Reviews

MRR #476 • January 2023

Acid Mikvah Acid Mikvah demo cassette

Directly from Chicago, Illinois comes ACID MIKVAH, a group of Jewish punks who released this cassette in June 2021 (extra credit for the lyrics on their Bandcamp page). Reverbed vocals over political, garage-y, fast punk rock, with quite catchy riffs led by a heavily distorted guitar that has resemblances of early raw punk mixed with classic hardcore. With songs that speak against apartheid and religious birthrights and take a stand against nationalism and hatred, they create freedom punk to fight against Israel’s war and sieges against Palestine (“Call everyone an antisemite, the establishment got your back / But we fight back, with Palestinians, for a just world”). Interesting political punk, you may like them.

Alien Nosejob Stained Glass LP

This band is everywhere I look. I swear, I had three friends text me this album the day it dropped. With good reason, too. It rips! Guitar-worship to its fullest out of Melton, Australia. The press-release for this slab likens it to AC/DC. While that may be true for tracks like “Coastal Living 2,” I think the majority of the record sounds more like the NEW YORK DOLLS mashed with ZZ TOP. And not even just early-era TOP. I’m talking about the ’80s shit where they took a lot of risks, especially with “Sharp as a Needle” where the rhythm section really comes out for the first time. Speaking of, the bass and drums are tight as hell. I honestly can’t tell if it’s real drums or the best drum machine I’ve ever heard. Bass stays in the pocket for the majority of the record, and really gives the guitars the time to shine. Fantastic album, but seeing as it’s from Total Punk, you may already know that.

Angustia Espiritual Angustia Espiritual cassette

The album art on this cassette calls to mind RUDIMENTARY PENI, but Costa Rica’s ANGUSTIA ESPIRITUAL carves a sound out that is all their own. Playing more like a noise-injected 45 GRAVE, this self-titled EP has a production that is neither dense or sparse— instead, they offer a wall of sound that is interspersed with enough breaks to allow the creepy feelings to settle in. No haunting organs or synths, but replaced with slippery guitar and bass that slink around Amanda’s vocals. The closing track “Letargo” is perhaps my favorite, as it really highlights ANGUSTIA ESPIRITUAL’s deathrock sensibilities.

Arr​ê​t Arr​ê​t demo cassette

Brand new post-punk outfit from Los Angeles with a two-song demo. Cavernous reverb on female vocals with vibrant riffs and chugging bass and drums. The opener “Pandemonium” offers up the cheery chorus “Pandemonium / Done deal / It’s been decided now / Nothing’s real,” which feels like a good summary of the world. “Démolir,” or “demolish” in English, counters the A-side with a more hands-on approach required to move the “done deal[s]” stagnant needle. Without much info on this new group, I’m not sure where the French influence/origins come from, but all said, the aesthetic, the sound—I’m all in, looking for more! 1753 has other L.A. groups putting out small-run cassettes, worth a quick look.

B.E.T.O.E. Civilización flexi EP

Crashing cymbals, blown-out vocals, shredded guitar, rumbling bass, punk crudo at its best! B.E.T.O.E. seemingly wishes sonic demolition upon all of the broken systems that mire our world. The production of this flexi yields some of the most listenable B.E.T.O.E. material for me. A slightly cleaner sound, not quite spotless, approaching a high-end studio sound but still retaining enough noise to sound like it came from the sewers of Barcelona. This is still some noisy, smash the system/smash everything rawness. This three-song disc clocks in well below six minutes, with each track offering intricate musicianship and composition in a miniscule amount of time.

Barren Soil Barren Soil cassette

As you would be right to presume, BARREN SOIL do not play ’90s revival skacore; there aren’t any ska puns in their songs nor, as far as I can tell, any pork pie hats. Thank fuck for that. This Vancouver-based unit, as the grim and sadly realistic moniker gives away (a reference to a line from NAUSEA’s “Extinction”?), does not deal in cheerfulness—BARREN SOIL is an unstoppable metal crust bulldozer. We have been quite blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with quality stenchcore music in the past couple of years, and this band definitely sits on the top shelf. This tape is their first recording, but the sound is amazing; it has a heavy, thick production but still keeps that specific nasty, dirty edge. The three-piece definitely knows what they are doing, and what they aim at creating and destroying with these eight songs (in fifteen minutes, an appropriate length for the genre). BARREN SOIL sounds like a brawl between deranged bears. It is an indelicate blend of NUCLEAR DEATH TERROR, mid 2010s CANCER SPREADING, and early ANGUISH, with grizzly vocals, some rotten, groovy FROST-like mid-paced bits, and even proper old-school blast beats, which I salute. So crusty it bites. I actually counted that the singer shouts the word “crust” six times on this recording, so there is one “crust” every 180 seconds on average (as a comparison, Oi! bands usually shout “oi!” every 55 seconds). Ace. The artwork, courtesy of Mike Roberts from GENOGEIST, fills the apocalyptic crust template to a T, too. This gem is a self-released tape, but it would certainly deserve a vinyl reissue. Now grab your crust pants and play this loud.

Bart and the Brats Bart and the Brats LP

Lo-fi and trashy garage punk from La Rochelle, France. BART AND THE BRATS take us back to the ’90s when bands played to have a good time with their friends in a cavernous, sub-street-level, dingy club. They are humorous without being too silly. For a good time, check out “Records I Used to Hate,” “Constant Nonsense,” and “A Boss is a Boss.” But skip “Predictable,” which rhymes the title with “suck my dick-table.” Yikes.

Bloodstained Downfall Magnificant LP

Over-the-top apocalypse metalcore from Poland, hitting so hard from the opening bell that it might take a few tracks to catch your breath. Metallic ’90s hardcore taken to absolute extremes—BLOODSTAINED delivers with a ferocity that will win over even the most negative with their unhinged sonic negativity. 

Bogus Torpedo Liquid Aloha cassette

Five short songs of hard-rockin’ punk fly by in a blur here. It’s on the superior format of cassette, so you can let it auto-flip and keep the party rolling non-stop. They have an element of Aussie punk/hard rock going on that’s a little like POWER or VENOM P. STINGER, especially on my favorite track “Taste The Blade.” A worthy six minutes of your time. Much better than a kick in the head, for sure.

Bootlicker Lick the Boot, Lose Your Teeth: The EPs LP

The first BOOTLICKER material I heard was their fourth EP, 2020’s How to Love Life. As soon as the opening track “It’s Beautiful” started I knew one thing for sure: this was some of the gnarliest drumming I’d heard in a minute. Crunchy, brutal, and unrelenting, like a machine gun ripping through clips of ammunition. That’s all I needed to become a believer. BOOTLICKER is putting out some of the best D-beat hardcore punk at the moment, and this collection of their first four EPs (from 2017–2020) showcases the band’s ascent from their first 6 Track EP towards the aforementioned How to Love Life. To get the full scope of the band’s output, listen to all 37(!) minutes, but as I mentioned, I highly recommend the track “It’s Beautiful” to hear the band at full power. 

Bricks Bricks demo cassette

Stone me, what an early Chrimbo present this was for yours truly! Four tracks of raging Indonesian Oi! boiled down to the bones of what makes the genre so much fun. Rough around the edges, aggy, unhinged, and as direct as a steel toecap to the spuds, it’s all you’d want from a demo. A promise of good things to come. Fans of RIXE will not be disappointed.

Busy Weather Busy Weather 12″

Rough-around-the-edges pop punk from Asheville, North Carolina. For some of you, this says it all. For everyone else, a brief stylistic overview: the above description refers to a micro-genre of pop punk, mostly from the Southeastern US, typically without the smooth finish of an Epitaph or Fat Wreck release. There’s plenty of memorable guitars and vocals that are equal parts abrasive and melodic. The tempo rarely goes much over 150 BPM and sometimes it can slow to a sleazy crawl. This record competently covers all those bases. If you liked anything from ADD/C to FUTURE VIRGINS, this release sits comfortably alongside them in a crowded living room show.

Chainsaw When Will We Die? EP

Straightforward D-beat from Boston from members of BRAINKILLER and SUNSHINE WARD.  This is all very much by the book and does not disappoint yet does not provoke. Is that a bad thing? There is a bit of DOOM (Pickering-era), some smatterings of FROM ASHES RISE, and a heavy dose of SHITLICKERS. Add your stock dejected, grainy cover image (anarchy symbol required) and a track list replete with nihilistic song titles and away we go!!!

Class Epoca de Los Vaqueros LP

Call it hometown pride, but Tucson has really been showing up lately on the broad landscape of excellent rock‘n’roll. This crew in particular is a fast favorite, with a strong debut EP and now this full-length that perfectly walks the tightrope of melodically pleasant and snotty punk. From track to track, CLASS manages to reference the gold standards of the late ’70s (even going so far as to brilliantly steal from “Guns of Brixton” in broad daylight on the track “Incomplete Extraction”). There’s more going on here than hero worship, though, and this band pulls out new tricks and layers of instrumentation that beef up their lush, driving sound at every turn. The songs are so strong, and the ear for detail just sends them home with a charge. I hope 2023 is another prolific year from this keen quartet, because I’m dying to hear more.

CML The Dirty Tape cassette

I first heard this on the iconic No Deal channel, and wasn’t interested from the first song. After a couple of listens, however, I’ve definitely changed my mind. If you like the classic fast and nasty style in the vein of the Texas I Hate, I Skate label that featured bands such as GLAASSSS, ARMY, and others, along with general noisy HC punk bands such as Q, LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS, and generally everything in the Lumpy Records discography, then this is undoubtedly a tape for you. This is just snotty, childish hardcore punk that, while it’s been done many times before, never seems to get old.

Compassion Pacing Animal LP

First release in three years from Brooklyn’s COMPASSION. Blisteringly fast grind tracks—blink and you’ll miss them, which is arguably the best kind of grindcore in existence. Everything is super tight and heavy. Drums are so fast and on point that I need to see it to believe it. Vocals are intense and nuanced, switching between guttural growls and banshee-like screams. Guitars cut through everything else like a knife, crisp and menacing. Very reminiscent of IRON LUNG and early WEEKEND NACHOS. Press release mentions that this band is a duo, but this recording is layered with two guitars and a bass. Would love to see how they pull this off live. Well worth a digital spin.

Conservative Military Image Skinhead cassette

A couple of months ago, I began to notice a buff dude popping up in pictures with some of my favorite bands like the CHISEL and VIOLENT WAY along with the letters “CMI,” and I couldn’t help but wonder “who is this guy, and what the fuck is ‘CMI’?” Well, it didn’t take long for me to find out. “CMI” is CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE, a Chicago-based band making waves with their one-two punch of EPs, Summer Skinhead and this, their debut Skinhead. Playing a catchy mix of Oi!, hardcore, and street punk, CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE has cited inspiration from bands as diverse as WARZONE, ROSE TATTOO, and NEW YORK HOUNDS. Lead singer and lyricist Adam is the glue holding this crew together, and while I love his classic tough-guy punk sneer (almost going into Stiv Bators/DEAD BOYS territory at times), the real gold is his lyrics. Clever and direct, proud and loud, Adam is extremely economical with his writing yet leaves plenty to unpack. “Generation Kill” is a great example; a sub-two-minute stomper that tells you everything you need to know about this band’s mentality and manages to slip in an easter egg of a lyric from Boston’s the TROUBLE. It’s a tasteful homage and something CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE is so good at: respectfully mining inspiration and making something fresh of their own. I’m fortunate enough to be a Chicago native and look forward to catching these guys this year. Fuckin’ Oi! is right!

