Guitar pop just the way we like it -- loose, warm, well tailored but with some loose threads, and with enough off-kilter themes to be thoroughly engaging. That is Tulpa in a nutshell for us. The term "tulpa" generally refers to an imaginary being. However, with a two guitars and a steady rhythm section, this band is as real as can be, and the evidence is clear on their debut album Monster of the Week. The songs are energetic, varied, and clever without being precious. It is the sort of music that you hope that your favorite house band in your favorite watering hole would play. Unless you are in Leeds, UK, that won't happen for you. But wouldn't the album be the next best thing?
Monster of the Week is out now view Skepwax Records. Tulpa are Josie Kirk (vocals/bass), Daniel Hyndman (guitar), Myles Kirk (guitar) and Mike Ainsley (drums).
According to our records department, we first covered Turku, Finland's The New Tigers in 2011, so the band and WYMA have been in a non-exclusive relationship with each other for 14 years (how very modern, of us). While the band's musical endeavors don't fall into a rigid compartment, they generally play a densely melodic brand of guitar pop -- perhaps a more shimmering, shoegazey Yo La Tengo. While they haven't been as active as we would like in recent years, they have dropped a thrilling surprise in the form of new single, "Off The Wall"/"Butterfly". The lead track is robust and best played loud, while the second song shimmers with no percussion and the guitars taking the front of the stage. We think these songs are among the band's best work. And that gives us happy hints about the planned 2026 album which will include both of them.
The New Tigers are Appu Jasu, Valtteri Virtanen, Janne Kauppinen, and Nico Kivikangas. The recording is out now as a digital release via Helsinki's Soliti Music.
What musical obsessions have occupied us the last few days, you (should) ask? Thanks for asking. The answer is frequent replans of Don't Swim Too Close by Great Lakes. Featuring songwriter Ben Crum's weathered vocals and introspective lyrics, the album's 12 tracks are an indie rock, Americana, alt folk tapestry that has become one of our favorite albums of the year, so far. The arrangements are richly constructed with piano and guitars shining brightly and evince muscle and bruised beauty..
Crum's Great Lakes has been going for nearly three decades -- from Athens to Brooklyn to upstate New York. But it still sounds vital and inspiring. If you don't get this album you are missing an important piece of 2025's musical tapestry.
Don't Swim Too Close is out now via Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.
One of the many wonderful things about the current Bay Area indie pop scene is the scope of the output. Whether one is looking for delicate, whispered folk pop, lo-fi jangle, punk, shoegaze, hardcore, psychedelic or, really, whatever, you can find it well done. One project that captures a special place in our musical hearts is Telephone Numbers. The band -- Thomas Rubenstein with Morgan Stanley, Phil Lantz, and Charlie Ertola -- plays a jangling college rock that evokes cherished memories while still managing to be fresh and exciting. On their recently released second album, Scarecrow II, the guitars chime, jangle and chug, the rhythm section rumbles in your chest and the vocals speak the truth. The tempos vary, inviting bouncing in some tracks and softly saying in others. Without hesitation, we can recommend that these Telephone Numbers should be in your music contacts list.
The band features members of Neutrals, Chime School, The Reds, Pinks and Purples, and The Umbrellas. For this recording they also received contributions from Alicia Vanden Heuvel, Andy Pastalaniec, Tony Molina, Anna Hillburg, Lewis Gallardo, and K. Dylan Edrich. Scarecrow II is out now via Slumberland Records.
Trying to choose a favorite album of the seven recorded by Glasgow's Bubblegum Lemonade is an effort so fruitless that even we wastrels at WYMA won't do it. Infused with jangle, infectious melodies and sincerity, this project's music fits perfectly in our channel of cozy delights. But having written that, we have to admit that the recently released To Surf With Love has impressed us beyond our pre-release expectations. For this album chief cook and bottlewasher Laz McCluskey has been inspired by the mid-'90s French romantic comedy A Summer's Tale and has arranged his creations with a seaside vibe. His witty title puns on that theme and the famous '60s hit by Scots artist Lulu. The result is a delightful collection of connected tunes with emotional depth and, while true to Laz's jangling semi-shoegaze path, a range of tempos and stylistic expressions. Take a dive into the world of Bubblegum Lemonade, you will find the water to be the perfect temperature.
Bubblegum Lemonade is the solo project of musician and songwriter Laz McCluskey whose other musical endeavor is Strawberry Whiplash (which also recently released an album). To Surf With Love is out now in digital and CD formats via Matinee Recordings.
When Scotland's The Just Joans announce an upcoming album titled Romantic Visions of Scotland we can draw several conclusions. First, we know we will like the album because, well, it is The Just Joans and we love them. Second, the album will have good songs with lyrics worth our attention. Third, those lyrics often will be snarky, humorous, self-depreciating, gloomy, bitter and sarcastic. Fourth, the visions of Scotland depicted in the song may well not be romantic, at least not in any traditional manner. Since the album isn't due until January 23, we won't say a lot more now. But we invite you to feast your ears on the first single, "Here Come The Rugby Boys" recounting songwriter David Pope's less than favorable memories of a season of youth rugby. Its like Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields fronting The Kinks covering Tullycraft, and who can't appreciate that?
Romantic Visions of Scotland will be released via Fika Recordings.
