Some Summer Songs

Whenever the sun casts its rays upon the numb matter that sits beneath it, the pop bands of the world feel obliged to repay these mysterious Gods of rare-casting light by hounding out ‘songs of summer’, or something equally as droll.

The last time we had a band trying to replicate the tan lines of the glory days it was The Drums, who, it turned out, made an entire record comprised of the same song at slightly different speeds. Then apparently The Vaccines were placed on this earth to rid the pop spectrum of pretension via three-minute bubbles of chipper distortion and optimistic wailings that were over quicker than a horny teen’s first trip to Amsterdam. What both these bands failed to do, in any sense, was inject an element of surprise into the predictable mix, thus being under-whelmed is something we’ve come to expect from these marketed mugs. Lacklustre and safe seem to be the objectives of these unambitious, grin-bearing smart arses.

What we really want is a little filth. You can be poppy with being grubby, and adding little rough to the glitter ball gives it character, the likes of which the comfortable players on the scene fear more than anything.

So to commemorate those who are trying to strut with a little more pout and prowess, I’ve got a handful of slacker-popisms here that adorn to the three-minute demographic and hook-heavy chirps of idealistic pop but aren’t afraid to put their nuts on the chopping block.

Gross Magic - Teen Jamz


Possibly the best band to come out of Brighton in a long time, Gross Magic are the lank-haired, weed-smoking, fuzz-crafting layabouts who provide the missing link between Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr. The brainchild of Sam McGarrigle, Gross Magic’s brazen and edgy rhythms chug down fuzz like a litre of free Slush Puppy while dreamy lyricism clips the ear of Smith Western’s and tells Cloud Nothings they’re a bunch of losers. Their debut e.p, ‘Teen Jamz’ is a reet belter.

Gross Magic - Teen Jamz EP by TheSoundsOfSweetNothing

Ganglians - Drop The Act


This Californian four-piece couldn’t be more, well, Californian. The static production of their group echoes make the Drums sound like urban monkeys chasing stray cats down alley ways. There’s glints of buoyancy sweeping through the waves of lo-fi surf that take ‘Drop The Act’ and place it upon a plinth of righteous perfection, dude.

Ganglians - Drop The Act by souterraintransmissions

Blitzen Trapper - Love The Way You Walk Away


Not quite as wave-laden as the first two, Blitzen Trapper’s husky swell has a country tinge to it, reminiscent of Roman Candle and Neutral Milk Hotel. ‘I‘ve been feeling hard to get, like a dog hiding down underneath the step’ coo the alt-folk Oregon collective, unashamedly brandishing a yearning sense of acceptance when the tagline, ‘I love the way you walk away’ hits, re-opening all the broken souls that have ever dealt with such downtrodden beatings.

Blitzen Trapper - Love The Way You Walk Away by subpop