Cosme Demo No. 2 cassette

Short synth punk demo from Mexico that often sounds like Tim Armstrong singing karaoke. The first track has Nintendo keyboards with gruff Spanish-language vocals. It’s way too slick and toothless for me. The third track, named as the Cancer zodiac symbol, is the turning point from keyboard oddity to punk. It’s a heartfelt street-punk song that doesn’t sound too far from RANCID’s best, with sparkling keys on top. The repeated line “Time heals, some might say all those years that are gone now” gives it a wistful, nostalgic feeling, and is worth repeat plays. “Cosme,” the last track, is the most traditional, fast punk song here and ends the tape on an anthemic, fist-pumping high. I would listen to another tape from COSME, but I definitely prefer the second half to the first.

Critical Issues Critical Issues CD

If you like the vicious hardcore stomps that seem to dominate the DIY underworld in the 2020s, but you miss the raging crust fury of the 2000s and the unhinged fastcore of yore, then I’d like to introduce you to CRITICAL ISSUES. From the “bleaaaaaauuuurrrch” that kicks the opening track “Plague Years” into gear, you can just feel that this is some special shit. Ever wondered what would happen if GAG took a time machine and collaborated with wild ’00s fastcore à la MORTAL COMBAT and raw D-beat like PEACE OR ANNIHILATION…? I’d like to introduce you to CRITICAL ISSUES. Best surprise of the month, and I can’t wait to hear more!

Cromosoma Fuera Plutón / Medicina Fantástica 7″

Two short synth punk jammers from this Spanish band. Veering away from the eggy DEVO-worship that is so common with synth projects, CROMOSOMA reaches back a little further for influences, sounding like a blend of LOS MICROWAVES and OG Spanish synth punks AVIADOR DRO. The two tracks here have clean keyboard lines and crisp drum machine beats with group vocals on top. “Medicina Fantástica” drips with icy new wave atmosphere, all driving bass pulse and echoes. Worth checking out.

D.B.R. Boogie Nights cassette

D.B.R. appears to be a solo-recording project from Denes Bieberich. The Bandcamp copy just attributes the recording to “…a mysterious being who interacts in German bands such as BENZIN, PIGEON, LIIEK, OSTSEETRAUM, and much more.” Bieberich also makes music under the name DEE BEE RICH, which would seem to seal my suspicions that he alone is behind this project. But DEE BEE RICH doesn’t sound all that much like what’s on this cassette, and there seem to be different vocalists from track to track. All the aforementioned acts seem to be pretty incestuous too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those folks are chipping in. Nor would I be surprised to learn that the vocals are being pitched up on some of the tracks. It reminds me of Mark Winter’s shenanigans, particularly around his project GSB (a.k.a. GORDON SPICER BAND, a.k.a. GOLDMAN’S SEX BATTALION). Mark’s clearly providing a musical influence here as well. But this is by no means CONEHEADS-core. Instead, this project takes some of that scene’s trappings and applies them with a light touch to create mostly minimal post-punk tracks. Like, “Nuclear Family” almost sounds like YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS, but with skittery C.C.T.V. drums and very faint cartoony rubber band funk guitars. And though some of the other five tracks are less minimal, more punk, or more sci-fi, that’s kinda the gist of the whole release. It’s actually pretty cool!

Derrumbando Defensas Sistema Criminal LP

All-female metal/hardcore band from Temuco, Chile that assembled around 2009, with three previous releases. Released in April 2022, this seven-track LP (with a great cover art by Subhuman Illustrations from Colombia) has some sick lyrics full of hatred and aggression and a sense of revenge and justice, touching on topics such as feminist struggles and resistance, and Latin American issues from colonialism to ethnocide to nature’s destruction at the hands of big foreign companies. Anti-system, anti-state, anti-speciesism, anti-fascism, and anti-nationalism positions (what else could you dream for on an LP?) combine beautifully with distorted metal strings and deep and suffering vocals with some sweet gutturals. Metallic hardcore cadences are included along with sounds suggesting outer space and mental metal chambers alike. Suggested tracks: “Latinoamérica” has some great lyrics summarizing all of the problems of this area that has been injured for too long, transmitting a helpful yet painful message which any Latin American is going to identify with. “Devastación” is a sludgy metal hardcore instrumental with screams and doomsday space sounds, working as a break between songs with lyrics. “No Me Representas” is a great anti-nationalist anthem against the Chilean state and its repression and corruption. Highly recommended project, it’s been a good surprise.

Desiccate Desiccate demo cassette

Man. I love this. DIY to its fullest. No-bullshit, heavy noise punk from the Great White North. Not a lot of nuance to their songs, but they don’t need it. DESICCATE isn’t here to be flashy. They’re here to fucking rock. Honestly, that’s what I like to see from bands these days. Energy that transcends the medium. No over-the-top production, no more than three takes. There’s no need for any ego-stroking solos here. Just the white-knuckle grip of a barre chord, the howl of indecipherable vocals, the grounded melody of a bass run, and a steady but powerful drum beat.

Desolat Elegance is an Attitude… To Shit On LP

Massive and fierce debut full-length from Austria’s DESOLAT. Ghosts of early-century European metallic crust emerging as a fully formed modern beast. Thick guitars ripped from ’90s noise rock drive mid-paced riffs that swing hard, until the vocals sever all connection to hope and DESOLAT really settles into their bleak reality. That reality is a world where the sounds of GNU and UNSANE and THEMA 11 and ZEROID all offer an escape from hopelessness by displaying aural wounds in the open. I haven’t heard anything like this in a long, long time…and I’ve never heard this. That’s the highest praise.

Dream Shake Ride the Disease Vol. 34 LP

You ever wonder what it would be like if S.O.D. and LAWNMOWER DETH made a baby? I hadn’t either…until now. Folks, allow me to introduce you to Houston’s DREAM SHAKE. Wild, and wildly irreverent, blasting metalpunk—it’s the punk part of that wordy descriptor that really drives DREAM SHAKE. Twenty-two doses of not giving a fukk and blasting a blast with your friends—I’m going to need to listen to this one a lot more times so I can even begin to get on their wavelength.

Drug City Drug City demo cassette

After much consideration, I have deduced that DRUG CITY is from Bruchsal in Germany, a middle-sized town not far at all from French Alsace. They have a song poetically entitled “South West Fuck You,’’ and since Bruchdal is located in the country’s southwestern part and that Iniquity Records is based there, my ever-insightful, perceptive mind was quick to guess (unless they are actually from Tucson?). I have to admit I had never heard of neither place nor band before, and this first demo tape is a rough one indeed. I have never been one to back down before barely audible distorted raw hardcore punk and even regularly play some during family dinners, but in this case I am at a loss as to what they are actually trying to do here. There is certainly a D-beat raw punk influence—they do cover DISCLOSE—and a couple of mid-paced songs, but the production is so rough that it pretty much falls flat, the songs lose the necessary energy, and the vocals have that evil hellish demented tone that would be more fitting to a blackened crust template. This very limited edition (ten copies!) is clearly a first attempt, but it is just very hard to listen to. I do like the lyrics however, especially to “Destroy All Art,’’ with its direct, political, and quite clever words. I just wish DRUG CITY would have been a bit less literal with the topic.

Egrogsid Sawn Off Throat Gun 2xCD

Otherwise known as DISGORGE backward, here EGROGSID offers 122 tracks of gruesome mince-noise and primitive grind. I let this compilation play before I even started working on the review. There is plenty of time to catch up. These are true grind songs, however—thirty seconds to almost two minutes at times. This is very much in the style of loose, chaotic, death-beaten cacophonous droning grind. Sick guitar tones and killer splattering drumming. Being from Melbourne, I am sure they played with neighbors BLOOD DUSTER in the later part of their tenure. Bizarre (and humorous) occult samples are throughout with low vocals, high vocals, and maniacal vocals all over the place. This is the kind of thing I’d put on sitting in some living room with the worst 40 ever bottled in my lap. That is to say, it brings back fond memories. Included are NAPALM DEATH, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, UNSEEN TERROR, and EXTRA HOT SAUCE covers. This is entirely that SORE THROAT/GORE BEYOND NECROPSY/WARSORE/ACCION MUTANTE/EXCRUCIATING TERROR sound. You could put this on for an afternoon (or at 2:00 am with both your friends like I would) and just zone out and enjoy it. I’ve pretty much completed my task here and I’m on track seventeen.

Ervin Berlin Junior’s Got Brain Damage / Last Time 7″ reissue

A psych-punk obscurity from Florida at the dawn of the ’80s, fished out and reissued. The A-side is a chunky-riffed caveman boogie about a drug-addled youth who liquefied his lobes on ‘ludes and dust. The B-side is lyrically loose, acting mostly as spotlight for the guitarist’s high, widdly-widdly fuzz-face solos.

Eteraz Villain LP

This album is absolutely punishing. ETERAZ rips through twelve tracks in a wild and noisy D-beat assault. The guitars have an extremely nasty, jagged tonal quality that is complemented by driving, buzzsaw bass. The crash-heavy drumming is top-notch, pushing everything deep into the red. Most notable are the vocals, which are shouted out in Persian. This really adds a lot of texture to the experience, and the higher-register delivery is an exquisite contrast to the rich bottom end of the production. “Terror” is a standout for me, but there’s not a single dud in the bunch. Gotta hand it to Iron Lung for consistently delivering the heat. Easily one of the top releases of 2022.

Faul Techniczny Dalej Pójdę Sam LP

Here’s a band I’d never heard before, FAUL TECHNICZNY (or “technical foul” for you non-Polish speakers) from Poland. They’ve been kicking around since 2017 and have compiled and released their first three LPs here as Dalej Pójdę Sam. NYHC-inspired fare with gruff vocals, frequent breakdowns, and absolutely no frills. In fact, there’s really no fat anywhere here—every song is very direct with little to no deviance from the formula that they’ve obviously found works for them. Unfortunately, this makes the songs blend together a little from time to time. Overall it’s not for me, but I know a few punks back in my hometown who could get down to this.

