Liquid Mike’s Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot (Listen) definitely won me over as the favorite. The album hits you hard with power pop earworms – 13 of them in just 26 minutes. It’s fast, catchy as hell and everything you love about bands like Sugar, old Weezer, Piebald, the Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., and Guided by Voices.
Liquid Mike is from Marquette, Michigan and this is their fifth release – with the last being a self-titled album released about this time last year. (Spoiler: it’s good too.) I wanted to include that album in my final 2023 list, but it felt almost too short – 11 songs in 18 minutes – to be included in an end of year list. I won’t be making that mistake again, as I think this one has the strength to be a year-end finalist.
So, with that said you have a mission for this weekend: put this album on and blast it LOUD while you are just driving around or doing chores or something you hate. It’s guaranteed to give you a good time.