Radio Shack
April 1st, 2024
Morning! No April Fools here, just an email/post of music that I’ve been listening to and some thoughts about said music. No long-winded intro post for you either, I figure y’all put up with that last issue so I’ll get straight to the music. Let me know in the comments or on socials what you’re excited about these days, music wise!
As always, please reach out on the hellsite if you’d like or better yet 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!
Rosie Tucker - Utopia Now! (2024)
Genre: Power Pop, Indie Rock, Emo-Pop
Damn, Rosie Tucker's done it again. I've been all aboard their mix of singer songwriter indie-pop and power-pop since Never Not Never Not Never Not in 2019. Loved that album, loved Sucker Supreme and love this one too. Something about their way with melodies, they've just got it locked down. They even edge into pop-rock, radio-ready level hook territory on songs like "Suffer! Like You Mean It". This rules, and will absolutely be on my year-end list and if you haven’t heard the other two albums referenced above, absolutely give them a listen as well. Rosie4ever!
Barely Civil - I'd Say I'm Not Fine (2024)
Genre: Emo, Midwest Emo
I can't say that I've listened to a ton of Barely Civil over the years, I think the last time I checked in with them was on their debut LP We Can Live Here Forever.
Over the years since then I think I just assumed they played that twinkly mathy 5th wave emo thing that usually isn't totally my speed. "Floating Again" doesn't really fit into that bucket though, it's almost more like Days Away-esque sparkly emo-pop with chunkier riffs and some gang vocals.
Happy to hear that this is more that style of modern emo - big rock songs with really emotive vocals that just feel nice and satisfying. In small moments like on "Coasting Mostly" or the aforementioned "Floating Again" there's a whiff of the "emo by hardcore guys" thing that dewtaylo points out often. And when they do toss in a little tappy, mathy lead-riff it feels tasteful and earned, instead of a constant in your face thing.
When they dip into Wild Pink-esque acoustic-widescreen-emo ("Not Fine") I like it a bit less though, to be honest, though they do churn that song into a decent mid-tempo release. Makes sense as a side-one closer, for sure.
Not the catchiest songs in the world - they could push the hooks a bit harder imo - but ultimately effective for what it is. Worst thing I'd say about this is they dip the energy down too much in the back half instead of stacking a few more bangers in there.
Lauran Hibberd - Girlfriend Material (2024)
Genre: Power Pop
I'm always rooting for Lauran Hibberd because their previous album Garageband Superstar was a very solid slab of "dad rock for their daughters" and I think the singles they've released like Honda Civic and "2nd Prettiest Girl (In the World)" have been major earworms.
Unfortunately, they seem to be shaping up as another addition to my "their best record is a playlist of the best songs off their albums" collection. I still think Lauran has what it takes to break huge because "2nd Prettiest Girl (In the World)", "Mary", "Girlfriend Material", "So Romantic" and a couple others range from above average to great tunes, it's just not a terrific top-to-bottom capital A album. This feels more like a collection of songs than a confident next-step after Garageband Superstar to me.
Worth looking into for people who are into this kind of radio pop-rock because there's some good tunes here, just not the coming out party for them as a pop star that I was hoping for.
Henry Homesweet - Morning Mayan (2024)
Genre: Chiptune, Minimal Techno, Dub Techno, Dubstep
Based on the bandcamp description, this is a collection of old songs from Henry Homesweet but I'm wondering if it's more of a kind of remixed/extended collection because these 10+ minute tracks sound almost like old songs re-configured or extended (in a good way.) Maybe not though! Maybe it's just a well curated collection of old songs that work well together!
This is the kind of chiptune you could give to someone who likes electronic music and they will be able to enjoy the songs in and of themselves because the sound palette feels very diverse, even though technically it's Trippy-H and nanoloop via Game Boy Advance. There's a definite dub/techno influence on a few of these tracks too but even with three of them being 10 to 15 minutes long, none of them wore me down.
Kloke - On Rhythm (2024)
Genre: Jungle, Atmospheric Drum and Bass
An hour and ten minutes of atmospheric drum and base / jungle is definitely too much for me to be able to put this on and listen to it like a sequenced, top to bottom capital A "album", but as far as this kind of stuff goes I really dug it. It's derivative, but effectively so.
Released as a triple album on vinyl so any of the three records taken on their own would be a really strong 25 minute chunk of jungle/dnb so I can't go too hard on it because I'm not so sure that listening to it from track 1 to track 12 is how it was meant to be experienced? I kind of assume each record is meant to be its own little journey and if I had this on vinyl I think that'd be an effective way to experience it - tossing on whichever of the three you're in the mood for kind of deal. Or listening to one a night for three nights, etc.