Flower City Maggots Consume EP

Ripper of an EP here from FLOWER CITY out of Austin, Texas. These six songs recall the darker side of classic old-school SoCal like early TSOL and DI. Embellishing their menacing riffage with a drummer who plays like MINOR THREAT’s Jeff Nelson and an echoed, spectral vocalist who wails over each song like a different section of a carnival spook house, this band has an awesome, memorable sound that I’m hoping to hear more of. One of the coolest new 7”s of the last while, for sure.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Death to the Fuzz Family EP

Hans F. Ford and Patrick Delabie have been kicking around the Dutch punk scene for decades. Ford played guitar in WASTE, whose 1982 EP History Repeats is an undeniably killer record—due in no small part to the thick fuzztone that envelops the tunes. Forty-one years later, that same velcro buzz is blasting forth from FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO. Despite playing as a two-piece, FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO has a very full, layered sound with multiple tracks of harmonizing vocals and guitars. The name may lead you to believe that you’re in for some lo-fi garage punk revival, but that is not the case. On the contrary, the production value is rather slick. Stylistically, this bears far more resemblance to BETTY FORD CLINIC, Ford and Delabie’s eclectic ’90s endeavor. In fact, for as much as it is heralded as the quintessential element of the band, the fuzz often feels at odds with both the production and the songs themselves. Though clearly crafted by a deft hand, I have to wonder if a cut like “My Reality” would be more impactful if the instrumentation was more discernible. A heretical thought if there ever were one! Death to the Fuzz Family reminds me of a less sophisticated MARTHA’S VINEYARD FERRIES. I don’t mean that as a slight; sophistication is for the birds. My problem is that I’m still trying to determine exactly who FORD’S FUZZ INFERNO is for.  

Freak Genes Hologram LP

Having formed in 2016, this is FREAK GENES’ fifth LP, on which we find eclectic synth punk from the duo of Charlie Murphy and Andrew Anderson. These dudes have played in a bunch of bands (RED CORDS, HIPSHAKES, HOLIDAY GHOST, and PROTO IDIOT), none of which I’ve listened to, but all that is to say that they seem to have a plethora of creative output. This is one of those bands that has created their own universe, and plays by the rules of their creation: there may not be gravity, there may be hover-cars with cassette decks, and there’s definitely something in the drinking water. I looked up footage of live shows, and I was really hoping for some DEVO-style showmanship with matching outfits and dance moves, but sadly, this was not the case. Just saying, I think y’all could pull it off. If synth punk is your thing, this will surely scratch the itch.

Frisk Stalker LP

Loud, raw, uncompromising. Stalker is the debut LP from Leeds, England’s FRISK. This record melds early angry hardcore acts like NEGATIVE APPROACH and DISCHARGE with more contemporary noises from the likes of HOAX to create a twisted, bludgeoning sound that is all its own. The vocals growl and howl over the harsh and noisy instrumental passages. This is the perfect record for a murderous killing spree. An unnerving, unsettling listen that comes highly recommended for those with the stomach for it.

Fuera De Sektor El Mundo Segue cassette

FUERA DE SEKTOR pulls off an impressive genre-bender with El Mundo Segue. The songs are bright and succinct, replete with catchy guitar riffs and superlative bass lines, but somehow they’ve cultivated a perceptible darkness as well. CHAIN CULT may be a good reference point, but FUERA DE SEKTOR is not nearly as dense or gloomy. Musically, I’m reminded of a bit of EASTER AND THE TOTEM, though here again FUERA DE SEKTOR eschews comparison by introducing subtle new wave influences and delivering vocals in a higher-than-expected register. Of the four songs on this tape, “En La Oscuridad” is the one that grabs me most, but they are all bangers. Barcelona has produced some extraordinarily fresh and innovative bands in recent years, and FUERA DE SEKTOR is clearly continuing that trend while adding to La Vida Es Un Mus’ ongoing hit streak. Recommended.  

Garage Psychiatrique Suburbain Demos 1981–1982 LP

I gotta admit that my knowledge of first-wave Euro-punk is pretty limited. I know big acts like METAL URBAIN, or KBD-mainstays like the KIDS, HUBBLE BUBBLE, PACK, etc. And I’ll pick up the odd compilation of, say, Dutch punk or French fake punk when they come out, but I’ve never really gone deeper than that. So, it’s no surprise that I’d never heard of this act, who formed in the suburbs of Paris back in 1977 and played together until the late ’80s. But I’d be shocked if I was alone, at least among our (non-Francophile) American readers. Discogs prices on their first few Underdog records—the release that the final versions of these demos would end up on—suggest that they were pressed in pretty big quantities, which, along with the existence of this compilation, seems to suggest that these guys were hardly obscure, at least in France. But I’m not seeing much evidence that these really made it over to the US. It’s a little strange to get your first taste of an act via a demo compilation, but I still got a sense of what the band was about and I actually preferred the rougher demo cuts to the slicker versions that ended up on their records. The ten tracks on here are a mix of ’77 punk and poppy glam, bordering on bubblegum punk—I’d peg their sound somewhere among the CLASH, NEW YORK DOLLS, and PLASTIC BERTRAND. I prefer the poppier tracks—they’re definitely more memorable. “Quan Revient L’été” is a legit hit, and  I think RANCID stole their slow-jam schtick from “Peut-être à Jamais.” Also, it seems their guitarist/vocalist Tom Darnal led a pretty interesting life. After this band, he joined MANO NEGRA (an act that was pretty big in Europe), then moved to the US to become a tattoo artist but also spent a bunch of time in Cuba, which led to him forming a salsa drum and bass band. Wild! Anyway, this is worth a listen!

The Dummies / Gargoyles split 7″

Pretty wild to see these two band names again, as these PA and Frisco bands (respectively) both hung it up in the mid-’90s. No, they haven’t gotten back together, but someone overseas sure loves them enough to put out these two mediocre tracks as an obvious labor of love. The DUMMIES were definitely my favorite of the two bands here, and they provided some really great moments of trailer-trash punk raunch back in the day.  “Roundtop Rock,” included here, is unfortunately not one of their better moments. I never really much cared for the GARGOYLES’ blatant CRAMPS-worship when they played around town in the ’90s. The singer went on to the much better RECLUSIVES later on.  Their song here is just more of the same ilk. I would call this an unnecessary waste of valuable resources, but it seems like the person putting this out really cares, so go decide for yourself—it doesn’t even cost you a thing with the internet. Well, then.

Gen Pop The Beat Sessions cassette

It’s often an impossible balancing act to teeter between sounding smart and acting tough, but it’s all the more intimidating when you can pull it off. This Washington-based four-piece is pulling up from a lot of deep wells, from straight-ahead bruising punk with an old-school flavor to more jangly ’80s New Zealand pop, and it blends well. Their previous full-length (2020’s PPM66 LP) showed this off handily, but hearing them in a live session like this really demonstrates prowess. A flexile track like “Rough Slough Triptych” does an entire floor routine before planting its feet firmly in polka beat, fist-swinging garage punk to stick the landing. This set of tunes flows breathlessly from three-minute heartfelt anthems to forty-second-long floor burners, leaving a perfect snapshot of a band that is imposing in how much they can get done in how little time—an almost endlessly re-playable release.

Glaas Glaas cassette

GLAAS effortlessly blends equal parts punk and darkened post-punk to create an energetic sound while maintaining an ambiance of melancholic dismay. Vocals sound like they’re screaming from the bottom of a pit while the guitars and drums want to continually attempt to bury them. The punk influence seemingly draws from a 1977-style revival sound like the HATEPINKS, but it’s all filtered through the post-punk of JOY DIVISION. A sort of beautified noise annoys approach that pairs well with a pint or a molotov.

Going Off Destroy EP

Hardcore that’s short, kinda metal-ish, and somewhat directionless. What I mean by that is that there are a handful of songs here that just kind of end right when they seem like they should kick in to where the song really gets going. There are breakdowns in odd places. I don’t know, man—the whole thing sounds like a bunch of unfinished INTEGRITY songs to me.

Alteri / Gr​ä​nslandet split LP

Issued in October 2022 by Phobia Records, a label based in the Czech Republic, this split presents bands from Germany and Sweden. ALTERI from Cologne, Germany offers a synthesis of blackened crust closer to death metal, with deep and low but also high gutturals, sludgy bass lines, and guitars that sometimes resemble math rock sounds, cutting with precision. The songs are filled with tempo changes and parts achieving complexity. Suggested track: “Verlorene Staedte.” On the Sweden side, we have GRÄNSLANDET from Kristinehamn, delivering their D-beat with deep, sludgy strings and fast cadences, good riffy guitar solos, and controlled yet strong screams plus great drums. Good work with the doom feel that gives a trance-like feeling at moments. Suggested track: “Historiens Mantra.” Appropriate selection for a split, with the bands having things in common. Recommended for blackened crust and metal enthusiasts.

Hägöl 진공 EP

Effective mix of pop and savage hardcore from this Adelaide band. Featuring distorted bass, drums, and crystal-clear keyboards, the songs are immediate ear candy while still retaining a punk edge. The band effortlessly switches from pop-leaning femme gang vocals to raw hardcore hollers, all under classic rock’n’roll keys. The lyrical themes cover inequality, nationalism, colonialism (the band makes a point that the EP was recorded on stolen Aboriginal land), and personal thoughts on homelife. The Korean-language track “Goyangi” has the line (through a translator on my part), “the best of the best is a Cuddle Sandwich Skeleton cat sleeping in my arms forever.” I can get down with that. Serious and catchy, cute not cutesy; this was a treat.

Hot Chicks Legalize It cassette

If the band name and tape title didn’t already set low expectations, the détourned RAMONES cover art and cassette shell decorated with pot leaves almost certainly would, but thankfully, HOT CHICKS aren’t Burger-eating party-bro goofballs, but rather some Leipzig movers and shakers from bands like LASSIE and EX-WHITE having fun with a femme-forward, synth-caked side project. Lise Sutter of MARAUDEUR, COUTEAU LATEX, etc. recorded and mixed this (and might even be in the band, it’s hard to tell who exactly those fake RAMONES are), and even without that connection, HOT CHICKS’ twitchy nuevo-wave art-garage immediately hit me as an even less self-serious twin to Sutter’s group the STACHES—blasé lead vocals with animated girl-gang backing chants, econo surf-trash guitar, squiggly sci-fi synth, metronomic drums. I’m partial to the robotically detached “Misfortune Day,” with shades of early DEVO without cracking any eggs, and the naggingly insistent “Fox,” which flips from extremely MARAUDEUR-esque punctuated, post-punky verses to tambourine-rattling sass in its choruses, but the whole thing is worth a blaze.

Hævner Kaldet Fra Tomrummet LP

This is the type of music I’ve been seeking for years: a blend of raw punk and post-punk that is dark and hardcore. Noisy flanged guitars, powerful vocal delivery, driving bass lines that keep going, and smashing drums, all combining to form a threatening and ominous sonic environment. I mentioned this release to a trusted friend in Berlin who immediately said “HÆVNER is awesome live.” Being a reliable friend, I fucking believe it. I can only imagine how this must translate to a concert setting. While being raw, it’s also very danceable with big rhythm energy. I’ll definitely be dancing along for a while.

