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Charlotte power-pop veterans The Spongetones return with “Starting To Feel,” a wonderfully melodic reminder of why the band has remained such an enduring presence in American power pop. Released through Big Stir Records, the song draws naturally on the melodic craftsmanship of The Beatles, Badfinger and The Raspberries, with a touch of Emitt Rhodes in its warmth and understated optimism.

There’s also a remarkable history behind the song. Drummer Eric Willhelm had carried its melody with him since the early 1990s, eventually bringing it to bandmate Jamie Hoover, who helped develop it into the finished composition. It also marks Willhelm’s lead-vocal debut with the band.

That long gestation suits a song centred on renewal and the feeling of discovering that something inside you is beginning to come alive again. Rather than turning that idea into a grand declaration, The Spongetones approach it with the melodic ease and emotional directness that have always defined their best work.

For a band whose history stretches back more than four decades, “Starting To Feel” doesn’t sound like an exercise in nostalgia. Instead, it captures something much more appealing: musicians still finding reasons to create, collaborate and surprise themselves.

Released October 16 through Big Stir Records.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #TheSpongetones #StartingToFeel #PowerPop #BigStirRecords

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New York art-rock band Earthquake Lights return with “Mr. Always-What-He-Had-To-Be,” a sophisticated, quietly unsettling song that finds them somewhere between Radiohead’s darker introspection, Steely Dan’s sharp character studies and the cinematic ambition of Pink Floyd and The Alan Parsons Project.

At the centre of the song is a former music-industry success whose identity has become inseparable from achievement, recognition and the need to remain relevant. There’s something deliberately cynical about the portrait. Fame, royalties and self-promotion have become measures of worth, leaving the character trapped by the very success he once pursued.

Rather than turning him into a caricature, Earthquake Lights leave enough ambiguity to make the story more interesting. There’s arrogance here, but also something rather sad about someone who has spent so long performing a version of himself that there may not be much left underneath.

The arrangement expands that sense of unease, including strings recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Yet the scale never overwhelms the storytelling, allowing the character at the centre of the song to remain its focus.

“Mr. Always-What-He-Had-To-Be” offers another intriguing glimpse of Earthquake Lights’ fourth album, expected in 2027, and shows a band increasingly comfortable combining ambitious arrangements with sharply observed songwriting.

PR: Echo Myron

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #EarthquakeLights #AlternativeRock #ArtRock #NewMusic

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Dutch five-piece Starfish find the emotional pull between growing up and finding somewhere to belong on “Home,” a sweeping piece of alternative rock released through Sunny Vibes Records. There are echoes of Snow Patrol’s emotional scale and Kings of Leon’s melodic immediacy, alongside touches of Nothing But Thieves and the heart-on-sleeve storytelling of The Gaslight Anthem.

At its centre is the realization that adulthood changes our understanding of what “home” actually means. Places that once felt permanent become memories, circumstances change and the people around us begin building lives of their own. Starfish turn that uncertainty into something reassuring: sometimes home isn’t a particular town, house or moment in your past, but the person who makes wherever you happen to be feel familiar.

That idea gives the song its emotional weight without pushing it into sentimentality. The band allow the feeling to build naturally, giving “Home” the scale of an anthem while keeping its story personal.

With more than two million streams and a growing festival presence behind them, Starfish are steadily establishing themselves beyond the Dutch independent scene. “Home” suggests why, combining accessible alternative rock with songwriting that feels genuinely lived in.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #Starfish #Home #AlternativeRock #IndieRock

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Dutch singer-songwriter FENNE captures the difficult space between love and inevitability on “Hurts A Little Less,” a quietly affecting song from her album Mediocre Woman. There are echoes of Lucy Rose and Phoebe Bridgers in its emotional directness, alongside the atmospheric melancholy of Daughter and the intimate storytelling of early Laura Marling.

The song centres on a particularly complicated kind of heartbreak: loving someone while already understanding that the relationship probably isn’t going to work. Rather than waiting until everything has fallen apart, FENNE writes from inside that realization, where affection and disappointment exist at the same time.

The title carries much of the song’s emotional truth. There’s no suggestion that heartbreak simply disappears. Instead, the hope is smaller and more believable: that eventually the memories soften, the attachment loosens and what once felt overwhelming begins to hurt a little less.

FENNE’s restrained delivery suits that perspective beautifully. She allows the uncertainty to remain unresolved, resisting the temptation to turn the experience into either tragedy or triumph.

