It’s been a while since we visited Boston and its suburbs, but there’s been a lot of music pouring out of the neighbourhood in the early part of 2026. This time around, you’ll be reacquainted with a few familiar performers, but iwith the help of some fine Americana sounds and even something a little bluesy alongside the expected bar-room rock vibes. As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy. Better still, we hope you find the time spent digging through these tracks not only pleasurable, but also a lead towards discovering other great sounds.
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New music from Dan “Danny The K” Kopko is always welcome, but the new single from his band The Peppermint Kicks is especially good. With almost immediate effect, ‘Shaking Underground’ launches into an enthused riff, with a guitar driven style hinting at a love of old Real Kids records and the golden era of CBGB’s, only served up with a little more r ‘n’ r flair. For those who’ve been following Dan’s career for the past decade or so, very little here will come as a huge musical surprise, but the way the uptempo melodies collide with his gravelly vocal tones sound especially pleasing this time out, creating a hugely infectious rocker that goes straight to the heart of the Peppermint Kicks’ sound. It’s one of those tracks that’s appealing from the first listen, but a few plays later, its simple lyrical hooks will begin to share something that feels rather more indelible.
When something is pitched as “indie folk”, the last thing you’ll likely be expecting is a track that opens with a melody that appears to owe a huge debt to Bruce Springsteen, but here it is. There’s something at the heart of Wayward Vine’s ‘The Fall’ that appears to echo the New Jersey legend in a mellow mood, but looking beyond that, this is a number that really sells a world of mature sounding and very melodic vocals, and some great folk-rock sounds that should appeal to a pop-rock market. In a little under four minutes, this single reaches straight for the heartstrings with an achingly optimistic piano melody and strong acoustic lines, providing the ultimate showcase for Valerie Rachel and Greg Lawrence, making it easy to hear why the duo have gained positive comparisons with 10,000 Maniacs and the short-lived Civil Wars. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, this stands as one of the year’s greatest tracks so far.
The always brilliant Arrows of Athena throw their fans back into the 90s on their recent recording ‘Comets’. A groove laden drum part brings a dance-y edge to a huge, jangly recording powering a crossover style that blends pop, rock, indie and a touch of swirly shoegaze to create something with a big sound. The guitars may take a dominant role, but a slightly filtered vocal full of longer notes also does a lot of heavy lifting in the melodic stakes, and also manages to convey a slightly aloof edge that invites obvious comparisons to peak Garbage. While this isn’t big on immediate hooks, it’s certainly a track that’s overflowing with really accessible melodies, resulting in something that sounds ready to bring this band to a larger audience.
The first thing about ‘This Time Around’ by singer songwriter Staci Gruber that hits the ear is the track’s prominent guitar sound. From the outset, a very retro twang signifies a confident performance, and once that’s joined by some subtle slide work and a great sounding melody from the keys, the music takes on an almost timeless feel. Even before Staci starts to sing, there’s an obvious influence from Bonnie Raitt, but as things progress, a strong vocal really sells the track. Gruber has one of those voices that sounds distinctly middle aged, but its absolutely perfect for the job in hand and this becomes more obvious with the arrival of an Americana themed chorus. Fans of the style will absolutely love this.
Muck and The Mires probably won’t need introducing to anyone with a keen interest in Boston area bands, and the garage rockers are in superb form on ‘Trippin’ Out On Love’, a number that tears straight out of the gate with a huge 60s beat group sensibility. Huge snare drums and crashy cymbals advertise the arrangement’s high octane edge with ease, and a rather trebly sounding rhythm guitar accentuates a retro edge. Bringing in a semi-raw vocal, things show no sign of slowing down, but definitely settle into a very familiar style where ghosts of old Sonics recordings collide with the Mucky fascination with British Invasion discs. Capitalising on a great chorus, gang vocals boost the sound, but it’s a sharp edged lead guitar that allows this track to really take off. The solo fills little more than a couple of bars, but makes a massive impact, showing how naturally the veteran band can recycle brilliant garage rock sounds.
On ‘Brand New Me’, Robert Ellis Orrall sounds, at times, like a man channelling The Wallflowers. The wonderful ringing guitar sound that fills the song’s melodic intro and its measured, mid tempo approach to a verse both sound like welcome throwbacks to the million-selling ‘Bringing Down The Horse’. This isn’t by any means a straight homage, of course; once the melody finds its feet, more of Robert’s own voice shines through, and this is particularly the case on a fine, harmony soaked chorus where multi-layered vocals lean into more of an AOR feel, which blends with the artist’s rootsy style perfectly. For those who’ve enjoyed other solo wares from the hit-making songwriter and sometime Monkey Bowl man, this will be a very welcome treat.
Other Brother Darryl’s cosmic Americana sound is smooth, but never saccharine. On ‘Peaceful Alibi’ they hit upon a sound that brings out the very best in their effortless sounding harmony vocals. Although the wall of voices, naturally, takes centre stage, this track is also resplendent with some really tasteful lap steel work, adding a very important accent to the band’s country leanings, but also brings a pleasing and slightly rocky balance via some live sounding lead guitar that owes more to Neil Young than to many country rockers. Setting a mood that soundtracks a sunny afternoon almost perfectly, this is one of those recordings that’s pretty much impossible to date. If it happens to be your first listen to OBD, it’s definitely goinf to send you in search of previous material.
A live sounding guitar, a prominent rhythm and a grubby sounding bass: these basic ingredients give ‘Next To You’ by Dirt Road Souls a really solid core. Although the self-proclaimed dive bar rockers don’t actually reach for anything especially original on this recording, their understanding of how something unfussy can create something great genuinely works wonders. There are moments where the track echoes some of Slim Dunlap’s post-Replacements recordings with its distinctly American feel, but there are also times where a hard edged Americana – sounding like a distant relation of Nato Coles – even has the grubby, swaggering nature of a deep cut from The Stones, circa ‘Some Girls’. Whichever way you approach it, though, this is a single that sounds great with the volume cranked.
If you’re looking for something a bit more rough and ready, Casket Rats are happy to oblige. The follow up to last year’s ‘Whiskey Queen’, ‘Stealin’’ finds the band going all out in terms of sizeable, very old school riffs. The heart of the track relies heavily on a huge guitar sound that borrows a lot of influence from Rose Tattoo in terms of grubby bar-room rhythm and a few of its pointed lead guitar sounds, and although it doesn’t have the Aussie band’s cool and cutting slide guitar work to lean on, there’s definitely a good match when it comes to pure attitude. Potentially better than the old school guitar work, a really distorted bassline brings a lot of weight, and although a shouty vocal could be seen as the weak link here, there’s certainly a sense of force that comes through is a good fit with the music. Lacking finesse but sharing a great party spirit, this track is a highlight of the Rats’ album, and if you like what you hear here, that’s definitely worth seeking out.
Last up, here’s something you might’ve missed. In the latter part of 2025, veteran singer-songwriter Adam Sherman shared a couple of strong singles. His album ‘Sorrows And Smiles’ was released in February ’26, and it made good on the promise of those earlier tracks. While the whole record is worth an ear, here’s a genuine highlight. ‘Miles’ works a hard strummed acoustic guitar against a swirly sounding old school organ, immediately tapping into a rootsy pop-rock sound that sounds like a brilliant throwback to the mid 90s and bands like Toad The Wet Sprocket. Sherman’s fragile vocal makes it very clear that it’s one of his tracks, of course, and his natural style is a perfect fit with the music. The whole track’s great, but the way Sherman weaves harmonies into a simple hook really lifts the Americana tinged arrangement, and a couple of listens will ensure this becomes a favourite in record time.
April 2026