In The Crowd Price: $14.00 Artist: Absolute Losers Manufacturer: We Are Busy Bodies Records Description: Canadian trio Absolute Losers follow their instincts and delve into 60’s-influenced melodic pop for their second album "In The Crowd". And, for The Losers, it’s a winner! “On several occasions, whilst listening to the record I was struck by that familiar feeling that I’d heard this music before. That’s not to suggest that Absolute Losers are copyists – they’re not. They just have an enviable knack of being able to hook their listeners in. And the tasteful ‘Words Of Love’-like guitar lick that propels penultimate track, ‘Better Things To Do’, along its way has that very effect – bright and sunny, and so VERY solid. And, it’s the a dreamy, vibrant, harmony-drenched chant – ‘It’s An Understanding’ – that concludes the record. There’s an underlying Beach Boys aura to the song as it gently fades. What’s not to like?” - AtTheBarrier “Despite coming from Canada’s smallest province Prince Edward Island boys Absolute Loserrs have got a big, big sound on ‘In the Crowd’, brimming with jangle and Beatlesque melodies. Departing somewhat from the more experimental pop rock sound of their 2023 debut ‘At the Mall’, you only have to hear the opening chords of album opener ‘At The Same Time’ to know this record is getting right to the rock and roll point. And it’s pretty much the same attack on the title song. ‘Eagerness’ pauses the rock bluster for some very April Wine high-melody moments. But the range of song stylings isn’t limited. There are clear Buddy Holly influences all over ‘Don’t Go’ and some very George Harrison guitar flourishes colouring ‘For So Long.’ ‘Better Things To Do’ rides a pretty fine Beatles/Tom Petty line while ‘Kiss of Death’ gives a punky feel to a solid BTO rhythm guitar groove. Shifting to a more modern mood, ‘You Never Say You Love Me’ has a Sloan-like pop clarity to my ears. Then there’s ‘Letter,’ a song that sounds like a more upbeat Weezer. Personally, I think ‘Your Colours’ is also pretty special, almost folky with great jangly guitar and yearning vocals. Taken all in over one sitting the album is a delightful selection of tunes. Absolute Losers have produced a real winner!” - PopRockRecord GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

I'd Do Almost Anything For You Price: $14.00 Artist: Beauty Manufacturer: Strange View Records Description: On their debut album “I'd Do Almost Anything For You", New Jersey’s power trio Beauty channel the energy of 70’s rock acts such as Cheap Trick, blend it with the melodies of 90’s bands like Teenage Fanclub, and create a fresh brand of rock ‘n’ roll unafraid to wear its pounding heart on its sleeve. Packing 10 original pop songs into twenty-five concise minutes, Beauty leaves listeners with a powerful debut that won’t be forgotten any time soon. “Featuring Deagan Howlett on guitar, Nic Makoto Palermo on bass, and Owen Flanagan on drums, Beauty have developed a reputation for playing deafening and hooky power pop that brims with an authentic quality that is often nowhere to be found in contemporary indie rock. From the raucous opener ‘Alive Tonight’ to the quiet lo-fi bedroom pop of ‘Asleep Tonight,’ Beauty aims for the hearts of rock fans who equally enjoy the spirited and sappy aspects of the genre. The musicianship here is crisp. The guitar and vocal harmonies shimmer with an expectancy that is much welcome. Some of the album’s highlights include ’Acid Baby Girl’, a smoldering electric paean to a drug-addled sweetheart and the Supercrush resonances of the blistering riffs on ‘You Always Take Me’. Elsewhere, the propulsive p’easures of the rock n’ roll throwback ‘Daisy’ will delight fans of The Flamin’ Groovies, while the down-to-earth acoustic Big Star energy of ‘Cherry Red” captivates, a reprieve of a slow burn on a record that is otherwise relentless in its kinetic brand of pop-rock.” - NewNoiseMagazine Beauty offer up the classic prerequisites of the genre, classy memorable riffs, great solos and big choruses. At times, it sounds very much like the 90’s revival. at others, a little 80’s AOR. It is an album that works best when songs are delivered at pace.” - IDontHearASingle GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Green Circles Price: $14.00 Artist: Green Circles Manufacturer: Kool Kat Musik Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! It started with one gig, at the Union Hotel in Adelaide, Australia. It may have ended that way too, but the Green Circles wrote a song, then another, and another - so now, here they are, proudly presenting their 5th album (and second on the Kool Kat label “No Room For Squares” was released in 2017). It’s brimful of their signature garage rock/psych sound with a splash of acid folk. Added to the mix is a Stax-influenced attack courtesy of the Green Horns, the lighter fluid to the fire, as the Green Circles burn through songs of anger (“Days Of Blue