Kyle Craft & Showboat Honey “Showboat Honey” 2019. Blue Splatter (“Loser Edition”) vinyl, Sub Pop Records. Alt-rock with a psychedelic, glitter indie edge. The tracks range from groovy psych rockers (feeling a bit Ty Seagal) to soaring jangly dream pop (so many bands these days fall into that category but what jumps to my mind is a band most won’t know of, Me Like Bees). Anyway, I’m partial to the psych-rockers; my top picks are the opener “Broken Mirror Pose” and the second track “O! Lucky Hand.” Midtempo ass-shakers with swagger. “Deathwish Blue” is John Lennonesque and anthemic and “Buzzkill Caterwaul” feels like Sgt. Pepper was hanging out with T. Rex (it’s great!). The dreamier songs, like “Blackhole-Joyride” and “Bed of Needles” would be perfect for an outdoor summer solstice show, with lawn chairs and fireflies. “Sunday Driver” mashes up both vibes. The disconnect between the styles on this record are explained on their Bandcamp page:

After years of touring, two LPs with Sub Pop Records, and solidifying the band, he’s since grown into a prodigious songwriter, to say the least. The band recorded Showboat Honey—co-produced by Craft, Clark, and Slater—at their own Moonbase Studios in Portland over 2018. “We approached this record differently for sure,” Craft says. “I’d make a demo, and after putting the songs together, shoot it to the band for ideas.” Tracks such as “Broken Mirror Pose” ended up being highly collaborative, while others settled into Craft’s original vision. “Deathwish Blue,” for instance, was tracked in a similar fashion to his solo debut, Dolls of Highland, with Craft tracking every instrument by himself.

Kyle and the members of Showboat Honey worked at such a feverish wine-fueled pace that they actually ended up with two completely different albums. But at the end of the day, they decided to combine the two into what is now Showboat Honey, a moonstruck rock ’n’ roll record teeming with reckless abandon.

Lambrini Girls “You’re Welcome” 2023. Limited edition “Eco Mix” colored vinyl, Big Scary Monsters Records. EP from wild and angry British punks. Two of the eight (actually nine) songs are live: “Fuck Myself” and “Big Dick Energy” (well, three songs – “Craig David” is not listed). The latter is one of my favorites – it also appears on their 2025 debut LP, though a studio version. Also awesome on You’re Welcome is the opener “Boys in the Band,” the grungy riot grrrl L7ish “Help Me I’m Gay” and the ominous “White Van.” I wish we could’ve caught Lambrini Girls last month when they were touring but we already had tickets the same night to Amyl and the Sniffers. The Girls are playing Riot Fest in September but….Riot Fest so probably a no.

Stiff Richards “State of Mind” 2020 (2023 repress on blue vinyl, Drunken Sailor Records). Garage punk from Australia. I love these guys – straightforward, high energy rock n’roll, danceable (albeit mosh or pogo) without lots of frills. Think a mashup of Stooges, the Saints and AC/DC for 70’s style rock and punk cred and then a layer or two of  90’s garage. State of Mind is the band’s third full-length and it’s a total ripper. With nine tracks that clock in at around a half hour, they’re practically all my top picks but if forced to choose: the wild opener “Point of You” rocks as does the title track “State of Mind,” “Talk” and the mid tempo, excellently angry “Mr. Situation” has just enough funk to make it a standout. I love the stupid simplicity of “Got It to Go,” the lyrics likely inspired by a drunk or high late night fast food run (and he lost his phone and wallet). “Glass” has a super chugga chugga driving rhythm accented with strategic power punk riffs. Right, so I just listed over half of the tracks on the LP – they’re all great.