AMG Review of Once Upon a Time Called Now

Jimmy Draper
All Music Guide

This Los Angeles-based queer band may have only released a handful of singles and one full-length in its lamentably short existence, but Longstocking is nonetheless one of the most underrated bands to emerge in the 1990s. Once Upon a Time Called Now is nonstop pop-punk, a rollicking ruckus full of radio-ready anthems and singalongs that should appeal to fans of the Breeders and Team Dresch. On the ten-track album, guitarist-vocalist Tamala Poljak -- the immensely talented songwriter behind Longstocking -- crafts pop so perfect that it never fails to stick in the brain. What often makes her music so glorious, however, is her sharp sense of humor that shines through on nearly every track, from song titles such as "Teen Angst at 27" to hilarious one-liners in "Autobarb," "Equator," and "Not a Jerk." Summer radio was made for music this deliriously catchy.