8 sizzling summer singles
New faces, old faves, and lots of new music to check out
ALLISON STRONG - “August Sun” (allisonstrong.com)
A bilingual singer, songwriter, musician, and actress, Allison Strong can do it all. On “August Sun,” her enrapturing, lilting vocal takes center stage, on an evocative “end of summer” ballad that showcases her range and ability to communicate emotion through song.
This is the first single from Strong’s upcoming “Weightless” EP, timed perfectly to capture the wistfulness of the fading days of summer. The poetic lyrics describe an all-consuming but doomed relationship, while the timbre of Strong’s voice and the ebb and flow of the melody capture the pain of desire in the face of loss. “I am Orpheus looking back,” Strong sings, “Doomed to lose you and hear your laugh in the mouths of children, in songs of seagulls in choir.”
“For a minute, we are brilliant; for a minute, we’re divine,” Strong purrs. But minutes, like the summer, pass, and we find ourselves in the autumn, all too often alone.
ZALERNO - “Curious” (Self-released)
This has been the summer of teen bands in Hudson County. Add another with Zalerno, the duo of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Griffin Salerno and drummer Joaquin Narucki (of Bist.) One’s a few years shy of his SAT’s and a driver’s license, the other from his first legal beer, but together they’ve crafted a lively indie-rock single that’s worth a listen.
Griffin’s nimble electric guitar and enthusiastic vocal drive this paean to young love, with a lurching forward momentum and an upbeat “la la la” chorus. The vocals are mixed like the singer’s off in another room, and we’re listening in as he ponders how to deal with his feelings. “Is it you or is it me?” he sings. “It’s my curiosity.” There’s some chicken scratch guitar, a thumping bridge, and s gang vocals chorus, all adding to the feeling of post-adolescent anxiety and uncertainty. Love ain’t easy, guys, but you’ll figure it out.
FASCINATIONS GRAND CHORUS - “Static Heartbreaks” (Self-released)
It’s been almost a year since we’ve heard from vocalist Stephanie Cupo and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Pierce, who comprise Jersey City’s retro-bubblegum duo Fascinations Grand Chorus. “Static Heartbreaks” doesn’t offer any surprises, but given how well the band’s shimmering Sixties pop referents work, that’s not a band thing at all.
There’s a hint of Shangri-La’s sass in Stephanie’s vocal, a bouncy, catchy melody (natch,) and some wicked sci-fi synths adding texture and distinctiveness. My only critique of the track is that it’s too damn short!
The single officially releases on Thursday, August 21, but you can watch the band’s delightful Super-8 video for it now.
LATE SLIP - “I’ll Be Okay” (Party Mermaid Records)
Here’s an “under the radar” pick from Late Slip, a Brooklyn combo that traffics in much the same Sixties nostalgia as FGC. Late Slip’s I Love You came out in June, 2024 but the band - lead vocalist/guitarist Chelsea Nenni, multi-instrumentalist
Lewis Pesacov, bassist Rachel David, and drummer Garrett Ray - just released this final single. It’s a perfect summer tune, a distaff rejoinder to “Teenager In Love” with a reverb’y guitar solo, cooing backing vocals, and a melody redolent of Coppertone and acne cream.
BORDERLINES - “FREESELFSERVICE” (Self-released)
Pop-punk from Portland, Maine, the new single from Borderlines brings the bouncy catchiness you’d expect from the genre, along with some heavy lyrics. “‘FREESELFSERVICE’ is an echo from a time before time was measured in years,” the band writes. “It’s a meditation on inheritance—not of wealth, but of all the tools, gestures, and silent teachings passed from father to son.” Matt Anderson and Andrew Rice provide the distorted guitars and emphatic vocals, with Matt Grassi on bass and Mike Sajecki on drums. Nobody shows off but everybody plays well, propelling the song with energy and purpose. Sons don’t often talk - let alone write songs - about what their fathers instilled in them, but most of us live with our dads in our rearview mirrors every day. Mostly, pop-punk entertains you; sometimes, it can move you. Good job, guys.
Inspirational verse: ”It must have been a year ago when I realized what I had, and I'm still drawn into that home even when times are bad (and they're bad” / The tools he gave me made sense, I'll keep them til I die.”
WIFEY - “Mary Ann Leaves the Band” (Self-released)
Brooklyn’s Wifey makes a good point. If more bands forgot about writing the next “Desolation Row” and just tried to pen another “Stacy’s Mom,” we’d all be a lot happier. I for one am delighted that I discovered this single, which does indeed bear a bit of a resemblance to Fountain of Wayne’s fluke hit. The lyrics tell the story of a girl who plays in the marching band, but loses interest when she starts dating a sketchy older dude. It’s a lively, witty, catchy track and, as a former marching band geek myself, the lyrics hit home. To wit: “Now here she is, skipping practices, the kids in woodwind are all licking their wounds / I sit alone with my saxophone, but Mr S won't let me play the blues / The music school don't feel as cool, the other girls are relieved / But since you quit, we play like shit, I'm jumping ship for the chess team.”
THE BOY DETECTIVE - “Beth Truss” (Punkerton Records)
If The Boy Detective had been around in 1995, they probably would have headlined one of the main stages at Warped Tour. In 2025, the prospects for a ska-punk band with horns are a bit more limited, especially if said band calls Ypsilanti home, but at least for me, the formula still clicks. A raw-voiced singer, that infectiously danceable beat, the meaty punch of sax, trumpet and trombone, what’s not to like (even if I haven’t a clue what the song’s about.) The singer looks like he should be in a crust band, but c’mon, admit it, this is gonna have you bouncing off the walls like a horny tween in a Reel Big Fish tee. Enjoy.
BEARINGS - “Quick Release” (Pure Noise Records)
Ottawa’s Bearings, gearing up for the release of their fourth album and a big tour in the fall, drop “Quick Release” as a little taste of what to expect. The band falls on the cusp between indie-rock and pop-punk, with a bit of midwest emo. Watching them rock out in someone’s kitchen in this video, it’s hard not to find something to like, from the staccato verses to the melodic chorus, to the lyrics about coming to terms with the fact that you and your best friends have become - for better or worse - rock ‘n’ roll lifers. Check it out, maybe you’ll find something to like too.
Real question: how do you find all this new music and know it so well? Don't answer maybe -- I don't have time to find it and glad you can intro us to it.