The holiday season is over, and what always follows in its wake? Leftovers! With a little time, the flavors deepen and those next-day dishes can taste even better than on first serving. We’ve got a heaping helping here at The Clock, too; albums from 2024 which we need to clear before the 2025 albums arrive for our delectation.

So tasty. Let’s round ’em up.

Love Fiend – Handle With Care

You know who nobody tries to sound like when they emulate the late 70’s and early 80’s New Wave scene? The Cars. Well, guess what? Now we’ve got somebody. And they’ve added some stomping glam and a horn section!

Jimmy Montague – Tomorrow’s Coffee

OK Go singing over Vulfpeck with dashes of Steely Dan. But everything’s mellower — like a relaxed afternoon at the café. Also, anyone whose closing track has backing vocals of “shoo-be-doo-wop, bop-bop-bop” followed by a sax solo can do no wrong with me.

Zach Top – Cold Beer & Country Music

Don’t care for country music that’s way too old or way too new? Gotcha covered. Top brings back the 80’s and 90’s country flavor — which, at the time, was a modernist take on traditionalist sound — so for me it feels like I’m listening to the jukebox in my favorite Texas pool hall back in college.