Scott Deckman – Lollipop Magazine

Trader – Gold Star Crosshair – Music Stream

June 14, 2026

Trader feels catapulted from the ’90s, influenced by riff-heavy, introspective fare like Hum and the era’s lo-fi indie rock, such as Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.

Stiff Arm – Master of the Universe – Review

June 7, 2026

Stiff Arm’s four-song Master of the Universe is a good 10 minutes of garagey punk.

Starflyer 59 – I’m Disappointed – Music Stream

May 31, 2026

Jason Martin, the erstwhile shoegazer, is back with a punkier, louder tune. Applause goes to his son Charlie for some pretty ferocious drumming.

The Mosfets – Radio, Turn Me On – Music Stream

May 24, 2026

Reminds of ‘I’ll Be There for You,” the infernal Friends theme song by the Rembrandts, which, divorced from having to watch the show, isn’t that infernal after all.

The Strokes – Going Shopping – Music Stream

May 20, 2026

The guitars are recognizably Strokes, and after a few listens, the melody gets stuck in your head, but so do commercials.

Yeah, Sure – Gut Punch – Music Stream

May 17, 2026

A sliver of updated classic hardcore with a little melody thrown in. Nothing else I’ve heard from the band goes quite this hard, but that’s okay.

The Cle Elum – Guided by Guided by Voices – Music Stream

May 3, 2026

The cleverly titled “Guided by Guided by Voices” is poppy and punky, with singer Ian Lee recalling Kody Templeman of Teenage Bottlerocket.

Beck – Ride Lonesome – Music Stream

April 26, 2026

“Ride Lonesome” is not awful. Mellow, acoustic, introspective, countryish. And he’s got the cash to make a beautiful video.

The Blurry Stars – Tidal Wave – Music Stream

April 19, 2026

The band calls themselves garage rock, which is partly right. They also have a heavy power pop side, with an emphasis on heavy; think cult fave Superdrag.

Social Distortion – Born to Kill – Music Stream

March 29, 2026

It’s plenty ballsy, like classic Social D. Rocking, upbeat tempo, Mike Ness’s Les Paul and battered baritone belting out a middle finger of a rock anthem.