Kate Clover – The Apocalypse Dream (2024)

The apocalypse on the radio...

This is not a brand new release – it came out last year – but after loving her first album Bleed Your Heart Out (2022) and enjoying her set at Punk Rock Raduno, I somehow missed this follow-up until now.

It kicks off with the high energy singalong title track, which encapsulates all the highlights of her debut album into one song. It's rock, it's power pop, it's got a radio-friendly chorus – it sparkles with poppy charm while maintaining a punk edge.

Like a Domino combines great guitar tones, pounding drums and another earworm chorus. No More Romance starts with a jangly powerpop guitar riff and a hyperactive fuzzy bass line before some upstroke guitar comes in, reminding me of No Doubt but with more grit and guts – this song should be a hit.

The jangly 60s pop inspired Damage control brings some sonic diversity and room to breathe before the fuzz rock of Disconnected and anthemic single Here Comes The Love Bomb turn up the volume again. 

My only complaint with Bleed Your Heart Out was that it felt front loaded with the best songs, leaving the back half of the album less exciting and lower tempo. But The Apocalypse Dream avoids that problem, keeping the energy up all the way through. I can imagine the punk rocker You'll Be The Death Of Me is a live set highlight.

Kate is an exceedingly cool and stylish frontwoman, with all the substance to back up that style. This builds and improves on the first album. The apocalypse never sounded so good!

https://www.kateclover.com/

Cigarettes & Bubblegum #6 – 09.04.2025

More new (relatively) tunes! Come get another fix of the latest and coolest power pop, punk, garage, indie, bubblegum, fuzz pop! I think the oldest song in this set is from 2023. I'm having a fun time finding fresh picks to play each week. There are already enough places to hear the old favourites, in my opinion. Having said that, I'll always be up for playing a hidden gem from the past.


Tracklist: 

1	Pleasants	-	Home Alone
2	Kate Clover	-	Here Comes The Love Bomb
3	Tiikeri	-	Rokenrollia
4	Plastic Act	-	Everywhere I Go
5	The Jackets	-	Ours Forever
6	GEE TEE	-	Kombat Kitchen
7	Shauna and the Shamms	-	Flesh Den
8	Los Pepes	-	Thoughtless Boys
9	Pretty Matty	-	18
10	Sløtface	-	I Used To Be A Real Piece Of Shit

Episode link: https://www.mixcloud.com/cigarettes-and-bubblegum/cigarettes-bubblegum-6-09042025/

Feel free to get in touch at [email protected] if you have tracks to submit for the show, or releases to review.

Cigarettes & Bubblegum #5 – 02.04.2025

Episode 5, bringing more new singles including songs from the upcoming albums by Psychic Pigs and Momma. A little dip into 2010s Superchunk, a powerpop classic, and pop punk from Brazil.

Tracklist: 

1	The Stayawakes	Back In '94
2	Janelles	Maus Hábitos
3	The Rattlers	Let's Move
4	Tommy Ray	Feel the Pain
5	The Delcobras	Turnaround
6	Psychic Pigs	Psychic Pigs
7	BBQT	Nod Out
8	Superchunk	Slow Drip
9	Sweet Teeth	Turn Off The Light
10	sorry mom	youngstown
11	Momma	I Want You (Fever)

Bed music: "He's Dead Jim" by Thee Shatners and "Last Ride In" by Green Day.

Episode link: https://www.mixcloud.com/cigarettes-and-bubblegum/cigarettes-bubblegum-5-02042025/

Cigarettes & Bubblegum #4 – 27.03.2025

Howdy all, another show up on Mixcloud for you!

Absolutely love the opening track from Norway's Fashion Victims – can't wait to hear more if their new stuff sounds like this. Also was fun to play a submission for the first time; The Rabies got in touch to share their new album and I was pleased to play the excellent power pop tune Adderall Girl.

Email me at [email protected] to submit tunes, or check my links to get in touch.

