Episode 217 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Dennis Diken, drummer of the legendary New Jersey band The Smithereens. The Carteret, New Jersey natives (and New Jersey Hall of Famers) have been at it for over 40 years. Along the way, they’ve sold millions of records, played on Saturday Night Live, toured the globe, and done just about everything you can do as a band. Following the tragic and untimely passing of frontman Pat Dinizio in late 2017, the Smithereens have continued playing live to critical acclaim, with a rotating cast of singers that include power pop icon Marshall Crenshaw and Gin Blossoms’ frontman Robin Wilson. Last month, the band unveiled their Lost Album, a record that was recorded at Crystal Sound Studios in New York City in early 1993, only to be shelved for three decades.

Episode 216 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Pascal Stevenson of Los Angeles’ Fashion Club. Despite an extensive background playing music in various bands, including with Sub Pop recording artists Moaning, this project is Stevenson’s first vessel for her own songwriting. Dark, brooding, and driven by Stevenson’s distinctively haunting voice, her debut record as Fashion Club, Scrutiny, thrives off of a unique approach to production and songwriting that places an equal emphasis on pop structures and lush, but biting, electronic soundscapes.

Episode 215 of Look At My Records! features an interview with New Jersey’s Sweaty Lamar. The new-ish project of songwriter Tara Giancaspro started at the onset of the pandemic when she began formulating the songs that will appear on her forthcoming EP, A Little Bit Cuntry, A Little Bit Rock & Roll. So far, Giancaspro has shared three excellent singles, “I Have Always Been In Love With You,” “Mysteries,” and most recently, “Abbey, I’m Sorry I Stole Your Man,” a sequel to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”

Episode 214 of Look At My Records! features an interview with indie pop veteran Phil Sutton of Love, Burns. You may be familiar with Sutton from his contributions to various bands of the guitar-pop ilk over the last few decades, including the New York City-based Pale Lights and U.K. jangle-pop legends Comet Gain, but with the onset of the pandemic, Sutton shifted gears from his group efforts towards Love, Burns, his first-ever solo project. After releasing two 7-inch singles in 2020 and 2021, Sutton shared his debut full length as Love, Burns, It Should Have Been Tomorrow, in February of this year. The record is filled to the brim with the kind of gooey, ramshackle guitar jangle that Sutton has spent decades perfecting, and includes standout tracks like “Wired Eyes,” his first stab at an affecting political tune with a guitar pop twist

David Algrim of Chicago noise-pop outfit Gentle Heat is our guest for Episode 213 of Look At My Records! The project just released their second full-length, Sheer, a towering record that sits sweetly between the distorted haze of shoegaze and the saccharine melodies of noise-leaning indie pop. With new member Sarah Clausen on keys, the group’s songwriting features poppier elements to counteract their guitar distortion, including gorgeous vocal harmonies that remain constant across the album’s nine tracks.

Episode 212 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Stella, Helena, and Mikaela of New York City up and comers Hello Mary. We last spoke with the trio for a piece on the site back in December of 2020, and since then, they’ve been through some changes. They’ve graduated from the DIY recording setting to a proper studio, enlisting the services of veteran indie rock producer Bryce Goggin for their recent string of releases, which includes the captivating double single, “Stinge” b/w “Sink In.” They also embarked on their first West Coast tour, played some pretty big gigs, and added a bit of polish to their signature sound.

Episode 211 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Zack Nestel-Patt and Tasha Abbot of the Los Angeles-based dreamgaze band No Swoon. We’re quite familiar with this talented duo from their days as a Brooklyn outfit, but last year, Nestel-Patt and Abbot made the trek westward, but not before hanging in a bit of pandemic-induced limbo. After COVID-19 canceled their March 2020 tour, the two bounced around a bit, ultimately settling in western Massachusetts to write and record their new record, Take Your Time. As an album, Take Your Time sees the band exploring more ethereal and serene sounding textures while shifting their lyrical focus to more introspective themes.

For Episode 210 of Look At My Records!, Tom spoke with Nils, James, and Connor of Manhattan synth-pop extraordinaires VHS Collection. The veteran act has been bringing their infectious sound to rooms across the country for the better part of the last half-decade, and in February, they shared their highly anticipated second full-length, Night Drive. After finding a ton of success as an independent band, the trio signed with the Tiger Tone imprint for the release of Night Drive, teaming up with renowned producer Tony Hoffer.

Episode 209 of Look At My Records! features an interview with New Jersey songwriter Max Feinstein. We last spoke with Feinstein on the podcast back in February of 2020, and since then, obviously, a lot has happened. In addition to a global pandemic that had profound ramifications on the day-to-day workings of his Hoboken-based studio Silverhorse Sound, a building fire in December of 2021 has left the future of the studio in its current space in question. Nevertheless, Feinstein is pushing forward. He just released his latest album, Redefine, a record that primarily explores his experiences living and coping with hemophilia and sees him expanding his already eclectic sonic palette.

Episode 208 of Look At My Records! features an interview with rising songwriter Jonah Kagen. Though Kagen first picked up a guitar at the age of six, he started shifting his primary focus to music during the pandemic when his song “Broken” blew up on TikTok. That song’s success led to several other social media and streaming hits, including “Wishing You Did,” “Catching A Dream,” and “Summer Feeling,” a collaborative track with Norwegian DJ Matoma. Fast forward to 2022 and Kagen is embarking on his first-ever tour in support of English artist Masie Peters, where he’s been playing to sold-out crowds at legendary venues like Webster Hall. It’s been a wild ride for Kagen, who prior to 2020, was a dedicated Division-1 soccer player at Cornell University, with hopes of eventually going pro.

