Philly’s Mopar Stars do a nice job stripping some great old alt-rock for parts, then rebuild them into something sleek and sporty. Their first full-length album, 2026’s Official Researchers of the NJ Devil, welds together the hooky power pop feel of vintage Teenage Fanclub, the beery, bleary, and wistful sound of the Replacements, and the chunky chord change rock of early Bob Mould. There are also traces of Built to Spill, Urge Overkill, Redd Kross, Bitch Magnet, and Matthew Sweet in there for good measure. What could have just been a fun game of spot the influence becomes something less obvious and more impressive as the sticky hooks, heart-felt vocals, and witty lyrics begin to pile up. Songs like “Only Bar in Town” and “Everyone Wants What I Got” don’t just sound…

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