and Grey and Green”), passion (“Said It Would”), work (“Too Bright For A Monday”), frustration (“Move On Down the Lane”), love (“She Walked Along Here” and “Ladder in Her Stocking”), loss (“Yesterday’s Glass”), gunning down straight outback roads (“I Watch the Line”), and football (“Dirty Taste”). On previous releases, they have been known to include their own takes on tunes by hometown heroes such as the Twilights, the Inside Looking Out, The Screaming Believers and the Units. This time they go to the mountain top, to deliver a raucous version of “Undecided” by the Masters Apprentices. It’s been ten years since their last album - the world got in the way of this latest recording project. The world has turned and the Green Circles have spun their way back. “This album does not disappoint. Edgy, raw, fun, and sophisticated, and airs well with your favourite beer or vendetta vodka."- KatheJ GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

These Men, These Monsters Price: $14.00 Artist: He's Dead Jim Manufacturer: Kool Kat Musik Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! From the sparkle of art-rock ambition to the grit of post-punk attitude, “These Men, These Monsters”, the second release (and followup to 2025’s “Head Like A Toyshop”) from the re-formed He’s Dead Jim that includes Emperor Penguin’s Neil Christie, launches you straight into their beautifully skewed universe. EP’s Nigel Winfield guests on the record, adding guitar to the tracks “The Process” and “Nothing To Write Home About”. Think power-pop hooks tangled with synth-crackle, glam-strut guitars meeting sci-fi noir textures, and anthemic choruses riding waves of urgency and weirdness. It’s the soundtrack to a creepy world where dreams malfunction and beauty collides brilliantly with chaos. Whether you were hooked by the shimmering pop strangeness of “Head Like A Toyshop” or you’re just diving in, this is a new chapter full of thought-provoking lyrics, pounding beats and tunes that will echo in your brain like an implanted memory of a parallel life. "What do they sound like? A bit sci-fi, a bit power pop, a bit like the Kinks eating licorice dip-dabs, or Doctor Who wearing Chelsea boots while shoplifting Hoodoo Gurus records from ‘One Up on Rosemount Viaduct’. They chime, they ring, they also have a laugh." - Alastair Mckay/Alternatives to Valium. He's Dead Jim are back to save/destroy the world! “Fans of adventurous, retro pop will enjoy He’s Dead Jim.” - Powerpopaholic “Variety may very well be the spice of life and if so then He’s Dead Jim are very, very spicy. Melodically and without missing a beat they switch from genre to genre with ease.” - IDontHearASingle “Lovers of power pop, art rock, synth pop, post punk and classic rock will all find something to love with He’s Dead Jim.” - Robert Kinsler Includes an extremely kool kover of 10cc’s “Art For Art’s Sake”! GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

So Far Price: $20.00 Artist: Honey Smugglers Manufacturer: Ultramarine Records Description: Our dogged pursuit has paid off as we ultimately bypassed our distributor and went directly to a member of the band in the UK. As a result, the price increased due to shipping costs. One of those 80’s/90’s "indie hopefuls" was Honey Smugglers, a band whose place in that crazy but pivotal time before Britpop is slowly being revealed thanks to a series of extensive compilations of that era by Cherry Red Records (they've featured on six of them). They shared stages with the likes of Blur, Suede, Dodgy and Levitation without sounding like any of them. An uber-tight organ driven music machine that mixed pop, groove and a lot of psychedelia into a bunch of catchy, inventive, eclectic and very English songs, they were un-pigeonholable at a time when everyone was looking for a pigeon to hole. A formidable live act, they released a couple of EPs, but sadly never delivered an album. Now, 35 years later we finally have “So Far”, their long-lost debut album that collates recordings that never saw the light of day back then. And what comes across is the sheer diversity of their songwriting and performance. There's the pure slice of melodic English guitar pop of lead track "She Doesn't Know," "Greatest Lovers" with its fragile verses and psychedelic freakout ending. You have the dream pop of "Good Afternoon" and "Stay" rubbing shoulders with the skewed psychedelia of "Shake Free," "Rocking Horse," and "No." And of course, their best-known song, the 6-minute indie dance floor filler "Listen" (heard here for the first time in its original and definitive version). Inventive, melodic, groovy and psychedelic (in the truest sense of the word) the Smugglers were of their time but in many ways ahead of it too, as the arrival of Britpop a few years later would testify. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Poetry, Protest & Popsongs Price: $14.00 Artist: Janne Borgh Fanclub Manufacturer: Kool kat Musik Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! Third time lucky? Janne Borgh, bassist/singer/songwriter from the legendary The Moderns, Strindbergs and ANC4 is back with “Poetry, Protest & Popsongs”, his third album in three years under the Janne Borgh Fanclub moniker. Inspired as always by power pop, melodies with touch of mod-punk, style, passion and skill. All Mod cons in the AI-age if you like. All the songs were written by Janne, with words about life, love, loneliness, hope in a world in chaos, with political unrest and the never ending story of war just around the corner. Like Janne, if you long for a time that moved a little slower, with a slightly longer attention span, please take some time and listen to the songs on this album and see if they can move you, ease you or just make you want to have a good time, and forget the news and the blues for a while. Done old-school, with electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and drums. And of course, layered harmony vocals. The occasional harmonica and mandolin are in there too. Some might say it’s a British-sounding album. Some might say it could be recorded in 1972, 1979 or 1985. It doesn’t really make any difference because good music is timeless. The songs on this album are shorter overall and written to be performed in a live setting, either with a full band or stripped down to an acoustic format. There is no denying Janne’s passion for the vintage era of pop music, style, and dressing. Some may call it Mod; others would call it growing older with grace and style. Whatever it is, it’s something that comes naturally and something that has been present and nurtured forever and will always be there until it’s time to stop running. Run forever? Yes, absolutely, as long as the running leads somewhere good and worthwhile. “Congratulations Janne, you’ve kept your promise! Bigger, better and more dynamic! Early faves are ‘End Of The Avenue’ and ‘The Right Side of Ridiculous’. Next listen will probably reveal others I’m sure!” - RockNewsSweden GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Borrowed Time Price: $14.00 Artist: Mod Lang Manufacturer: Just Add Water Records Description: Following America's recent resurgence of 1970’s jangly guitar combined with power pop, as exemplified by acts such as 2nd Grade, The Lemon Twigs, Cut Worms, and The Sunshine Dreamers, Detroit-based quartet Mod Lang has emerged with a debut album, suggesting that, in the realm of power pop modernity, less is always going to be more. “Spliced with an endearing naturality from a live reel-to-reel production, each track exudes a simplicity that draws listeners into the infectious earworm territory characteristic of 70’s power pop as they effortlessly navigate through many of the era's finest power-pop touchpoints. With their lively, jangly riffs creating a sense of incessancy through harmonies and melodies that would compel anyone with a pulse to move some part of their body, the impressive opening double salvo of ‘What I Can't Have’ and ‘In Advance’ pays obvious homage to the Big Star aesthetic. The subtle guitar crunch in ‘TV Star’ and "Big House’, reminiscent of the Raspberries, further enhances this core essence. It adds a bite and balance to an album that could have otherwise veered into the more subdued, soft rock beauty of The Lemon Twigs' 70’s pop in ‘Those Words’, ‘Fool in Love’, and ‘Try Your Love’, lacking any counterpoint. It is likely that the record will be the first album of the year to be regularly featured in year-end ‘best of’ lists on the most prominent microblogs.” - JanglePopHub “For as much as Mod Lang remind me of Big Star, and to a lesser extent The Flaming Groovies, they are very much their own thing. When TV Star dropped in January it was a track I couldn’t stop listening to. An infectious pop song that bursts out the gate and doesn’t give you a chance to catch up. Their debut LP offers a broader look at the band. Clearly committed to pop - there are a range of tones here all with a specific and decidedly ragged sound to them.” - Patreon GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind Price: $14.00 Artist: Sergio Ceccanti Manufacturer: Kool Kat Musik Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! France’s Sergio Ceccanti (formerly of Kool Kat artist The Warmbabies) is a pop-rock singer with a deeply authentic universe, where powerful melodies meet raw emotion. Driven by a warm, expressive voice, he crafts songs that move between electrifying energy and intimate ballads. His writing - personal and sincere - draws as much from hardship as from moments of hope, offering stories in which anyone can see themselves. He brings a commanding presence, guided by a sharp sense of melody and a genuine passion for music. His influences, ranging from 60s classic rock to underground pop textures, fuel a unique style: catchy, heartfelt, and unmistakably human. His 2024 solo debut “Mysterious