It sucks that streaming can't capture that granularity of experience to be honest - they could have at least grouped these tracks into "CDs" like some multi-CD releases do on streaming where it delineates where the sides begin and end.
Classic Traffic - Turn It Up (2024)
Genre: Power Pop
More power-pop indie-rock from Classic Traffic; 20 minutes, doesn't overstay, but feels a little same-y at this point. I feel like I like it more when they have a bit of edge and grit to their sound and they flirt a bit more with classic rock vibes here which is decent but I'm not sure it has as much punch as You Want It? We Got It! from last year did.
SPACED - This Is All We Ever Get (2024)
Genre: Hardcore Punk
In 2022, Spaced Jams didn't really grab me a whole lot. It's also possible I am confusing them with the similarly named alt-rock-influenced-hardcore act Scowl though? This is yet another review from me where I say it does what it says on the tin. It's pretty standard alt-riff hardcore (but not too hardcore!) stuff with songs where they sing things like "US! AGAINST YOU!" etc. It's perfectly fine, and only sticks around for 15 minutes. I'd call it cromulent if I didn't already use that word too much on RYM. Oops, I just did. Shrug emoji goes here.
Marbled Eye - Read the Air (2024)
Genre: Post-Punk
Solid post-punk with a mid-tempo Numero-core vibe going on beneath the surface. Cannot deny that this sat firmly in the "good background music" slot for me today, but I could see these melodies worming their way into my brain with repeated listens. I'll be back to this one to find out.
Broadcaster - Daylight (2024)
Somehow missed this when it dropped! I really liked Broadcaster's LP A Million Hours which had that power-pop-punk sound that recalled bands like Cheap Girls or Smoking Popes, and often wondered if they'd ever put out some more music after they kind of drifted into the distance. Made sense though, since Jesse (also of Iron Chic) went on to release stuff with Adult Magic.
Here's four songs from them out via Dead Broke Rekerds; not quite as good as their album but pretty decent if you just wanted some more from them, as I did.
Pooched - Pooched (2023)
Scrappy power-poppy pop-punk from Canada. Brings to mind bands like joyride!, Lipstick Homicide etc. Only 12 songs in 17 minutes. Definitely will keep my eyes peeled for new releases from them as this is very solid and could see them only getting better and better from here.
Open Letters - 1-6 (2013)
Very solid indie-punk with some shades of stuff like RVIVR or Latterman. Has a bit more clean indie-punk sound alongside the emo-influenced punk of those bands. I also feel like I hear a bit of that rambunctious energy of UK pop-punk acts like Martha in here too. Good stuff!
The Best of the Worst - Better Medicine (2021)
Genre: Ska Punk, Skacore, Post-Hardcore
This kind of modern post-genre thing (we're ska but also we're punk but also hardcore and also emo-pop and also new tone and also orgore but also also also) can be super hit or miss with me but something about this record has it all hanging together in a way that makes sense. Liz Fackelman's vocals in particular really buoys what is otherwise your usual raspy indie-punk yelly guy sound from the other singer.
I think by side-stepping the "actually we're serious about being goofy/ironic" thing that this kind of music often has makes the difference here. Most of these songs are just very solid ones that happen to jump around a lot in genre without any winking about it.
Animal Chin - 20 Minutes from Right Now (1999)
Genre: Ska Punk
Horn-less ska-punk from this band with pre-The Stereo member Jamie Woolford. If you like The Impossibles' brand of ska-punk with Weezer-esque geek rock and poppy punk hooks this would also be up your alley. Gets a bit similar over 40 minutes but the energy stays high and it's very generally melodic in a way that is satisfying even if every song isn't wildly catchy. They also sprinkle in some elements of genres like skate punk in their faster songs and even a bit heavier hardcore-influenced moments in songs like "The Top Contender".
VCMG - Ssss (2012)
Genre: Techno, Minimal Techno, Tech House
Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore got together and made an album of techno, and it rules. I hadn't heard this in a few years so circling back on it was nice today. A lot of this is that sparse, repetitive kind of techno / minimal dance music that relies a lot on its textures to keep you engaged and that really works for me personally. It can get pretty maximalist though as well with the piling on of textures too. Over the course of an hour, it'll wear some listeners down but I can easily spend an hour with this kind of music in my headphones. Would love another album of this kind of stuff from them.
That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.