The Radio Field - Don’ts and Dos (2023)

The Radio Field started out as a home recording project by Lars Schmidt of Subterfuge, with the occasional friend and even his ten-year old son pitching in. What once was something-to-do on the side has turned into something more ambitious. The Radio Field is now a full band with a healthy “let’s see where this will take us” approach. Based on the debut album that came out this week, the first stop is the wantlist. Don’ts and Dos is a wonderful record on which The Radio Field take elements of ’80s underground pop, ’90s alternative and make it sound like a classic from the ’00s indie rock scene.

The Radio Field move at a decent pace and sound bright on the record. The occasional horn part is a definite plus. It takes standout songs like The Version to another level. Other highlights include Other One (featuring Phantom Handshakes) a song that comes with gorgeous dual vocals over strummy guitars and a punchy drum beat. Dual vocals are another recurrent strength of The Radio Field, like in the fuzzy and distorted goodness of She Needs Therapy. All in all, some fine fine music out of Germany!