apparently has completely disappeared from my brain.
This could grow on me over the year, because it sits in a very comfortable place considering my tastes. For now, I was a little soft on it despite enjoying my time with it.
🌱 Joyce Manor - I Used to Go to This Bar (2026)
Genres: Pop Punk, Power Pop, Emo-Pop, Jangle Pop
I've never expected Joyce Manor to release "Joyce Manor Part II" or "Never Hungover Again, Again", so them casually releasing cromulent sub-20 minute power pop albums once in a while doesn't really bother me. I totally understand why they might be a band for certain fans who have dropped off, but if they keep sneaking one or two "Last You Heard of Me" or "Souvenir"'s on their albums I don't mind. If you are still waiting around for them to release something that recalls their more energetic days, this probably isn't for you.
If anything, this one sounds even more transitional in nature than usual. They seem to be sneaking in some referential moments like the title track's riff referencing Sum 41, or "Well, Whatever It Was" sounding like a Third Eye Blind-era radio pop rock single from a non-existent one hit wonder band. People are going to hate "After All You Put Me Through", I just know it.
Like a lot of bands these days, releasing 4 singles (which are some of the best tunes here) off a 9 song release was a mistake. Not sure if this one will grow on me much more over the year, but some of these songs I dig quite a bit.
✨ Deathraiser - Forged in Hatred (2026)
Genres: Thrash Metal, Death Metal
Very cromulent death-tinged thrash metal. Anything you see written about this band or this album on the internet is gonna reference Kreator, Sepultura, Demolition Hammer etc. so you will know the measurements of ingredients here. This is speedy thrash metal that inches into death territory with some tremoloing and just the sheer speed and aggression of it. It's entertaining but quite derivative, though I didn't mind too much even if you can switch between the opening second or two of "Empire of Ignorance" and "Composition Parasite" and barely notice a difference. The very definition of in-one-ear-out-the-other, but I'm leaning on the positive side of the coin with my rating even though I could see this being a real down-the-middle 2.5 star type release on some days.
⛏️ Treepeople - Guilt Regret Embarrassment (1991)
Genres: Indie Rock, Slacker Rock, Noise Rock, Post-Punk
I understand that Treepeople aren't exactly some incredibly obscure act (being Doug Martsch's pre-Built to Spill band brings them a certain level of attention) but it's mindboggling to me that this album isn't regarded as an all-time 90s indie rock classic across larger swaths of music fans. Or maybe I've just spent too much time with this, having stumbled upon it back when I was a Built to Spill obsessive in my early 20s.
These songs criss-cross wires of warped pop melodies, buzzsaw-noisy riffing, driving post-punk basslines, and even some punk rock energy ("GRE"). There's some youthful missteps ("Wasted on You") that feel a little too simple, but ultimately are a part of the charm. Even when they cover David Bowie's "Andy Warhol" it sounds unmistakably Martsch.
The Something Vicious for Tomorrow EP can't really stand up to this in my personal opinion, but it's equally as fascinating considering how it continues Martsch's trajectory towards what they would do in Built to Spill.
⛏️ The Monkees - Good Times! (2016)
Genres: Sunshine Pop, Pop Rock, Power Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Jangle Pop
I don't think we talk enough about how good this is for an album released by The Monkees in the year 2016.
The fact that it works as well as it does—having been made up of previously discarded or written material (Neil Diamond's "Love to Love" was put aside when the band went to work on Headquarters plus there's cuts by Harry Nilsson, Carole King and more) alongside new work from contemporary writers (Adam Schlesinger, Rivers Cuomo, Ben Gibbard, Noel Gallagher etc.)—is a marvel.
I love how you can hear the influence of these writers in each song while still feeling utterly and completely Monkees-esque. Without knowing Andy Partridge of XTC wrote "You Bring The Summer," the sound is still unmistakable and there's more than a little Fountains of Wayne in "Our Own World," but it also can't be confused for anything but a classic Monkees tune. I'm not totally in love with Gibbard's "Me & Magdalena" but it sits nicely in the middle of the record as a kind of duet between Nesmith and Dolenz.
I think the worst thing you could say about this is that it's just a little shy of feeling cohesive; there's a bit of an all-over-the-map feel to the album, but hey it's a 50th anniversary celebration record so its bound to feel a little "greatest hits-y."
