Songs from San Mateo County
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| Songs from San Mateo County | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | July 19, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2015 | |||
| Genre | Power pop, lo-fi, indie rock, hardcore punk | |||
| Length | 14:56 | |||
| Label | Smoking Room (SR030) | |||
| Tony Molina chronology | ||||
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Songs from San Mateo County is a compilation album by Bay Area musician Tony Molina, released on July 19, 2019, on the Smoking Room label.[1] The album collects 14 previously unreleased and unfinished recordings made between 2009 and 2015, drawing on material from Molina's solo work and his earlier bands Ovens and Violent Change.[2][3]
Molina assembled the album from recordings spanning the years before and during his solo career. The material predates his breakthrough debut Dissed and Dismissed (2013) and was recorded across a period during which Molina was active in the Bay Area underground punk and power pop scenes.[2] The album was released on vinyl, cassette, and digitally through Smoking Room, an independent label that had also issued Molina's live cassette West Bay Grease (2017).[1]
Scott Russell of Paste called the album "his best yet," praising its economy and replay value: "14 minutes and 56 seconds… one of the most fun and re-listenable records so far in 2019."[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Paste | Positive[4] |
| All About Jazz | Positive[5] |
| Punknews.org | Positive[6] |
| Post-Trash | Positive[2] |
| The Fire Note | Positive[3] |
| Northern Transmissions | Positive[7] |
Songs from San Mateo County received positive reviews. All About Jazz called it "a cohesive, thrilling power pop record," while Post-Trash described it as delivering "fifteen more minutes of quality Tony Molina shreddery."[5][2] The Fire Note awarded the album its "Headphone Approved" designation.[3]
The album received an aggregate critic score of 78 on Album of the Year based on five reviews.[8]