Icons of Filth Not on Her Majesty’s Service LP reissue

In my late teen years, I had a friend who was obsessed with ICONS OF FILTH. I was relatively new to anarcho-punk at the time, so I was given digital files, mixtapes, and even loaned a 7″ for about a week. Needless to say, Not on Her Majesty’s Service became a sort of beacon, guiding my tastes to more sonic extremes. Originally a cassette release, it’s now reissued (for the second time) on vinyl with a previously unpublished photo of the band. ICONS OF FILTH were comrades of CRASS and CONFLICT, but their sound is strongly in the UK82 spectrum with noise-level guitar distortion, heavy drumming, and an unwavering hardcore ethos. Don’t expect artsy anarcho/peace punk, but rather something more like CHAOS UK or GBH.

Imperial Leather Heavy Breathing EP

The first twenty seconds of this EP—this Melbourne act’s second following their 2020 self-released debut—sets you up for quite a rug pull. You’re presented with a minimal drums, bass, and keys arrangement accompanied by icy cool start/stop talk-sung vocals, and just as you’re settling in for maybe a “Chaise Longue”-type number—yank!—the song shifts into a higher gear and the muscle car on the record’s cover starts to make sense; you’re actually on your way to party rock city! Some Nuggets-esque guitars kick in, the keyboard that had up until this point merely been pecked at morphs into a sci-fi frat rock organ, and the vocalist slides into a Kathleen Hanna/Beth Ditto full-throated vibrato. It’s like the mashup of “Planet Claire” and “96 Tears” you never knew you wanted until now. “Lewis Lee” and “Smile Now, Cry Later” are still bouncy organ-driven numbers, but they’re closer to post-punk or new wave—the former reminds me a lot of fellow Melbournians TERRY, and the later features guitar melodies that are approaching CURE-like. But the EP saves the best for last—”Creep Stain” manages to split the difference between the rockin’ opener and the cooler tracks that follow, and the end result just sounds like really good punk with an excellent shout-along chorus. Real cool record!

Infra Riot Still Out of Order LP reissue

This out-of-print long-player, originally released on Secret Records, has finally been reissued and is sure to satisfy all of the bootstompers out there. INFA RIOT played Oi!-infused punk complete with gang vocals. It’s a similar vibe to their contemporaries the OPPRESSED or UK SUBS, with the boys of INFA RIOT using the elements of Oi! to amp up the anger of their punk rock by creating bigger choruses and heavier instrumentation. This LP certainly had a massive influence on later street punk bands, and moments of it can even be heard in contemporary Oi! bands like BATTLE RUINS.

Ingrates Don’t Wanna Work / Leather Lover 7″

This EP has a slight transporting effect and breams with teenage eagerness. INGRATES hail from the cosmic, otherworldly desert of Joshua Tree and don’t want to work, to the extent of singing a song about the matter. Who the hell can blame them? The title track is the drunken, power pop-tinged record I want to hear in the damp, dark corner of a bar. The slightly longer B-side moves into more lo-fi pop harmonizing in the name of leather endearment. The EP summons a time when the BOYS screamed “Brickfield Nights” and does a good job doing so.  It’s the record I could see my thirteen-year-old self buying with saved lunch money.

Killing Frost The Declaration of W.W. cassette

With a name like KILLING FROST, I was expecting some CELTIC FROST worship—that’s kind of what you get with this release from these Finnish rockers, but there’s also a whole lot more. Prepare yourself for an extensive auditory journey when you put on this four-song release, as you’ll be treated to a vast amount of underground sounds, from doomy, slow, sludge work to fast-paced thrash, and no scheduled stops in between. The final track “Killing Frost ” seems to approach the band’s pinnacle, with a sound similar to ONSLAUGHT stirred together with AGE OF COLLAPSE: heavy drum work, soaring guitars, ethereal organ, and powerful vocals. Definitely put this cassette on if you’re in the mood for something dense and a bit different.

Kitchen’s Floor None of That LP

Eternal Soundcheck and Petty Bunco once again team up to bring you some of the best racket found on the fringes of punk. This time we’re getting the fourth LP from this long-running Brisbane act. The ten tracks on the record are a mix of brash noise rock, downer punk, and slower (though still pretty noisy) acoustic numbers. The vocals are a little on the nasally side and often treated with pretty heavy effects—reminds me a lot of WHATEVER BRAINS or ISS. The slower cuts are great, particularly “Before Dawn,” and should appeal to folks who’ve been into the stuff DAN MELCHIOR has been putting out the past ten years. But I’m really into these noisier ones, which remind me of some of my favorite acts—UNSANE, the STABS, SATANIC ROCKERS/SACRED PRODUCT—without ever really sounding like any of them. Real cool record!

Kometa Our Open Bodies Will Respond LP

This is melody-heavy indie rock with a somber touch. There’s a lot of harmony, a little reverb, and a bunch of light guitars played over PIXIES-esque bass lines. Several songs move at a dreamy pace as those faint guitar notes linger on for seconds. At one point, they stretch into a prolonged drone. It’s a nice-looking record with a clean, professional sound.

Konventio Konventio cassette

Eight songs of blazing, frenetic hardcore punk from Finland. KONVENTIO aren’t trying to blend genres or reinvent anything here. Rather, they lock in on a tried and true recipe passed down from forebearers like KAAOS and RIISTETYT and just rip. That’s not to say that KONVENTIO is unoriginal—their sound is quite distinct—but they are able to capture the spirit of what made the aforementioned bands so great. The guitars punch through with killer tone and some tasteful rock’n’roll solos. The drums seem as if they’re on the precipice of falling apart, like the drummer isn’t in full control of the chaos they are unleashing. This adds a nice touch of character. The raging vocals are a highlight and really keep things moving. This is a solid first release!

Kritická Situace St​á​le Na Út​ě​ku LP

A key piece of Prague’s punk history, filled with melancholy and angst, screaming for freedom and against mandatory military service and state oppression. This sixteen-track LP includes KRITICKÁ SITUACE’s second demo, originally released in 1989, and represents a great musical archeology effort to bring back a classic cult Czech band by mastering and releasing such an album. Raw punk and some primitive D-beat and crust, and even some proto-hardcore nods (which Czechs like to call “motörpunk”), delivering an example of primitive classic Eastern European sounds. Low quality on the instruments and recording gear, but that doesn’t really matter here. Time-resistant material filled with diminutive distorted guitars, ranting drums, and some good anti-war riffing with nods to militia-related cadences, but taking them as a method of resistance to establish their own war. This second demo from KRITICKÁ SITUACE offers some context regarding the almost-achieved early ’90s abolition of compulsory military service. “Still on the run from the limitations of our own fellow citizens. Still on the run from the madness of war.” Anti-militarism, pacifism, criticism of one’s own ranks. Pure raw punk energy catalyzed in vagueness, inexperience, limited skills, and greatly limited options for own equipment. Hate militarism? This might be an inspiring album for a revolt.

Kürøishi Käärme Sisälläsi, Myrkyttää Maailmahi LP

No need to look past the cover on this one—fans of Burning Spirits, fist-pumping modern D-beat hardcore, and WORLD BURNS TO DEATH might have a new favorite with the third full-length from Finland’s KÜRØISHI. Thundering drums, searing vocals, and guitars that trade epic leads and wildly catchy riffs. The late ’00s were dominated by bands trying to sound this good, and now here comes the early ’20s and KÜRØISHI is here to smoke them all. “Givers Turn Into Takers” is the notable curveball, and should be a classic for years to come. Euro press by Fight, CD in Japan by Break The Records, and the North American platter from SPHC.

L’Odi Social Que Pagui Pujol EP reissue

Formed in 1981, L’ODI SOCIAL from Barcelona was one of Spain’s first hardcore punk bands, and this 7” is a facsimile of their much-revered 1986 EP with a fold-out cover and complete original artwork. This is some old-school, DC-style hardcore filtered through a European lens. It’s fast and fun, delivering five speedy tracks with a devil-may-care attitude. While a lot of their contemporaries used English language in their music, these guys opted to pen everything in their native Catalan tongue. I no hablas, but the spirit of this classic record still comes across loud and clear.

Himnos / La Cruz split LP

Both of these bands appeared on Crossbar’s excellent Oi! The Antidote compilation from 2021. Although neither of their contributions were among my favorites, I was looking forward to hearing what each would deliver on this split long-player. Hailing from Mexico, HIMNOS belts out five cuts of mid-paced street rock’n’roll. All the elements are present—tough, raspy sing-alongs, bouncing bass, four-chord guitars—but I’m left with the feeling that something is missing. There were a few surprises along the way. I wasn’t expecting to hear the whine of a harmonica in “419” for example, but that’s not the type of surprise I would ever champion. On the flipside, we have Spain’s LA CRUZ. Listening to this left me with the same basic impression that I got from HIMNOS: nothing is technically missing, yet something is missing. Again, we have some competent Oi! that meets but does not exceed expectations. LA CRUZ’s curveball is the saxophone that turns up on the rocksteady-inspired “Recuerdos.” Sorry (not sorry), but wind instruments get you nowhere with me. Despite it all, I’ll be watching out for both of these bands in the future. There’s obvious potential, this just falls a bit short.

Last Climb Fauna Conruptus LP

French neo-crusters LAST CLIMB play technical screamo crust punk with some grind metal influences in their riffs and percussion. There is a militant delivery at times, in the very “hardcore breakdown” sense, aggressive and straining. Vocals are traded off between agonized and grizzly. Seventeen tracks of metallic, hopeless, and bleak crustcore, much closer to the later (or current) era than an early one. Breakdowns are punk, while the caliber of the drumming could easily work into death metal. Torrential. Same goes for the inspired guitar additions—calculated alarms. There is nothing simple about the record, while it never puts on airs, either. A ballistic and sincere outing from LAST CLIMB.

Leaking Head Better Homes & Gardens EP

Rochester’s LEAKING HEAD follows up their strong 2021 demo tape with a nice slab of wax. Bashing out six snotty rippers in about nine minutes, these guys put a no-bullshit ferocity into their bouncy and brutal modern hardcore. Check some of their live footage on YouTube to get a further taste of what these heads are drippin’.

Marmalade Duplex Snot Bath! LP

Second LP of purposely obnoxious noise rock made by a handful of dudes—they’ve chosen the names Telly Salmonayonaise, Brad d. Slab, and Pectin Bungalow—from Guelph, Ontario, Canada (a small town about an hour west of Toronto). Depending on how you count, you’re either getting six or eleven tracks—the B-side is listed as a six-part single track that effectively functions as six separate songs. The music can be plodding and abrasive, like SCRATCH ACID at their slowest, soundscape-y, and meandering, or wacky and dance-y. The vocals are primarily spoken and often multi-tracked slightly out of sync. Imagine Fred Schneider, BOBBY “BORIS” PICKETT, and a ‘luded-up Will Shatter, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark. At times, it doesn’t sound that far off from stuff I really love, like PERVERTS AGAIN. There are also times where it doesn’t sound that far off from stuff I really don’t love, like CAKE. The lyrics can get a little cringey, and the whole release seems rife with inside jokes. Still, I imagine there’s a very small set of people that this thing would really appeal to. I’m not in that set, but I wouldn’t say I hated this.

