With a lot of great music pouring out of the city over the last couple of months, it’s time to take a return trip to Boston! A couple of very familiar names can be found showcasing new and recent wares, but this is still much a celebration of the newer sounds emerging from that region of the US. We’ve got an unexpected tribute to a Britpop past, a glam infused banger, and a couple of superb indie themed tracks to fill your ears, and more besides. If you find something new to enjoy – and we certainly hope that will be the case – why not drop by and tell us? Happy listening!
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Britpop/Madchester obsessed band The Northern Line have recently released their debut EP. All four tracks showcase a band worthy of your attention, but if it’s a great energy you’re after, ‘Throw A Fist’ is a number that’ll really stand out. It hits hard with the help of a heavy drum groove and fat bassline, mixing baggy interests with a hefty dose of influence from Paul Weller’s solo debut, using its recycled sounds to promote some superb riffs beneath a melodic, flowing vocal. When keeping a closer ear, you’ll hear some great interplay between keys man Mike Ackley (playing in a way that bares no resemblance to his other band Looking Glass War) and guitarist Pete Kitchener. This is one of those tunes that feels like something you’ve always known, but the familiarity makes it so very enjoyable, as well as giving the impression that these guys will play up an absolute storm live.
Taking a slightly lo-fi approach, accentuated by a fuzzy vocal, Jesus The Dinosaur sound wonderfully lax on ‘Can’t Say’. The track’s heavy strummed guitar work calls back to a fine 90s vintage, reworking elements of college rock and a folk rock aesthetic into something that still sounds superb in the present, but it’s the way Tommy Ng and Hannah Foxman’s vocals blend into something that sounds so easy that makes the track work. At least that’s the case on first listen: by the time you’ve stopped being lulled by their easy melodies, further listens show how effective a muted lead guitar break can be, and despite its brevity, how the track’s noisier coda suggests that JTD potentially have more sounds at their disposal than first appearances might suggest. In terms of indie rock throwbacks – the throwback element here being very much complimentary – this is lovely.
Opening with huge riffs, ‘Hole Foods’ by Something Sneaky initially hints at crashy alternative rock, 90s style, but then twists everything into something sharper with the help of a slightly shrieky vocal. It then drops back into a world of sounds that call out to alternative pioneers like Pixies, setting a slightly unsettled feel in place. It’s all very retro, but always in a welcome way; the louder parts of this track give guitarists Jesse George and Justin Iocovino plenty of scope for cutting loose, whilst a solid rhythm section showcase Something Sneaky’s relentless punch. More about riffs than easy sing-along hooks, ‘Hole Foods’ captures a sense of live force on record, with a fuzzy production sound that might just make Jack Endino proud. For those who were in their twenties at a time when the Reading Festival was all plaid shirts and mud, this will certainly appeal.
Dan Cummings of Boston punks Already Dead branches out on a solo recording of ‘Which Side Are You On?’ Taking the folk protest number and giving it a punky kick via gruff vocal, Dan’s recording of the old Pete Seeger call to arms – a number previously reaching the alternative crowd in the UK via Billy Bragg and the US via Celtic punk icons Dropkick Murphys – sits very naturally during an especially troubled time, as people push back against an increasingly fascist leaning government and are alarmed by a world torn apart by ongoing conflict. Cummings wisely decides that the best way to deliver everything is in a stripped down manner, allowing the lyric to take centre stage, and despite being penned generations ago, this recording more than highlights how its message is still relevant.
Muck and The Mires aren’t pulling any punches on the brilliant ‘Tripping Out On Love’. Tearing 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 with the arrival of a sharp edged lead guitar that this track really takes off. The solo fills little more than a couple of bars, but makes a massive impact. For long time fans, this track probably won’t yield any surprises, but for those who are still unfamiliar with the Muck-y sound, this will certainly prove how naturally the veteran band – at this point, very much part of the Boston scene’s “furniture” – can recycle brilliantly arranged garage rock and call it their own.
The bass sound at the heart of The Ringer Soundtrack’s ‘Voicemail’ is immense. High in the mix and very warm sounding, it gives this Boston band’s recent single a huge heart. Using that as a solid base, the track builds up a wall of chopping guitars and steady grooves that blend a 90s rock tone with a soul inflected edge, taking a retro rock sound somewhere that always feels interesting. Lyrically, the chorus feels perhaps a little too repetitive, but some decent harmony vocals and a lead guitar that weaves effortlessly out of an old school radio friendly riff both go a long way to building up a the track in a way that makes it feel unexpectedly catchy.
A much loved presence on the US ska scene, Big D and The Kids Table require no introduction. Ahead of the release of their ‘Good Ole American Saturday Night’ album, they’ve released ‘Scatterbrain’, a single full of sun filled vibes. Taking on an unwavering mid tempo, it’s not a track designed for “maximum skank”, but it certainly showcases the now veteran act’s musical chops in a striking way. Throughout these three minutes, the track is host to a solid bass sound, from which other superb musical elements rise. You’ll find a slightly sassy lead vocal and a choir of backing voices, all of which echo early works from peers Mustard Plug, a timeless sounding choppy guitar, and best of all, a raft of horns that help to give this sometimes punkier band a really old school heart that owes more to Blue Beat records than a typical Less Than Jake knockabout. ‘Scatterbrain’ is a little more mature than some of Big D’s earlier records, but it’s none the worse for that.
Joshua David Thayer’s ‘Warmonger’ EP – released at the end of May ’26 – features three songs, each “voiced from a position of power”. The title track perhaps best showcases the singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist’s talents with an arrangement that blends noisier indie fare with lo-fi vocals, but instead of taking a straight up Fort Apache studios approach, throws in some fine melodic rock twists. The rock element comes through most clearly on a great guitar part here, which Thayer uses as the track’s main hook, allowing a soaring lead to cut between the verses in such a way, it becomes more distinctive than the chorus vocal itself. This is obviously very deliberate, given that the vocal is distorted and then half buried under a layered musical arrangement, but in terms of catching your attention, it’s a move that works rather effectively, building enough interest for further listening.
Fading in with a slab of feedback, ‘Ozma Is My Shadow’ by The Magic City initially suggests there’s something noisy on the horizon. First impressions can be deceiving, however: as things progress, the track opens out into a very melodic affair where the retro charms of peak Britpop meet with strains of old glam via a solid rhythm. What transpires is something that ends up sounding like a hybrid of ‘Coming Up’ era Suede and David Bowie’s much maligned Tin Machine, on a track that values a great vocal as much as huge, melodic instrumental breaks. Lyrically, the number takes inspiration from an L. Frank Baum tale where the protagonist discovers he was a princess at birth, but hidden as a boy. Released at a time when gender recognition is a hot topic, this narrative of how the soul knows how the soul ultimately feels, regardless of outward appearances, ‘Ozma’ feels beautifully knowing and gently celebratory.
Last up, here’s something you might have missed. A vital component of the “Boston scene”, The Dogmatics present something rough and ready with their rather enjoyable ‘Con Job’. Trading in their typical garage rock sound for an unashamedly folk punk stance, the track’s prominent snare drum and banjo serve up a fairly raucous backdrop, but it’s the narrative that shines, dropping the listener into a world where the storyteller finds himself recently released from jail, looking for gainly employment, and desperately trying to fit in with the expectations of the outside world. The really wordy approach taken is a perfect fit with the pointed music, and serves as a great tribute to late Dogmatics man Rick Young. Those really not into the folk punk style will likely be left feeling somewhat cold, but it’s definitely good to hear this veteran band branching out.
June 2026