Pleasure Pill - Hang a Star (2025) Hi-Res

The insufferably bratty Gallagher brothers in Oasis have finally released just how much money they left on the table when they imploded in 2009 and are finally ready for their international cash grab tour this summer (assuming they don’t split again before it takes off). Meanwhile their equally talented and far more underrated (at least in the U.S.) peers in the band Pulp are also mounting a reunion tour this year, as are The Beta Band.

So, 2025 is looking to be a Brit Pop summer, which makes it the ideal time to Americanize the genre a bit. And San Diego’s Pleasure Pill have the perfect album for that. Hang A Star, the group’s debut record, perfectly mines influences from bands like Primal Scream and the Happy Mondays and puts them through an American indie rock filter for an album that manages to sound both nostalgic and uniquely new.

The record opens on “Favorite Color Gold,” with strong dance vibes that would not be out of place coming out on the early ‘90s Madchester scene, but it’s the very next song, “So Long,” with strong electric guitars, that they start to put their own stamp on the genre. Elsewhere, “Line Up The Stars” is one of the album’s best moments, strong on harmonies and swirling distorted guitars. Though there is no denying the Brit Pop influences, it also has a decidedly American Indie rock sound to it. The same can be said for “One To Blame.” The album closes on “Don’t Fly Away,” one of the quieter songs on the album, but a perfect track to showcase the band’s musical depth and versatility.Best headphones deals

Hang A Star is the perfect album for this summer, and it will cost you significantly less than seeing two aging siblings who absolutely loathe each other battle it out for relevance (and your cash).