Kelley Stoltz – “Competitive Bastard”

Nice to see perennial favorite Kelley Stoltz back on the speakers today. The mercurial songwriter has shape-shifted his way through New Wave, Power Pop, Garage, and psych releases on labels as far flung as Sub Pop, Third Man, Castleface, and Agitated. Now he crops up in San Fran stable Dandy Boy for his latest. The first single brings his brand of jittery pop to life in full color. Over a thrumming bass line and slippery keys, Stoltz scratches out a narcotized and slightly nihilistic vision of synth pop. Digging into the Gary Numan gulch, with echoes of Starter and Ultravox reverberating around its edges, the new single nudges his pop needle ever so slightly in a new direction but it remains a pure Stoltz classic. The new record features guest spots from Brigid Dawson of the Osees, Karina Denike of Dance Hall Crashers, Pete Straus of the Dwarves and Allyson Baker of Dirty Ghosts. The new record, If You Don’t Know Me Buy Now, is out May 15th from Dandy Boy (US) and Agitated (UK).

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.