Some albums are so good you just have to drop everything to write about them. Today’s release of Softjaw’s new LP Love Can’t Kill You fits that bill. Reviewers have hailed the band’s reinvention of a classic 1970s power pop sound associated with Big Star, The Nerves and Cheap Trick and I’d have to echo such sentiments while adding a few more. I hear a lot of 1960s DNA embedded throughout the album and a synthesis that is also truly unique.
Things start out with a clever bit of misdirection as opening cut “You May Be Right” works up a noisy boogie-rock assault that largely exists at the far reaches of glam. Then “You Won’t See Me Cry” pulls back the guitar crunch a bit, doling it out in more pleasing shots while laying in some serious Beatlesque vocal harmonies. However, it’s when we get to “Poor Disguise” that the band’s tremendous originality come to the fore. The song is a masterclass in melodic sophistication and songwriting arrangement. The super-enriched harmony vocals cut through a backing brimming with breakout hooks. Hit single? It should be. There’s a Phil Seymour “You’re Precious to Me” kind of intensity going on here. “Love Can’t Kill You” is the other standout hit single material track here. The distinctive elements of this song – the guitar tones, the harmony vocals, the melodic hooks – come together so effortlessly, a testament to great playing and superior songwriting. As noted above, while a lot of coverage of this band notes the 1970s flavour I’d push things back to the 1960s too. There are early Beatles guitar vibes undergirding “Halfwit,” more than a tint of The Hollies colouring “That’s Alright With Me,” and lilting Merseybeat feel to “My Broken Heart.” Of course, “Million Different People” practically screams acoustic Big Star, right down to the big empty room atmosphere while “Pandemonium” has just a touch of Wings woven into it (Wings in a rocking mood, that is). I also love the genius arrangement of musical and vocal elements defining “Go Mad” and the low key jangle heaven that is “Flying High.”
Albums this good are dangerous. They raise our expectations of what can be produced in our post-genre era where everyone claims everything has already been done. Love Can’t Kill You demonstrates there’s still a lot of gas in the power pop tank. Get your copy without delay.
The news rolls in like the tide. Nothing can stop it, thank goodness. Here are the details on a few new breaking stories to come across our desk recently. To be filed under ‘melody central.’
Man it has been a long wait for the Softjaw long-player but the self-titled debut is finally out on Dandy Boy Records. The LP basically gathers together all the recently released singles and the material from the 2024 S/T EP, sequencing them in the order the songs were released. To have them all in one place only reinforces the retro new-wave pop genius of this combo. Things kick off strong with the 1979 perfect “Pleased With Me.” “Don’t Go Walking Out” just adds to the retro allure with its killer pop hooks. “Waiting at the End” is right in the mid-1970s pop groove. “Dragging My Feet” has obvious Beatlesque charms. However “I Need You” is the obvious should-be hit single with its strong Big Star flash. The newer tracks lean in a Todd Rundgren direction, particularly on “Working Too Hard.” “Playing Bogart” is something else again, with a slight Americana feel. This is a debut album that is a guitar-hook rush from start to finish. There’ll be no pausing when Softjaw hits the turntable.
The Pretty Flowers know their way around a hook but still somehow sound like a distant cousin of something more punk. There’s some residual edginess embedded in these otherwise melody-strong tunes that populate their new record Never Felt Bitter. “Thief of Time” is an amazing song to launch the record with. It’s got an easygoing charm, from the folksy vocals to the streamlined lead guitar lines. It grabs you and won’t let go. “Convent Walls” hit some of these notes too. Then “To Be So Cool” puts its edge up front, like the progeny of some punky forefather. Big choruses feature on number of tracks here, like “Oceans Swimming” and “Tough Love.” “Come Back Kicking” sounds like the single. It opens dynamically and keeps the surprises coming, like the killer harmony vocals in the chorus. “Big Dummy” is another radio ready track with its rough singalong quality. Some material has a darker feel, like title track “Never Felt Bitter (We Burn)” and “Ring True.” “Feel a Little Vague” is another departure, filling a broad sonic landscape with a big and sonorous sound. Things end with another twist as “Not Dissolve” delivers something more tender.