Martha Please Don’t Take Me Back LP

Melodic, catchy, and fun. There’s something familiar and warm about this album, like an old friend. I’ve enjoyed their past releases, but for whatever reason this one really strikes a chord with me. If you’re already a fan then you won’t be disappointed, and if you’re new to this UK band, you’re in for a treat if you enjoy well-crafted, toe-tappin’ indie/punk songs.

Mick’s Jaguar Salvation LP

MICK’S JAGUAR so generously bestows upon us the sound of the aged and imposing hipster. This group could easily be your weird uncle’s bar band with the local guitar hero. The album’s cover art of two horses mid-mount could only be their homage to the cover of BLOODHOUND GANG’s The Bad Touch single. From the start, Salvation kicks it into neutral and ghost-rides ten tracks downhill. This is pretty bad. The album is chock full of glammy and hackneyed sleaze paired with flashy guitar solos which don’t go anywhere. If you can imagine El Duce singing for a HANOI ROCKS cover band while listening to this body of work, the humor of that image will get you through the slog.

Misery Whip Misery Whip cassette

Heavy powerviolence/hardcore from Portland, Maine’s MISERY WHIP, not to be confused with the death metal band of the same name from Portland, Oregon (wait, what’s going on here?). This eight-song cassette has both previously released singles “Misery Whip” and “Dissent,” the latter having a really brutal breakdown that screams “You are a piece of shit!” Check out the absolutely ferocious “Empty Words” for a good sample of the band. This reminds me of G.L.O.S.S. but darker in its lyrics and imagery. Accept the whip, take a listen.

Mononegatives Kill Mono flexi 7”

Here’s a cool one from MONONEGATIVES out of London (not that London, the Canadian one). “Kill Mono” sort of reminds me of John Dwyer from OSEES playing songs by SUICIDE. It has a repetitive nature often found in this style, but with some great hooks thrown in to keep you interested. Lots of style, lots of swagger, I dig it.

Morgana Contemporaneità 12″

From Florence, Italy, MORGANA releases some re-recorded demos, a couple singles, and a new song to form Contemporaneità. These seven songs are an icy post-punk that reminds me of the Copenhagen group KOLD FRONT that I reviewed a while back. Mid-tempo, reverb-heavy, with high-octave, melody-driven guitar riffs. While this may not break any molds, this is certainly my cup of tea, and I would recommend a listen.

Motosierras Nene de Barna EP

Alright mates, I’m not going to mince my words here, this is truly complete and utter shite. Four dads who clearly are old enough to know better writing plodding, mewling, anodyne bollocks for the benefit of absolutely no one. Where they get the sheer brass neck to try and compare this to the RAMONES or MOTÖRHEAD is beyond yours truly, because the only thing I can even begin to suggest they have in common is that they all own guitars. Avoid this like diphtheria.

Mutated Void Slash the Altar EP

Nova Scotia’s MUTATED VOID seemingly went full goblin mode last year by releasing two records—this 7″ EP on Sewercide Records and the Roses Forever LP on Iron Lung—a mere week apart from each other, an absolutely bonkers move (whether the word “bonkers” entails sheer genius or stupidity is entirely up to your own interpretation) that demands respect. But fuck if that matters, it’s all about the music…and this slays. Ripping hardcore thrash performed by two skate freakos! The production is harsh and ear-splitting, but if you only want to hear HC punk with super-polished production, you frankly should eat shit and die in my opinion. The band’s unofficial logo, a crude cut-and-paste job combining the UNITED MUTATION and VOID logos, should tell you just about all you need to know. Shove this and the Roses Forever LP down your tinnitus-ridden earholes immediately!

Nasty Rumours Bloody Hell, What a Pity! LP

Stuff on Wanda can be kind of hit or miss for me. I mostly like it, but you can’t help but notice that it’s almost entirely based on nostalgia. I suppose every label has its thing. All that said, this is super catchy punk rock that takes you right back to 1977. When this sort of thing isn’t done well, it’s absolutely terrible. When it’s done well, it can be infectious. If you’re a fan of bands like the BRIEFS, you’ll likely enjoy this. I even get a little TOY DOLLS every now and again. This is entertaining stuff. Seriously, they bat twelve for twelve for me.

Newtown Neurotics Beggars Can Be Choosers LP reissue

The opening of “Wake Up” reminds me a lot of THATCHER ON ACID, but then the sounds shift into a guitar-forward production that sounds like a slightly downtuned UNDERTONES or even BUZZCOCKS. A heavy infusion of pop, but with a fully punk rock delivery. Lead singer and guitarist Steve Drewett wears his anarcho-syndicalist badge proudly with lyrics about working class problems and the failings of our public education systems. “Get Up and Fight” is a resistance song that outlines methods of struggle that are as equally crucial now as when the song was originally written. In all, this disc plays like a really pissed-off BILLY BRAGG or JOE STRUMMER.

Nightfeeder Cut All of Your Face Off LP

It took me a while to sit down with this one and write about it, yet I listened to it most of last year. It is one of the best records of 2022. NIGHTFEEDER was introduced to me in demo form by a friend and I was blown away. Then came an excellent EP, and this debut LP is the pinnacle of their sound. Song subjects cover such punk life issues as psychological torment, the existential, and being irreverently maligned by the system. What NIGHTFEEDER does best is rip with the feeling of blood, sweat, anguish, and angst. I’m not sure it’s really a formal term, but this is American crust as a style of hardcore punk that was sincerely invented by the members of this band (DEATHRAID, CONSUME, SHITLIST, STATE OF FEAR, DISRUPT…) and the regions where they started playing punk. NIGHTFEEDER plays with US thrash and hardcore influences and European/Scandi-crust dynamics, while delivering a classic hard rock’n’roll sound when they feel like it, because they fuckin’ feel like it. That is the attitude of this band and record in a nutshell. An amalgamation of MOTÖRHEAD, POISON IDEA, CRUCIFIX, INEPSY, DISFEAR, and DISCARD comes to mind. I’m even finding some RUDIMENTARY PENI chords here. Cut All of Your Face Off is a must if you’re looking for a gut-punch that is not any form of DIY trend and is like the quintessential hardcore punk and crust records from the last several decades. If you haven’t heard it in person, you’ll put the needle down on Side One and go “holy shit…”—that’s pretty much the reaction I get from others every time. And on Side Two, they turn the burners up all the way. The drumming on “Amoral Minority”…ugh. The LP is dismal, charred punk rock goodness (grief) from start to finish.

Nukies Can’t You Tell That This is Hell cassette

Fun fact: did you know that TOTALITÄR’s hit “Multinationella Mördare” was originally a very popular Swedish children’s song, one that all school kids have had to memorize since the mid-’80s? That explains a lot, doesn’t it? NUKIES —”nukie” being either the endearing term for a nuclear weapon or the name of a Star Wars creature—are a brand new band from Stockholm playing käng hardcore punk. Can’t You Tell That This is Hell includes nine songs of rocking and anthemic Swedish hardcore with a clear guitar sound and typical TOTALITÄR-ish blazing riffs. With the heavy rock’n’roll influence openly at the front, especially with the mid-paced headbanging numbers and the emphatic solos, SKITKIDS is an obvious point of reference, and I would locate NUKIES between them, INFERNÖH, and LARMA on the grand käng scale. This is definitely a hardcore ripper, the production is great for the genre, the catchy hooks are here, all very pleasant but I sometimes wished that it hit a bit harder. This was released on tape for some reason (quality-wise, it could definitely be on vinyl) by Adult Crash, a Danish label that was very active indeed on the hardcore front in 2022.

Organized Chaos Still Having Fun LP

I don’t know what to think about this one. I love and have a lot of respect for what Sealed Records put out. The label makes popular classic anarcho-punk records (from the ICONOCLAST, ZOUNDS, or RUDIMENTARY PENI) finally available again to the grateful punters, giving lesser-known/underrated but absolutely brilliant and crucial ’80s bands like TOXIC WASTE or KARMA SUTRA the reissue treatment at the same time. Clearly a work of passion and good taste I really relate to. But I was a little surprised to see this ORGANIZED CHAOS album. Not that the band is bad—they did play enjoyable enough political, snotty UK punk that makes you want to drink cheap cider and spike your hair (assuming you have any), but they can hardly be said to be as classic or memorable as the rest of the label’s catalogue, although they may have been very relevant in their area at the time (would that make them a ‘’local classic” band’’?). They sound like a mix of ACTIVES, LUNATIC FRINGE, and STUPID HUMANS (the band had a connection with Bluurg Records, actually), if you need points of comparison. If you are a massive fan of British anarcho-punk and undeterred by sloppiness in punk music in general, you should buy the thing, and the amount of work put into the huge booklet is worth supporting in any case, as Still Having Fun is as much a piece of our collective history as it is a record. However, if you are not a completist or an undiscerning fan like myself, I don’t think ORGANIZED CHAOS will impress you much. There are some decent sing-along numbers like ‘’H-bomb Wars,’’ but on the whole it is pretty typical and generic, neither really tuneful enough to be really memorable nor energetic and furious enough to really stand out. I want to like this more than I do.

Outrage Factor Nothing Ever Changes cassette

Another great addition for Tetryon Tapes, this time from a member of their own local scene in Buffalo, New York. Released by Biff Bifaro’s one-man DIY operation DIY project in July, this consists of nine tracks with a sound that resembles classic ’80s US (especially West Coast) hardcore like POISON IDEA, GERMS, old BLACK FLAG, or CIRCLE JERKS, greeting us with an amazing rage and angst, visceral desperate and violent vocals that evoke puking on someone’s face, classic hardcore guitars and blasting drums, and even some surfy new wave riffs. This seems to have erupted from a long-sealed time vault or capsule, and I think that’s great—classic and yet quite refreshing. Excellent effort by the one songwriter in recording, mixing, mastering and even doing the artwork themselves! Suggested tracks: “Cyanide Solution,” “Contaminated,” and “Violent and Jacked” for nice palm-muting (“Violent and jacked / Under attack / The past is gone / And now you are looking back!”). Great cathartic cassette, give it a go!

Perros Plaga Rechazo cassette

I had no idea what to expect going into this release. The cover’s aesthetic suggested something somber and self-serious—maybe metal, or worse, metalcore—and the cassette title, which translates to “rejection,” gave me a very late ’90s vibe, really increasing my concern that this was going to be metalcore. On the other hand, “Plague Dogs,” the English translation of their name, gives off more of a shit-kickin’, V-flickin’ street punk vibe. Turns out neither impression was accurate. Not exactly, at least. This trio from Zapopan (a large city on the edge of the even larger Guadalajara), plays something in between melodic hardcore and post-hardcore, and this ten-song cassette appears to be their official debut. The music isn’t a million miles away from early HOT WATER MUSIC or LEATHERFACE—you know, stuff that’s not quite hardcore, not quite pop punk, but definitely bobbing in the wake of DC’s Revolution Summer. These songs are lower-fi than either of those acts, giving the recording a punker sheen, and, while it would be a stretch to say this is street punk, you’re getting that same sort of energy from the tuneless gang vocal shout-alongs. It’s not bad, and it’s a pleasant enough listen. But, aside from a few head-scratching detours they take in the opening track—some weird ANIMAL COLLECTIVE coos and space rock guitar flourishes—there isn’t a whole lot here that really makes the release stand out.

