Kai Slater wins the award for 2025’s most productive indie rocker. In addition to his work with Lifeguard, who released the great LP Ripped and Torn, Slater dropped two killer albums of chiming Guided by Voices-styled power pop under the Sharp Pins banner. First came Radio DDR, where early Beatles hooks meet lo-fi shambolic indie rock, and now he’s dropped Balloon Balloon Balloon, featuring 21 jangle pop gems—with only a few coming in over the three-minute mark. No less an authority than Robyn Hitchcock says, “Sharp Pins tingle and jingle and spangle – acupuncture for the soul, threading a much-needed shot of 1965 into the tired hide of today. Or you could just say they’re a crack in the sky where the sun shines through. Or you could just say they’re fab!” Slater’s on tour in January and February—you can scope the dates and hear the tunes on his Bandcamp page—and for more Sharp Pins action, check out the fifth episode of WASTOIDS’ Video Vault with Wartella!