Listening To This Week Playlist 9 February

   

The floodgates have opened here as 2026 seems to have kicked in big style. The maximum 30 songs are present and we had to hold back a few for next week, having to close this week's LTTW on Friday night. A splendid mix of songs as always, one that was hard to tracklist and each deserves your attention.

The weekly playlist is largely for submissions, not just the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. The song order is not about song preference, but how the playlist flows.  All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours. This will help you to discover more about the artists who appear here. 

Softjaw - Pleased With Me

Western Union Hall - The Right Way

Danny And The Darlings - Police On My Back

Popsonic - cine-parc

Howling Hawk - Nine Miles High

Half Shadow - Fruit

Flying Finish - Figure It Out

Late Cambrian - Together

The Format - Holy Roller

Ratboys - Know You Then

Tim Izzard - Alice Pearl

Gold Coast - Hi-Fi Receiver

Pepperhead - Northern Bitches

Mavis - Lot 6

Grant Morriss - Life Of Grind

Grant Morriss · Life of Grind

The Junior League - Sunset Park

Sam Behr - Bug Hunts (Rock & Stone)

Ghost Rebel Club - The Earthquake's Daughter (Mike Schmid Remix)

Mayzie - Rise

Mayzie · RISE

Royal Blunder - Sherlock Holmes

Catcase - A Ring

Crooked Fingers - Cold Waves (With Mac McCaughan)

Rude Tins - Nothing Brings Me Back

Neon Bird - River Under Burned Bridges

Beaming - Say Goodbye

beaming · say goodbye

Autumn Owls - Thick A Thieves

The Michigans - Show

Holden Ave - Elks

Tacoblaster - Jelly Field

Chromosome - Afrika

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It Is Bedlam Here.

 

After relaxing for a couple of days after the Best Of 2025, I was thinking how late January Releases were this year. Then KAPOW! IDHAS has been hit by an avalanche. As well as the albums that have forward release dates that are put aside for the future dates, there are plenty of albums to tell you about that have been released.

A couple more have gone up today, preceding this post and both are fantastic listens. There will be tagging of those albums that have been reviewed since the last update on Social media later. At least there won't be a shortage of material for March's 31 Reviews In 31 Days regular feature. 

I'm off to compile tomorrow's Listening To This Week Playlist now and that has had a similar big wave effect. After struggling to get to 25 in recent weeks, this week we have the maximum 30 and have done for  days, meaning some songs will be carried over to next week. It is as though everyone was waiting for the end of our 2025 celebration and said right, here is 2026.

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Joe Glass - Snakewards

 

Joe Glass is a member of Sharp Pins' Live band and Snakewards is released on Kai Slater's Hallogallo label. As you might expect, the album is deliciously lo-fi at times with nods to Guided By Voices, Elephant 6 and Sharp Pins themselves.

But it is not all intentionally scrappy and I'll mention such joys later. The album is experimental and scrappy at times, but the main change to Sharp Pins is that there seems to be far more of a Power Pop thread and that is mainly where the glory shows.

It really a wonderful listen that treads plenty of roads. Freight Train Woman gets a little Bolan and there is a slight Glam tint and a great chorus. Felicity Crunch is melodic Noise Rock and Oscar's Midnight is splendidly chaotic, but in essence sounds like the break out of 60s Rock. 

All About You sounds like a demo from The La's and Man Who Lost His Diamond as an ace Jangle to it. Buck Wild is even a Swamp Acoustic Country Blues thing. It's A Drag is splendid 60s Pop performed in a let's do the show right here way.

Dust On Your Halo is superb Power Pop and New Pose runs it close. Dandelion is another that sounds much more than lo-fi, wonderful sing along choruses feature in all three. If you are a Sharp Pins fan, you will adore this, if you have never heard of them, you will to. A Fascinating mix of the straight ahead and the experimental. Top Notch!

You can listen to and buy the album here.  The cassette has sadly sold out. Maybe there is a further chance of a physical release.

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The Sylvia Platters - Will Tomorrow Be Enough EP

 

The Sylvia Platters never ever let you down. Now into their second decade, at times they sound very Indie 80s, a little C86, but to call them just that would be a major travesty. Their secret is their variety and these five songs demonstrate that perfectly.

You will have already heard both Alone and Gwendolyn Approximately on previous Listening To This Week. The former is darker with a Psych riff, enthralling. at times a little Post Punk, but with a chorus to die for. The latter catches you by surprise with another killer chorus, a slower melodic joy with a great Jangle to it and an extraordinarily ace Guitar outro.