Pinch Points Process LP

I loved PINCH POINTS’ debut LP. It was punchy and pointed, the kind of jagged-angle punk with a POV that you leave on repeat. I didn’t think they could take such a grand leap forward, but sure as shit, they did. This collection of songs is a hell of a lot of fun musically, but the lyrics brought me to my knees. It’s all on-the-nose, but not in the way people usually mean as a lazy critique. The band says what it means, because they’re not being cute or coy. With songs about mental health, misogyny, the incarceration and murder of First Nations peoples at the hands of police, and literal calls to action against apathy, these are important screeds against the ills of our globally unwell society. Then the band wraps it all in a package of catchy, well-read hooks and illuminated playing across the board. A recent video gave a peek into the band’s writing process, and I saw something I hadn’t seen in a jam space in a long time: a white board featuring every bridge and sub-bridge and ABCs galore. It makes sense, the results are a sort of prog-but-not-for-dorks lightning bolt of punk with an effortless (sounding) execution. It’s exhilarating, and already leaves me breathless for the next release.

Pleasant Mob Irene / Trees & Flowers cassette

A two-song cassingle of chiming psychedelic softness with all the fixins—McGuinn-ish twelve-string, a groovy bass line for you to sway to, some tambourine shimmer. There’s even a flute! Second song is a strummy hummy “la-la-la”-laden cover of a STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE tune.

Pogy et les Kéfars Dans Ton Rétro LP

Wow. This is very cool. It’s mid-tempo and super catchy power pop with a jangly guitar. Even if the lyrics are completely lame, I will never know because they’re in French! (They’re probably super cool.) Even while maintaining the melodic nature and the group vocals, it’s got a certain herky-jerkiness to it. They’re super tight. Head-bouncing is inevitable. You won’t be able to stop it. Four of the nine cuts clock in at under two minutes. None go over three minutes. This is heaven.

Power Flower Electric Drug Fuck Up EP

Hungarian synth punk that is equal parts fun and gross. These five tracks double-dribble with punk energy, errant sine waves, and unintelligible vocals. The title track sounds like CHERRY CHEEKS layered with an ’80s War on Drugs PSA sound collage. “Get Off My Ass!” captures the catchy joy of the SPITS with rougher vocals, and “N.SZ.K.O.” has some serious pop hooks under the hood, like a bubblegum hit played at 78 RPM. “Whippit” delivers POWER FLOWER’s version of a ballad with noisy chimes, battling electronics, and a rubber ball bass line. I accidentally did a whippit a few days ago—I’m not into inhalants, but I love whipped cream. Be careful when sucking on that can! This is a cool rip through crunchy synth land with infectious results.

Prisão Não Pertenço EP

One of the best demos of the year, now getting the vinyl treatment from Adult Crash, and I’m grateful. Stockholm’s PRISÃO is a bit of a supergroup (members of VIDRO, AXE RASH, and FERAL BRAIN, among others), but don’t let that distract you from their power. Throaty, abrasive hardcore punk sung in Portuguese…it’s just relentless, fist-pounding hardcore punk. Like, I don’t know what the fukk else you could want.

Prisonner du Temps Comme un Lion en Cage LP

There’s a hard edge here, to be sure…but this is a hard world. But when frustration and anger are born from a desire for something better, it all presents as something more than fury, and you can feel that in PRISONNER DU TEMPS’ debut full-length; it hits hard and holds you close from start to finish. The record feels like the kind of thing that bands like SYNDROME 81 are trying to do—dark and brooding hardcore punk with street punk hooks that never sound dated or trite. This is to 2023 what NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS and CRIMINAL DAMAGE were to the mid-2000s: classic, timeless, and absolutely stellar.

Private Lives Private Lives cassette

Debut release from this Montréal group that started as a husband-and-wife project during the pandemic. Now actualized as a four-piece, PRIVATE LIVES present five garage-y, post-punk songs with surf-pop drums and fuzzed-out guitars that drop into wiry riffs between distorted vocals, reminding me of CO-ED who I reviewed a while back. In general, this is hard to not enjoy: poppy enough to be catchy, heavy enough to be rollicking, rough enough to retain its edge. Looking forward to what’s next from these Quebecers.

Public Acid Easy Weapons LP reissue

The debut LP from North Carolina’s PUBLIC ACID is getting some well-deserved love from the dependable La Vida Es Un Mus label. Originally released in a limited run of 300 copies in 2018, this is a welcome reissue of a straight banger that showcases the band’s twisted take on brutal Japanese hardcore and the speedy, primal poisonings of Italian bands like WRETCHED. It’s a corroded carnival of feedback, buzzsaw guitars, scathing rapid-fire drum beats, and distorted echo vocals, chewing the ears from start to finish. The intense fun doesn’t let up, and when it’s done, I’m instantly compelled to play it again—the mark of a classic.

P​ö​ls Instinto LP

This album starts with an instrumental track and then kicks into high gear with a pretty good blend of punk, hardcore, and a dash of emo for good measure. The vocalist has a sugary-sweet voice that compliments the music quite nicely, but it’s the backup vocalist(s) that really adds that extra something special that hooks me.

Reflex Demo 2022 cassette

Strong demo from these French punks. Don’t let the sterile artwork dissuade you—at its core, it’s melodic hardcore, but they keep it pretty dirty and loaded with tough riffage. I love the singer, as he sounds kinda like a French-accented version of early ’80s Keith Morris, and it’s endearing to me for whatever reason when he delivers vulnerable lines like “I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see anyone” on the opening track, or “I’m not afraid anymore” on “Any Decision.” In general, there’s an urgent sincerity to the songs and they feel personal and somehow relatable. I’d really like to hear more from these guys.

Revelons ’77–’82 LP

You can’t help but feel a little bad for the REVELONS—if they’d released more than just a 45 during their six-year run, maybe they would have found the same level of success and critical appreciation as their Ork Records labelmates like TELEVISION and RICHARD HELL. We’ll never really know for sure, but the unreleased material gathered on ’77–’82 offers a pretty convincing glimpse into what could have been, with the REVELONS’ trinity of revved-up rock’n’roll, sneering (proto-)punk, and tough power pop beat playing out like a pile of cut-up and reassembled flyers from heyday-era CBGB and Max’s Kansas City gigs. Both sides of that lost-gem 1979 Ork single (“The Way (You Touch My Hand)” and “97 Tears”) are included here, hiccupping and strutting in an almost VOIDOIDS-esque manner, while “My Town” has all of the nervous new wave jitters of the TALKING HEADS without the art school pretensions, the wired post-VELVETS chug of “Red Hot Woman” casts the REVELONS as a more streetwise MODERN LOVERS, and if TELEVISION had ever covered ROKY ERICKSON’s “Two Headed Dog,” it probably would have sounded a lot like “A Children’s Story” (featuring TELEVISION’s Fred Smith on bass, no coincidence). The REVELONS never got their shot at making their own Blank Generation or Marquee Moon, but this lost-and-found collection does them proper justice—pure pop for punks.

Ribbon Ribbon demo cassette

The aesthetics of punk music packaging have evolved to a baffling place where a band called RIBBON can put crude, cherubic figures and a crumbly castle on the cover of their tape that’s filled with spindly splashes of rugged hardcore, and somehow it works. This Indonesian band’s bare-bones approach is bolstered by a cool vocal performance, and the style is hardcore punk in its original configuration—’70s attitude with the ferocity knob turned up to eleven. Their sound is striking enough that if I were to walk into a record shop where it was playing, I’d ask “who is this?”. Remember JJ DOLL? They kind of sound like the short-lived, post-IVY NYC act JJ DOLL, minus Shiva’s hypnotic guitars and with more of a straightforward Oi!-type influence.

Rottweiler Nie Ma Spokoju LP

This second tape from ROTTWEILER originally came out in 1997, by which point this Polish band was a well-honed unit. Bringing mischievous and menacing hardcore with a skate punk lean, these tunes are fast and sharp with tight, rapid-fire drum precision, metal-edged guitars, and the type of pronounced bass lines that were so popular in that era. And they just keep coming for 48 minutes and change, so if you’re into this, there’s lots to chew on.

Electric Frankenstein / Savage Beat split EP

Each band gives us one original and one cover on this split effort. SAVAGE BEAT covers the TUFF DARTS, while ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN covers the RUBINOOS. Those cover selections tell you a lot about the influences going on here, both in terms of musical style and also in terms of eras. Both bands are drawn to the late ’70s rock’n’roll version of punk. This isn’t good or bad, it just is. Both bands deliver music that is mid-tempo and catchy. In that way, they are very similar. I’d say the SAVAGE BEAT vocals remind me of the DICTATORS, while the ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN tracks tend to employ a little more lead guitar. Good stuff.

Sentido Común 1983–85 LP

This is perhaps one of the more interesting releases I’ve come by in a long time. SENTIDO COMÚN was an anarcho-punk band from Barcelona who played a brand of music that is completely unique. Imagine (if you even can) HONEY BANE growing up listening to Spanish radio, and you’ll be halfway to what SENTIDO COMÚN sounds like. They retain the typical anarcho-punk formula, but there are also glimpses of traditional Spanish music through the wall of sound. Occasionally, there is an almost flamenco quality to the music, without actually being anything like flamenco. The vocalization on this LP is also very interesting, ranging from cool singing to animalistic squawks.

Shaved Ape Shaved Ape demo cassette

If it’s got Will Killingsworth’s name on it, you can presume it’ll be a good release. Seriously, you can put your money on it. This solo project of Vince Klopfenstein, the legend behind several Philly and Pittsburgh bands such as the CRACKS and more recently LOOSE NUKES and WHITE STAINS (the latter being absolutely fucking incredible), has made a truly extraordinary demo. It’s fast raw punk in the vein of YDI, but reminds me a lot of Texas bands from the past decade, but also more current ones such as STUNTED YOUTH, SAVE OUR CHILDREN, and READY ARMED SYSTEM, with incoherent, lo-fi, snotty screaming alongside mean, stellar guitar playing. Great job Vince, I hope the band ends up playing some out-of-state shows.

Skarnio Horrores Da Vida LP

Fierce, metallic crusty hardcore from Brazil (of course). They’ve been tearing it up since 2009 or so and have not mellowed a bit. You could definitely give them the usual comparisons of RATOS DE PORÃO when they started to go a little metal or LOBOTOMIA if they didn’t suck when they got metal, but I’m hearing ANTI CIMEX and a little NO FUCKER as well. It’s all ripping from start to explosive ending and it’s not for a leisurely Sunday afternoon listen, unless you’re having morning tea in Ukraine. Check it out.

