A new week, a brand new batch of just released tunes from some seriously melodic dudes: Sofa City Sweetheart and Wyatt Blair. When I heard what these guys had on offer, they went right to the front of the blogging queue. Why not start the week off right?

I was digging Juan Antonio Lopez’s Elliot Smith-style vocals and the clever hooks in his new single “Stop the Thinking” when the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass trumpet kicked in and then I was totally sold. His band is Sofa City Sweetheart and the song is a pre-release from his soon-to-be released new album – with this as a teaser, I can hardly wait! Check out the fun video that plays with the HA&TB imagery to good effect.

Musical chameleon Wyatt Blair has owned the sounds of so many different musical styles on his previous releases, though they’ve mostly focused on the 1980s. This time Blair steps back a few decades to nail the late 1960s California pop sound on his new record, Inspirational Strawberries. Things kick off with “It’s Yesterday,” a song filled with those classic fun 1960s sounds like harpsichord, bicycle bells and a killer organ, and then layered with some ace Cowsills vocals in the chorus. Next up is the obvious should-be hit single, “Gotta Get Away,” an adrenaline rush of Mamas and the Papas meets the Bryrds power sixties hooks. And Blair just keeps hitting the 1960s melodic marks after that, with some spot on, rocked up Hollies vocals on “Who’s to Blame,” a distinct Abbey Road vibe on “A New Tomorrow,” and some great rumbly lead guitar with Beach Boys vocal stylings on “Tenderly.”

Tis the season to think of others and bandcamp makes it easy to give away great music like this to your friends. But, frankly, you’re gonna want to click on Sofa City Sweetheart and Wyatt Blair for yourself too.