Episode 207 of Look At My Records! features an interview with T.J. Strohmer of Knifeplay. The Philadelphia-based shoegaze outfit is in the early stages of their next phase as a band, which began late last with the release of two Jeff Ziegler produced singles, “Hurt Somebody” and “Ornament.” The pair of tracks are Strohmer’s first releases with a new backing band and his first working with an outside producer, and thus, offer a glimpse into the project’s huge, fully fleshed-out sound, which will be front and center on their forthcoming second full length.

Episode 206 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Michael Imperioli of the New York City band Zopa. We’re all familiar with Imperioli from his Emmy award-winning role as Christopher Moltesanti on HBO’s The Sopranos, but in addition to acting, Michael has a long history of playing music in New York City. His current band, Zopa, released their long-awaited debut album La Dolce Vita in 2020, but Imperioli’s roots in music reach all the way back to New York City’s bustling downtown arts scene in the 1980s. He got his start playing in a no wave band called Black Angus and after answering an ad in the Village Voice, joined an early incarnation of Feelies offshoot Wild Carnation in the early 1990s. Along the way, he’s also put on gigs at Maxwell’s in Hoboken (including one featuring Miracle Legion and Yung Wu), befriended the late Lou Reed, and played shows with Zopa in places like Portugal.

Joey Degroot and Kyle Wilkerson of Joy Cleaner returned to the podcast for Episode 205. A lot has happened for this Bloomfield, New Jersey-based power-pop outfit since they last appeared on the show back in 2018. They scaled down from a trio to a duo, released their second album, You’re So Jaded back in 2019, and oh yeah, they rocked Pet Shop for the Look At My Records! 200th Episode bash this past November. More recently, the band shared a compilation entitled Spent Flowers, which collects assorted B-sides, compilation tracks, and a couple of never-before-released tunes from the band’s first five years.

2021 is done! So, Zach Romano and Tom got together to do their annual countdown of their favorite records. It was a bit of a rollercoaster year for music. We all got vaccinated, so venues opened back up and shows resumed, but things got a little complicated towards the end of the year with the Omicron variant. Nevertheless, bands and artists persisted, and released some awesome records. Tune in to hear about Zach and Tom’s favorites from Turnstile, Triptides, LAPÊCHE, Kalbells, Mannequin Pussy, and more!

Episode 203 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Duncan Troast and Nick Corso of New Orleans indie-pop duo The Convenience. The two friends and collaborators have been playing music together for the better part of the last half-decade, but The Convenience has really picked up steam over the last year with the release of their fantastic debut full-length, Accelerator, on Winspear. Originally meeting while studying music at Loyola University in New Orleans, Troast and Corso would eventually join their friend Grady Bell in his project Fishplate before meeting Ross Fabre of Video Age, joining that up and coming group during the recording of their second album, Pop Therapy. During downtime in between tours with Video Age, the two began cultivating ideas and songs for The Convenience, culminating in their groove-laced debut full length.

Episode 202 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Brooklyn songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordyn Blakely. Known across the city for her drumming prowess and her contributions to a number of great bands like Maneka, Sharkmuffin, and Jackal Onasis, Blakely stepped out from behind the kit this past year and went solo with the release of her debut EP as Smile Machine. The five-song collection, which is titled Bye For Now, showcases her intriguing first foray into songwriting, incorporating a decent amount of fuzz and a whole lot of feeling.

Episode 201 features an interview with Nick Flessa of Dayton Swim Club. The Los Angeles-based band, which is the project of Flessa, guitarist Mario Luna, and vocalist Dominique Matelson, released their debut EP Hangman in September. Drawing on themes of suburban American discontent and what Flessa describes as the “American Death Cult,” the seven songs on Hangman are devastatingly eerie and rich with dark synth textures. His lyrics tell stories of the seedier side of Americana, touching on the sinister inclinations of seemingly everyday people.

We flipped the script for Episode 200 of Look At My Records! For this edition of the podcast, Look At My Records! contributor Zach Romano hosts and goes deep with founder Tom Gallo. The two talked all about Look At My Records! humble beginnings, how its evolved since its inception, some of Tom’s favorite interviews over the last four years, how he started collecting records, and much more. Plus, Tom curated a playlist of the records that have shaped his life. You’ll hear some cuts from The Zombies, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, the Minutemen, and more. Happy 200th to Look At My Records! and a big thank you to Zach for steering the ship for this episode.

Episode 199 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Berlin-based artist, Thala. Back in September, Thala released her debut album, adolescence, on Philadelphia’s Born Losers Records. Thala’s path to releasing her debut record was relatively short, as she only started playing guitar and performing at open mics in Berlin back in 2019. However, she quickly hit her stride, garnering positive feedback from those in her community almost immediately. By allowing intuition to guide her songwriting (and with an abundance of free time during the pandemic-induced lockdown), Thala was able to write and record the ten songs on adolescence in 2020 over a short period of time, developing a gorgeous and dreamy sound that draws influence from bands like Mazzy Star and Beach House.

Episode 198 of Look At My Records! features an interview with Josh Malerman of Detroit power-pop band The High Strung. These prolific indie rock veterans have been active for two decades, and over the course of their storied career, they’ve released a ton of great music and toured at a frenetic pace, at times playing a whopping 250 gigs a year. Their most recent release, HannaH, takes listeners back to where it all started for the quintet, as it was originally recorded in 2002, just weeks prior to the studio sessions for their debut, These Are The Good Times. In the intervening decades, Malerman and his bandmates shelved the tapes for HannaH, but during the pandemic, a chance connection with producer Zach Shipps inspired them to dig them up and put the finishing touches on the tracks. The end product provides a glimpse of the band in its infancy and gives greater context to the work that followed it.