Extra Arms - RADAR (2024)

RADAR is the new album by Detroit-adjacent power pop masters Extra Arms. They named their record after bass player Ryan Marshall’s dog. He’s a very good boy. The dog, we mean. But so is Ryan.

RADAR — the album — is also a very good boy. It’s 10 songs of melodic, catchy rock that jumps all over the stylistic map. Sometimes you’ll hear ragtag Replacements-style abandon, while other spots show off a love for Guided By Voices’ to-the-point pop perfection. Elsewhere, there’s hints of sharp, 60s garage rock that nudge up against punky bursts of energy indebted to the Nerves, the Buzzcocks and early Elvis Costello. You’ll also hear synth-and-drum-machine nods to the Cars, the shifty shuffle of Thin Lizzy, and the muscular riffage of Cheap Trick. There’s even a wistful country song, featuring pedal steel and all. And don’t get us started on the E-Street saxophones, triumphant trumpets, banging cowbells, fuzzy Farfisa organs, and abundance of handclaps (so many handclaps). We could go on and on, but just know this: It fucking rocks.