Seems everybody’s talking about Quinn Hawkins. The power pop blogs have decreed his new album Eccentric a must listen and I have to agree. You only need to needle-drop your way through his first album track “Can’t Wait To Go To Bed Every Night” to hear the Beatles and XTC bona fides. It also reminds me of Utopia in their heyday. Really, you can pick out so many distinct possible influences here. I hear a bit of Pugwash coming through on “Last Person in Town” or even some Mark Everett in his solo ‘E’ guise on “Nothing Seems To Kill Me Now.” “(Back Off) I’m On Vacation” is perfect Andy Partridge dissonant pop while “Souvenir in the Dirt” and “Cleaning Out My Mind” hit the XTC marks pretty effortlessly. McCartney is another strong contender for ka ey influence with “Don’t Want to Fight You Again” sounding very Macca pretty. Or there’s “Hawaiian Stress” which sounds like a mash-up of McCartney II-meets-Beck. Power pop records are guitar-centric as a rule but a number of tunes here are piano dominant, like “Don’t Call Me Your Future” and “Different Level of Hell.” Singled out for the hit single I’d choose “Love the Thought of You” with its strong defining electric lead guitar line that carries on throughout the song.
Music City’s Welcome to Music City is definitely located in the 1970s. From the opening chords of album opener “It’s Alright” it’s pure 1970s power pop time. Then both “When the Day Comes By” and “Do I?” lighten the mood in a California pop style. “A Matter of Time” even adds an AM radio pop single vibe in a Phil Seymour or April Wine vein. There are rockier moments here too. “Common Sense” has a looser rock and roll swing akin to the early 1970s-era Kinks. “You Remember” has a combo of organ and guitar faintly reminiscent of 1981 Springsteen and Tom Petty but takes it to a different place. New wave gets a look in on “Pretty Feelings” and “The Conversation.” It’s that distinctive rhythm guitar work. Lighter singer-songwriter pop touches colour “Photograph and the Big Star-ish “Little Favour.” And then things end with a bit orchestral pop on “Something’s On Your Mind.” Book your trip now to Music City – it’s just a hyperlink away.
Who needs sports and weather when you’ve got headlines like these? Finally, some good news for a change.
Another year, another slew of great singles made their appearance throughout our 73 posts of music coverage. If you’re an old school melodic rock and roll fan like me, the jangly, hooky, guitar-centric creativity was off the charts. Sadly, such the jangly, hooky, guitar-centric creativity was off the conventional music charts as well. That’s why we don’t rely on trade mags or corporate radio to tell us what’s top of the pops, we make up our own charts. Now, let me be clear, if I wrote about a song this past year I thought it was great, full stop. We’re an ‘all-positive, all-the-time’ kinda shop around here. So what you have in this post is recap of 50 songs that burned just little more deeply into my psyche this past year. Click on the hyperlinks to hear each of the songs and read the original write ups.
Enough stalling, here are Poprock Record’s top 50 should-be hit singles from 2025:
My top five this year were real head-turners. Liverpool’s Keyside show the city has still got the fab vibes. Strange Neighbors turned out killer tunes for the second year in a row. The first I heard of The What Four’s “Quarter to Midnight” I was hooked by its adrenaline-soaked beat. The Lemon Twigs have pretty reliably produced should-be hits over the past few years but there was something about “I’ve Got a Broken Heart” that just hit all poprock marks. And from way back early in 2025 I was struck by The Sonny Wilson’s unique sound. No maybe about it. I could go on about the other 45 songs here but you can get the dirt from the original posts by clicking the hyperlinks.
Next up, Poprock Record’s most inventive covers from 2025:
The Half Cubes put out another amazing album of covers and really outdid themselves but nowhere more strongly than on their cover of an early Marshall Crenshaw classic. Sofa City Sweetheart teased us this past year with an impressive rendering of Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2.” Not an easy tune to take up. Marshall Crenshaw pulled together a host of songs for a new album, including a cover of a Bobby Fuller Four gem. And then we have Mike Browning covering an obscure Canadian track and Chaparelle countryfying a song everybody knows.