Skinman Skinman cassette

Always keep an ear perked for what’s happening in Hattiesburg. There’s been heaps of top-tier punk coming out of there for ages, and this ferocious quintet is no exception. This band hits hard with a grim touch that almost calls to mind DARKTHRONE’s more recent bizarro ’80s output. That’s not to say this is True Mississippi Black Metal, it’s fully its own brand of frenzied hardcore, but it’s coming from a far left field that makes it crushing and crucial. Don’t miss it.

Sklitakling Vi Har Hørt Det Før (del 2) 7″

It looks like a bleak hardcore record…but inside that white-on-black cover are two doses of gloriously addictive Norwegian garage punk. “Byfjord” feels ripped out of 1983—a mid-paced lumbering track with verses that build to an inevitable chorus and a guitar that seemingly exists to punctuate the vocal spurts. It’s a great track even though (or especially because) it leaves you hanging…and then the flip. “Staten” is a timeless track, like GENERACIÓN SUICIDA taking a time machine to 2003 København. Group vocals, infectious bass lines, and a constantly jangling guitar that seems to drag the drums onto the dancefloor. This is everything punk is meant to be.

Sluggo Sluggo LP

Man, I was so delighted to see this one pop up on my assignments list—I had no idea the SLUGGO stuff had been reissued! Hailing from Cincinnati, SLUGGO were one of the countless lower-rung HC bands that emerged from every nook and cranny in the USA from 1982–1984. Their Contradiction 7″ from 1984 has been one of my personal favourites in the “inessential in the grand scheme, but fucking awesome regardless” subset of American hardcore releases for quite some time. A straightedge band, many accuse(d) SLUGGO of being little more than a MINOR THREAT clone and, while they certainly wore their influences on their sleeves, I feel that calling the band a wholesale rip-off does these tunes a massive disservice because they really stand on their own merits. In addition to the aforementioned Contradiction EP, this self-titled reissue also features the fruits of a different 1984 recording session on its B-side, with most of the material being previously unreleased in an official capacity—it all rips! After this, they went in a more MOTÖRHEAD-influenced metalpunk direction that, if you can track it down, also rips. This LP comes highly recommended to any fellow connoisseurs of the classics and any fans of early straightedge bands like MINOR THREAT, STALAG 13, AMERICA’S HARDCORE, etc.

Sociedad Bastarda Maqueta Askerosa demo cassette

Florida is not a place I associate much with punk rock, but SOCIEDAD BASTARDA proves me wrong. In our modern world, we are constantly fed new music that we are told is the next hottest shit in town, so bumping by chance into a brilliant unknown band like this lot feels like a breath of fresh air. What’s not to like in being sonically brutalized by dis-loving cavemen crust music? With a front cover depicting three visibly intoxicated crusters discussing the merits of the mighty GLOOM (just another day at the office, right?), and further unsubtle references to crasher crust with a logo using the classic double crass circles and the ELECTRO HIPPIES smiling face and the band openly thanking bands like ABRAHAM CROSS or DOOM for existing, the listener should know what kind of bollocking is to be expected. Unsurprisingly, SOCIEDAD BASTARD’s music is distorted, heavy, and crustier than your oldest pair of socks, but I would not describe them as being strictly crasher-noise-oriented. Beside the obvious DOOM/SORE THROAT structuring influence, the Japanese school of crust is also proudly represented with solid hints of CONTRAST ATTITUDE and ABRAHAM CROSS, and the band is clearly into the Swedish classics as they reworked two songs from BOMBANFALL and SHITLICKERS—to top it off, I am also reminded of more modern furious Scandicrust tornadoes like FLYBLOWN or WARVICTIMS. Quite a smoothie, that one. The production is cavernous and pummeling, the band’s slight sloppiness further adds to the impeccable crust vibe of the songs, and I love how the two pissed vocalists (en Español) work together here, too. I can definitely imagine SOCIEDAD BASTARDA delivering something really good on a proper vinyl release. This is gruff crust at its most asqueroso, the way it is meant to be. Yet another good one from Roachleg Records.

Society’s Ills Lore CD

I had presumed this quartet is from Montreal, given that several of their songs are sung in French, but I could be wrong. Regardless, they have that fairly speedy melodic hardcore sound/style nailed down real tight. Anthemic, with plenty of layered vocals that would make BAD RELIGION nod appreciatively, and enough metallic guitar to give STRUNG OUT a run for their money. All with a sparkling, very 21st century production.

Split System Vol. 1 LP

There must be something in the water down in Australia because every band that has come through there lately has been incredible. Vol. 1 from Melbourne’s SPLIT SYSTEM is of course no exception. This album is what I would expect if the ROLLING STONES decided to try their hands at proto-punk, with the end result sounding like if the NICE BOYS had a heavier ADAM ANT influence. The vocals and lead guitar co-exist beautifully, and are both catchy while avoiding stepping on each other’s toes. Rhythm section is tight and stays in the pocket, letting the guitars shine. Great clean tone from both axes. Lovely record here, and very much recommended.

Spore Rabid Intent cassette

Here comes a new band from Richmond, a town that has had a lot of solid hardcore bands for the past few years (something in the water, I suppose). I am not sure I totally get the recent floral obsession in American punk bands but a compilation with POLLEN, ALLERGY, FLOWER, and SPORE would be ace. Maybe as a benefit for a local garden centre? I had never heard of SPORE before this review, and Rabid Intent is a lovely little ripper and, impressively, the band’s first endeavour into the studio. My favourite thing about SPORE is the supremely angry, harsh, and powerful crusty-sounding female vocals. Fuck me. I am a massive sucker for female-fronted käng-flavoured hardcore, and these songs sound like you are being grabbed by the collar and shouted at for twelve minutes straight, which in real life would be pretty traumatizing but is exactly what you want from a furious hardcore punk band. It would not be wrong to claim that käng hardcore is SPORE’s primary source of inspiration (especially the modern TOTALITÄR-inspired bands and PARANOID as well), but I am hearing a lot of American hardcore as well, especially with the numerous tempo changes and the breaks, so that Rabid Intent often sounds like a US hardcore band having a go at Swedish hardcore rather than the opposite, which seems to be what a lot of bands, like the excellent AXE RASH, try to go for these days. The distorted guitar sound gives the material an additional aggressive edge and some nice textures, too. On the whole, this is a relentless recording with a lot of energy, although there may be a little too many changes in the songwriting for my taste (and too much reverb). I do believe the band has a lot of potential and is very promising, and we will be hearing about them in the future.

Strychnine Ninety Nine Divided CD

This definitely has ’80s Orange County vibes all over it. In fact, the singer kinda sounds like a mix of Casey Royer from D.I. and Stevo from the VANDALS. I dig it, but I also get the feeling that if the vocals were different, my feelings towards this would be different as well.

Stupid Future Stupid Future CD

We’re only one track in and I’m really digging this. Shit’s going on in Tennessee. I suppose if we’re looking to label this, I’d call it garage pop, with a certain somberness. The pace at times seems almost restrained, not in a bad way. Sometimes it’s mid-tempo and other times it’s a little jumpy—again, not in a bad way. The balance between instruments and vocals is excellent, and the vocal harmonies are easy to listen to. It’s straightforward and it’s well done. I find myself just kind of swaying in my chair. I’ll listen to this one again and again. If you’re into CDs, you might get one of the 200 that were made.

Sweet Reaper Microdose EP

Lovely little four-song slab from Ventura, California’s SWEET REAPER. Energetic, vocal-driven power pop with such a clean guitar tone that you’d think they were playing from an original 1950s Telecaster. Vocals are very melodic, and bring to mind MARKED MEN, RADIOACTIVITY, and a slew of other Dirtnap bands. Helps warm the bones on these chilly winter nights. Great stuff.

Curtains / Swift Knuckle Solution DCxPC Live Presents, Volume 7 split EP

I’m not a big proponent of live albums from the listener’s standpoint—most of the time, they don’t measure up to a band’s other releases. Even when they’re good, they’re often issued in order to fulfill a label deal or to make some cash for defunct bands (no judgment, punks gotta eat). I can’t say this record is better than either of the featured band’s studio recordings, but it’s not bad either. CURTAINS are right at the stylistic crossroad of pop punk and hardcore (think LEATHERFACE or LIFETIME). SWIFT KNUCKLE SOLUTION is a more cut-and-dry hardcore affair. This is a good showcase for each and a good excuse to give DIY bands some more cash.

T.S. Warspite Stop the Rot LP

Leading us by the hand into a grim vision of the not-too-distant-future is the excellently named T.S. WARSPITE with their first LP Stop the Rot on Quality Control HQ. Following a stellar demo from 2020, the Manchester-based outfit plays a supercharged take on early DC melodic hardcore and modern UKHC; think BAD RELIGION and DAG NASTY but also BIG CHEESE and the FLEX. Singer Marco Abbatiello’s rumbling voice serves as the narrator, taking us through the struggles of getting through the hellscape that is modern society including politics, housing issues, and impending environmental destruction. Both incredibly urgent and scathingly intelligent, we’d be wise to listen to what these guys have to say. Standouts include “Scampia,” “Redemption Arc,” and “Slum Landlord.”

Teen Cobra Live at Funtastic Dracula Carnival 2021 cassette

Bad sound quality can hurt a recording, but here it is truly a member of the band. The guitars are playing straight out of the LEUSEMIA and RAMONES playbooks, and the drums are a spartan but joyful bass-and-snare stomp. Maybe there’s a tambourine? Or is that feedback? No new tricks here, but that spareness is engaging. It could also be that the songs are satisfyingly catchy and snotty. This is not as easy to pull off as one might believe. “Any fool can make something complicated, but it takes genius to keep it simple.”

The Annihilated Submission to Annihilation LP

2022 was certainly a memorable year for punk albums, with a number of releases I would consider to be new instant classics. Coming in at the final hour, the ANNIHILATED unleashed Submission to Annihilation, one of the year’s latest and greatest. Full-throated and raw, the ANNIHILATED play a similar strain of D-beat hardcore to BOOTLICKER, with a vocal delivery that has been correctly compared to Damaged-era Rollins. Lyrically, topics cover class warfare (“Divide and Conquer,” “Bootstraps”), widespread apathy (“Normality”), and the hell of substance abuse (“Vice Grip”), themes that are all uniquely modern and unfortunately timeless. Add to that the artwork from drummer Nicky Rat and mixing by Jonah Falco (whose seal of approval is always a sign of quality) and that it’s self-released(!), and it simply cannot be understated: the ANNIHILATED have ticked every box and delivered their own instant classic.

The Clue The Clue demo cassette

Five-track demo in seven minutes by Denver’s the CLUE. Egg-punk with heavily distorted vocals that are almost unintelligible. Electronic gags and some guitar riffs are interesting. Great synths and overexposed noisy drums. The non-stop confusing lyrics may be annoying if you are not familiar with this subgenre. The cover of “Sunlight” by TINY TIM at the end of this demo is bananas. If you like frantic, rotten egg-punk, this might be right up your alley.

