Clover Records returns with its first new release in a while: Sidewalk Pop by Mister Baby, who toured Japan in June 2025 – Originally self-released in 2021 and reissued by Paisley Shirt Records, this edition brings new light to a hidden gem from the San Francisco underground (from the Bandcamp release page).

This Mister Baby project, the solo endeavour of Katiana Mashkian (She is perhaps better known for her work with April Magazine and The Reds, Pinks, and Purples) is a new favourite for those who appreciate jangle-pop infused with the distinctive under-production typical of the current lo-fi San Francisco Bay Area scene.

The spatial isolation and burnished melancholy of the above acts have certainly been infused by Mashkian in this superb Sidewalk Pop EP, as the crushed, hissing, melancholic, jangled riffs of Birds of a Whale and MOL Watchtower are splintered by the natural sounds of spurious, subtle reverb, distortion, and deliberately fractured musical tweaks to offer the very best of lo-fi pop invention.

Similarly the arresting tracks Moonlight Racing, Cakeshop, and Dr. Jones, exemplified by the intensity of the abovementioned core aesthetic, plunge into the chilly lo-fi waters of artists like Cindy, Flowertown, Tony Jay, and Sad Eyed Beatniks, and emerge without gasping for air among such breath taking company.

The standout track on the album is the late 80s twangle-pop gem Blueberries and Talking which showcases the sharp, twanging riffs reminiscent of the era’s Bristol Sound bands like The Groove Farm and The Blue Aeroplanes.

Jangly no-fi is beginning to dominate the better end of the current jangle-pop genre and this Mister Baby act and release will only help to cement such a position.

The cassette was sold out during the pre-order however please support the act and the Paisley Shirt Records and Clover Records label who have help revitalize this essential release by purchasing a digital copy here.

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