SPYDERPOP RECORDS is proud to announce the return of power pop and new wave legends 20/20, with the all-new album BACK TO CALIFORNIA. Out January 17 2025 on Vinyl LP, CD and Streaming worldwide and featuring 11 new original songs, the album has already been previewed by a single of the title track (a solid hit on global indie radio) with the equally strong “Laurel Canyon” set to follow in December. Crafted by the band's original singer-songwriter duo of STEVE ALLEN and RON FLYNT, BACK TO CALIFORNIA stands with the very best of a beloved catalog that commenced with the band's undisputed classic self-titled debut album in 1979, and brings 20/20's music to a whole new generation of guitar pop fans and long-time followers alike.

OFFICIAL PRESS NOTES by John M. Borack, Contributing Editor at GOLDMINE MAGAZINE and author of SHAKE SOME ACTION: THE ULTIMATE POWER POP GUIDE and THE BEATLES 100:

How often has a band gone more than a quarter of a century between album releases and then come up with a collection of songs that stands proudly alongside their finest work?

Not too often, I’d say.

But I’ll be damned if 20/20 hasn’t done just that with their new LP, Back to California. It’s their first album of new material since 1998’s Interstate, and their first for SpyderPop Records. “We felt like the music was doing what it wanted to do,” vocalist/guitarist Steve Allen says of the new songs he penned with his longtime friend and musical partner, vocalist/bassist Ron Flynt. What the music does on Back to California is expertly builds a bridge between 20/20’s legacy as an iconic power pop band (their self-titled debut from 1979 is an acknowledged classic of the genre) and Allen and Flynt’s current status as seasoned songwriters and performers who have never strayed from their love of a hook.

And hooks certainly abound on Back to California—things kick off in a grand fashion with the insistent title track, already released as the album’s initial single. It was one of the first tunes Allen and Flynt worked on when the project began taking shape in 2019. “The year 2020 was fast approaching and there was talk of a show at the Roxy in Hollywood,” Flynt says. “The idea of going back to California was intoxicating, and bringing my son Ray to play drums sealed the deal for me. That’s when we started writing the song…”

Like their power pop compadres Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour, Flynt and Allen were childhood friends who had originally made the trek to Southern California from Tulsa, Oklahoma in the ‘70s, seeking fame and fortune (and a record deal) in the Golden State. After releasing a single on Bomp Records, 20/20 (which also included keyboardist-guitarist Chris Silagyi and drummer/co-founder Mike Gallo at the time) was signed to Portrait Records. They recorded their classic album 20/20 at Sound City Studios.

“I loved living in California,” Ron says. “There is an undeniable romance on the streets of Hollywood and a feeling in the air that anything is possible.” Perhaps coincidentally—or perhaps not—“Back to California” is a tune that harkens back to that glorious late ‘70s power pop sound, with muscular, driving guitars and a riff that vaguely recall the Plimsouls’ “A Million Miles Away.” “It’s a love song, maybe between two people, maybe between the past and the present, or maybe it’s about hope…and a chance to bring it all back again,” Flynt says.

Another number that will “bring it all back again” for the listener is “Springtime Love Song,” a churning, fiery rocker that would not have sounded out of place on the band's debut. It was the song that kickstarted work on the album; Allen had played a bit of it for Flynt when the duo had traveled to LA to play a show with their old friend Dwight Twilley, and, as Flynt recalls, “the ball was rolling.” The song stands up to anything they’ve ever done, which is saying a hell of a lot.

Nearly every track on Back to California is framed with an inspired guitar riff accompanying an instantly memorable melody. Sometimes the guitars are forceful (those opening blasts of distorted six-string on “The End of the Summer” are pretty damned cool), sometimes they’re Beatlesque (“When the Sun Goes Down”), and sometimes they even lean ever-so-slightly toward country-rock (the catchier than hell “King of the Whole Wide World”). Without fail, though, the hook is always king, and Allen and Flynt dole them out here like there’s no tomorrow.

But, luckily for us, there is a tomorrow; in addition to releasing the new record, Allen says 20/20 has some live dates planned for 2025. But while looking toward the future, Allen also remembers how it all began. “I met Ron in the 6th grade…and [we] soon started playing guitars and learned how to make music together. We were Beatles and ‘60s music freaks. Now it’s many years later and we haven’t changed much. We both felt the call to write some new songs together.”

