Summer 2026 is turning into the season of neo-Britpop. Liverpool’s Keyside, Manchester’s The Guest List, Derby’s Marseille, and now another Liverpool sensation, The Kowloons. The band have a new EP Hallelujah with four fine tunes, definitely worthy of its twelve+ minutes length. But here I’m going to take you back to last year’s amazing, jangle-fabulous song “I Don’t Care.” You can definitely hear the influence of The La’s on this one. The acoustic guitar underlay, the build up with jangly guitars and the contrast between lead singer Stephen Ng and the swirl of harmony vocals. The joy behind this music just rises up and embraces you. Just try not smiling. You won’t go wrong traipsing through the band’s back catalogue either, from their 2021 launch single, a brilliant cover of The La’s unreleased gem “Fishing Net,” to the more recent 2023 EP James Dean. It’s an exciting scene emerging across the north of England this summer, a return to the region’s strong melodic guitar-based traditions. I’m keen to see what or who emerges next.
So many places to meet up with The Kowloons: their website, Soundcloud page, and Facebook locales for a start. And if you live in the UK, you might even be able to see them live!
A blockbuster release has heft. These are records that storm the turntable, letting up only to allow the shift from side one to side two. This specific blockbuster pack contains bands old and new, with some returning from a long break while others seem to pump out product every few months. Either way, get ready to be wowed.
It’s a comeback of epic proportions. The Greenberry Woods have returned after three decades with a long-player full of sparkling new material, aptly dubbed It’s All Good, Sugar … Truthfully, the potential hits just keep coming on this album. Opening cut “Summer Song” kicks things off in dynamic style, reminding us why the original band toured with the likes of Squeeze. Then things shift to the manic pop rush guiding “Waiting ‘Round For Something to Go Wrong.” And before you can catch your breath we’re on to very Matthew Sweet-ish “Whenever You Want Me Too.” This is an album where decades of influences come together, channeled through some very fine songwriting. Take “Very Good Year.” The track has a grinding Odds-like guitar pop groove but there are unmistakeable Beatles references too. “All I Want Is You” could be the Bay City Rollers, properly power-punked up. “That Girl” is very Elvis Costello circa 1980, right down the Steve Nieve organ runs and staccato back-up vocals. On “December Boy” the band extend the Big Star story from “September Gurls.” Personally, I’m digging “That Won’t Make You Love Me,” a song the album presser calls a ‘jangle heartbreaker.’ But the undoubted radio-ready should-be hit is the hard-hitting but still popalicious “The One That Makes You Happy.” What a soaring, sonorous slab of hit single-age! You know something is good when it gets covered mere weeks after it comes out (by the inimitable Grant Lindberg – listen here). I won’t be the only scribe telling you to make room on your record shelf for the triumphant return of The Greenberry Woods.
After the Lemon Twigs put out their tight rocking single “I’ve Got a Broken Heart” paired with the poppy garage-rock number “Friday (I’m Going To Love You)” in late 2025 I thought I knew what would be coming on their upcoming 2026 long-player. The songs seemed to signal a move away from their more baroque pop tastes toward 1960s power pop. The new LP Look For Your Mind! jams such easy expectations, not that that amounts to disappointment – far from it. But the boys just can’t resist showcasing multiple styles across the 14 tracks that appear here. Things started pretty much as I had expected. Opening cut “Look For Your Mind” offered up a lush Byrdsian power-pop work out. Yet just as quickly things harkened back to the baroque on “2 or 3” and “Gather Round.” Ok, so the shape of this record appears to be going in multiple directions, stretching across 1960s and into the 1970s. We can see this on “Nothin’ But You,” classic 1970s guitar pop. Another 1970s influence appears to be from Todd Rundgren’s Utopia on cuts like “Fire and Gold” and “Your True Enemy.” The two decades converge in the obvious single “I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You” with its poppy jangle and Beach Boys harmonies. The 1960s beach influences continue on “Mean To Me” and “Bring You Down,” the latter vibing Brian Wilson’s Chuck Berryisms. Stand out songs here for me include the great guitar pop tune “You’re Still My Girl” and the more operatic pop of “My Heart Is In Your Hands Tonight.” Look For Your Mind! confirms it’s good to have your expectations challenged.
There you have it, two bona fide blockbuster releases that do not disappoint. The hyperlinks take you to your local blockbuster dispensary.
A Swedish fast furniture company had a commercial that got a generation of kids yelling ‘start the car!’ whenever the family approached the vehicle. I don’t know that it helped to sell more of their particle board book shelves but it was briefly entertaining. And now we revive the slogan to celebrate two motor-themed bands with fab new platters.
On their most recent LP Never Sing Alone Toronto’s Motorists give off a strong rock vibe on opening cut “Cristobel” and tracks like “The Damage,” the latter cut with just the right dose of new wave. I get a lot of retro new wave from songs like “Anomaniacs” too. Then there are the efforts that really merge styles. “Scattered White Horses” uses dissonant rhythm guitar shots to throw us off the scent, slyly shifting to understated vocals that sound like Buddy Holly with a touch of ennui before breaking out the harmony vocals in the chorus. I can’t help but feel that the jangle cuts are the star of the show here. “Frogman” is the standout, sparkling hit single here. “Reprise” doles out more jangle, reminiscent of 1970s April Wine. Some material fits into no convenient genre box. Does “Stander” have a country gloss? It’s slight but effective. “Man in the Circular Window” and “Diogenes” are just jaunty fun. Singing along here isn’t mandatory but probably advisable.