“Hurts A Little Less” is a thoughtful piece of indie folk songwriting that understands sometimes moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting someone. It simply means learning how to carry what happened differently.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #FENNE #HurtsALittleLess #IndieFolk #SingerSongwriter

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Welsh artist Aderyn turns post-breakup bravado into something much more revealing on “Cross Your Mind,” a sharp, infectious piece of indie pop from her HOT PINK! EP. There are flashes of The Beaches and Wet Leg in its attitude, alongside the melodic instincts of The Beths and Pale Waves and some of Chappell Roan’s ability to turn emotional chaos into colourful pop.

On the surface, Aderyn sounds ready to move on. There’s confidence, humour and the suggestion of someone putting on their glitter boots and reclaiming their independence. But underneath that performance sits a much less convenient truth: she still wants to know whether she crosses the other person’s mind.

That contradiction gives the song its personality. Anyone can declare that they’re over somebody; actually stopping yourself from wondering what that person is thinking is considerably harder. Aderyn understands the gap between the version of ourselves we present to the world and what happens when nobody else is watching.

As part of HOT PINK!, an EP tracing different stages of breakup grief, “Cross Your Mind” captures the moment when confidence begins returning but emotional detachment hasn’t quite caught up.

It’s witty, vulnerable and immediately relatable, allowing Aderyn to have fun with heartbreak without pretending it no longer hurts.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #Aderyn #CrossYourMind #IndiePop #NewMusic

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Los Angeles four-piece Couch Dog push beyond straightforward garage rock on “Rod Sterling,” a restless track that begins with the scrappy immediacy of FIDLAR, Together Pangea and early Wavves before drifting into dreamier, more atmospheric territory reminiscent of DIIV and early Interpol.

That shift suits a song preoccupied with uncertainty. “Rod Sterling” explores the tension between resisting what’s happening around you and simply surrendering to it, creating the feeling of being caught somewhere between two states without knowing which direction offers an escape.

There’s an appropriately surreal quality to the song, as though familiar surroundings have become slightly distorted. The title itself inevitably evokes The Twilight Zone, and Couch Dog use that sense of disorientation effectively without turning the reference into a gimmick.

What begins as an energetic garage-punk track gradually becomes something stranger and more reflective. That transformation gives “Rod Sterling” its character and suggests a band increasingly interested in stretching beyond the sound that first defined them.

Following a debut album that has accumulated more than 11 million Spotify streams, Couch Dog are now working toward their sophomore album, expected in 2027. “Rod Sterling,” released October 20, offers an intriguing indication of where they may be heading next.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #CouchDog #RodSterling #GarageRock #PostPunk

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London’s Micko & The Mellotronics turn a deeply personal experience into something defiantly life affirming on “Viva La Underdog,” from their new album The Trinity. There are echoes of Squeeze and XTC in its sharp British songwriting, Buzzcocks in its punk energy and Ian Dury in Micko Westmoreland’s ability to find humour and humanity in everyday life.

The song grew from visits with Micko’s mother, who has Alzheimer’s, when the two would watch old episodes of Top of the Pops together. From that experience emerged a celebration of outsiders, survivors and anyone who keeps going when circumstances suggest otherwise.

That background gives the song considerably more emotional weight than its exuberant surface initially suggests. Rather than dwelling on sadness, Micko transforms a difficult experience into an affirmation of resilience. The underdog isn’t presented as someone waiting to triumph spectacularly, but simply someone who continues showing up.

There’s another poignant connection in the song’s tribute to the late Neil Innes, whose combination of musical invention, humour and distinctly British eccentricity feels entirely at home in the Mellotronics’ world.

Released October 16 on The Trinity, “Viva La Underdog” is funny, touching and gloriously spirited, finding genuine joy without ignoring the circumstances that inspired it.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #MickoAndTheMellotronics #VivaLaUnderdog #PowerPop #IndieRock

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Los Angeles-based Robbery Inc. deliver a hard-edged piece of alternative rock with “Lying To You,” pairing the muscular swagger of Velvet Revolver and The Cult with echoes of Stone Temple Pilots and the heavier side of Foo Fighters.

Led by Robb Torres and co-written with Canadian songwriter Rosanne Baker Thornley, the song takes an interesting approach to deception by placing us inside the perspective of the person doing the manipulating. The narrator knows exactly what he’s doing, yet seems to assume everyone around him will continue accepting the story anyway.

That unreliable voice allows “Lying To You” to extend beyond a single relationship. The same behaviour is easy to recognize in politicians, executives and public figures who repeat a version of events with enough confidence that they expect the audience to accept it regardless of the evidence.

