Made In America - MEATBODIES, "Meatbodies" (2014)

Chad Ubovich is yet another super-talented musician from that prolific ocean of playmates that Ty Segall surrounds himself with. Ubovich played in backup bands for both Segall (Fuzz) and Mikal Cronin early in his career before forming Chad and the Meatbodies. After releasing some home recordings the band garnered the attention of Los Angeles based In The Red Records, shortened their name to just Meatbodies and have recently released their self-titled debut.

Taking a page from but adding a distinct chapter to Southern California's flourishing scuzz-rock soundscape, Meatbodies comes at you with a full on sonic bombardment that rarely lets up through the album. Ubovich has gotten much deserved attention for his guitar wielding ability, which is exhibited most nicely here, and uses it to effectively rip through a brazen and dirty rhythm section at the most opportune times.

Purchase "Meatbodies" from In The Red Records here.

Made In America - WAND, "Ganglion Reef" (2014)

L.A.'s Wand is one of the newer and more contagious bands to emerge from the west coast garage/psyche rock revivalist scene that include Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, and King Tuff. 

After putting out a handful of singles earlier this year, Wand has finally hit the streets with their full-length debut Ganglion Reef. Released in August on Ty Segall's Drag City Records - God? imprint, Ganglion Reef is a trippy, fuzz-filled journey rooted in 60's and 70's garages but adeptly levels-up with more colorful and structurally sound songs that linger on the verge of reckless abandon yet are infectious enough to make their way out of the underground and on to the radio. 

Made In America - WHITE REAPER, "White Reaper" EP (2014)

Louisville, Kentucky garage-punk rockers White Reaper are the latest noise-makers to emerge from Louisville's burgeoning DIY scene. The trio, made up of Tony Esposito (vocals/guitar) and twin brothers Nick (drums) and Sam Wilkerson (bass) have developed a knack for writing noisy, amp-melting tunes that let you in, shove you around for two or three minutes, and leave you standing in a puddle of you own sweat with your ears ringing.

White Reaper's self-titled debut EP is set for a June 24th release on Polyvinyl Records and promises fast-paced scuzzy sonic deliciousness that bleed from the same vein as Ty Segall or a lightly sweetened MC5 with the pedal to the metal.

Made In America - Mikal Cronin

Currently on heavy rotation on my Spotify Radio is Mikal Cronin’s second solo album and Merge Records debut MCII. I’m not talking about casual heavy rotation either, I’m talking about I’ve been playing this record on repeat, non-stop, for a couple of days now, and probably won’t stop for a while. 

Orange County, California native, Mikal Cronin began making waves in the mid 2000’s with fellow west coaster Ty Segall. If there were a revivalist garage rock version of the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo then Cronin and Segall were as close as you could have gotten to it at the time. 

Cronin released several singles and played on albums over the years with The Ty Segall Band, Party Fowl, Okie Dokie, The Moonhearts, and the Epsilons before releasing his self-titled debut album on Trouble In Mind Records in 2011.

On MCII, Cronin continues on his self-reflective journey where his debut album left off. This time a little older, a little wiser, and a little more capable of fleshing out songs filled with the uncertainties of life and love. Cronin sets the tone early when crying “Do I shout it out / do I let it go / do I need to know / what I’m waiting for / no I want it now, do I need it though?” in a way that would make Ben Kweller proud.

While Cronin’s sound is more refined and less raucous and knife-like than in the past, his songs are still well-polished sparkling gems that work their way into your head and eventually become anthems to your own life.