Top Albums of 2024…According to Nathan

I love to wrap up the year later than most, mostly because my real job always has me swimming against the current. But, nonetheless, I’ve got a solid list of the records I loved this year…and you’ll notice a lot of the same stuff as my peers, with maybe a few tweaks here and there to throw my own flare into it. Not really sure how to write an intro into something that seems so opinion-based, so here’s the list of records you should already have purchased if you come to this site frequently!

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Last Week’s Jams (9.30 – 10.4)

It’s always strange when I feel like I didn’t do a good job covering new jams, yet I end the week with 20 or more new tunes we’ve tried to get you to crank up…and last week was definitely one of those…feel like I barely dipped my toes in the pond of goodness. Alas, there were some great tunes for you, particularly if you’re into the Australian scene, with new stuff from both Pop Filter and Skegss, not to mention the Oceanic adjacent Jim Nothing. Naked Roommate threw down an end of Summer block party, while Austin’s Cast of Thousands let us say hello to some old friends. Tons of stuff to indulge upon here, so feel free to let me know what I might have missed along the way.

The Smashing Times Share Title Track from Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys

Despite the lengthy title on the forthcoming LP, the Smashing Times definitely know how to write a tune for those wayward pop fanatics. They’ve got the title track from Mrs. Ladyshops and the Cleanerhouse Boys, and while I think I’ve previously pegged them as the second-coming of Television Personalities, this new jam feels wholly like it was meant to be in the Comet Gain catalogue. There are some special little backing moments on this, like the simple “la la la” that just make your cup overflow with joy, all the while still locked into a bit of rock n’ roll swagger and shake. K Records will drop the record on November 1st, so get your ears ready!

Last Week’s Jams (9.3 – 9.6)

Just because it was a short week doesn’t mean we couldn’t cover a whole lot of brand new music, especially since there were some unexpected returns that we didn’t know were coming, like new jams from The Green Child and The Innocence Mission. More recent favorites dropped some solid tracks for us, so check in with the latest from Best Bets, Naked Roommate and Mo Dotti. But, don’t just think it was all bangers, with the softer side coming through via Adrian Marner and Tom Emlyn. And, be sure to check in with that new Forceghost, who I’d like to apologize to for misspelling the name of their Recycled Hearts release; sorry my friends! Just press play and enjoy!

The Smashing Times Share New Single

Not sure what you have planned for this Friday, but seeing as its a Bandcamp Friday, might we encourage you to take a peek at what the Smashing Times have in store for you. Whereas their earliest efforts dwelled in the crosshairs of paisley and jangle, they’ve done an about-face here, working with more of a kind of oddball-punk feel, albeit spun through the lens of great pop sensibility. Think of the Blockheads or TVPs as nostalgia’s contemporaries; they work this new single almost as if its a multi-act play, circling back to this mystical seance that teases the listener before swinging back with a bit of a punky bob and weave. Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys will be out via K/Perennial on November 1st.

Last Week’s Jams (7.29 – 8.2)

Pretty sure our coverage crushed it this last week; I think there was one day where we covered ten songs in a single day! But, I’m about to end my summer break, so don’t expect that too much more. Alas, we had album shout outs for Blood, Male Gays, Aaberg, True Optimist and Teenage Tom Petties. Some of my favorite acts returned to the fold, like the Smashing Times and Pop FilterYoung Scum had a new jam, but it’s not streaming yet. Big hits from Chimers, The Gabys and the Softies kept us busy…and always nice to have a Chime School tune too! Enjoy the streams of last week’s jams!

The Smashing Times Announces Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys

Every year you get a brilliant record from the Smashing Times, and it looks like 2024 is just another year and another record brimming with hook-laden pop tunes. We bring you the first sneak peek into Mrs Ladyship and the Cleanerhouse Boys, which opens with almost a 15 second tease before seductively bringing you into the band’s inner-circle by way of snapping cymbal percussion and bobbing bass. You hang here, kicking it with the band until you hit that brilliant moment of infectious pop that drops around 54 seconds; they intertwine vocal harmonies as if they’re taking the best moments from your favorite Pastels/Vaselines mixtape. The song continues to hit at the left of center pop brand, brining in the backing vocals to sprinkle bits of sugar on the wayward pop piece of toast. More brilliant pop that we’ll see dropping via K Records on November 1st.

New Split Flexi Disc Featuring The Smashing Times and The See No Evils

I love the weird world of music where folks are trying to always keep the artistry in the scene, drawing fans into the music they love in whatever fashion they can…like Raving Pop Blast. The label just announced a new flexi 7″ that accompanies their latest zine, and it features two great tracks from The Smashing Times and The See No Evils. I came to the singles by way of the Smashing Times, who pull of the best single that the TV Personalities never wrote, albeit with just a hint more pop sentiment in there. Leeds outfit The See No Evils aren’t too shabby either, bringing a great bit of swirling jangle pop to the table. Feels like this 7″ was made just for me! Get a copy of the zine/flexi HERE.

Last Week’s Jams (8.14 – 8.18)

Okay, so I’m back in school and coaching women’s volleyball, which of course meant we couldn’t dare draw near the 40 or so tracks we covered the week prior. But, that being said, there were some really special tunes, and some of my favorites popping up in here. Blue Ocean and Seablite announced new LPs, while the Smashing Times dropped another stellar single to whet our appetites. Local favorites Single Lash and Sun June both announced new releases too, so it was a pretty solid week. Oh, and that Optic Sink jam was so good, we might have accidentally overlapped and posted it twice! Stream below!

The Smashing Times Share Monday in a Small Dull Town

I’m really frustrated with the Smashing Times; I had already decided what my favorite LP of the year was going to be, and here they are, wrecking my life with another great single from their next LP. There’s crisp jangles, warm melodies, a little bit of warbling in the vocals to add some distinction…and it’s all tied to this artistic video with a bit of a hazy wash to it. For me, there are two really incredible things that I love here. The first, it reminds me (in jangles and harmonies) of a really stoned version of Literature, whose record we put out years and years ago, like if they were playing an afterparty and didn’t want to wake the neighbors. The second thing is the way there’s this use of patience and space in the middle, letting the song breathe a little bit, which is completely delightful. This Sporting Life is out October 30th via K Records/Perennial Death.

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