punk this week: lùlù, lifeguard, idle ray, tommy + 20 more
Frankie and the Witch Fingers return, a pile of punk-adjacent bedroom pop dazzles, and the GG King members show off their range.
Hey, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s Friday column collecting the best punk and rock'n'roll records to grace speakers all over the planet. This time we’ve got some expert power pop from France, a phenomenal Minneapolis punk scene debut, plus new ones from Lifeguard, Idle Ray, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and a whole batch of exceptional DIY pop releases. There’s wild hardcore and killer art punk, too.
There’s seriously some incredible new records that you absolutely must check out. To access Punk This Week this time and every time, you’ve got to sign up for $4/month or $40/year. There’s a two-week free trial if you want to try it out. That said, most of the stuff you get on this website is free. I try to keep the cost low, and honestly, I throw the majority of the money back to the punk community—to artists, writers, labels, etc.
Since this thing is fully independent and has no backing investors or anything, subscribing to see/saw—free or paid—is a massive help.
LÙLÙ: LÙLÙ [Howlin' Banana/Dangerhouse/Taken by Surprise]
This band from Marseilles and Lyon have songs in Italian and French, a power pop project that packs ’70s glam and hard rock swagger. The songs on LÙLÙ by LÙLÙ are beyond catchy, perhaps none more than “LÙLÙ.” The approach feels classic, with elated gang vocals, tearjerker ballads, steady cowbell, and a few left field surprises, like the math-y nature of some of these guitar leads. The record finds this great balance between its beefy and twee instincts.
