by Sam Cohen
The Midwest is preserving rock n’ roll’s roots. Indie youngsters Sharp Pins and Good Flying Birds are booming through small clubs and college radio stations, and the newest jangle all-star to join their pack is Joe Glass. After years of underground momentum in Chicago, the revival of jangle-rock is here. In 2025, Sharp Pins released landmark LPs Radio DDR and Balloon Balloon Balloon, and Horsegirl’s Phonetics On and On embraced the twee charm rock had lost.
The newest generation of jangle and lo-fi marinated rock reflects young musicians’ push for obscure inspirations. Rather than recreating Nirvana or the Strokes arrangements, these Midwestern bands are looking to The Jam, Henry’s Dress, and numerous unacknowledged ‘60s groups. On January 3, Glass released Snakewards, a down-and-out collection of prickly rock tracks.
Snakewards is a testament to Glass’s impulse to try something fresh and unreplicated. Glass wastes no time establishing his jangle-pop prowess; track one, “Dust On Your Halo,” is a heavy jog filled with noisy chirps. Without losing its form, the track wraps up in a tidy bow; making things come to a clean conclusion is something every Snakewards track must do. He likes having songs exist on their own and cohesively with his transparent sound. “New Pose” and “My Friend Doesn’t Care” help point to where the rest of the record ventures. “New Pose” accelerates the pace, while “My Friend” is a lo-fi backpedal to 1982. Glass rarely places similar tracks back to back; however, Snakewards flows best when he’s repurposing old tricks.
Distinguishing inspirations for Snakewards is done instantly, and the list never ends. At first, the classics come to mind: The Beatles, Replacements, and Yo La Tengo are all heard. However, on repeat listens, The Bats, Feelies, and Alex Chilton indicate the cornerstones of every Glass triumph. Although his bank of inspiration is rock royalty, nothing feels like a dry reenactment. He manipulates every inspiration with a sprinkle of jangle and a punch of youth.
As the record hits the mid-point and veers on repetition, Glass switches up his sonics on “Felicity Crunch.” Aside from being the best title on the record, he introduces his likeness for distortion. The following, “Oscar's Midnight Ride,” removes him from the jangle rock conversation. It’s a concise ballad on a disappearing Oscar, but more importantly, it stretches Glass into a folk landscape. He fiddles with alternate approaches to rock on “Buck Wild.” Like an early-2010s Kurt Vile cut, it settles the hyper atmosphere before he sprints to the end. The final four tracks position Glass back into his peppery palace, where he works best.
Snakewards is 2026’s first example that jangle rock is the new craze. It won’t be long before people latch onto Sharp Pins, Horsegirl, and Joe Glass the same way MJ Lenderman and Wednesday gave country rock a rise in recent years. It may only be January, but Snakewards is one of 2026’s best.