Track list:

1	Fashion Victims	Aching And Breaking
2	The Rabies	Adderall Girl
3	The German Art Students	Punk Rock Car
4	Ming City Rockers	Seven Ate Nine
5	Taxi Girls	Sunshine
6	Pony	Every Little Crumb
7	Tightwire	Six Feet Deep
8	Distance	Le Decor
9	BLVCKHELICOPTERS	Goodnight Bootlicker
10	Bad Nerves	Plastic Rebel
11	Ridel High	180
12	Red Planet	Wrapped In Furs

Bed music: Ratrace by Groovie Ghoulies and Having An Average Weekend (you might know it as the Kids in the Hall theme music!) by Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet.

Episode link: https://www.mixcloud.com/cigarettes-and-bubblegum/cigarettes-bubblegum-4-27032025/

Cigarettes & Bubblegum #3 – 19.03.2025

Episode 3! Check it out on Mixcloud with the player above or the link at the end of the post.

More new songs and a couple of older ones, including a 1979 powerpop gem, a new wave-y punk track by someone well known, and more French powerpop! Ending up with a pop punk trip to a whimsical theme park.

It's dumb music for smart people – it's Cigarettes & Bubblegum, baby.

Track list:

1	The Coathangers	Make It Right
2	Surfbort	Lot Lizard 93
3	joyride!	Slow Release
4	Food Fight	Justicing The Deplorables
5	Alvilda	Angoisse
6	The Reflectors	All The Way Down
7	The Boojums	Don't Wanna Love
8	The Carpettes	I Don't Mean It
9	Sweeping Promises	Falling Forward
10	Brody Dalle	Rat Race
11	Whimsyland	Feathered Follies Bird Show

Bed music: The Drop In by The Lemonaids (I've heard they are fantastic...) and Surf Punk by Down By Law.

Episode link: https://www.mixcloud.com/cigarettes-and-bubblegum/cigarettes-bubblegum-3-19032025/

If you've listened to the show or read the blog, thank you! I'm just doing this for fun and a way to keep up to date with new music, but if you want to support the show please share on your socials. Cheers!

Mikel x

Flathead – Flathead (2025)

"Fancy lads can go to hell, the new wave of powerpop is taking place in Marseille."

I have nothing against fancy lads myself (all types are welcome here!) – but this new wave of French powerpop is certainly catching attention, with bands like Alvilda and Foodfight contributing to a resurgence in jangly, retro-inspired French guitar pop. This new self-titled album by Flathead is a great addition.

Hold Me Like My Monkeys kicks off the album with a verse like Exploding Hearts, and a chorus like a Britpop hit.

Won't Be Satisfied comes straight from 1979. It would fit perfectly on a Powerpearls compilation. Singing "The same old tears, the same old fears" before launching into a chorus the Flamin' Groovies could have written in their prime.

They continue to straddle the decades from 70s to 90s with jangling guitars and singalong melodies, landing somewhere between The Only Ones and The La's on songs like Far Away.

The sound may not stray far from their influences, but they do it well and they occupy their own niche among their contemporaries in the current powerpop landscape.

Available from Wanda Records (DE), Dangerhouse Skylab Records (FR) and Take The City Records (ES).

Cigarettes & Bubblegum #2 – 10.03.2025

Episode 2 is up on Mixcloud, check it out! Almost everything in this show was from 2024 or 2025 which is very cool, lots of great new music out there. A rock and roll trip through France, Australia, USA and Austria this week. If you dig the bands, visit their Bandcamp pages, download their stuff, share with your friends! This shit ain't free to make, so support the bands.

1	Bad Moves	I Know I Know
2	Badzy	New Kinda Hate
3	Ginger Sweet	Doomed!
4	Ghost Party	Gimme a STAG
5	The Mugwumps	Domino
6	Flathead	I Won't Be Satisfied
7	Cat Valley	Bingo Queen
8	Loose Lips	One More Chance
9	Taste Testors	I Don't Want You To Fall In Love With Me
10	Hiccup	Whatev, It's Cool
11	Rat Bath	7 to 4

Bed music: Last Ride In by Green Day, and Everything's Geometry by Cub.

Contact the show by email at [email protected]. Bands, labels, music lovers, send in your songs! 

Episode link: https://www.mixcloud.com/cigarettes-and-bubblegum/cigarettes-bubblegum-2-10032025/