Joe Glass’ Snakewards: The Top of Lo-Fi Power Pop

Sounding as if it were recorded in his basement, Joe Glass’ Snakewards is an exhilarating blast of lo-fi power pop energy. Feeling urgent and immediate, Glass incorporates catchy hooks with jangly guitar to give us 13 quick, rough around the edges hits. Its worth nothing that Glass is also a live member of the band Sharp Pins, band that occupies a spot on 2025’s Best Of list.

Glass describes Snakewards as “13 scrap rock sketches straight from the heart to the gut”. I’d describe the sound as somewhere in-between Guided By Voices, Liquid Mike and The Undertones. The first two tracks, “Dust On Your Halo” and “New Pose” are propelled by catchy melodies and memorable choruses. Joe goes acoustic with “My Friend Doesn’t Care” while “Freight Train Woman” brings us back to layered vocals, lots o’ guitar jangle and hooky choruses.

The bluesy “Buckwild” is a nice departure, albeit a brief one. It follows perhaps the albums finest track, “Man Who Lost His Diamond”. Of the 13 tracks, this is the one that most sticks with me. It occupies the empty space in my head while I wait at stoplights. And delightfully so.

What makes Snakewards special is its lo-fi, garage rock vibe— raw yet melodic. It’s the sound of someone trying to keep rock alive one quick, no-frills song at a time. Fans of power pop, garage rock and edgy lo-fi bands of all kinds will really dig this one. Get your copy of Joe Glass’ Snakewards at his Bandcamp page.