One of our favorite albums in 2021 was Still Life by L.A. band Massage. That jangling, dream-gazing, guitar-dense album remains a favorite and we still play it regularly. However, we need to make some room in our soundtrack because we have a new Massage gem demanding out ears. The new 10-track Coaster builds on the delights of its predecessor, retaining the instant classic pop melodies, multi-voiced vocals and lovely layers of guitars. To that foundation, in our opinion, Massage has added a wider sound palette. While still delivering their perfectly crafted blends of guitar pop and shoegaze -- check out the exquisite "We're Existential" below -- the band offers echoes of Creation Records on "Fading Out" and folk rock that will prompt fans of The Go--Betweens smile on "Hang On to that Feeling". "Psychic" starts out as a clap-along guitar pop and finishes as a slice of countryfied southern rock on "Psychic". Every song here is a star and that adds up to a top 10 2025 album for us.
Massage are Alex Naidus (vocals/guitar), Andrew Romano (vocals/guitar), Gabrielle Ferrer (vocal/keys), David Rager (bass), and Natalie de Almeida (drums). Coaster is out now via Bobo Integral Records and Mt.St.Mtn. Records.
Please don't be alarmed as we tell you that on October 31 the Bombs will drop. These Bombs aren't the scary, deadly exploding type -- they are the exciting The Belair Lip Bombs. The Melbourne quartet caught our attention a four years ago via their cool name referencing a '70s brand of skateboard wheels and a noteworthy single. While their 2023 debut LP Lush Life proved that they were a band to watch, we think that the upcoming Again promises to be even better. But you can judge for yourself by listening to the three singles from the album.
The Belair Lip Bombs are Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel "Dev" Devlin. Again will be released via Third Man Records. The band also will be touring Europe and the US. The dates and venues are listed at the end of this post.
The Belair Lip Bombs Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold) Sat. Nov. 8 - Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar Mon. Nov. 10 - Berlin, DE @ Maschinehaus Tue. Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko Wed. Nov. 12 - Ghent, BE @ Charlatan Thu. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere Mon. Nov. 17 - San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba Tue. Nov. 18 - Madrid, ES @ El Sótano Wed. Nov. 19 - Barcelona, ES @ Laut Fri. Nov. 21 - Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey Mon. Nov. 24 - Brighton, UK @ Volks Tue. Nov. 25 - Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach Wed. Nov. 26 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange Fri. Nov. 28 - London, UK @ Scala Sat. Nov. 29 - Manchester, UK @ YES Sun. Nov. 30 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo Mon. Dec. 1 - Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social Sat. Feb. 7 - Kombumerri Jagun Land / Gold Coast, AU @ Laneway Festival Sun. Feb. 8 - Gadigal & Bidjigal Land / Sydney @ Laneway Festival Fri. Feb. 13- Wurundjeri Biik Land / Melbourne @ Laneway Festival Tue. Mar. 24 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar $ Thu. Mar. 26 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall $ Fri. Mar. 27 - Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga $ Mon. Mar. 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $ Tue. Mar. 31 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive $ Thu. Apr. 2 - Lawrence, KS / Kansas City, MO @ White School House $ Fri. Apr. 3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club $ Sat. Apr. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle $ Mon. Apr. 6 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison $ Thu. Apr. 9 - New York, NY @ Night Club 101 $ Fri. Apr. 10 - New York, NY @ Baby's All Right $ Sat. Apr. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA $ Sun. Apr. 12 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd $ Mon. Apr. 13 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings $ Wed. Apr.15 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man Records $ Thu. Apr. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl $ Sat. Apr. 18 - Dallas, TX @ Sons of Hermann Hall $ Sun. Apr. 19 - Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom $ Wed. Apr. 22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge $ Thu. Apr. 23 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah $ Fri. Apr. 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon $
If you are an indie pop fan you probably will read about Scots duo The Cords in multiple publications. There is a reason: They have earned it. Sure, that is our opinion. But it also is the opinion of other music writers, concert promoters, and other bands. And when knowledgeable label heads like the boss at Slumberland Records and the veteran indie popsters Rob and Amelia (Heavenly/Talula Gosh/Catenary Wires/Swansea Sound/Pooh Sticks) at Skepwax Records sign a band for their debut LP, you can be sure that there is substance behind the chatter. And while sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi can feel lucky to appear on those labels, we suspect that the labels feel lucky to have them on the roster.
And this leads us to their self-titled debut. Jangle and melody abound, and there is that welcome familiarity of the rush of vocals and guitar that we heard with Shop Assistants, The Vaselines, C-86 bands and Sarah Records favorites. But in our view the special ingredient is way that those familiar and cherished styles and sounds are molded into something present and now by two talented artists born much more recently. It is like going into a vintage clothing shop and finding garments you want with delightful and unexpected details -- an unusual contrasting collar, an offbeat color, or an unusual cut to the lapels. It all is delivered sincerely, but also a dose of wry humor and an understanding that indie pop songs are best at a breezy pace and don't stick around too long.
The Cords is out now via Slumberland Records and Skepwax Records.
One of the treasures of the jangle pop world is Dusseldorf band The Radio Field. They impressed us mightily a couple of years ago with an LP titled Don'ts and Dos and they are back with new album Air and Sunlight. We are happy to report that there is no evidence of a sophomore slump -- this album is even better than the first.
The album hits all the right notes out of the gate with opener "It's Alright" and jangles and pops with enthusiasm for nine more tracks with blends, in various degrees, of jangle, bright indie pop, and a touch of country rock/Americana. There is one slower track, but the gang has to catch their breath at some point -- right?
Air and Sunlight is one of the hidden gems of the year -- don't miss out. It is available now via Less Records and Subjangle.
.jpg)
.jpg)
