Kevin Bronson on July 8th, 2022

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Roundup of rock singles for breaking the speed limit and other excesses: Stream songs from the Rare Occasions, Swami John Reis, Near Beer and Osees …

THE RARE OCCASIONS, “Seasick”

L.A.-via-Boston three-piece the Rare Occasions — Jeremy Cohen, Luke Imbusch and Brian McLaughlin — released their sophomore album, “Big Whoop,” a year ago, after which their profile got a bump when one of their old singles, “Notion,” went viral. Theirs is polyglot, fun-for-the-whole-party garage-rock-cum-power-pop, and yeah that’s too many hyphens but the trio’s new single “Seasick” has got us like that. As the song points out, life’s choppy waters always threaten to capsize your boat. What to do? “I fake my way through everything,” is one of their suggestions.

SWAMI JOHN REIS, “Do You Still Wanna Make Out?”

The irrepressible John Reis (Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, et al) returned early this year with the album “Ride the Wild Night,” one of those rock records we imagine enjoying on slightly blown-out speakers in a Ford Fairlane (oops, we date ourselves there). “I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite rock ’n’ roll in its transitional periods,” Reis said of the release. “Flaming Groovies, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Kinks, the Saints and others created some of the most exciting recordings while also connecting the musical past to its future. That really appeals to me.” So crush a few cans of Red White & Blue Beer (oops, doing it again) to our favorite track on the album, “Do You Still Wanna Make Out?” Full band in tow, Swami John Reis has a small West Coast tour next month, including Aug. 7 at Alex’s Bar and Aug. 8 at the Moroccan Lounge.

NEAR BEER, “Dead Drummers”

Speaking of music to crush cans to, we are a little over a week away from the release of Near Beer’s self-titled album, which features “Mixtape Generation,” “Yelling at a Dog” and other not-so-gentle meditations by (the band’s words) “aging indie rockers pining for the glory of a perfect power-pop tune.” Their latest single “Dead Drummers” has similar energy, though against a more somber backdrop. “The song was recorded soon after a friend’s memorial service as a tribute to him and a few other good friends we lost during the pandemic,” frontman Joey Siara says. “We wanted to capture the reckless spirit of buddies who find a surrogate family in the music scene. The song ends up being a snapshot of the mixed bag of emotions that go into grief — anger, longing, but ultimately the hope that being in a silly rock band can actually provide some kind of healthy cathartic release.” See Near Beer on July 16 at the Moroccan Lounge.

OSEES, “Perm Act”

The follow-up to “A Funeral Solution,” “Perm Act” is the latest scuzz-bomb from Osees’ forthcoming album “A Foul Form,” out Aug. 12 via Castle Face. The John Harlow-animated video — cartoonishly gross and violent, if you need those kind of warnings — conveys John Dwyer’s dim view of law enforcement. On a magnanimous note, Osees (who are playing all four days of Austin’s Levitation festival in October), are headlining a benefit show for the Elizabeth House and the East LA Women’s Center on Aug. 23 at 1720.