Lightheaded's urgent, thrillingly fresh take on 60s/80s indiepop shines brightly on their debut album "Combustible Gems" and perhaps nowhere more so than on their new single "Bright Happy Girls." What starts as 60s folk/garage pop of the Teenage Shutdown persuasion dissolves into a tumbling, almost chaotic rush of guitars and vocals that go in and out of harmony. The overall effect strongly evokes the wild flush of secret crushes and new loves, the giddy optimism and delicious confusion.

Combustible Gems

Lightheaded - Bright Happy Girls

New Jersey's Lightheaded are clearly students of pop in all of its variety, drawing as much from 60s Brill Building song writers as they do from later 60s folk/pop developments and 80s DIY pop. The striking thing is how seamlessly they're able to meld these influences, and the distinctive voice that they've crafted this early in their career. Their new album "Combustible Gems" follows-up their well-regarded "Good Good Great!" EP in fine fashion, striking all the right Phil Spector/Goffin & King chords while rooting the album firmly in the NOW. Singles like "Moments Notice" and "Bright Happy Girls" possess a timeless pop charm, brimming with jangle, drama and infectious energy.

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Lightheaded - Moments Notice

Oakland's longest-running bubblegum popsters Lunchbox have such a sure way with a tune that after 30 years and countless releases we're almost not surprised when they come up with a new album of smashes. Yet, here we are with their latest single "I'm Yours, You're Mine," a stomping piece of junkshop soul replete with a relentless dance beat, melodic keys, and a wicked fuzz bass breakdown. It's the perfect mix of 70s AM radio, 80s mod revival and timeless power-pop of any decade you might choose and a swell taster for their new album "Pop and Circumstance."

Pop And Circumstance

Pop and Circumstance

Lunchbox - I’m Yours, You’re Mine

Neutrals are a punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, channeling a wide range of '70s and '80s punk, post-punk, and DIY indiepop influences. Their spare, angular songs don't skimp on melody or intimate storytelling and represent an appropriate intervention in these tense, atomized times. Their debut album "Kebab Disco" came out in 2019 on Emotional Response Records and garnered universal acclaim as "an excellent collection of terse melodies, unique storytelling, and scraping pop. (AllMusic)".

Following up their ace 2019 debut LP and a string of future-classic singles, Neutrals are now back with "New Town Dream," a 13 song dispatch that takes on modern life and politics (both micro and macro) and situates their scrappy Jam-meets-Television Personalties sound firmly in 2024. Now featuring the sprightly bass and deadpan harmonies/backing vocals of bassist Lauren, Neutrals have turned in their catchiest, sharpest set of tunes yet.

We No Speak Americano (DJ Deville Dutch Remix)

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