What a week for tip top single dropping on the RPM HQ doormat. Check out this handy bunch of tasty treats. Pour a drink sit back and make a playlist of these. Your day will be a banger…

The Young Hasselhoffs – ‘Life Got In The Way’ (Rum Bar Records) Omaha, Nebraska’s punk rock romantics open another Singles Club and another offering from the Excellent Lovers of Rock n Roll that are Rum Bar Records. This time it’s sprightly pick-me-up punk rock of The Young HAsselhoffs with ‘Life Got In The Way’ sure it’s Big Time Green Day inspired and why not? It has a tonne of energy, great production and makes me smile. Job done! Lifted from their forthcoming, brand new full length release ‘Life Got In The Way’ due out this Rocktober Check it out Here

Jesse Malin & Bruce Springsteen – ‘Broken Radio’ (Wicked Cool Records) The re-releasing of Jesse Malin’s “lost album, ‘Glitter in the Gutter’, and ‘Broken Radio ‘22’ is the lead single for the campaign.  The track features Bruce Springsteen, along with Malin, on vocals, and is about Malin’s mom’s love for music.  It is the perfect kickoff to the album campaign.  Glitter in the Gutter was originally released in 2007 on Green Day’s Adeline Records, but has been out of print for years and has never appeared digitally.  The 2022 version of Broken Radio is revamped with Malin’s current band, giving it a more modern update. Glitter was a great record mixing up Malins influences and pushing boundaries of what people expected from the D Gen frontman. Getting Springsteen in was a great idea but really underplayed at the time so lets hope this fresh kickstart and new coat of pain give it the energy and push this fantastic album deserves. pick it up Here

The Speedways – ‘Shoulda Known’ (Snap!!/Hurrah Musica & Beluga Records) Two brand new tracks lifted from the forthcoming album from The Speedways Who serve up the song of the summer. If you’ve been following their career, you’ll be unsurprised by the quality of tunes on offer here. An instant classic, catchy as hell, complete with key change. You know how 1979 was a year of amazing tunes from The Jags, Elvis Costello, The Korgis? ‘Shoulda Known’ is up there with the very best power pop. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it, but it’s an ongoing master class.

‘A Drop In The Ocean’ starts like a Kinks riff, before the verse comes in, shimmering with a beautiful, melancholy melody. Like any amateur songwriter, I know how hard it is to come up with the goods, but The Speedways can be relied on to deliver every time. What can I say? Listen and buy. The album of the summer? I wouldn’t bet against it. Buy Here

Words: Martin Chamarette

More Kicks – ‘Animal’ (Dirtnap Records (USA) and Stardumb Records (EU)) Opening with a guitar lick that says Hell yeah we love the knack and My Sherona is boss but this bad boy rolls further down that freewheeling hill towards the solo that just burns baby! A smoldering rock-n-roll tune that just gets better and better. Suli writes great tunes – that’s a given and this is more kicks which is most appropriate when describing this retro-drenched banger. If you were looking for more proof then flip this bad boy and ‘The Wind Up’ crackles and snaps its scuffed Cuban heels to the whig-out tempo and again it’s different from the A side but just as good. Then the third and final track is a whistful road song with acoustic guitar and cool lyrics. ’10 Miles High’ is simple yet superb! from the Dylan-esque strum to the swirling organ and gang BV’s layered in the background and then it’s done. Buy this record! Here

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – ‘Ballad Of A Misspent Youth‘ (MRG through Virgin/Universal) Man it’s been two years since ‘What Kinda Love’ and twelve Months since ‘Same Old You’ well kids after releasing the news of the new label signing the single ‘Ballad Of A Misspent Youth’ is released. It’s got A big Early Kiss Riff borrowed and some rock n roll lyrics, of course, Tuk is back in the room after a lengthy lay-off this needs to be played loud and over and over. check it out Here

Kurt Baker – ‘Electric Fire’ (Wicked Cool Records) Kurt Baker’s latest single, ‘Electric Fire’, is out August 19 on Wicked Cool Records.  Baker wrote the track with his longtime collaborator and guitarist, Geoff Palmer.  The two were inspired by their influences, such as Oasis, Elvis Presley, The Supersuckers, and more.  With this release, Baker hopes to bring a little bit of light and levity to the intense and frustrating times we’ve been living.  He says, “Let’s face it, we’ve been through a lot and the best cure is a little rock n roll for our soul.”  We’ve been longtime admirers of Baker’s music and songwriting skills so seeing him sign to Wicked Cool seemed a great fit and the quality tunes keep coming thick and fast and ‘Electric Fire’ rolls off the conveyor belt of cool tunes. orcd.co/electricfire

Blodkvalt – ‘Decapitation’ (Fysisk Format Records) Its no secret that we have a love of Black Metal here at RPMHQ so when Fysisk Format turn in a new tune or when Fysisk Format have a new record coming out we have to check it out on reputation and so it turns out Blodkvart are bang on the money – Bleak, dark, Black as fuck. I only hope they are ok in this searing summer heat Europe is undergoing. Oslo isn’t exempt from the chaos of this heat so grab a blackpack and yomp to this motherfuckers.

Slyder Smith & The Oblivion Kids – ‘Pleasure Victim’ (Cargo / Ray Records) The second single lifted from the magnificent debut album from former Last Great Dreamer, Slyder and the boys bang out ‘Pleasure Victim’ an exciting rush of energy that harks back to Wardour Streets Marquee and the likes of Hanoi kicking out the jams this, is a thumper in that vein.

Great rolling lick before the chug leads the way on the verse before some cool stabs and a solo that’s like a gob full of space dust as the six-string slides by. Bang and then it’s done! Banger of a tune – trust me! Pre-save it here

Automatics – ‘Wild Ride Through Wonderland’ It’s a big sweeping acoustic-driven slice of Rock n Roll with a dreamy tempo. It’s a grower of a tune that if it were on the radio you’d turn the dial up and you’d be singing along with the roof down as you zip through the winding country lanes. It features Neil Frost and it is a 2022 reworking of the song which originally featured on the ‘Star Maps Of The Underworld’ album, check it out here

Slim Jim Phantom – ‘Speed Of Sound’ (Wicked Cool Records) Wow! Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats has joined the Wicked Cool Records family.  ‘Speed of Sound’ is a digital single and what a banger it is.  The track packs a punch in under two minutes and doesn’t hang about – wham bang thank you man. I wasn’t expecting this and then when it hits you – man that was a rush. Rock n Roll royalty is in the house and this is excellent. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we get an album and if it’s this strong then it’ll be a highlight make no mistake about that. Find it and turn It UP!!! Record of the week? Absolutely!!!

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners – ‘Lately Always’ (Wicked Cool Records) A sidestep to the left for Ginger Wildheart but if his debut album for Wicked Cool was an indication of the quality we can expect and on the strength of this then the Sinners album promises to be a real contender come the end of the year. Check out the video below