Feb 6
They had freezing temps in 1940, too.
Photo: Andrew Herman via seeoldnyc.com
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They had freezing temps in 1940, too.
Photo: Andrew Herman via seeoldnyc.com
6/18/26.
About 9 months ago, we posted about Tucson's Freezing Hands. It had to be one of our most "liked" posts of last year, garnering a whopping 24 likes. I don't actually keep track of specific post stats, but I do remember being a bit surprised with the love for what I assumed was an obscure Southwest power pop band.
So, the other day, while looking through the 7"s at a record store I was surprised to see this split 7" with No Stones. I snatched it up and have of course been pleased with my purchase. This 7" was released in 2022 - but as far as I can tell, Freezing Hands have been at it since 2013. The two songs here do nothing to move me off my Gentleman Jesse, The Toms, Exploding Hearts, Softjaw, etc. comparisons.
If you're interested in hearing the three songs from No Stones, click here. The band is also Tucson based, but definitely more punk/garagey than Freezing Hands.
This 7" was put out by No Stones and has the release number NS-01. It was recorded at Midtown Island Studio by Matt Rendon (The Resonars).
Horohoro Vs Kalim
Date a demisexual person who always has cold hands
9/6/25.
Power pop isn't really that easy to do well. When it IS done well, you can feel it in your brain - the melodies (pop) and the drive (power) combine to create a kind of dopamine for my brain. Bands like The Grip Weeds, The Toms, Gentleman Jesse, and Warm Soda (Matthew Melton) all come to mind when listening to Freezing Hands.
In Tuscon, Arizona, the legend of power pop begins with Matt Rendon (The Resonars, The Butterscotch Cathedral, among many more bands). The Freezing Hands are still active, having released a 7" last year. "It Was A Good Run" is in it's second pressing. It's glorious and sounds like it could have belonged on Numero's great "Titan: It's All Pop" box set.
This was originally released in 2022 on Dateland Records, which looks like a label that was created to put out Freezing Hands' music.
9/9/25.
There are times where not only is a post a no-brainer, but I also rush to buy quickly too. This is one of those times. Gentleman Jesse has been a regular play of mine since the early 2000s. His brand of power pop scratched the power pop itch in the same manner as early Joe Jackson.
And just a couple of days ago we about Freezing Hands, a band from Tucson, Arizona and one of Matt Rendon's bands (a true master of power pop from Tucson, Arizona).
"I Wonder if You Would Even Notice: Singles and Rarities", "tracks the first five years of the group’s progress across 16 songs, from early demos to a string of punchy, danceable singles. The guitars may not be distorted, but, far from being saccharine or kitschy, Gentleman Jesse is truly more POWER than POP." The Bandcamp write up also mentions The Nerves (Peter Case/Paul Collins) as an influential touchstone
Gentleman Jesse is Jesse Smith (Atlanta, Georgia). This album was recently released by Beach Impediment Records (Richmond, Virginia). This label released the band's excellent "Lose Everything" back in 2021.
1/30/26.
I've been listening to a lot of music from Tucson, Arizona label Midtown Island Records for the past several days. The label is kind of home to the Lenguas Largas family tree (its most famous member is Matt Rendon of The Resonars who also operates Midtown Island Studio). I've known about The Resonars and recently covered Freezing Hands, but had never heard of Midtown Island Records until now.
If interested, read this great article by Mike Faloon about 4 great Midtown Island Records releases. I was going to initially write about The Gem Show (their guitarist, John Polle, was in Treepeople), but the article also covered Anchorbaby "Groovysmo". Faloon's article compares the bands sound XTC, The Dukes of Stratosphear, R.E.M., The Byrds all funneled through 1960s Brazilian tropicalia. The first five songs are just amazing.
