Fresh off being named my favorite album of 2011, The Babies are prepping their next release, Cry Along With The Babies which is available now via Matt Mondanile’s new label New Images and is comprised of acoustic demos from 2010 and 2011. In all likelihood, this will be awesome. Also below is the acoustic turn of Trouble that was released on that great Teenage Teardrops 7″.

The Babies – Trouble by New Images

Did you know that Wycombe is pronounced like ‘Wick-um’? I did not, until the first time I tried to say it, ‘WHY-comb’, and everyone fucking laughed right in my face and enjoyed my fuckup. Anyway, England’s best garage band that is hands down the most underrated/overlooked band, The Castillians, teamed up with our buds at PNKSLM to release this little EP to keep us on the hook while we wait for their debut LP, Show Your Teeth. The Sunny Wycombe EP is a 5-song taster, that will in fact, if you are not already a Castillians disciple, convert you to one upon first listen. They’re all slashing guitars, distorted as fuck vocals, and most definitely the catchiest garage punk songs. If this doesn’t get you ready and raring for their LP, you can go over to the great Cold Rice Records and pick up Here Come The Castillians to hear some classics like Nosebleed & Lovers Call, one of my favorite ever tracks.

From the second that I heard Japan’s Friends (aka Shota Kaneko & friends), I’ve been wholly knocked over by their 60s referencing surf and sun demos that got posted pretty much immediately here at NRBW. Finally, they have secured a proper debut release, a 10″ record called Let’s Get Together Again via Japanese label Second Royal Records. This will surprise and delight us sometime in October. If you have never listened to Friends, may I say two things. First, why? Second, if you ever visited the beach as a child and remember the feeling of your ropey, salty hair sticking sweetly to the back of your neck, or the delightful annoying feeling of bits of sand under your fingernails (and everywhere else, of course), or the shrieks of delight coming off the Santa Monica pier — you’re going to fall head over heels for the simultaneously gritty and shining garage pop that Friends do with an amazing deftness.

My favorite Friends jam, ‘Make It Better‘, has gotten a little makeover for this release and is more echoing and incredibly, infuriatingly catchy than ever before. Stream the rest of the album via Soundcloud.

Make It Better by Second Royal Records

Does Cumstain‘s new album have the best album artwork ever? Yes. This ‘debut’ will hit our ears on Tuesday and Burger Records has got the pre-sale up now. 500 of the future classic Hurry Up & Kill Yourself You Scumbag Trust Me Your Mother Won’t Miss You will be printed, with 200 of them on beautiful puke green vinyl. You can grab your copy via Burger Records or Under The Gun Records. Check out the tracklist below and grab the song that Cumstain accidentally did about my life, and leadoff track Bachelor’s Life, after that:

1. Bachelor’s Life
2. Broke My Dick
3. No Hearts
4. Big Mean Maniac
5. Just A Kid
6. Vicdumb
7. Slip It Off/Slip It In
8. Smoker
9. I Want It Now
10. Suck Her 4 U
11. Jack Shack
12. Cum Stain

mp3: Cumstain – Bachelor’s Life

Got a really rad email over from our bro Paul, formerly of Myelin Sheaths, about this record series that they’re doing for a bunch of Canadian provinces. From the success of their earlier attempts at Bloodstains across Alberta and BC comes Bloodstains Across Ontario, and I don’t need to keep constantly reminding you that Canada has one of the best garage/punk scenes right now and a ton of really great bands feature on this compilation. Besides hearing exclusive songs from White Wires, Peach Kelli Pop, Young Governor and TONETTA (!!!), there’s a completely unreleased jam from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Of course, this is my first introduction to the influenctial Toronto legends who made the Kids In The Hall theme. This is a special addition to the album, and you can stream the whole thing below.

Grab the mp3s for the cheap ass price of $5 CAD via Bandcamp or get your hands on the 7″ via Mammoth Cave Recording Co.

Haven’t had a chance to catch Cleburne’s (what up North Texas) wunderkind Fungi Girls yet, but the taster they’re releasing off their forthcoming HoZac debut, the motherfucking aptly named Some Easy Magic will surely cut some asses right up on July 11th, makes me want to, real bad. ‘Velvet Days’ is 100% carefree hazy guitar goodness, the relentless melody tangles perfectly with the stoic rhythm section and I really can’t tell if I want to frolic somewhere listening to this or be in some sort of early morning opium coma — but I think it’d work well both ways. You whet your appetite for July with another track off the album via their bandcamp.

mp3: Fungi Girls – Velvet Days

On Friday the 13th, I got my hands on a copy of the great compilation released by Cactus-Mouth, Tears on My Pillow: Part II. It features our longtime favorites, School Knights, taking on Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway‘, sounding as tight and as reverberated as ever. They can pretty much do no wrong. One of our favorite Canadian bands, Shimmering Stars, keep to their deep rooted vintage sound with excellent harmonies on their take of Mickey & Sylvia’s ‘Love Is Strange‘ with guest vocals from Sue McClure. Also featured are the great Cloud Nothings, our new favorite Tennessian’s Acid Glasses, and Lizard Kisses. Download two tasters below, or head over to Cactus-Mouth to download the whole thing for freesies.

mp3: School Knights – Runaway (Del Shannon Cover)
mp3:Shimmering Stars – Love Is Strange (ft. Sue McClure) (Mickey & Sylvia Cover)

I’ve heard nothing from Chapter Sweetheart outside of their incredibly excellent cover of ‘My Girl’ which I posted way back in September (and is very worth a download) or something. So I’ve been waiting on new stuff from them ever since. But truth be told, the wait was okay because this is outstanding. ‘Truth Be Told’ is weird and it features one of my favorite things a song can contain — a hyper simple but infectuous keyboard melody. Mixed with lots of cymbal, infrequent and strange vocals and yelling, there’s something that’s so strange and so immediate about this. I just kind of want to make out with this song. I have never said that before, by the way.

Chapter Sweetheart’s debut EP, Edition No. 1 via Tongues of Spoken Truth on June 11th. The first cut, is below, and it’s amazing:

Today the truth by Chapter_Sweetheart

Springing out of the infinite hiatus of Nine Black Alps, we immediately fell in love with Martin Cohen’s new project Milk Maid. Another excellent band out of Manchester, they’ve signed to the big wig Fat Cat Records for the debut LP. Yucca will change our summer for the better on June 20th. Recorded in his bedroom, I’m expecting this to be packed with lackadaisical and almost intolerably catchy melodies, gold sounds for my golden summer. Soothe your worries with ‘Not Me‘, the first cut off the album, and pre-order your copy via Fat Cat Records.

If you’re in Brighton, they’re playing the Great Escape on Saturday the 14th at the Fat Cat night at the Green Doore Store with fellow FC band Mazes and the awesome Prize Pets.

Not Me by Milk Maid

Everything Is Dancing from Fair Ohs on Vimeo.

Radical new video from the mighty Fair Ohs for the aptly titled, Everything Is Dancing. Really stoked to hear new stuff from these dudes – it’s all tropical pop paradise stuff erring on the side of Fool’s Gold, with a hilarious video featuring one of my all time favorite foods (and one of the only I can cook), Nachos and superhero costumes. My prediction? Their debut album, also entitled Everything Is Dancing will be one of the most played albums of the summer. It comes out June 6th via Honey High Records. Pre-orders taken here with awesome bonus shit.

Ps. Also featured in the video is the cassette Endless Bummer, which is still on sale via Suplex Cassettes which features Fair Ohs and some of our other favorite UK bands destroying surf songs.

mp3: Fair Ohs – Hey Lizzy