Beach Baby sounds influenced by everything from Noel Gallagher to Bono, with a heavy does of The Cure and shiny rock. Listen to “Sleeperhead”. There’s a heavy dose of Noel Gallagher here, but there’s also a bit of The Cure in there. The song doesn’t make any lyrical sense. That’s not a rub on the band — most great rock doesn’t make any sense. It just means they get it.

On songs like “Limousine” and “U R”, the band plays at full speed, rocking on riffs that shimmer with reverb-filled distortion. The band is most effective on songs like these, where they don’t sound bogged down by adult worries.

That doesn’t mean the glum tracks are bad: “Powderbaby” is one of the album’s stronger tracks, despite its gloomier nature. Like most rock bands, Beach Baby is simply best at faster, upbeat tracks.

But the songwriting here is almost completely unimportant. It doesn’t matter. After all, this is rock music. What does matter is swagger, attitude, and memorability, and Beach Baby has all three in spades.

The other day, I had to spend a bit over four hours in the car. I put Beach Baby on and, despite having only heard the record a bit over half a dozen times, found myself singing along with the songs. No Mind No Money is one of the first albums this year that I’ve been able to sing along to in the car.

And if that sounds like a small thing, I don’t think you understand rock music.

Rock music is at its best when the band has swagger, and people want to sing along. The genre is at its best when singing along makes it feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. Look no further than Oasis for proof of this. Successful rock music makes for great karaoke, nearly every time.

In that sense, it’s easy to proclaim that No Mind No Money is one of the better rock records to drop this year. It’s easy to sing along to the title track and feel something, even though the lyrics are largely nonsense. (It’s those nonsense lyrics that let us add our own meaning to the song, so that makes sense.)

So I’m of two minds with Beach Baby: I know that their record is, like most action movies, largely surface-heavy. There isn’t a lot of depth to these songs. Summing up the record is easy: “adolescent boys grow up and struggle with adulthood on tape.” But a record can be emotionally successful and viscerally rewarding without lighting the world on fire.

Beach Baby makes critic-defying music with audience-aware sensibilities. You can sing along to it with your friends. Rock music like this brings people and communities together, so No Mind No Money is exactly the kind of record we need to hear right now.

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If you haven’t heard it, Vheissu feels like the sort of record that comes along only once or two every genre. It’s post-punk’s Master of Puppets or Thriller, a set of tracks so monumental that it’s hard to ignore them.

Thrice basically used the record to experiment: from even the first track, you know this is going to be an unusual record. And when it’s a post punk track with a beautiful piano leading the way, or a music box taking charge, it feels entirely like a legitimate idea. There’s no sign of emo anywhere (thank God), and it’s clear that the band hasn’t lost their edge.

While there often are moments of screaming rage or intensity, Thrice benefits from introspection here. And somewhere in there, they put out a record about sacrifice and friendship that few bands have managed to beat. If you’re into punk, hardcore punk, post-punk, hard rock, or post-hardcore (which this record is usually described as, but I don’t like genres to be so specific), this record needs to be in your collection.

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The proof is in the pudding here, because this is a great record. I’m often reminded of Fleet Foxes, but with a bit of an extra edge. If you live in Australia, you likely already know this record — these guys are very popular there. If you don’t know them, Boy & Bear is worth checking out this week.

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Avicii does the same thing. I know everybody’s listening to him right now and this is hardly an unknown recommendation, but I actually have something to say about him so too bad. His album is very danceable, but he’s also succeeded in making a dance album that tells an actual story. This isn’t a concept album or anything like that, but songs like Hey Brother and Wake Me Up actually give the listener something to munch on beyond a good beat. Dear Boy delivers on something that’s more traditional without eschewing what makes Avicii an interesting artist. Liar Liar is a great track, but the moneymaker on the record — the one I’m surprised I haven’t heard more people talk about — is Shame On Me. This delivers the same fun the classic Mambo Number Five delivers, but with a more modern vibe. Love it.

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