3 days into the end of year retrospective, and thus far manly indie-guitaring is notably absent. The times they are a-changing. Has the world changed or have I changed? Either way, I won’t be writing any ‘it’s the death of guitar music, I tell you… and this time I mean it!’ articles just yet; no doubt I’ll be reading plenty come the new year, though, rehashed and refried from twelve / twenty-four / n*12 months ago. I worry about what some writers will have left to fall back on when the much vaunted indiepocalypse does finally arrive (as surely it will) - it’s the death of articles proclaiming the death of the guitar etc etc

In the meantime, bands doing bubblegum northern soul Spector stompiness are hardly in short supply, and they’re a bit indie, a bit rocky, a bit punky, so we’re safe for the time being. Safe until the days of landfill bubblegum are upon us. It doesn’t bear thinking about, but I’m hopeful our future synth overlords will come up with something to protect us from the horror.

I Can Hardly Make You Mine is taken from Cults’ second album, Static, and is the remarkably poppy highlight of an album recorded after the break-up of the band’s two members. Catchy as hell.