Softjaw - Love Can't Kill You EP (2026) Hi-Res

One thing is for sure: come year-end, ranking all the amazing power pop and rock ‘n’ roll records released in 2026 is going to be a problem. And things just got more complicated.

Softjaw have released their debut LP.

Sure, there was that earlier LP, but it was more of a compilation of an EP, digital singles and covers. Love Can’t Kill You is all-new Softjaw, and it paints an even better picture of the kind of band this Long Beach collective wants to be.

They come out swinging with You May Be Right, possibly the loudest Softjaw song yet. It’s a far cry from the classic power pop bands like Big Star that inspired the band’s formation. I wouldn’t even call it power pop, but rather a kickass take on classic ’70s rock. The next track (You Won’t See Me Cry) also leans into the seventies, this time closer to the power pop of Cheap Trick. Later on, there are hints of Big Star (Million Different People) and The Beatles (Poor Disguise, My Broken Heart), while Softjaw also moonlight as an ’80s skinny-tie power pop band (I Know You Do, Halfwit) and a ’90s alt-power-pop outfit in the vein of Fountains of Wayne (Pandemonium, Flying High).

But the designated hit for me is the title track. Add it to the canon of the finest power pop songs ever written. From the opening guitar notes to the ringing finish, Softjaw waste absolutely no time getting you excited, and I love every damn second of it.

By the end, I’m intrigued and impressed by the wealth of influences on display, the insane number of hooks, and the way Softjaw are carving out their own niche in an already niche scene. Rather than boxing themselves in, they’ve clearly decided to follow their energy wherever it takes them. And we’re all better off for it.

Out today on Dandy Boy and Bachelor Records.