#softjaw

[bandcampsnoop]

March 4, 2026.

Well, it seems like we have officially got ourselves a power pop revival. In my mind, power pop never really went away - great bands have been plying it since the 1970s - Big Star, The Toms, Cheap Trick, Paul Collins, Teenage Fanclub, The Exploding Hearts, Gentleman Jesse. Now, The Lemon Twigs, Billy Tibbals, Uni Boys and the like are bringing it back full force. Softjaw are getting ready to release their debut LP - which compiles some singles, a digital EP and a few covers. It's a co-release between Dandy Boy Records (Oakland, CA) and Bachelor Records (Salzburg, Austria).

Softjaw are a Long Beach, California band, and if you head over to their Bandcamp you can hear most of the songs that will eventually end up on the LP. You'll also notice that they definitely give a musical nod to all the power pop great mentioned above while sounding fresh and vibrant.

[bandcampsnoop]

4/14/26.

I've been going on and on about the power pop bloom, and the Long Beach scene. Softjaw brings the two of them together (I've been listening to the new album non-stop since it's recent full release - it's a winner).

I know we're all aware of the Los Angeles scene some 50 years ago - punk, pop and paisley. I was not aware of Flyboys (Arcadia, California), nor was I aware of their singular importance in the creation of Frontier Records - the label that, for me at least, is synonymous with Thin White Rope and The Three O'Clock.

Lisa Fancher, founder of Frontier Records, wanted to release the band's EP which apparently took "far too long to record, and by the time Fancher finally released it in March 1980...the band had decided to call it quits." Still, some of the names involved in the recording are amazing: Jim Mankey (Sparks) and Scott Goddard (Dickies manager) helped make the album.

Current Los Angeles area bands like the aforementioned Softjaw, Uni Boys, and Billy Tibbals are all amazing in their own right. But they're also following in the footsteps of early Southern California punk/power pop "pioneers" like Flyboys.

This is the recently released "complete" Flyboys - a 7", the original EP, and some found demos. I wouldn't be put off by the "sold out" here on Bandcamp. My guess is that hundreds of copies of this release are headed for records stores far and wide.

[bandcampsnoop]

3/6/26.

As long as we're on a power pop jag (recent Softjaw post and dozens of references to The Lemon Twigs) we might as well post The Rubs "Impossible Dream" (HoZac Records, 2017). I absolutely revere HoZac for their new music and reissues, but I find it nearly impossible to keep up with the label as evidenced by my 9-year delay on this classic.

The Rubs (Chicago, Illinois) is really mainly the work of Joey Rubbish (Joey Montanaro) whose style of power pop reminds me of The Toms, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric. More recently, he's released work as Flesh Panthers and recorded music for The Whiffs. Rubbish isn't a one trick pony by any means - listen to "Too Young For Me" - it's got the swagger and sound of The Rolling Stones.

[punkrockmixtapes]

Listen/purchase: I Need You by SOFTJAW

[bostonfly]

Listen/purchase: Undercover Lover by SOFTJAW