Oakland, California-based band Neutrals make tightly wound D.I.Y. punk with jangly pop songwriting at its core. They pull from several generations of obscure, guitar-based upstarts, painting narrative scenes and modernized social critiques on instrumentals that would fit well on C-86 playlists or compilations of early Rough Trade artists. After a series of demos and 7"s, Neutrals presented a sharp, snappy version of their sound on their second album, 2024's Slumberland offering New Town Dream.