With 17 contributions on their latest long-player Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Mythical Motors have definitely stepped on the creative gas pedal. Tremolo On The Punchline has been compared to Guided By Voices, Sharp Pins, and just about anything from those C-86 sessions. This embarrassment of jangle riches has far too many highlights to single out. But for me the album really takes off with the atmospheric “Solid Wall of Light.” The individual guitar parts shimmer and yet still stand apart. “Luna Relay” is another strong effort, vibing an early 1960s disaster tune with just the right amount of distortion. “The Queen of Fleeting Moments” also has a very 1960s pop propulsion, accented by its punchy rhythm guitar. “Dismantled Man Tells You” is more a rush of jangle, reminding me of The Friends of Cesar Romero. Tracks like “Harper’s Echo” and “Molecular Charlatans” have a great crashing energy while and “Replacement City” offers a more contemplative counterpoint. Personally, I think “Flashes of Now” is the hidden should-be hit single, lodged near the very end Tremolo On The Punchline. That’s the beauty of a collection like this – so full, so much to explore (and enjoy!).
These bands have got their engines and instruments tuned and are definitely ready to hit the open road and open stages. Join them at the Bandcamp hyperlinks to cruise awhile with their new releases.
Summer playlists are not going to fill themselves. But who has the time to roam record shops old school, flipping through bins of shiny new vinyl? For better or worse, those days are gone. On the flip side, now you can shop from the comfort of your very own coffee perch. So let’s get this batch of 21 new-ish songs out there and see what grabs you.
The band’s presser describes “Daisy” as a perfect ‘flower pop singalong’ for your summer soundtrack and I’d have to agree. I admit I’m a bit late to the Beautyscene as this song and their debut LP I’d Do Almost Anything For You came out last year. But I think you’ll agree it deserves another seasonal spin. Another band I’m catching up on is Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra. “My Scratched CD of a Brain” is acoustic-guitar-light and pop-frothy with a toy piano in the mix somewhere, a winning combo in my book. My final 2025 resurrected single is from The Toxhards. The band give you fair warning with “Get Creative! Or Get Radicalized!” what with the free hand with exclamation marks. The song is big and bold and definitely going somewhere in an operatic Queen sort of way. Then there’s the allure of Rural France. This is light jangle with maximum impact. “Thirty-Seven Forever” is guitar pop goodness with a summer swing. Ace 1960s genre channeler Rad Venture pays tribute to the uber cool “Patsy Kensit” with predicable style. Slick and stylish mod pop.
Now for something a bit out there from the ever reliable Ricky Rochelle. “Beetles On High” starts a bit pop-punky only to sashay into full-on Mersey-pop mode in the chorus. If Abba had had a bit more rock and roll in their pop DNA they might have sounded like Fascinations Grand Chorus on “Chroma Eyes.” The hooks here have a got a bit more bite. Tony Molina softens up his trademark guitar pop on the smooth “Somewhere There’s a Feather.” These are folk rock harmonies with just the right dollop of electric guitar. Montreal’s Private Lives up the punk quotient on “Television Faces.” It’s there in the staccato rhythm guitar shots, the loose bass lines, and in-your-face vocals. It’s really the total package. By contrast, for a full-on trip back to mid-1975 check out the debut single “Love and Heartbreak in High School” from Plastic Family. It’s got the flavour of a Big Star-meets-Wings synthesis.
When he’s not hanging with his Stranger Things buds TV’s Finn Wolfhard knocks out some pretty hooky old school rock and roll tunes. “I’ll Let You Finish” is a teaser new tune from his soon-to-be-released second album, and it oozes a new wave Stones vibe. In the guise of Chrome Agnon DW Dunphy goes new wave for real with “Ion You,” just one of 15 fabulous tracks from the fundraiser LP Back In Time – Lost Hits of the 80’s Vol. 2. The Brazilian brothers behind Banda AL9 apply their unique talents to The Ramones, oops, I mean the Rubinoos (thanks Alan!) signature tune “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” with predictably poppy results. What a reinvention! We have more Montreal with Taxi Girlsand like Private Lives they take pop to the very edge, rocking things a bit raw on “Say It.” But the hooks are undeniably there. By contrast, Glasgow’s Fast Camelsare in no hurry. “All I Want” features languid, whammy-barred electric-guitar lead-lines and a tune that advances with a shuffle-like march.
On Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island you can find the former municipality of Sydney and very pleasant band named Company House. You won’t get much more spacey pop-pleasant than “Far Away” from the band’s self-titled debut album. Now give this new single “The Girl I Know” from Peter Freebairn a listen and tell me if it doesn’t have a seductively slow-building set of hooks. The guitar melody is so Neil Finn in its efficient simplicity while the vocal takes you over a hooky summit with the last line of the chorus. This should be major hit-single material if radio ever meant anything. Now off to Padua, Italy for a band with a distinctive aura surrounding both their compositions and performance. On “Ghost” snüff dial in some dynamic guitar work along with vocals that keep us on the edge of our seats. It sounds indie and old school at the same time. From the cover of Toronto’s The Get Alongs upcoming LP Second to None the vibe is pretty psychedelic. Ok, early release single “Sunday Afternoon” is pretty psych rock too but never at the expense of the melody. I love the grinding lead guitar line opening Radio Days new single “Flying High.” The rocking rhythm guitars are never far in the background here though the vocals really define what is rollicking about this tune.
Wrapping up this summer singles shopping fest is Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Favourite Girl. It was so hard to pick just one song from the band’s cracking self-titled debut LP. The title track has all the anguish and subtle hooks we’d expect from this self-described ‘femme forward’ act. Hit single radio stuff for sure. But “Not Going Back” gives off just a hint of Americana before kicking into some fine poppy rock. Why choose? Enjoy them both.
Was shopping for singles ever this much of a breeze? I don’t think so. Now you can save the dropping for the dance floor. And remember, these 21 tunes are just one blast of what these artists have to offer for your summer song playlist. You can keep the shopping going, hyperlink style.
Poprock Record 