The self-titled debut album from Portable Radio was one of 2021’s more welcome surprises. Coming at the end of a year where most people not employed as a Conservative MP spent most of their time rattling around indoors, the British band’s brand of retro music hit like a little ray of sunshine, piercing through the gloom. Their big single ‘Should’ve Bounced’ – a tune loaded with stabbed pianos and chiming guitars – gave a good indication of the album’s finer wares with its infectious pop inspired by Jeff Lynne but, even deeper into a great record, the Portable Radio brand of retro pop held firm. With other tunes tapping into the same influences beloved by Teenage Fanclub, and material sounding like a marriage between The early 70s Hollies and the poppier end of Supergrass, the album offered something great for most lovers of AM radio inspired pop.
Tag Archives: retro
LOOKING GLASS WAR – Where Neon Meets The Rain EP
On this debut EP, Boston’s Looking Glass War aren’t shy in mining the past for some key musical inspirations. Drawing from post punk, goth, melodic shoegaze and dreampop, ‘Where Neon Meets The Rain’ presents four very different songs – each showing a different angle to the band’s retro, riff-based sound – but this is more than a hacked out musical CV. Yes, the songs are all different, but there’s a common musical thread and a very distinctive vocal gluing the pieces together. In terms of debut releases it has a lot of muscle, even if originality often takes a back seat.
THE GREAT AFFAIRS – Sleepwalker
Nashville’s Great Affairs have released some really enjoyable material over the years. Just as importantly, with the help of line-up changes bringing different talents to the table, they’ve also grown as a band. Their second album ‘Ricky Took The Wheels’ paraded the band as fairly obsessed with The Black Crowes; ‘Happy Endings’ appeared to have a bigger interest in Americana; later works – largely due to second vocalist/drummer Kenny Wright’s arrival – introduced more grit, adding a Stones-ish/Faces colourant to the band’s musical palate. No matter what the musical mood, though, a Great Affairs release has guaranteed a selection of great songs. Even ‘Everybody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt’ – an album released during a very troubled 2020, and capturing the band on autopilot in some ways – had its own charm.
The Crystal Teardrop go massively retro on new track!
It might well be 2023, but in The Crystal Teardrop’s world it’s still 1967! The Midlands based rock band have reached deeply inside themselves and unleashed their inner flower children on their brilliant second single ‘By The River’.
LEATHER CATSUIT – Leather Catsuit EP
A long time coming, DJ Kim Olin allegedly first hatched an idea for a rock ‘n’ roll band back in the 80s, but it wouldn’t be until 2022 that Leather Catsuit became a reality. At just five tracks, the band’s debut is too short, but since each of the tracks explores a different avenue, it plays like a complete showcase – enough to win the affections of potential fans without trying too hard.