Mopar Stars are a relatively new Philadelphia band, but if you know the city's punk underground, you already know their pedigree. Singer and guitarist Nao Demand plays in Poison Ruin, the crust-punk outfit whose medieval-tinged hardcore has become one of the most exciting things in DIY punk over the last few years. Drummer Evan Campbell is in Sheer Mag, the band that proved power-pop and punk could coexist without either side flinching. Together in Mopar Stars, they're doing something different from either project: big, stompy, melodic power-pop that sounds like it was recorded in a garage and mixed by someone who grew up on Guided by Voices and the Replacements.

The band just announced their full-length debut, Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil, due July 31 on Perennial — the new K Records imprint that's been quietly putting out excellent records from Sharp Pins and Winston Hightower. The album follows two EPs: 2023's Shoot The Moon and 2024's Burning Question, both of which established Mopar Stars as a band that prizes hooks above all else, even when the production stays deliberately scrappy.

Lead single "Feast For The Smile" is propulsive and bittersweet, lo-fi and immediate, with a melody that lodges in your head on first listen. Tom Breihan at Stereogum compared them to Liquid Mike, and that tracks — both bands occupy the same sweet spot of power-pop that feels effortless but is clearly the product of people who know exactly what they're doing. The track arrives with an animated video directed by Nicole Rodrigues.

Demand and Campbell also play together in Zorn, a Philly horror-punk band, but Mopar Stars exists in a completely different universe — one where the distortion is turned down just enough to let the songwriting breathe, and where every chorus sounds like it was designed to be shouted back at the band in a packed basement.

Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil — Tracklist

01. "Wreck The Bike"

02. "Drinkallnite"

03. "NJ Darkness"

04. "Only Bar in Town"

05. "Everyone Wants What I Got"

06. "Suped Up Coupe"

07. "Tears Don't Fall (From Government Eyes)"

08. "Smoking Room At The Feather Nest"

09. "Lifetime Of Pain"

10. "Feast for the Smile"

11. "American Fast Thing"

Official Researchers Of The NJ Devil is out July 31 on Perennial/K Records. If you're the kind of person who thinks the best rock music sounds like it could fall apart at any second but never does, this one's for you.