Oakland-based power pop band The Goods have announced their highly anticipated first full-length album, Don’t Spoil the Fun. Following their 2023 debut EP, the new eleven-track record finds the band—comprised of frontman Rob Good, bassist Cherron Arens, and guitarist Gabriel Monnot—leveling up their sound and cementing their style.
The album’s sonic DNA is a carefully crafted mix of jangling, Byrds-esque guitars, sweet British Invasion-style harmonies, and the fuzz-drenched hooks reminiscent of ’90s mainstays like Teenage Fanclub and Matthew Sweet. The group’s arrangements are built to nod to decades of power pop without slipping into nostalgia, balancing classic ’70s Big Star shimmer with a distinctly modern heart.
The album’s production was helmed entirely by frontman Rob Good (a veteran of Ryli, Sob Stories, and Cocktails) in his Oakland studio. This approach allowed the band to meticulously refine its sound. ”These songs were written over the last five years,” notes Good, adding that some even pre-date the band’s first EP. ”We recorded several versions before finally landing on something that felt right”.
This extended development period is reflected in the album’s dynamic range and lyrical depth. The record moves fluidly between the chiming immediacy of lead single “April Fools” and the introspective mood of its focus track, “Sunday Morning Out of the Blue”. The latter, built around bright guitars and melodic basslines, dissects the push and pull of a relationship conflict—the kind of argument that leaves you both worn out and closer at the same time.
Beyond romantic themes, the songwriting explores connection and place. “Photograph” serves as a memorial for The Golden Bull, a lost Oakland venue where The Goods played their first show. “Aurora” celebrates the virtue of staying rooted instead of chasing dreams elsewhere, while the album closer “Keep It Safe” offers a gentle reminder to protect one’s mental health amid chaos.
Don’t Spoil the Fun is scheduled for release on October 24, 2025, via Dandy Boy Records. The focus track “Sunday Morning Out of the Blue” will be accompanied by a music video, also arriving on that date.
