Notches

Notches first attracted notice through the emo-infused pop punk of their 2016 debut album High Speed Crimes, then shifted toward the bright power pop associated with Teenage Fanclub and the Lemonheads on the 2019 follow-up New Kinda Love.

Formed in New Hampshire in 2013, the trio of Zac Mayeux on bass, Ezra Cohen handling vocals and guitar, and Dante Guzzardi at the drums quickly gained traction in the underground by blending scrappy pop-punk with D.I.Y. ethos and Region Rock influences. A demo surfaced the same year, and the band cultivated a dedicated audience through consistent live performances. Their first single, the Huge EP, surfaced in early 2015, paving the way for the more emotionally charged and Superchunk-inspired High Speed Crimes the next year. After Mayeux temporarily relocated, activity slowed to a pair of EPs titled Change My Mind and No Wonder Why, until the group resurfaced in 2018 with the Salinas Records release Almost Ruined Everything. They supported that album on the road alongside Swearin', Empath, and Washer, later mounting a nationwide headline run. Returning to the studio the following year, Notches exchanged their earlier rough-edged punk approach for the melodic early-'90s power pop and indie rock textures that define New Kinda Love.