🎸 Songs That Don’t Suck – Episode 53

Bands on Hiatus, Funky One-Man Bands, and a Little Help from Gen Z

Welcome back to Songs That Don’t Suck, the podcast where the riffs are tight, the vibes are honest, and the host (that’s Mark) isn’t afraid to get real about the emotional damage of an “indefinite hiatus.” 😤

In this episode, Mark unpacks the agony of musical limbo (looking at you, Moxy Fruvous), uncovers not one but two vault gems, and introduces five killer new tracks across the musical spectrum—including one artist your teenager may already love.

Let’s plug in.

😩 Band Hiatuses: Hope’s Cruel Cousin

There’s nothing worse than when your favorite band doesn’t break up—they go on “indefinite hiatus.” Translation: “We’ll probably never come back, but we don’t want to say that out loud.” Oof.

Case in point:

• 💔 Moxy Fruvous announced a hiatus in 2001. It’s now 2024. Do the math.
• 🧓 Mark has been waiting over 20 years and only recently stumbled on unreleased demos from 1997.

But sometimes… the comeback does happen—and you don’t even know it.

🎵 Vault Song of the Week: Dancing Virginia – Jump Little Children

Rediscovered while digging through the musical attic, this song is from The Licorice Tea Demos, the debut album from North Carolina’s Jump Little Children.

• Acoustic-driven, melodic brilliance
• Emotional storytelling with early ’90s indie soul
• Bonus trivia: Mark once helped them load gear into a Guster gig in Cleveland 🙌

Surprise twist: The band did come back from their hiatus. Albums in 2018 and 2022. Who knew? Not Mark. Until now. 😅

🎵 Bonus Vault Gem: Lies for a Precious Kind – Cody J. Martin

Local Cleveland legend and all-around stage slayer, Cody J. Martin proves that all you need is a voice, a guitar, and a black wardrobe.

• Raw, captivating presence
• Powerful songwriting that hits like Springsteen by way of Townes Van Zandt
• If you’re anywhere near Northeast Ohio and Cody’s playing? Go.

🔥 This Week’s Songs That Don’t Suck

1. Ceremonia – Blanket

🎸 Foo Fighters meet shoegaze meets post-rock ripper

• Big, crunchy energy
• A step away from their earlier shoegaze sound—more direct, more in your face
• Band self-describes as “shoegaze post-rock grunge”—but this track leans hard into the grunge
• Think: If Foo Fighters were born in the UK and raised on 90s distortion pedals

2. No Place Like Home – The K’s

🇬🇧 British indie rock with bounce, accent, and swagger

• Follow-up to their earlier feature, “Heart on My Sleeve”
• Tight drums, catchy choruses, and just enough Brit-pop DNA
• Debut album drops in March 2024
• This is the kind of band you want to discover before everyone else does

3. Beautiful Things – Benson Boone

🎤 Pop ballad perfection from a Gen Z vocal powerhouse

• Suggested by Mark’s daughter Jenna 💕
• Viral hit with emotional build-and-break tension
• 12 million+ monthly listeners on Spotify—and growing
• The chorus will wreck you—in the best way
• Call it emotional Top 40 with soul

4. Megaphone – Death Milkshake

🎹 One-man funk-synth-electro showstopper

• Think: Robert DeLong meets Chromeo with an ’80s sparkle
• Funky basslines, looping wizardry, and retro energy
• Mark’s favorite musical unicorn this week 🦄
• If he tours, Mark’s there—and you should be too

5. That Golden Time – Villagers

🌌 Introspective, atmospheric, Pink Floyd-esque masterpiece

• A slow, deliberate groove that lets you breathe and feel
• Lyrically profound, musically rich
• First single from their upcoming album—and if this track sets the tone, it’s gonna be 🔥
• Gold star if you picked out the Floyd vibes without help

💬 …and I quote…

“Don’t tell me it’s a hiatus when you’re never coming back. Just rip the Band-Aid off and let me mourn in peace.”
— Mark Bradbourne

🎙️ Where to Listen, Share & Submit

📍 SongsThatDontSuck.net: Transcripts, vault picks, and artist submissions
🎧 Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever your ears hang out
🎤 Submit your music—or a friend’s—via the site. Mark actually listens!

🎙️ That’s it for Episode 53.
New music, old faves, and a reminder that hiatus ≠ closure.

👉 Until next week, keep searching for—and listening to—songs that don’t suck.