There’s a lot of music pouring out of Boston and its suburbs in the summer of 2026. So much, in fact, that we’re making a return visit in record time! Previous Round Ups have thrown a spotlight onto a wealth of underground acts and independent musicians, and this visit is no exception. You’ll recognise a few familiar names, but hopefully discover a few new ones too, as we dip into a selection of tunes that takes in alternative rock, power pop, garage rock, alt country and singer songwriter’s wares. As always, we hope you enjoy what you hear…
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By employing a sparse intro, ‘Tell Your Friends’ by Emily Grogan forces the listener to focus on the performer’s voice. This is a smart move. Against a quiet riff, followed by some psychedelic backmasking and into an acoustic verse, Emily’s voice takes centre stage before soaring and sharing hugely confident tones. Then, once a rockier riff is introduced for the chorus, that voice is already so familiar it has no chance of being lost within the noisier backdrop. It’s a massive win for the artist, and doubly so when a quieter verse returns, making her presence sound even bigger still. The push and pull between quiet and loud harks back to the 90s, but with its crisp production sound, questioning lyric and more melodic stance, ‘Tell Your Friends’ is a contemporary banger…no question.
According to Something Sneaky’s PR team, the band’s music “has always existed somewhere between here and there”. It’s easy to hear why, since their current track ‘Stevie’s Here’ doesn’t always sit easily. There are crashy riffs that hark back to Boston’s Fort Apache studios and the great Kolderie/Slade productions of the 90s, and yet this sounds much sharper – very much a product of the 21st Century. The sound here is punky, but never enough for the punk crowd, while being too abrasive for the more thoughtful indie scene. ‘Stevie’s Here’ very much exists on its own terms and works best if the audience is able to just let go and ride upon its sharp riffs. Beyond the riffs, however, there’s further greatness via a booming vocal that contrasts the music’s crashier aspects with some clean tones, providing extra interest. What emerges is a track that takes a bold twist on a classic sound, something that sounds great played back at volume, and a track that certainly invites the more descerning rock fan to dig just a little deeper.
The Magic City’s ‘Ozma Is My Shadow’ shared a great selection of riffs, blending elements of 90s alternative with a a pinch of psych and a huge dose of melody to create a track that felt deep without resorting to needless self-indulgence. Another number promoting their self-titled LP, ‘I Love Lucy’ injects a little extra speed, works a great late 80s inspired riff around a dancing bass line and flaunts a vocal that would have suited Billy Idol back in the day. This results in something that sounds quite different, yet the same time, the retro feel and layered sound still feel very much like something from the world of The Magic City. With the help of a really melodic arrangement, some superb sounding drums and a big chorus – which hints at some fine retro goth in a Mission-esque style – there’s plenty here that should make people want to check out the album itself.
Having wowed an underground audience with a concept album about an alien invasion, The Amplifier Heads opt for something a little less flashy with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Riot’. Going straight into a world of hard beats and handclaps, the track makes no secret of its retro heart, and the arrival of a sharp edged garage rock guitar riff does nothing to change that. Thundering forth at speed, the number sounds like Johnny Thunders jamming with the early Ramones, shamelessly borrows a melody from ‘C’mon Everybody’, and basically just aims to push those feel good buttons at every turn. It does not fail in its simple mission, but just in case things don’t hit the mark in the hard and fast manner intended, the band manage to shoehorn the title in as often as possible, providing an incessant hook that’s bound to stick. There’s a lot of great music in the world; The Amplifier Heads never aim to be the smartest band, at least on a musical level, but when they get things right – which they very much do here – they’re certainly one of the most fun.
The combination of deep bass sounds and hard edged 80s tinged drums at the heart of ‘Strange’ by Jennifer Tefft and The Strange sets up an unexpected contrast, but the band certainly uses that to their advantage. It provides a solid bass for semi-acoustic guitar strums, howling lead guitar lines and, latterly, a huge jangle to form the basis of a great melodic rocker. The music here is more than solid, but as with past works, it’s Jenn’s lead vocal that really shines through. From her first note until the last, she shares a huge, crying vocal that gives this number a fine melody. She sounds especially good during the latter part of the track when her voice is pitched against an equally huge drum sound. Although you’ll hear traces of influence from various melodic alternative bands here, a distinctive and confident voice ensures this feels like so much more than a recycling of the past.