⛏️ The dB's - Repercussion (1982)
Genres: Jangle Pop, Power Pop, New Wave, Neo-Psychedelia
Stands for Decibels is the record by The dB's that gets the most attention, but their follow-up is no slouch either. This is the record that introduced me to the band, not sure why I searched this one out after hearing They Might Be Giants sing "She doesn't have to have her dB's records back now" as a teenager, but this was where I landed (before also seeking out their debut, which of course is phenomenal.)
And for the uninformed, they sound quite a bit like a band that might get name checked by TMBG would; nervy, jangly power pop and new wave with various accoutrements (horns, keyboards, etc.) The band has a way with incredibly sneaky earworms, such as "Happenstance" which starts very unassumingly and slowly wriggles itself into your brain.
A modern comparison point might be fellow melody-worshippers Fountains of Wayne, who have a similar knack for crafting vivid storytelling tunes out of various pop detritus. See: the gentle alt-strum of "From a Window to a Screen", the rollickingly hooky tale of broken hearted suicide that is "Amplifier" or "Ask for Jill", a song about mastering a record.
It's quite top-heavy though, as the A-side is packed with memorable songs, and the flipside is mostly deeper cuts that blend together a bit despite still having some solid highlights. For the adventurous pop music fan though, lots to love here.
✨ Duplomacy - All These Long Drives (2006)
Genres: Indie Rock, Indie Pop
Sometimes sleepy (non-derogatory) bedroom indie rock from the 2000s that recalls early Death Cab for Cutie or It's Hard to Find a Friend era Pedro the Lion. Also used to call this kind of stuff "grey day" indie rock. Sad sack, slow-core influenced stuff but with a potent through line of hushed melodies. Some songs ("Coppertone") work up to cathartic releases that resemble other acts of the era who similarly worked within the Venn diagram overlap of emo and indie. I can see why this might not have stuck in many people's minds over the year (I'm the tenth rating on here) but I've always felt like it was an above average take on this type of record and find it incredibly cozy, if a little unoriginal.
✨ Adult Magic - Adult Magic (2019)
Genres: Power-Pop, Alternative Rock
When this dropped in 2019, I was pretty darn stoked about there being a supergroup of sorts featuring members of bands like Broadcaster, Iron Chic, Get Bent, Wax Phantom plus guest vocals from Mimi of Nona. Every year or so I circle back on this one and it still scratches that power-pop-alt-rock-and-roll type itch I always have.
When Jesse from Broadcaster sings, it sounds a lot like the heart-on-sleeve stuff you would expect if you've heard that band ("Achin'", "The Other Side"). Elsewhere, they have a bit of a vaguely heartland-y tinge to their hook-forward indie/alt rock sound ("Losing Face"). "Sign of the Times" almost sounds a little like Charmer period Tigers Jaw. Only on "Many Moons Ago" do they approach anything near the orgcore/DIY punk you might expect from a few of the members' other bands.
At 10 songs in 30 minutes, this isn't that much of a commitment but even then a few of these tracks sound a bit like they are re-writing the same song. Doesn't really bother me, as I'm always game for this kind of stuff. Would love to hear another one from them someday.
✨ Smiley - The Smile Gets Wild (1989)
Genres: Hip Hop
Smiley was one of the first (if not the first?) woman to break out of the Detroit rap scene in the late eighties and release a full length record. This has some sick booming old school production and sample work. The wonky sound quality (ripped from an old cassette I assume) adds to the charm.
As an MC, Smiley holds it down well and has some fun personality to their flows. They don't totally stand out of the pack for this era of rap, but they're above average for sure. Very much sounds like a debut album from the era because production quality jumps around song to song, and so does Smiley's flow as if they're trying everything they can. "The Commencement" is a bit of a throwaway instrumental that samples the music from Peanuts, but otherwise this is a neat piece of history.
✨ Drawn and Quartered - Congregation Pestilence (2021)
Genres: Death Metal
Continuing my journey through their catalogue, this is definitely my favourite of this era of D&Q. This is just evil, nasty riffing from start to finish. Machine gun drumming might pummel you into monotony but they are doing a lot around it that keeps me entertained. When they do slow down, the drummer really stretches out and does a lot of sick, showy work. Then they toss some satanic lead solos on top now and again, and you've got a stew goin'. That stretch in the middle of "Proliferation of Disease" just kicks so much ass. Just when I thought maybe I was a little down the middle on this stretch of the band's career, they pull me back in!!
