Loose Lips - Love You EP

 

Great to see (and hear) the return of Loose Lips after last year's wonderful Last Laugh (Review here) album. As mentioned in the review, Two Thirds of Loose Lips are in the five piece The Prize who enchanted all and sundry with their debut album last year.

Consisting of Josh Hardy on Guitar, Ethan Stahl on Bass and Nadine Muller on Drums, the band rely on noisier Power Pop that edges towards Punk than the three Guitar attack of The Prize. But it is incredibly effective. Fist shaking is guaranteed.

Muller and Hardy split vocals Muller taking her turn on Tired Of Toein' The Line which is possibly the best thing here, a great example of how the band can expand away from more traditional Power Pop. Hardy takes the lead on the 100mph Ramones like Beehive Teardrop.

There is a terrific Rhythm Section from Stahl and Muller, the former offering up great UK New Wave basslines. Hardy offers up killer riffs and surprise solos that add another dimension to the Melbourne Trio. It is really great to have them back.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. It is available on Vinyl 7 Inch and as a download.

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Duncan Sheik R.I.P.

 

Duncan Sheik was an extra-ordinarily gifted Singer Songwriter. A mainstay of our previous life as Anything Should Happen, where his albums and live performances were adored. He doesn't appear here, largely because we celebrate the new and he swapped his album career for Broadway around the time that IDHAS began.

On ASH, Mick Dillingham termed the description Gravitas Pop to describe him and others of his ilk. Under Appreciated he certainly was. Many will point to his self titled debut album from 1996 which spawned Barely Breathing, but the follow up, Humming, was possibly even better. 2015's Legerdemain was as great as earlier days. 

He leaves behind, a stellar back catalogue and is a really sad loss to Guitar Pop.

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Like Minded Friends Section

The Like Minded Friends section contains links to other places that are similar to us and will allow you to find other delights. Unfortunately, a Blogger problem has meant that they have not updated for a week. This is a general problem and awaiting a Google fix. Should it continue, we will look for an alternate way of linking them.

In the meantime, you can of course click on the link and catch up with what you have missed.

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Listening To This Week Playlist 14 September

27 songs this week.  The usual mix of Guitar Pop roads and diversions into alternate genre avenues. As always, a wonderful closer. Nice to be back in the saddle and something for everyone here.

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 those who appear here. 

Stephen Egerton - Roland Grace

Mitch Easter - Wall Of Mist

Red Cabin - What A Fail

British Birds - Scary Movies

Ultra Lights - Pleasure's All Yours

The Last Mandrill - I Would Gladly Get Out Of Your Head

Sharp Class - Stuck On You

Fuzzysurf - I Really Miss You

Town Meeting - Renaissance Faire

Love Hearts - Occupy My Heart

Jay Cavalier And The Band - The Big Light

Lito And The Shepherds - The Flow

Dear Darcy - MayDay

Dear Darcy · MayDay

DEAD STAR TALK - Don't Stop Tonight

Slow Down Molasses - Life Without Buildings

Sir Prize And The Twomorrow Knightz - Hilltop High

Arcadia Residential - Industrial Estate

James E. Gray - Simulation

James E. Gray · Simulation

The Nielsen Device - I Can't Wait

The Summertimes - Save You Now

Azure Rose - Blue Drops

audio club - Turn My World

Nefilim - Melankoli

Fraternal Twin - Solitude

Stane - Kimberley Clark

Automatics - England Expects

Confusion Field - Conjuring Conflict

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The Feeders - Dark Days

 

Sam Vicari is a fine songwriter who seemed to eventually find the ideal vehicle for the songs in The Feeders. Vicari, Alex Rackow and John Perrin fashion up great Guitar Pop. Although they preceded the new wave of noisier Power Pop, they certainly sound at home there.

The Trio are some damn melodic, but wrap that in crunchier guitar that takes them into Indie Rock territory at times, but you sense that their heart lies in Power Pop. The Power Pop rhythm on Congratulations, By The Way is a joy to listen to and what a Guitar solo!

However, they can move the dial. Permanent Blackout is much darker, edging into Grunge and Level Zero is pure early Weezer and Sara, You're My Saviour is great Slacker Rock and I do love the way they use a comma in their song titles.

If you want them to Rock Out with a hint of Jangle, then here's Out To Rot. Why Do We Fight is almost anthemic with its Guitar chorus solo. Yet, Fruit Flies is so damn hypnotic, built around a simple riff and a heartfelt vocal.

Mrs Duluth News Anchor sounds very early Teenage Fanclub, superbly so and Benevolent is nearer classic Power Pop with some great call and response. The lyrics may be dark, but instrumentally, the album is particularly splendid. A top notch affair!

You can listen to and buy the album here.The album is available on Vinyl and as a download.

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Love Hearts - Love Hearts Forever

 

All the way from Oslo, we have Love Hearts. Mikel Clelland is no stranger to the scene as a member of both The Hallingtons and The Lemonaids. Both bands mastered a sort of poppier sounding Ramones, firstly via Norway and then the Glasgow scene.

Love Hearts is Clelland with Mike DeeCrack on Drums. The Ramones feel is less prominent, exchanged for really enjoyable Bubblegum Power Pop. Classic Power Pop, simple but incredibly effective and so damn catchy. 

Sugar Sugar opens and tells you all you need about the band. Songs largely about love and built around verse, verse, chorus, verse, killer chorus middle eight etc, but they are such a fun listen, you find yourself singing along in a heartbeat.

The standout is Occupy My Heart which ends more into early Weezer and their like territory. It is a great Power Pop song, but the whole album is a hoot. It doesn't vary much, but you don't really want it to as the joy it brings is something much needed in these crazy times.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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Jay Cavalier And The Band - The Big Light EP (Free Download)

 

I had a conversation with an old friend at the weekend and he was telling me how useless the EP is in 2026. I hear similar things from the album is done brigade and I disagree with both vigorously. The Playlist will one day be less sexy. It isn't, as many say, the replacement of the album or the necessity for a single. I'll go into why more fully in the future.

Jay Cavalier is an example of how important, the EP can be. A single obviously open doors a little, but how many great songs have you heard that lead you to an album that is really mediocre? If someone can hold your intention over three songs, then there's a reasonable chance that they will hold your attention for much longer. Plus make the three songs free to download and many bases are covered.

Pontificating over, The Bad Light is an incredible listen. It is DIY, put wonderfully engaging and these three songs stand up with anything. It was the submission of the title track that brought me here and if something resonates, I will look further.

The Big Light as a song, sounds very UK New Wave, the type that came out of Punk when bands realised they had to learn their instrument more and sing something catchy. Cavalier's vocal sounds best on this, a voice that adapts across both UK and US scenes. 

Waiting For The Rain is more American sounding, but also the path that New Wavers like Graham Parker took in the 80s, it has a great weeping Piano in the background and a fine sax break and a great Riff. It is a real songwriter telling a story vibe.

House Of Mirrors has an earthier vocal, but again has a sort of US feel that became more and more popular in the 80s Indie band. Beautifully played based around a cracking twanging riff. I think the future is bright for Cavalier, even in his 30s. I really do hope so. That twanging riff on House Of Mirrors promises much.

You can listen to and download the EP here.

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