Mixing a upbeat pop rock with the busy groove of retro garage rock, Girl With A Hawk brings a melodic twist to an old school sound on ‘Wasn’t It Just Yesterday’. One of the focus tracks from the 2026 LP ‘Regenesis’, this recording shares a great energy: retro organs swirl beneath a solid rhythm; bouncing basslines lift the music far beyond the basic garage-ish origins, and a fine lead guitar shares a solid solo to bring everything to a climax, but the real star here is vocalist Linda S. Viens who fills this jubilant recording with a light and breezy vocal that offers a pop-ish take on an old rock ‘n’ roll sound, guaranteeing a feel good vibe throughout. Those who’ve already encountered this band will know almost exactly what they’re in for here, but it’s the first timers who’ll glean the most excitement, and this will send the unfamiliar digging through GWAH’s back-catalogue for more musical gold.
Boston’s melodic punk/garage rockers Ape Hangers are back with ‘I Don’t Mind’, a track that captures their retro sound with a genuine intent. Issued alongside ‘She Comes Again’ as a digital twofer from Rum Bar Records, huge sounding, ringing guitar lines that drove the band’s earliet ‘Think About Me’ take centre stage once more, and against a grumbling bass, they power a track that falls somewhere between the Bob Mould produced ‘Made To Be Broken’ album by Soul Asylum and twenty first century college rock sound revivalists Gentlemen Rogues. From a musical standpoint, it’s great to hear Ape Hangers in full flight; everything sounds like a perfectly written homage to the more melodic aspects of 90s alternative, and the way a moody vocal dips between huge riffs on the verse creates a perfect blend of melody and grittiness. By the time the chorus – a repetitious one line affair, bolstered by great harmonies – appears at the end of the second verse, it invites easier comparisons to the raw, early Soul Asylum once more – before a brilliantly raucous lead guitar break raises the fiery aspects of the track even further. Granted, it sounds like something you’ve always known, but it couldn’t be any more perfectly pitched.
Boston’s award nominated Americana act Other Brother Darryl are in great form on ‘Too Right’. The stripped back melody driven by acoustic guitar and mandolin is classic Darryl from the off, but it’s once the drums kick in that the music really springs to life. A solid beat gives the already great melody a lift, occasionally sounding a little like Irish roots rock band The Hothouse Flowers. The layered arrangement is pleasingly tight, but it’s the vocals that really sell the track. Leaning heavily on the harmonies, it’s initally impossible not to hear the ghosts of old Crosby, Stills & Nash recordings, but with a pinch of Wilco and Aussie band The Paper Kites also fleshing out the sound, this manages to cling onto a genuinely contemporary quality, while echoing the classics.
Those who keep a regular ear upon the Boston ’burbs should already be familiar with TELL, a politically charged band who aren’t afraid of voicing their views. As its title suggests, ‘Hate Yourself In The Morning’ throws a metaphorical mirror up against making the wrong choices, calling out the after effects of making bad situations worse, and putting up the barriers of denial. Given some of the band’s previous works, this is almost certainly a less than subtle metaphor for the state of the US at the time of recording, and won’t be received well by those who are being called out, but in true TELL style, the anger is offset by an infectious hook, and here, the band resort to delivering a barrage of shameless “na-na-na”s, ensuring that one listen is enough for the track’s most direct melody to make an impact.
Last up, here’s something you might have missed… Today Junior recognise that they’re inhabiting a more than troubled USA, and are pushing back on ‘Keep On Pushing Me’. Armed with an energetic blend of noisy indie and melodic punk riffs, the band echo a strong 90s alternative sound, but an echoey, melodic vocal brings a slightly different slant as they attack the “anarchy in the USA” with a barrage of furious rhythms and a cutting lead guitar sound. A near perfect three minute banger, this track is focused in the extreme, and its filler-free approach really sells the band’s sharp sound. A couple of listens should also unveil a great melodic edge to the chorus that helps to make something with a confrontational heart also very accessible.
July 2026