If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Billy Logan Tudor If you love half as much as we do, you're going to adore the latest single from Kicking Bird. "Verdun" is picture perfect power pop. It has roots in the power pop of the 60's and 70's, but through the lens of 90's power pop that was inspired by the 60's and 70's. You get little hints of your favorite power pop artists, with shades of Cheap Trick, Mott the Hoople, and early Fountains of Wayne. It's catchy, and fuzzy, and with just enough distortion to keep things from getting too saccharine. "Verdun" has a bounce to it that is simply irresistible. By the time the heavenly guitar solo kicks in, you'll be fully on the Kicking Bird bandwagon, if you weren't already. You can listen to "Verdun" below. 11 Short Fictions is due out April 4 on Fort Lowell Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Kicking Bird, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . 11 Short Fictions...

Photo by Billy Logan Tudor North Carolina's Kicking Bird floored us with 2023's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The album had this amazing 60's and 90's retro sound that we loved, and reminded us of bands like Weezer and Fountains of Wayne. Now they're back with "What Did You Expect (with Such a Beautiful Wife)." This new song also has a 90's throwback sound, and while there are still some sonic references to bands like Weezer and Fountains of Wayne, I'm also getting a little of Lush's poppier side and Velocity Girl. It's a song that puts a little extra noise into dream pop with more of a DIY side than we'd normally associate with the genre. The new single is filled with swirling, slightly off guitars that's going to instantly suck a lot of our readers in. You can listen to "What Did You Expect (with Such a Beautiful Wife)" below. 11 Short Fictions is due out April 4 on Fort Lowell Records, and is available for pre-ord...

When you have a music blog, you sometimes get to hear new music early. I got to hear Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , the upcoming new album from Wilmington, NC's Kicking Bird, and was instantly smitten. Some albums just seem perfectly made for my specific tastes, and that's how this one feels. The songs on Original Motion Picture Soundtrack have that perfect mid-90's power pop sound with a little retro 60's cool. It's like a less ironic version of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer. I got the chance to interview three members of Kicking Bird (Shaun and Shaylah Paul as well as Robin Cooksley) over email, so we discussed North Carolina, their upcoming album, and the song we're premiering, "238."  Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is due out May 19 on Fort Lowell Records, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Kicking Bird, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . You can listen to "238" below the interview. Your sound seems to invoke...