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. 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.
Background
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. 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). It includes several songs previously released on West Bay Grease and Embarrassing Times.
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."
Critical reception
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." The Fire Note awarded the album its "Headphone Approved" designation.
The album received an aggregate critic score of 78 on Album of the Year based on five reviews.
Track listing
References
External links Songs from San Mateo County on Bandcamp