Three From Last Week...(2/17)

Three albums released last week that I think are worth your time

Twisted Teens - Blame The Clown

Twisted Teens are a punk band from New Orleans and have been making their own brand of Southern Punk, lo-fi, garage, psych music since 2024. Fronted by musician and songwriter Cas P. Ian or “C.P.N.” (the same person behind well-known folk-punk band Blackbird Raum), Razor Ramone on pedal steel is the other constant in Twisted Teens. Twisted Teens have three releases under their belt, Twisted Hearts (2024), the EP “E.U.” (2025), and the current Blame The Clown. Blame The Clown also sees musicians Melrose “Mel” Billiard, Howe “Howie” Pea, and Cameron “Cam” Snyder helping out on the album, but Twisted Teens is definitely the product of C.P.N. and Ramone’s sound together. C.P.N.’s use of jagged guitar sounds whether on electric or acoustic coupled with Ramone’s sliding notes from the steel create a wonderful sonic dynamic. The pedal steel adds so much to the sound. From the opening song “Is It Real?”, that combination just works. The album themes run from alienation, feeling displaced, and longing for something substantial. “Is It Real?” asks what is that we are experiencing and does it matter? “Wild Connection” is a plea to form meaningful bonds. On “Little Seed”, C.P.N. writes about spreading seeds out of a van and then returning to see the growth. A metaphor for maybe not being able to change the world but may your part of it. “Peekaboo Hand” ventures into country stomp a bit. But again, C.P.N. and Razor are up to the task. C.P.N.’s voice breaks just enough to make you feel his pain but keeps its rasp. “Not Real” is an answer to the open track. C.P.N.’s verdict? It’s not real yet. We hide so much of ourselves in public that we aren’t being who we are. The clown theme runs throughout the album. This signifies how we hide ourselves behind a mask to our own pain.

For Fans Of : Lo-Fi, Garage, DIY

Cult Objects - Amulet

Cult Objects should have been playing CBGB’s in 1982. In fact, let’s do this…

Thursday December 16th, 1982

Bob : Hey Marv, what are you doing tonight?
Marv : Nothing. Why?
Bob : Cult Objects are playing at CBGB’s tonight. Modern English was supposed to play but had to bail at the last second. Cult Objects were able to fill in.
Marv : Cool…what are they like?
Bob : They are really good. They are a band out of Philly. Lauren Leilani Iona is the lead singer and guitarist. She also writes the songs. She is the center of Cult Objects as they have been through a few line-up changes. They currently have along with Iona, Ande Ciampa on guitar, Charlotte Anne Dole on drums, and Sean Rosner on bass. Larissa Sapko played bass on the album though.
Marv: Sounds interesting. They have anything out?
Bob: The latest album Amulet really broadens their sound. They had a single called “Seafoam” in 2021 and a full album, Secrets of Pain Free Living in 2022. Both those albums had their moments but you can really tell they are starting to coalesce into a sound. The production is better and tighter. They are dropping some of the punk edges and making it a bit more groovy. You know that new band, X-Ray Spex?...Very similar. Maybe even some Siouxsie and the Banshees…you know them, right?
Marv : Yeah, I’ve heard of that group.
Bob: Somewhat similar. Although I do think Cult Objects are a bit more rock. The lyrics are perfect for the songs. Songs of isolation and pain litter the album. I’m telling ‘ya man. If you dig Blondie, Xray Spex, and Berlin, you are gonna love Cult Objects

For Fans Of : Blondie, Xray Spex, Berlin

Luke Temple - Hungry Animal

Luke Temple is a multi-genre artist based out of Inverness, CA. Temple (who also goes by the alias Art Feynman) has been creating music since 2005. Along with his solo offerings, he was a member in the indie band Here We Go Magic, who has four titles to their name.
On Hungry Animal, Temple has enlisted his touring band, The Cascading Moms, to help out. The group plays multiple instruments, creating a sound with intricate guitar lines, spacey synths, off-kilter grooves, hazy psychedelic vibes, and influences from acts like Dire Straits and The Velvet Underground. It's a limber rhythm section supporting Temple's songwriting. Doug Stuart fills the low end with bass and Kosta Galanopoulos plays the drums. The sound benefits. Playing together live couldn’t help but make this more of a band project than Temple’s earlier works. The songs feel more complete. Both Stuart and Galanopoulos are not playing bit parts. The bass and drum fills play important roles on this album, and it helps when you have two dedicated musicians filling that space. The sound wanders from West Coast funk, yacht-rock, and indie bedroom pop. The songs all fit Temple’s modus operandi. Impressionistic, introspective and poetic, they all explore how we are “animals among animals, driven by instinct and affection alike” as written about on Bandcamp. “Hungry Animal” grapples with intimacy, elusiveness and the limits of knowing oneself. Overall, if you've followed Temple's work (solo, Here We Go Magic, or Art Feynman), these feel like a natural evolution: tuneful melodies carrying lyrics that are introspective without being overly confessional, often leaving room for interpretation. They're not super literal or story-driven; more like impressionistic sketches that evoke mood and subtle emotional undercurrents. The fizzy, groovy side (echoing Temple's Art Feynman work, with nods to Talking Heads, Robert Palmer, or late-'70s/early-'80s college rock/new wave) gives it a warm, propulsive lift. It's got that "feel like spring" quality.

For Fans Of : Talking Heads, West Coast Funk, Indie Groove