Sounds of 2019

In 2019, Sacramento artists are coming in hot, and that means plenty of new music to tune into. SN&R picked some of the most promising albums and singles to add to your record collection. So get ready to listen in and listen up:

Th’ Losin Streaks

Tim Foster, Mike Farrell, Stan Tindall and Matt K. Shrugg are linked to some of the most raw and energetic bands in the local music scene since the late ’80s and beyond: The Trouble Makers, GTM, Daisy Spot, Drug Apts. and, of course Th’ Losin Streaks. Formed in 2003, Th’ Losin Streaks were influenced by 1960s garage bands, but were also pretty involved with the local punk scene.

“The original ’60s punk stuff that inspired us has an energy that came straight out of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. You hear that in the Kinks and the Sonics and the 10,000 garage bands that made their one single and then got drafted so the band broke up,” Foster says.

Feel the angst on Th’ Losin Streaks’ new record, This Band Will Self-Destruct in T-Minus (Slovenly Recordings), which revives their original songs. They also debuted a music video for the single “Too Late,” directed by Karlos Rene Ayala, which takes you on a Google Street View journey through Sacramento. Catch Th’ Losin Streaks live at its record release party January 11 at Harlow’s, with The Decibels and The Snobs.

The Decibels

Speaking of The Decibels, they’re one of Sac’s longest-running power pop bands, and they’re back. Formed in the early ’90s, this four-piece group wears sleek suits and takes listeners back to ’60s rock ’n’ roll stylings, with easy-to-sing-along lyrics.

“You add the mod or rock ’n’ roll aesthetic to it, and there is just a certain joy and energy that, when done well, makes you feel that for at least the two minutes and 50 seconds the song is playing, all is right with the world,” says vocalist/guitarist Dean Seavers.

Its most recent album, Scene, Not Herd (Screaming Apple records), was pressed in mid-December in Europe, and the Decibels are sharing a release show with garage punks Th’ Losin Streaks.

Hobo Johnson

In 2018, Hobo Johnson’s viral spoken-word rap “Peach Scone” propelled him onto outdoor festivals, world tours and a record deal, and The Rise of Hobo Johnson (Warner Bros./Reprise Records) was the indie poet’s first major label re-release. Now, Johnson plans to put out a new full-length some time this year (though no album title or date has been announced). Snoop Dogg recently Instagram-posted a vinyl of The Rise next to his own 1993 debut Doggystyle, a Wu-Tung Clan LP and a Notorious B.I.G. greatest-hits record. Bold talk from a rap legend? 2019 may tell!

Hi, Mom

Inspired by Green Day, Weezer and Fountains of Wayne, vocalist/guitarist Bailey Zindel says he wrote Songs for Me when he sobered up in 2016. Afterward, the songs seemed to flow naturally.

“I write about stuff that’s very personal to me and very specific to my life, but I try to do it with real sincere honesty, which is what I think makes music feel most genuine,” he says. “I just hope … that people can come away with a better understanding of how my struggles have been, and maybe connect that to their own lives.”

This fairly new pop-punk band is having its record release show at Holy Diver on January 17.

The Gold Souls

The Gold Souls were very busy in 2018. The funk-soul five-piece released its first full-length album Good to Feel, toured down the California coast, played countless local shows and released a music video for its song “Silver Tongue.” This year, vocalist Juniper Waller says the band plans to release new singles that will give fans a taste of a second album in the works. The singles will be available online (thegoldsouls.com) on February 12 with a release party planned on Valentine’s Day at the Palms Playhouse in Winters.

Mondo Deco

Following the release of its 2017 album Death Rattle Roll, the glam rock/power pop band is set to release 13 new songs this spring. Although the album title isn’t confirmed, members Jereme Greene and Kolton James Kammerer say the album rings closer to the band’s full-bodied live sound, with lyrical content that explores social and political issues.

“We’ve gotten a little more heavy and punchy with our tones, and we’ve allowed for a little more space and psychedelic textures in some of the songs,” Kammerer says.

Sad Girlz Club

Sad Girlz Club is another awesome, upbeat punk band. Riding the momentum of its debut summer demo Membership Dues, SGC plans to release its full-length record Hard Feelings (Bomb Pop Records) on February 22 with Vinnie Guidera & the Dead Birds, Bastards of Young and City Mouse at a reopened Cafe Colonial on Stockton Boulevard.