Radio DDR

First surfacing as lo-fi mod pop songs from Chicago artist and Lifeguard member Kai Slater, Sharp Pins found new definition on the 2025 album Radio DDR. While the elements were alive in earlier releases like the 2023 album Turtle Rock, the production on Radio DDR is slightly more legible, clearing some room for Slaters jangly hooks and heart-striking melodies to sink further in. There are some blatantly obvious reference points here; songs like "Circle All the Dots" and "Every Time I Hear" are dead ringers for Under the Bushes, Under the Stars-era Guided by Voices, with the Beatles obsession turned up to 11. Theres also some unapologetic reverence for classic power pop, with echoes of Big Star in the melancholic sighs of "Sycophant" and the high-energy "When You Know" coming across like a long-lost demo for an early Cheap Trick B-side. Radio DDR is heavy on chiming 12-string guitar, powerful full-band rockers like "Is It Better," but also ample acoustic palette cleansers like the deeply Beatlesque and overpoweringly sweet "With a Girl Like Mine." While the sound quality here might register as lo-fi to many listeners, Sharp Pins took their sound to even dirtier and more experimental places on Balloon Balloon Balloon, their second full-length release of 2025. Regardless of the execution, the main thing on display throughout Radio DDR is Slaters gift as a writer of succinct, straight-to-the-point, and endlessly satisfying pop songs. While Sharp Pins might still be a few years from making their Do the Collapse, these 14 homemade tunes offer us a chance to enjoy them while theyre still in their Alien Lanes era, basking in all the rough-edged glory and tape-hiss beauty that comes with it. ~ Fred Thomas