The way I would describe this is a combination of post-punk, anarcho-punk, goth, and darkwave, but it sounds like they have carved out their own space within all of that. This sounds very well-recorded and the minimalist production is a change from how I imagine that they sound live. I appreciated the change of pace from the rest of what I was listening to. This is a very good record.
This is a fantastic lineup of chilly, deathly punk. Following this year’s excellent full-length on Convulse, NAG brings in two more spiky little treats of heavy, rhythmic post-punk that do their own thing, while also dipping a wing in the airstream of erudite acts like the CHAMELEONS as well RUDIMENTARY PENI. It’s a blend of educated graveyard music that shakes your bones. On the flipside, ASTIO tackles a more anthemic sound in a similar sphere, with a slightly more straight-ahead bluntness. Italy has been bringing us a lot of beauts like this lately, replete with reverb-drenched, doomy leads and a tinge of black lipstick. All in all, great cuts from two acts across the ocean from one another who should be on your radar.
Italian band ASTIO calls Trento (a city in the foothills of the Italian Alps) home, and they create haunting, riff-heavy punk that stomps and pogos. Bocche Stanche is a six-song 12” that would be a welcome addition to almost any record collection. ASTIO uses this release to give a tutorial on how to shred while also creating a groovy enough environment that the inclusion of saxophone is totally welcome! The vocal delivery has a raw but not overly abrasive quality, while the rhythm section is featured pretty forward in the mix and is the total heart of this groove machine.