Well, there you have it, some great songs that deserve another shot across your attention span. Click the links for the original posts and revisit just how good 2025 was to us on the single file.
Last year I lauded Softjaw’s “Pleased With Me,” the opening track from their debut EP S/T. It was Stonesy singalong good fun. Now, as S.W. Lauden first noted on The Big Takeover and his Remember the Lightning substack, the band have returned this year with an enriched powerpop vibe. Both he and I caught the Big Star-meets-Cheap Trip drift of the opening riff on “I Need You” (as anyone would – you can’t miss it!). But when the vocals kick in the Beatles harmonies are unmistakable, aided by some classic Fabs descending guitar lines. The relentless pace of this brief two-and-half-minute song makes for a sonic thrill ride, an aural thing of beauty. You don’t get a much better distillation of power pop essence that this. And the nods to Big Star continue to run throughout the track. The video juxtaposes the band cranking out the tune with frenzied female Beatlesque crowd shots in a totally complementary way. I mean, this is a song made for jumping up and down. Since “I Need You” came out earlier this month another single has hit the airwaves (“Undercover Lover”), an indication of a full LP release sometime soon? Now that’s something I definitely need.
Fill your need for Softjaw at their Bandcamp site.
Nothing fixes the mind on travel quite like winter. Particularly those last lingering months where you can feel the season ebb but not quite subside. But getting somewhere ‘not winter’ is an effort for those of us north of 40 degrees latitude. That’s why we’ve assembled some musical accompaniment for soon-to-be weary travellers.
Ottawa’s The Rockyts have evolved from an amazing 60s sound-alike beat group on their 2020 debut album to a sleek 1980s new wave machine with singles that have come out over the past year. “Without You” creeps into view with a Cars-like muted electric guitar and vocals, only to break out in the chorus with full band impact. Crowded House may not climb the singles charts like they did in their 1980s heyday but that doesn’t mean they can’t still craft a killer tune. Their new single “Oh Hi” has all the classic Neil Finn song markers. There’s lilting slow-build hooks around every corner and Finn’s ear for unusual instrumentation remains undiminished. Hard to find out much about Escape Artists except a Go Fund Me page from a Tennessee duo suggesting an album is on the way. So far I’ve found three singles – basically, a maxi-single. From those choices I think “Around the Block” is a delightful bit of Tom Petty name-checking poprock. ‘What would Tom Petty do?’ they ask with a driving sense of Petty-ish aplomb and his special mix of guitars and organ. The mysterious band 65MPH hail from Chatteris UK, a small market town near Cambridge. I can’t imagine that’s the speed limit there. Sonically, the band sound like they’ve been stamped from a Paul Weller-meets-Billy Bragg mould, and that’s no bad thing. Their recent single “Small Miracles” casts a plaintive vocal against a mostly solo guitar backdrop to good effect. I love the striking effect Spencer Segelov and Great Paintingsget on “The Contender.” The lead guitar line carries the tune but the overlapping vocals gives the tune lift, with a choir-like transcendence. Very 1980s American college radio.
