#softjaw

6/18/26.

About 9 months ago, we posted about Tucson's Freezing Hands. It had to be one of our most "liked" posts of last year, garnering a whopping 24 likes. I don't actually keep track of specific post stats, but I do remember being a bit surprised with the love for what I assumed was an obscure Southwest power pop band.

So, the other day, while looking through the 7"s at a record store I was surprised to see this split 7" with No Stones. I snatched it up and have of course been pleased with my purchase. This 7" was released in 2022 - but as far as I can tell, Freezing Hands have been at it since 2013. The two songs here do nothing to move me off my Gentleman Jesse, The Toms, Exploding Hearts, Softjaw, etc. comparisons.

If you're interested in hearing the three songs from No Stones, click here. The band is also Tucson based, but definitely more punk/garagey than Freezing Hands.

March 4, 2026.

Well, it seems like we have officially got ourselves a power pop revival. In my mind, power pop never really went away - great bands have been plying it since the 1970s - Big Star, The Toms, Cheap Trick, Paul Collins, Teenage Fanclub, The Exploding Hearts, Gentleman Jesse. Now, The Lemon Twigs, Billy Tibbals, Uni Boys and the like are bringing it back full force. Softjaw are getting ready to release their debut LP - which compiles some singles, a digital EP and a few covers. It's a co-release between Dandy Boy Records (Oakland, CA) and Bachelor Records (Salzburg, Austria).

4/14/26.

I've been going on and on about the power pop bloom, and the Long Beach scene. Softjaw brings the two of them together (I've been listening to the new album non-stop since it's recent full release - it's a winner).

I know we're all aware of the Los Angeles scene some 50 years ago - punk, pop and paisley. I was not aware of Flyboys (Arcadia, California), nor was I aware of their singular importance in the creation of Frontier Records - the label that, for me at least, is synonymous with Thin White Rope and The Three O'Clock.

Lisa Fancher, founder of Frontier Records, wanted to release the band's EP which apparently took "far too long to record, and by the time Fancher finally released it in March 1980...the band had decided to call it quits." Still, some of the names involved in the recording are amazing: Jim Mankey (Sparks) and Scott Goddard (Dickies manager) helped make the album.

Current Los Angeles area bands like the aforementioned Softjaw, Uni Boys, and Billy Tibbals are all amazing in their own right. But they're also following in the footsteps of early Southern California punk/power pop "pioneers" like Flyboys.

3/6/26.

As long as we're on a power pop jag (recent Softjaw post and dozens of references to The Lemon Twigs) we might as well post The Rubs "Impossible Dream" (HoZac Records, 2017). I absolutely revere HoZac for their new music and reissues, but I find it nearly impossible to keep up with the label as evidenced by my 9-year delay on this classic.