New Bands for Old Heads
Gabbie, Jeff Van Dreason, Jacqui Devaney, Indie Scientist, Queen Kwong, Max Freedman, Dusty Henry, The RiriverseNew music recommendations, essays, and community for people who don't keep up with new music. The record store experience, sans snobbery.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 122 | Founded | 2 years ago | Last Issue | 8 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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newbandsforoldheads.comLatest Issues
The Best Albums of June 2026: Mini-Roundup
Dearest old heads,
My essay this week needs more time to cook. Pardon the delay.
In the meantime, not wanting to leave you empty-eared, I offer a small palate cleanser.
June Mini-Roundup
As you know, my Midyear Best Of usually lets me...
The Interactive New Bands for Old Heads
This newsletter just turned two years old. In that time, I’ve recommended nearly 500 new bands based on nearly 500 old bands. That’s a lot to keep track of.1 It’s so much to keep track of that I genuinely don’t remember what I’ve already to...
The 20 Best Albums of 2026 So Far
There’s some good news and there’s some bad news.
I’ll start with the bad news, because I don’t like to dwell. I mean, I do dwell — I constantly dwell, I’m so good at dwelling. But I don’t like to do it. And today is actually a happy occas...
Tales of a Hipster Nothing
Wake up, babe, we’re glamorizing hipsters again.
Vice has released its definitive guide to the “Hipster Music Era.” Twitter is litigating the legitimacy of “stomp clap” and its dubious standing in the “real” hipster’s iTunes library. Peopl...
Before You Dismiss Pop Music, Give It An "Academic Listen"
This essay is one of my favorites from the archive, and I’m dusting it off not just because most of you missed it, but because whether you like it or not, (anti)poptimism refuses to die.
Rock revival is back in the cultural ether. After a...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Ersatz music critic turned curator helping you find yr new fav band + playing whack-a-mole with gatekeepers. Email for PR and collabs (submit music via link on website pls!) [email protected]
Co-creator of Greater Boston podcast. Writer and sound designer. College administrator and writing professor.
writer, selector and DJ in austin texas
Let's discover some new music together
Not fun but funny ...candid writer, loud musician, death worker.
Subscribe to Lavender Sound for my reviews and retrospectives on music by and for LGBTQ+ people (allies are welcome too!), with other music-related content sometimes in the mix.
Seattle-based author, music writer, and comic artist. Another Thought newsletter. ‘20th Century Ambient’ is out now via Bloomsbury. Co-host of The Cobain 50 podcast.
just an ordinary Rita making music
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