Crowded House – Oh HiEscape Artists – Around the Block
Ottawa’s (as in Canada folks) Robby Miller rides a fine line between good old boy rock and roller and smooth poppy rock. His recent single “Everything Is Nothing” combines a bit of both, with up front jangly guitars and a low key vocal carrying the melody. Reminds me a bit of some of the mellow hits from The Fixx. Last year mellow popsters The Kind Hills made my top 25 singles list with their uplifting song “Let Youth Take Over.” Now they’re back in a new guise as Seasonal Falls. Still mellow, but drawing from a different sonic palate this time out. The hush vocals and standout guitar tone on “Used To Be Fun” are both exquisite while the tune is amble-along-in-the-sunshine good. The Shop Window manage to combine 1980s indie guitar pop with a folkie vibe on “I Run.” The vocals hit me as a little bit Outfield while the guitar has a shimmer and ring reminiscent of The Silencers. Legendary Canadian band The Kings are primarily known for an FM radio staple (“Switching to Glide/This Beat Goes On”) that has been in near constant rotation since its release in 1980. And then, not much. They did have other great material but just couldn’t match that early success. Now if you’ve missing that signature Kings sound there’s good news – the band have a brand new album out called Longest Story Ever Told. It is uncanny how much it sounds like no time has passed at all. Check out “Always Off the Deep End” and see for yourself. Faraways are a completion story. Active in the 1990s they split early in the new millennium. But as Covid swept the planet all that down-time had former band members drifting back to their unfinished songs. The result is the aptly named EP Decades of Dormancy. The standout track for me is the psychedelic “Ruby Ring of Love” with its Sgt. Pepper droney vocals, sitars, and killer organ fills.
Faraways – Ruby Ring of Love
Since his standout solo debut album Class ActMike Browning has been drip releasing engaging new singles. “Just One Day” has a western Texas Buddy Holly groove. This song sounds so freshly pressed out of a 1961 rockabilly scene or Everly’s Cadence records release. More Texas can be found on Get Set Go’s fabulous LP Outworlder, particularly on the intoxicating single “Your Boy.” The song seems so early 1960s simple and endearing but an increasing sophistication emerges and intensifies as it plays on. Drunk Dial Records promise to get their artists loaded and then have them record an original tune and a cover. Gentleman Jesse’s original “Where Time Stands Still” has a wildness about it, maybe one drink over the line, but still maintaining its energetic focus. Another act drip releasing a load of interesting songs is Scoopski. “Nocturnally Yours” brings together heavy dollops of nerd rock a la Weezer and straight up FM radio rock bombast. And the results are a freakin’ fun, hummable good time. Slaughter Beach, Dog put out a fab new record last September entitled Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling but didn’t have room for one last song. “I’m In Love” is a country-ish soft rock Valentines tune of a different order. Catchy and disturbing at the same time.
Feel the insurgent drive of Softjaw’s recent single “Pleased With Me.” It’s got 1970s group singalong vocals, Keith Richard guitar licks, and strong party vibe. There’s a looseness that is so tightly performed here. By contrast, Kevin Nichols keeps striking a discordant tone throughout “Looking at the Ocean” butting up against melodic hooks that just won’t quit. One part grunge, another part Swervedriver. Sixties holdovers Tall Poppy Syndrome get 2024 started with a song that draws from multiple decades on “This Time Tomorrow.” There’s a touch of psychedelia of course but also mannered Moody Blues vocals, pumping organ shots, and insistently strong hooks throughout. Of a particular time but also seemingly timeless. The Stanford Family Band are a wonderful throwback to that early 1970s dreamy pop on “Love Me a Bit.” It was an era where piano moved up into the spotlight on AM radio singles and Beach Boys stopped having hits but influenced everybody and everything on the charts. This group have got a heavenly arsenal of background vocals riding a solid bed of piano chords. Luke of Ulysses carry on our Cars revival tour on their single “Car Trouble.” Though I also hear Nick Gilder coming through their clipped vocal style. And then there’s guitar god moment in the middle. This is a great synthesis of styles.
Tall Poppy Syndrome – This Time Tomorrow
Wrapping up our 21 song support playlist for weary travellers is something I can’t quite put my finger on. Described as a mysterious Norwegian duo, Ivar and Tommy Go To Hollywood certainly get top marks for an inventive name. But what they represent musically on “Bore Me to the Moon” is less clear. Things start off very English guitar band or Front Bottoms but listen to what comes up in the background. The band put together a veritable tapestry of vocal interplay that buffets the indie rock guitar drone and deadpan vocal that is fronting the tune. I don’t know what it is but I like it.
You can get on the bus Gus and needle-drop your way through this audio travelogue. I don’t know where you’re going but I think you’ll enjoy getting there more with miles of melody to choose from.