And these 11 wonderful new songs will take you on a trip Back to California with 20/20. Give it a try, open your eyes and feel free…

John M. Borack Los Angeles, CA, November 2024

With a new album – their first in over two decades – set for release in January, power pop legends 20/20 close out the year with another preview single from the record that's sure to be a highlight of 2025. “Laurel Canyon” hits all streaming platforms worldwide December 13, continuing the buildup to the album BACK TO CALIORNIA on Vinyl, CD and Streaming. The new single, to be accompanied by an Official Lyric Video, is up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/2020-laurelcanyon

Since their 1979 debut, 20/20 (helmed now as then by co-founders STEVE ALLEN and RON FLYNT) has been acknowledged as consummate creators of should-be hits in the classic guitar-pop mold. Much has changed since those days, but 20/20's ear for hooks remains as strong as ever, and global indie radio did indeed take notice of their reunion single “Back To California” last month, as evidenced by a clutch of Top 10 chart placements in the US and UK alike. “Laurel Canyon”, another love letter to the Golden State, continues to tease both the themes and the sound – classic, muscular power pop as only masters of the genre could deliver – of the new album.

Steve Allen offers insight into the song's inspiration. “After the Pandemic had started, I was out walking, and I heard the opening guitar lick in my head and sang it into my phone. I still have it. I felt the music had a connection to California. Laurel Canyon... that quest to make a stand in California is timeless,” he says, recalling the band's days creating their classic debut album and playing the hallowed stages of Hollywood in the late '70s. “It was pure blind faith for us to drive from Oklahoma and move there and try to make something happen. The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and all of that timeless music helped show us the way. The desire to make something happen was strong.”

In 2024, 20/20 are proving in no uncertain terms that they're still making things happen. And next year, the new album BACK TO CALIFORNIA will see them return in full force, to the delight of the fans who remember and a whole new generation just now discovering the band. On January 17, 20/20 comes full circle with SpyderPop Records' release of the new record. On “Laurel Canyon” the band ends this year as they'll begin the next one: at the very height of their celebrated melodic powers.

The waning days of 2024 bring the news that the 21st Century Power Pop scene has needed to hear for more than two decades: genre legends 20/20 will return with an all-new full-length album in 2025! And to kick off the countdown, the band's new label, celebrated Texas guitar pop imprint SpyderPop Records (in partnership with Big Stir Records) presents the first teaser single and the forthcoming album's title track, “Back To California”, out October 25 on all digital platforms. This triumphant return is to be accompanied by an evocative lyric video and more news about the album, and it's up for pre-order and presave now:

https://orcd.co/2020-btc-single

It's well-nigh impossible to find an informed assessment of the true giants of Power Pop that doesn't prominently feature 20/20. Be it an audio compilation like Jordan Oakes' classic Yellow Pills (named after a classic song by the band) or a definitive guidebook like John Borack's Shake Some Action (which ranks their self-titled 1979 debut album as the genre's very best), it's guaranteed to rank the band among the very finest practitioners of the hooks-and-harmony sound. But it's been over two decades since the band's prime movers, Steve Allen (vocals, guitar) and Ron Flynt (bass, vocals) have released new music under the 20/20 name. Thankfully, the wait is over, and “Back To California” sees Allen and Flynt reunited and backed by Ron's son Ray on drums for a track that stands easily with their classic best, and serves notice that the band are indeed back, and better than ever.

“Back To California” is a tune that harkens back to that glorious late '70s Power Pop sound, with muscular, driving guitars and a riff that recalls The Plimsouls' “A Million Miles Away”. Flynt remembers the flashpoint that renewed the 20/20 collaboration and led the new material and the new single, and ppropriately, it all started in the state from which the song and album take their name. “The year 2020 was fast approaching and there was talk of a show at the Roxy in Hollywood. The idea of going back to California was intoxicating, and bringing my son Ray to play drums sealed the deal for me. Steve and I went to California to play a show with our old buddy Dwight Twilley, where, backstage, he played me a bit of a tune that became 'Springtime Love Song' on the new album. The ball was rolling.”

Allen picks up the tale: “We both felt the call to write some new songs together and be creative. We felt like the music was doing what it wanted to do. I flew to Austin from Nashville for four trips to Ron's studio and his son Ray played the drums. Yes! That was amazing.”

Of the song itself, Flynt says, “I loved living in California. There is an undeniable romance on the streets of Hollywood and a feeling that anything is possible in the air. 'Back To California' is a love song, maybe between two people, maybe between the past and the present, or maybe it’s about hope. And a chance to bring it all back again.” And bringing it all back again is just what 20/20 is doing. Fans of the band, and of melodic rock and roll worldwide, have been waiting for them to do just that, and in the new year, their patience will be rewarded. “Back To California” is where it all starts.