Ah the glorious single! Sometimes one 45 is enough, but at the best of times it’s the gateway drug to a whole album of super tunes. Multiple plays of Marshall Crenshaw’s hooky masterpiece of a single “Whenever You’re on my Mind” had me ransacking the record bins for his Field Day album in the hopes that more of the same lurked within. Today’s crop of singles might have the same effect.
The Fieros are more than a tribute to a discontinued Pontiac product line. The Dallas-born, now Brooklyn-based band rock out with a melodic twist on the 1960s psychedelic sound on their new single, “Who’s To Say.” Smooth vocals, crunchy guitar and a hooky chorus – it’s the total package. Want more? Check out their solid 2012 self-titled EP for a slightly rougher (but no less appealing) sound on tracks like “Get Back,” “In My Veins” and “Songbird.” Coming off a stupendous triple play of albums in 2018, Super 8 might have been forgiven for resting on his laurels a bit in 2019. But no, he’s back with another great single, appropriately titled “Something New.” The track kicks off with a classic late 1960s rock and roll sound, combining both buzzing and chiming guitars before dropping out here and there for a Donovan-meets-The Kinks acoustic vibe. Missed Super 8’s shining moments from 2018? You can catch up on this new single and the best of his previous releases on a soon-to-be-released compilation album from Subjangle Records.
The Fieros – Who’s To Say?Super 8 – Something New
What I do I know about Carlisle? Only that there was once panic on the streets (according to the Smiths). Now I know it’s produced Sugarspun, a band that knows how to ring a chord and hook a tune with head bobbin’ predictability. The band hit the music pages hard when their 2018 single “Spaceman Dreams” was featured in Clash magazine. Now they’re back with another winner, the shimmery, hook-laden “Never Grow Old.” Plenty of jangle and harmony-loaded choruses for those of us who like that sort of thing. Mike Pace and the Child Actors tap a good time summer feeling on their latest stand-alone, mid-winter single release, “Hot, Hazy and Humid.” The record is three and half minutes of ear candy, full of finely-tuned sonic treats: ghostly, distant piano, 1970s doubled-up guitar parts, synth bits that sound like passing jet liners, and more! Underneath it all is a good, foot-tapping tune. Which brings us to our outlier single from Matthew Logan Vasquez. “Ghostwriters” has an indie poprock vibe not unlike Kevin Devine, which is to say it is nothing like Vasquez’s other bands, Delta Spirit or Middle Brother. It doesn’t even sound like much else on its accompanying album, Light’n Up, which has a more indie Americana feel. Talk about talent to spare! Master of multiple styles, loyal to none.
Drop the coin right into the slot, Chuck Berry once sang. That’s how you used to review the single file. Now you can check out The Fieros, Super 8, Sugarspun, Mike Pace and the Child Actors, and Matthew Logan Vasquez with a simple click.
