punk this week: sharp pins, thee headcoatees, tee vee repairmann + 13 more
The return of legends, a wonderfully savage U.S.A. diss track from Barcelona, Parisian eggs, sick Sydney garage punk, and much more.
Hi everybody, it’s Punk This Week, see/saw’s weekly round-up of the great punk and rock’n’roll records newly bestowed upon the world. Hold onto your pants because there are new records out this week from Sharp Pins, Tee Vee Repairmann, Flippeur, and amazingly, Thee Headcoatees. (Holy shit!)
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Sharp Pins: Balloon Balloon Balloon [K]
Between hard touring, the Lifeguard album, and the acclaimed broad release of Radio DDR, Kai Slater’s 2025 has been unbelievable. Balloon Balloon Balloon isn’t so much a victory lap for Sharp Pins’ young mastermind as it is a deepening of everything he’s already established. Joined by Hayes Waring, “Popafangout” sounds like it’s kicking into another jangly garage pop hit-after-hit record, but the warm muffled ballad “Gonna Learn to Crawl” is an example of this album’s patience.
This is a record of expert songwriting, both earworm immediate and charmingly meandering, piped in through the AM radio ether. Balloon Balloon Balloon is the joy of the drums coming in wildly hot on “Takes So Long” before feedback encases the psychedelic ballad “Stop to Say ‘Hello’” one song later. It’s sunshine pouring through all the windows. It’s dust placed meticulously into the grooves. It’s a promise that the well goes deeper than you previously imagined.
