The Goods

One look around 2025 and the strummed strains of sunshine pop don’t immediately come to mind. Yet, as much as they call for confrontation, dark times call for the occasional escape too. Oakland’s jangled gems The Goods offer a beacon of levity, a classic bout of power pop that jumbles early ‘80s touches with the punch and pounce of the ‘90s variety. The band doesn’t shy from sunny strums or joyful jangles, but like quite a few of the ‘90s class they turn the volume up on the formula, feeling like the joy of of their songs might burst through the speakers like an overinflated balloon. With nods to The Blondes, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, and Velocity-era Apples in Stereo, they give their Byrdsian strums a superheated saturation, hues so huge they’re impossible to ignore.

Under every hook and every honeyed harmony, there’s a breathless pulse that pushes Don’t Spoil the Fun. The band takes the title to heart, feeling like they’re enjoying even the most melancholy moments of the record. Bittersweet or blissful, the band adds a layer of saccharine lightness, twining their voices like Yellow Balloon deep cuts remade by Fountains of Wayne. The West Coast has had its fair share of perfect pop over the last few years, but the Oakland band slips a dose of simple sincerity into their formula that makes the whole record feel refreshing. That’s probably the most prevalent feeling on Don’t Spoil the Fun: Hope. The band helps heal the heavy heart, and we could all use a tonic about now before we’re sent fumbling back into the fray.

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