This week’s Five Songs You Must Hear list begins with a familiar name or two but then dives into some as-yet undiscovered gems
1. Dirty Heads, One of Those Days
7 Seas (Better Noise Music Canada)
Recommended If You Like: Reggae Rock
It’s that time of year when rock with a reggae groove sounds best. Dirty Heads (est. Huntington Beach 2006) have been at it for twenty years now and are up to nine studio albums. If you’re looking for some early summer vibes, this is a good start. The album will be on June 7 and they’ll be touring with 311.
2. Hollerado, What Killed Elvis Presley
Start a Band EP (Independent)
RIYL: Surprise second acts
Yes, Hollerado broke up a while ago. And yes, they’re back together. The “four-time JUNO losers” (their description are back with a surprise EP and with string of summer tour dates. You can take the boy out of the band, but you can’t take the band out of the boy…
3. Gay Nineties, Internet, Sex & Drugs
Single (Independent)
RIYL: Nostalgic power pop
This four-piece Vancouver outfit is back with their first new music since 2017. It’s a song that evokes the feels of the late 90s with maybe just a touch of AM radio pop-rock from the 70s. They’re led by Parker Bossley (Hot Hot Heat, Fur Trade, Fake Shark-Real Zombie). Watch for them on tour this summer with July Talk.
4. Buffalo Traffic Jam, Fool’s Gold
Single (Arista)
RIYL: Montana traffic hazards
Frankie Cassidy and Nathan Ross met as students at Montana State University and have since worked out a two-piece folk-rock situation based in Bozeman after playing a lot of dorms and parties. If you have a soft spot for the quieter side of groups like Mumford & Sons, then this is what you’re looking for. And yes, in Montana, herds of buffalo do cause traffic jams.
5. Opus Kink, Come Over, Do Me Wrong
The Sweet Goodbye (Nice Swan Records)
RIYL: Dramatic darkness
This somewhat mysterious six-piece group from the UK that has managed to create a song with interesting layers of guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, and trumpet to back up lyrics that work more like complex poetry. They can sound a little bit like D.C. Fontaines, but still manage to stand out on their own. Their debut album will arrive on July 31.
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