False Colours is quality Indie Pop, a jaunty song that underlines the lyrical quality on show, showing an appreciation of what is happening around them. Tactical Lunch Box is more late 60s Psych Pop, built around a corking riff and an organ sound that reflects the period perfectly.

Time Takes Its Time is possibly the best song that wasn't written by Roddy Frame. Never afraid to Jangle, The Sylvia Platters are a band that knows exactly what they are about and want to take it further. I'd be greedy if I asked for more, these five songs will do me perfectly.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. It is available on Cassette and as a download.

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Alex Pester - Yours

 

We are long time fans of Alex Pester, a young prodigy with a fantastic back catalogue and Boy remains one of the best albums you will ever hear. It is sad reading the album notes that he has been struggling recently. The decision to go back home appears to be a good one.

The result of this is this new album and what an incredible listen it is. It is very different to what has gone before, incredibly inventive and very hard to label, which makes the album so wonderful. It really is all over the place, a myriad of ideas, all self recorded.

I really don't want to go into individual songs, this is an album to discover yourself. I'll embed my three current favourites, note the word current as these will change and your choices may be very different. It is heartfelt and beguiling.

At times, it is incredibly gentle and fragile, yet it can be chaotic and noisy. You will hear Folk that can be straight ahead or something acoustic that is twisted. There are changes in direction that are completely unexpected next to straight ahead charming.

I like it most when it gets a little twisted and you will have already heard the Psych Pop joy that is Pearl And Dean on a Listening To This Week Playlist. But Yours is an absolutely intoxicating listen. This is an album that has the promise to be looked back on in the future as something to constantly to recommend. So damn inventive!

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Heavy Water - Sundown

 

After adding two songs to recent Listening To This Week Playlists, I felt it worth investigating the mini album from which they came and the six songs are a cracking listen. Heavy Water is the project of Lubbock Texas's Mitch Rambo.

Just as those two LTTW selections varied, the album does two. Split into two directions, both work really well. The default is heavier Power Pop that edges towards Rockier AOR. These songs hit my sensibilities most. They Rock without ever losing the melodic joy. 

High School, Never Be A Saint and Lithium Of That all fit that template and are great listens that will certainly be enjoyed by longstanding members here. But the other directions taken are beguiling and work equally well.

Forget It is a little more 90s Rock, but also sounds a little Classic Rock. The male / female vocal blends beautifully. Pain gets into Pop Punk, built around an hypnotic riff. Of Sound Mind still sounds as good as it did on my first listen. It broods and the Country Guitar sound complements a slowed down song. It is very different to what has gone before.

This type of album was everyday a decade ago, but too few attempt this type of Melodic Rock these days. AOR seems to be left in the past. Being able to mix this with the current noisier new breed of Power Pop is an admiral skill. The production is top notch and the album is a fine listen.

You can listen to and buy the album here. 

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Listening To This Week Playlist 2 February

   

Normal Service is resumed this week with 26 songs. Would we dare to open with a 16 minute song? Yes we would. You can educate your musical sensibilities or move on to song 2, big faves of ours, with something off their upcoming album.

Elsewhere, there are returning heroes with Nick Piunti, the black watch, He's Dead Jim, Dave Cope, Guv and Marc Valentine. PLUS all the great new sounds that you have come to expect. 2026 has officially begun in these parts.

The weekly playlist is largely for submissions, not just the usual stuff that we dig out ourselves. The song order is not about song preference, but how the playlist flows.  All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours. This will help you to discover more about the artists who appear here. 

Sykofant - Heart Of The Woods

Log Flume - Necessary Evil

He's Dead Jim - The Process

The 425's - Beautiful Mistake

Dave Cope - Funny Thing Love

Prism Shores - Kid Gloves

Nick Piunti - Big In Madrid

Living Too Late - Starting To Be

Marc Valentine - NY UAP

Guv - Blue Jade

Joe Glass - Man Who Lost His Diamond

the black watch - some people will believe

You Filthy Dog - Shared Universe

Hard To Miss - Pick Up The Phone

Muo Duo - After The End

Muo Duo · After The End

Nollvision - Orolig Sijal

Vehicle - You Are Not A Cowboy

Hedge - Hey Dude

Rock Berg - Stop Drop And Roll

ROCK BERG · Stop Drop and Roll

Miracle Finds - Miss You, My Friends

Dewey - Outside Of The Lines

Mirrorglass - Better Off Dead

Heavy Water - Of Sound Mind

Joe Doonan - Before You Leave

Kamikaze - X Me Out

LANPE - Findsine

LANPE · Findsine

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