The future of Notches felt unclear for any New England fan of the band. Bassist Zac Mayeux had moved for a while, but when news came around that he had returned, we had hoped it was for good reason. Here comes Almost Ruined Everything, the second album from Notches and their first to release on one of our favorite record labels, Salinas Records (Swearin’, Radiator Hospital, Brave Hands). Upon first listen to Almost Ruined Everything, you feel transported back to the ’90s in Western MA, surrounded by often lo-fi but not low power bands like The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr. Notches is steering further away from their once “pop punk meets indie rock” sound to a much more cohesive and dare I say it, FUN, sound of power pop. The album blends seamlessly from one song to another, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Stream it below, and you can pre-order a copy through Salinas Records (it’s “officially” out next month) now here.

Notches also play at Thunder Road on Thursday, July 26 with Iron Chic and Rebuilder. More info here. And tour dates with Me in Capris below for those of you who don’t live in our wonderful city of Boston:

august 10th: Rollinsford, NH at Sue’s
august 11th: Buffalo, NY at Deep space eight
august 12th: Mansfield, OH at Daytrip
august 13th: Detroit, MI at Trumbullplex
august 14th: Chicago, IL at The Burlington
august 15th: Miluakee, WI at Ground Zero
august 16th: Appleton, WI at Rad Pad
august 17th: Champaign, IL at Casa De Sasha
august 18th: Cincinnati, OH at the Hub OTR
august 19th: Richmond, VA at Bandito’s Burrito Lounge
august 20th: Delaware, PA at Oddity Bar
august 21st: Philadelphia, PA at Lava Space
august 22nd: New Brunswick, NJ at In the West
august 23rd: Brooklyn, NY at Brookyln Bazaar
august 24th: New Haven, CT at Never Get to Be Cool
august 25th: Long Island, NY at Amityville Music Hall
august 26th: Easthampton, MA at Red Cross House
august 27th: Cambridge, MA at Charlie’s Kitchen