Sumos Announce Surfacing
Funny how I spent the night watching Manchester acts only to come home to a track from another band from the area: Sumos. The group just announced Surfacing, their debut LP for Meritorio and Safe Suburban Home, with this new pop ditty to entice you to give it a listen. For me, this song embodies almost a classic alternative rock feel; it’s got just the faintest hints of noise fuzzing out the edges, but with this core that just seems breezy and euphoric. I was easily hooked by the teasing intro, switching from a lo-fi vocal to something brighter and more emphatic, building in that sweet hook for my ears. If you’re enjoying what you hear, Surfacing is out on May 12th.
What? Another day and another track from Meritorio Records? And from San Francisco no less? 
After the masses fell in love with the Ballad of Doug, San Francisco’s 
I know there are tons of great releases spread out through 2023 already, but I’ve already got There’s No I In Spice World penciled into my Top Ten of the year, and it’s only the 3rd week of January. To be fair, I’d put it there on the back of my favorite tune “Mountain Pony 20” alone, which I’m pretty sure I’ve played nearly 1000 times already. The band manage to walk this line between weary pop and energetic jangling pop. “Useless Feeling” offers that more upbeat churn you’ve come to expect from the current crop of Aussie outfits; the chorus is sublime tossing the steady beat into this joyous dual-vocal euphoria. You’ll find more explorative tracks like “Snake Oil” or “What a Pity What a Shame,” but regardless, you’ve got to stick out ’til the end to play “Dying to Go” at least a handful of times with a smile on your face. 
There’s something in Australia’s water that makes the heartfelt songwriting just tug at your heart strings, something that just feels so utterly human and relatable. Such is the latest track from 
In just a coupe of weeks, we’ll get to hear the entirety of the new