There’s a satisfying bite to the song because Robbery Inc. don’t overcomplicate the point. Sometimes manipulation isn’t particularly sophisticated; it simply depends upon the liar believing nobody will challenge them.

Submitted through Jim “Catman” Catalano. Selected as Catman’s Choice.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #RobberyInc #LyingToYou #AlternativeRock HardRock

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Toronto quintet Next Week’s Washing push into bigger territory with “Clear Eyes,” a sweeping collision of shoegaze and alternative rock from their forthcoming Spiral EP. There are traces of Ride, Slowdive and DIIV in its atmosphere, while the heavier passages carry some of the scale and urgency of Smashing Pumpkins.

Lyrically, “Clear Eyes” is rooted in the uncertainty of being young enough to still be figuring things out while becoming increasingly aware of how quickly time is moving. Its title takes inspiration from Friday Night Lights, but the song turns that sense of determination inward, toward trusting your instincts when there isn’t an obvious route ahead.

The spoken passage — “We move together / like the hands of a clock” — gives the song one of its most memorable moments. Time becomes both reassuring and unsettling: everyone is moving forward together, but nobody gets to stop it.

“Clear Eyes” feels like a band expanding its ambitions without losing the emotional uncertainty that gives the song its character.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #NextWeeksWashing #ClearEyes #Shoegaze #TorontoMusic

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Nottingham/Derby singer-songwriter PubKid strips things back on “This Is The Place,” turning uncertainty into an intimate piece of British indie folk. There are shades of Jake Bugg, Gerry Cinnamon and Richard Ashcroft in Frank Levers’ direct delivery, alongside some of Billy Bragg’s ability to make personal questions feel much larger.

Water and fire run through the song as images of instability, while the repeated question “I don’t know if this is the place” becomes increasingly important. Rather than writing about finally finding somewhere to belong, Levers captures the much more complicated moment when you’re still trying to decide whether you’ve arrived at all.

That uncertainty gives the song its character. There is no dramatic revelation waiting at the end and no artificial attempt to resolve everything neatly. “This Is The Place” understands that sometimes the question itself is the most truthful part of the story.

Recorded at The Albion Rooms in Margate and submitted through Songbird PR.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #PubKid #ThisIsThePlace #IndieFolk #SingerSongwriter

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Long Beach trio SOFTJAW wrap betrayal in irresistible power pop on “Poor Disguise,” a compact song whose sweetness makes its accusation hit even harder. There are echoes of Shoes, Big Star and Teenage Fanclub in the melodic construction, with some of The Replacements’ rougher emotional edge underneath.

Dustin Lovelis wrote the song with a friend in mind who had been dealt a bad hand, and that perspective matters. Rather than hearing the confrontation directly from the person who has been hurt, we’re watching someone recognize what is happening from the outside.

The disguise in question isn’t particularly convincing. The song is about the point where someone’s behaviour has exposed them so completely that maintaining the performance becomes almost absurd. You can hide intentions for a while, but eventually character has a way of showing itself.

That sharp observation sits inside a song built to be played loudly. “Poor Disguise” has been added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #SOFTJAW #PoorDisguise #PowerPop #IndieRock

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London artist Pav Sharda, recording as Sweet Gorilla, turns encouragement into something deeply personal on “It’s Your Life.” There are echoes of Tears for Fears and Talk Talk in its thoughtful, expansive songwriting, alongside the atmospheric ambition of Pink Floyd and the emotional scale of Simple Minds.

Sharda describes the song as being written for the underdogs, but its message carries additional weight through its connection to his brother, who lives with schizophrenia. That personal experience gives the song’s language about overcoming fear and stepping out of the shadows a meaning beyond conventional ideas of self-belief.

The “shadow” becomes particularly effective because it can be understood in more than one way. It represents the self-doubt that can prevent any of us from moving forward, while also reflecting the darkness, uncertainty and confusion Sharda has witnessed through his brother’s experience.

That dual meaning prevents the song’s encouraging message from becoming simplistic. “It’s Your Life” acknowledges that telling someone to move forward is considerably easier than actually doing it, particularly when circumstances are beyond their control.

Sweet Gorilla ultimately offers encouragement without pretending every obstacle can simply be wished away. It’s a compassionate song about resilience, perspective and trying to reclaim some sense of possibility.

Added to Bombshell Radio rotation and will be featured on an upcoming edition of Addictions and Other Vices.

#bombshellradioreviews #SweetGorilla #ItsYourLife #AlternativeRock #NewMusic

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