This Los Angeles-based queer band may have only released a handful of singles and one full-length in its lamentably short existence, but
Longstocking is nonetheless one of the most underrated bands to emerge in the 1990s.
Once Upon a Time Called Now is nonstop pop-punk, a rollicking ruckus full of radio-ready anthems and singalongs that should appeal to fans of
the Breeders and
Team Dresch. On the ten-track album, guitarist-vocalist
Tamala Poljak -- the immensely talented songwriter behind
Longstocking -- crafts pop so perfect that it never fails to stick in the brain. What often makes her music so glorious, however, is her sharp sense of humor that shines through on nearly every track, from song titles such as "Teen Angst at 27" to hilarious one-liners in "Autobarb," "Equator," and "Not a Jerk." Summer radio was made for music this deliriously catchy.