Soup Activists: Where The Rubbish Goes [Album Review]

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Soup Activists – Where The Rubbish Goes

Where The Rubbish Goes

Soup Activists — 2026

ReleasedNovember 13
LabelFeel It Records
Engineered & MixedJohn Hoffman
Runtime25 min / 11 tracks

Album Review
Soup Activists • Where The Rubbish Goes • Fuzzy Indie Pop

“From sharp, buzzing riffs to warmer psychedelic detours, Soup Activists make every minute of Where The Rubbish Goes count.”

Eleven songs in 25 minutes is just about the perfect length for Soup Activists, the St. Louis project of former Lumpy And The Dumpers leader Martin Meyer. His second album, following 2024’s Mummy What Are Flowers For?, mixes late 1970s power pop with the raw, jangling spirit of early Flying Nun Records. Meyer handles nearly everything himself, but Where The Rubbish Goes feels more like a scrappy guitar band playing with the windows open than a one-man studio project. The songs swing between sharp, buzzing riffs and warmer, slightly off-center melodies without losing momentum. “Typical Flowers” wraps its melody in a haze of fuzz that recalls The Jesus and Mary Chain, while “The Castle” settles into a dreamy psychedelic groove with a touch of Luna’s easygoing sway. “Johnny,” a tribute to Meyer’s longtime friend and bandmate, carries a little punk snarl inside its rougher pop structure. Recorded in an old Masonic lodge in Dayton, Kentucky, the album keeps its grit right where it belongs. Sometimes 25 minutes is all you need.

Pivotal Tracks

“Johnny”
This track hits fast with probably the brightest hook and a chorus that sticks around long after the song wraps up. This will be the song you remember.
“Angelyne”
The guitars take charge here right from the beginning, driving the song forward with a crunchy, energetic attack that shows off the record’s loudest side.
“Amnesia”
This cover of New Zealand’s Hiss Explosion gets an extra push from Good Flying Bird’s Kellen Baker, whose noticeable lead guitar cuts through the murky mix and gives the track a thrilling finish.

Artists with Similar Fire

The Clean
For the loose, catchy guitar pop, primitive rhythms, and playful melodies that helped define New Zealand’s Flying Nun sound.
The Nerves
The Los Angeles trio’s punchy power pop singles are a blueprint for the late 1970s side of Soup Activists, all urgent hooks and no wasted motion.
Cleaners From Venus
Martin Newell’s homemade pop recordings offer a similar mix of cheap guitars, understated psychedelic touches, and melodies that shine through the tape hiss.

The Fire Note Rating: 4 out of 5

The Fire Note Spin
4 out of 5

Links: Instagram Bandcamp Feel It Records


Thomas Wilde thrives on the endless variety of the NYC music scene, where every night out reshapes his taste. Writing for TFN lets him share those discoveries, and in his downtime, he’s crate-digging for rare pressings to feed his ever-growing vinyl obsession.

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