Journey” was hailed is “A superb, charming record that blends twilight lyricism and nostalgic romance. “A wonderful debut that checks all the boxes we could expect with these perfect melodies and a production that puts them forward! It is a record that, when listened to, results in the simple pleasure of listening to good songs, largely inspired by the 60’s. In short, Sergio Ceccanti has just released an amazing first album and in our time, that's already a lot!” - Buzz On Web With his second album “Leave The Past, Don’t Look Behind”, he further asserts his artistic identity and invites listeners on a journey blending introspection, intensity, and light. It’s a skillful mix of high-strung tracks like “When You’re Away” and the title track and melancholic ballads like “Again & Again” and “The City’s Pulse.” The melodies are, as always, immaculate and masterfully delivered - just listen to the stunning “Burning Sun” to hear it for yourself. Sergio Ceccanti is the promise of music that’s sincere, vibrant, and crafted to speak straight to the heart. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Look Back Price: $14.00 Artist: SLD Manufacturer: Kool Kat Musik Description: RELEASE ON THE KOOL KAT LABEL! The question was whether SLD could survive without founding member Tom Parisi. The answer is a resounding “yes”. Over the past year, surviving member Paul Costanza has not only kept the project alive but infused it with a renewed sense of purpose. In the last year alone, Paul recorded twelve new songs, each marked by a clarity of vision that signals both artistic resilience and evolution. Rather than retreat from the band’s history, he chose to honor it - while also carving out a new chapter defined by introspection, maturity, and creative freedom. The spark for this creative rebirth came from a song Paul had originally written in the 90’s. “38 Days” looked back on a high school romance with a mixture of wistfulness and emotional distance. Returning to it decades later prompted a deeper excavation of memory. As Paul revisited old notebooks, demos, and fragments of melodies, he found himself peeling back the years and rediscovering lives and loves that had nearly faded into obscurity. What emerged was a collection of songs that sit at the intersection of recollection and revelation. Musically, Paul draws from a deep well of influences, most notably the one that has shaped his work for decades: the Beatles! Their melodic clarity, harmonic imagination, and emotional directness echo throughout the album. Yet other inspirations are woven in as well. The spectral warmth of post-“Pet Sounds” Brian Wilson drifts through “I Believe,” lending it a fragile optimism. In the end, what Paul has created is not merely a continuation of SLD but a reinvention. These songs are the work of an artist unafraid to revisit the past, confront its shadows, and shape its lessons into something new. The album stands as proof that SLD remains very much alive - artistically, emotionally, and creatively. It bridges decades without losing its sense of immediacy, offering listeners an honest and resonant portrait of memory, growth, and the quiet power of perseverance. GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none

Softjaw Price: $12.00 Artist: Softjaw Manufacturer: Dandy Boy Records Description: Softjaw burst onto the international power pop scene in 2024 with a couple of digital singles that laid the groundwork for an impressive self-titled EP. Songwriters, Tanner Duffy and Dustin Lovelis, connected over bands like Big Star and The Nerves. They even stepped in as The Beat (and The Nerves!) for a handful of California shows backing one of their major influences, Paul Collins. Throw in other major influences like The Raspberries, Cheap Trick, Teenage Fanclub and The Exploding Hearts and you have the perfect recipe for Softjaw’s impossibly hooky sound. Their Cheap Trick guitars and Teenage Fanclub harmonies with a dash of The Exploding Hearts’ energy to create a sound that’s timeless. To prove their hearts minds and musical taste is ace, included are covers of “Playing Bogart” - a song first written/performed by UK band 23 Jewels and later by Any Trouble along with Paul Collins’ “Working Too Hard”. “They’ve drawn comparisons to acts like Exploding Hearts, but as I’m listening through, you can almost hear an adoration for classic rock in the way they’re letting those riffs climb. That being said, if the vocal harmonizing wasn’t executed perfectly then the tune might fall apart, but that’s not the case, so you’ll just want to crank it up and rock a little attitude with your pop listening today!” - Austin Town Hall “This is power pop with dirty finger nails, tattered denim and the swagger of a delinquent Romeo Casanova. Timeless songs delivered in a way that makes you wonder what year it's from. This is the sound I love.” - Bobby/Dandy Boy Records GREAT!! ... read more » Quantity in Basket: none