✨ Taken by Savages - Sleepaway Cramp (2016)
Genre: Noise Pop, Alternative Rock
I’m a big fan of Joe Ziemba's work through Bleeding Skull! and AGFA (American Genre Film Archive.) I was also a big fan of the band The Like Young back when they were active. Then, one day I realized Ziemba was the same Joseph from the aforementioned band (and twee act Wolfie too) and my mind exploded. My film nerd and music nerd worlds, colliding!
Alongside Annie Choi, they put out this record as Taken by Savages; It’s really great, slightly dark-n-moody, but still super-catchy fuzz-rock. Mostly built upon fuzz-bass, drums and some The Rentals-esque synths, subtle interlocking melodies get layered until they reach near-earworm territories ("Bobcat", "Cleave It").
Absolutely worth looking into for fans of The Thermals, Flin Flon, et al. For a more directly 90s aping power pop forward take on this sound, check out Ziemba's album released under the Desacatyl moniker.
Drawn and Quartered - Feeding Hell's Furnace (2012)
Genres: Death Metal
They still don't seem to have a bad album in them, but for me the 2010s output from D&Q so far is where they get closest to meat and potatoes versus the more varied sound they had in their earlier releases. Nothing wrong with that, this is great but I think around this time they got a bit more subtle about the things that set them apart... and the records probably require a more nuanced ear than I have to piece together the tricks they're pulling. I'm definitely someone who likes when death metal twists and turns and takes big swings, and these songs are just more subtle about that stuff is all. Likely a MP not a YP, but I wouldn't point someone at this for their first taste of D&Q is all I'm saying.
X-Large - Living Large (1997)
Genres: Skate Punk
Canadian skate-punk out of Quebec. Sounds a whole lot like Lagwagon, Bracket, Belvedere, Cigar and a bunch of other Fat Wreck style bands rolled into one. A lot of alternating palm mutes, octave chords, start-stops on a dime, speedy drumming and active melodic basslines. Whatever you're imagining in your head from that description will be at a minimum of 90% the way there.
Not poorly performed or written by any stretch, but I have heard way too much of this stuff so if it's not really, really good or have something else to make it stand out... then it just doesn't quite get there. Couldn't fault anyone who had this when they were in their teens claiming it was an underrated gem or a nostalgic favourite, but it's just too run-of-the-mill to make a lasting impression.
Phantom Limbs - Romance (1983)
Genres: Jangle Pop, Cowpunk, Rock & Roll
The whole "cow-punk" thing isn't totally up my alley, so seeing that as a secondary genre when this album art caught my eye had me questioning things a bit. I find the history of the genre in the UK and eventually California to be interesting, but not a ton of bands labeled that really catch my ears for any length of time.
There's a hefty dose of jangly pop with an undercurrent of surfiness to accompany the twang on Romance though, which makes this intriguing. I can't say every track is a hit but there's probably a good 4 or 5 winners here that make it worth spinning for 80s jangle pop fans.
✂ Dead Language, Wedding, (Isn't It A) Wonderful World?, Slice of Life
Star Ghost Dog - Happylove (1999)
Genres: Indie Rock
Decent noisy power pop type late-90s indie rock; some pretty fun songs scattered throughout this tracklist, but even with it being under 40 minutes this ends up feeling a bit long in the tooth.
Alternates between jangly stuff, loud/soft moments and otherwise driving, energetic pop tunes. Some of the outliers are a swing and a miss, but I could see the band tightening this up to a solid record.
✂ Kite, Downer, Master #1
Shufflepuck - Shufflepuck (1996)
Genres: Alternative Rock, Power Pop
90s geek rock can be frustrating because it has some great, undeniably catchy music but often times it comes couched in really gross lyrical elements. A lot of proto-incel ass type music in that genre, let me tell you. At best, you get something like this record which is suitably catchy, features lots of churning mid-tempo riff-laden songs, and has a lot of "why doesn't she like me", "why can't I be him?", "I need her so bad I'm gonna die", "is she out with another guy?!" type songs. They land just shy of the truly gross stuff, but I guess I need to be thankful they're not singing about whackin' it to a Claire Danes Poster. This isn't exactly well above average, but there's some songs here that scratched the geek rock itch without making my hate myself for enjoying it.
That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.