The Contortions Buy LP reissue

What more can be said about this classic? Where their fellow no wavers DNA and MARS were abstractly recreating music and rewriting the rules from the ground up, the CONTORTIONS were fusionists, starting with a bedrock of funky, airtight bass and drums, layering the slashing, sliding guitars of Pat Place and Jody Harris with James Chance’s holy terror tenor skronk and nihilistic madman yelps into infectiously freaky dance music.

The Cosmopolitans Party Boy (1979–1982) LP

The COSMOPOLITANS started out as a North Carolina dance troupe in 1975 before relocating to NYC a few years later, where they fell into the scene as go-go dancers at the city’s punk/new wave clubs and eventually decided to start writing and performing their own songs. Core COSMOs Jamie K. Sims and Nel Moore initially sang and danced to canned backing tracks at shows until they recorded a 7” in 1980 with Will Rigby and Chris Stamey of the DB’S on guitar and drums; a live band was pulled together shortly thereafter. Given how oriented they were toward the physicality and theatricality of performance, it’s not surprising that they didn’t leave much behind in the way of studio recordings—for an LP-length retrospective, Party Boy is pretty brief, hitting the group’s lone single (but only two of its three different US/UK B-sides?) and four scrapped 1981 tracks. The COSMOPOLITANS’ campy, retro-obsessed shimmy-shake was cut from the same loudly patterned polyester cloth as fellow Southern eccentrics the B-52’S: rickety “96 Tears” organ stabs, minimal rave-ups sans bass, giddy shrieks and twisted girl group harmonies, and lyrics steeped in winking irony, all exemplified in their raucous, gyration-inducing signature song “(How to Keep) Your Husband Happy,” which lifts its cheerleaders-gone-Girls in the Garage chants directly from the “advice” given in one of those wildly regressive health and beauty guides for 1960s women. Dance this mess around, indeed.

The Dirts II cassette

Second album outta the Swedish band the DIRTS. From the start, this is a fuzzy and psychedelic reverb-riddled exercise in Garage 101. Songs move in and out of each other without much distinction, while carrying a looming and grinding bass guitar pounding that  keeps the whole ship afloat. Nothing great, but nothing to complain about either—you have everything packaged and delivered in the most comprehensive and indulgent way. I would listen to it all again if it came my way. Could the estate of JAY REATARD please get some royalties for this?

The Gaggers Shockwave / Stabbed in the Back… Too Many Times 7″

While this isn’t new music, these two tracks, which were recorded in 2016, are previously unreleased. Whenever I hear songs that were recorded years ago but are just being released now, I’m a little underwhelmed. The same is true here. I generally like the GAGGERS’ stuff. It’s mid-tempo, classic late ’70s punk.  It’s raw. It’s in-your-face punk. But if the songs weren’t worthy of release in 2016, what makes them worthy of release now? The lack of any new music? I remain skeptical.

The Goons DCxPC Live Presents, Vol. 5: Live at the Black Cat LP

This label has been putting out quite a few live releases in the style and look of the old V.M.Live Presents records, and the GOONS might be the best one yet. I wasn’t super familiar with this band, but a good friend and native New Yorker informed me that they were an East Coast institution and a band that punks from all ages and scenes saw live and all liked (at least a little). Me, being an ignorant ex-Californian, was left clueless but curious. The songs are fast and beer-heavy, and you can hear them level this 2001 crowd with some Oi!/UK82 working-class-inspired hardcore, sorta like the WRETCHED ONES, 86 MENTALITY, or SUBMACHINE with a little mid-tempo POISON IDEA. The songs are catchy as hell, especially “I’m Alright,” “Hey You,” and “Every Day.” Snappy between-song banter completes the at-home live listening experience without the sticky boots and coughing up cigarette smoke. Real nice.

The Loons Cry Cry Cry EP

The LOONS, led by Mike Stax of Ugly Things magazine, present four cover songs on this EP. As is to be expected, the songs are expertly and authentically performed. Included are songs by the UNRELATED SEGMENTS, the SECOND HELPING, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, and the BUSH. Another fun release in Back to Beat’s Moody Garage series.

The Necessary Evil Vida Desastre flexi EP

Three solid pogo punk boppers from a Chilean/Californian two-piece collaboration. Canabilina’s distinctive vocals are a natural complement to Eddie Spaghetti’s bouncing, guitar-driven blasts. The NECESSARY EVIL doesn’t attempt to tinker with the formula, but you can’t repair what ain’t busted. Vida Desastre is much more about attitude, and on that front, this EP delivers in spades. Featuring super vibrant art by Mister Sister and pressed on a flexi, this release fits right into the 1753 catalog. This is definitely worth a spin, but good luck tracking down a physical copy. It’s limited to an edition of 100, and will undoubtedly be sold out by the time you read this.   

Tin-Ear Cadastral Maps cassette

Self-described as “tweemo,” this is TIN-EAR’s debut album. Very heavy shoegaze vibes at play, with coy vocals that lead a soft and melancholic tribe. Is my teenage self brushing the hair out of his face and crying somewhere in the kaleidoscope of time? Anyway, this lot hails from the salty shores of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where we are taken to sea aboard a “rickety ship that may never return to shore,” and are ultimately tossed about with the nearly nine-minute closer, simply named “Untitled.” Concept albums and long-jam enders, the type of thing SONIC YOUTH pulled off, are their own form of bravery in the genre, and for that, I give this a lot of credit.

The Stools / Toeheads Watch It Die split LP

Filthy garage punk rock(’n’roll) in the finest Detroit tradition. Shit sounds nasty, like the shit is supposed to sound. The STOOLS come off like GORIES guzzling crack and distortion, then TOEHEADS add a seriously dark swagger to the equation when you flip the shit. Get fukkd up to one side, regret your life choices on the other—TOEHEADS’ “I Want to Be in Your Life (So I’ll Die)” is a devastating album-ender. Absolute killer on both sides; garage rock fans will eat it up, and pretentious punks will change their minds.

Tuhoon Tuomitut Nälkä Kasvaa Syödessä LP

I am very glad that I was assigned that one, not just because I am quite good at pretending I speak Finnish (it is not that hard, you just have to make up sentences with the names of Finnish punk bands while looking very stern, but note that it does not work when there are actual Finns in the room), but because I had the pleasure to see TUHOON TUOMITUT live this summer. Their name means “doomed,” and the band certainly delivered despite playing first at a festival when it was too early for people to be pissed yet and everyone was therefore still discerning. The Tampere-based TUHOON TUOMITUT plays punk-as-fuck thrashing anarcho-punk with furious dual-female vocals arranged in the classic trade-off style, with the demented, high-pitched screams and rabid hoarse screams discussing important political issues. The music is reminiscent of the ’90s and early ’00s crusty anarcho-punk wave, including bands like SOCIETY GANG RAPE, STRADOOM TERROR, JOBBYKRUST, and even WITCH HUNT or PARAGRAF 119, and I just love that unpretentious old-school feel. The songs are not formulaic, either—you have some tuneful moments and mid-tempo numbers as well as full-on hardcore thrash attacks, and I think the relentless vocals work very well with each other. I guess you could argue that the production is lacking a bit in power and is pretty basic, but it works with a style of punk that was once popular but seems to have gone a little out of fashion, so TUHOON TUOMITUT sounds almost fresh.

U.N.E. Sin Esperanza cassette

A collection of recordings from Toluca, Mexico, dating back to as early as 1994. According to the cool little booklet included with this cassette, UN NUEVA ENEMIGO played their first gig in ’94 with LOS CRUDOS after starting their band mere months earlier “without experience or knowledge of music.” Pretty damn cool. It’s a little rough around the edges, as one would imagine from a band who started without any experience. Lo-fi, repetitive, sloppy punk riffs with vocals passionately delivered in Spanish over the top. A cool collection by a band that apparently never played out of their hometown. My only gripe is how overwhelming the flanger effect on the guitar is on half these tracks. Sure, it was the ’90s and that effect was absolutely everywhere, but it comes off incredibly distracting to the overall song whenever it’s engaged. A minor gripe for a neat little piece of history in the form of this collection cassette.

V/A Φωνή Διαμαρτυρίας (Voice of Protest) cassette

Now this is exactly the kind of project that gets me overexcited, almost to the point of hyperventilating. Φωνή Διαμαρτυρίας is a piece of punk archaeology. With more than four decades of punk music worldwide, in order to make sense of it all because the scope is vertiginous indeed, the global history of punk rock has to be polyphonic, like an endless, fluid, ever-evolving collection of specific stories. This Herculean task requires a quixotic nature to even contemplate engaging in such a perilous time-consuming endeavour. This compilation tape tells a particular story, one that can only be told from the inside: the rise and the stabilization of crust and extreme hardcore in Greece in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Many are not aware of the fact that Greek crust, with its distinctive apocalyptic and epic, aggressive, and melancholy metallic crunch, is an actual, proper style of crust music (try to remember it though, it is trivia-worthy), a branch on the proverbial scruffy crust tree like Japanese crasher crust or OC crust are, for instance. The man behind the label Extreme Earslaughter, Vangelis, is also the brain behind leading contemporary Greek crust act Παροξυσμός (PAROKSYSMOS), and many of his label’s tapes are great obscure stories of Greek crust, from the past and the present. This tape gathers twenty (very) rare songs (live or practice recordings) from brutal Greek punk bands, with some relatively well-known ’90s bands like Χαοτικό Τέλος (HAOTIKO TELOS), Αρνητική Στάση (ARNITIKI STASI) or Ναυτία (NAFTIA) as well as some genuinely unknown entities. I have to point out that the sound is mostly raw, if not rough, so if you have never dealt with that scene, it might be a bit of a tedious and tough listen, although it might prompt you and kindle the desire to check other works from the bands included. If you are already familiar with and fond of Greek crust, then it is pretty much a gift from the gods and the crust equivalent of finding the lost ark (but without the hassle of doing the research yourself or risking your life). The tape comes with a beautiful booklet with artwork and lyrics from each of the bands, which reminds me of the glory days of the ’90s anarcho-punk scene. This is what passion looks like.

V/A Typical Girls, Vol. 6 LP

Another great collection of femme-fronted bands “inspired by the pioneering women of the first-wave punk era and beyond,” as Emotional Response writes. Without pigeonholing themselves to any specific subgenre, a really diverse range is on display here. To name just a few: the LINDA LINDAS start off with super catchy ’60s girl group crunch, FAKE FRUIT contributes “No Mutuals” off their popular 2021 self-titled album, SWEEPING PROMISES provide angular and driving jabs of bass and guitar, WET SPECIMEN warbles through a slow progression of dark and reverent melodies (and is my favorite track of the album), LANDE HEKT jangles amongst a cherry-sweet indie collage, PROVOKE lets you know they’re going to get heavy with a feedbacked, slow-chug guitar intro (and it’s a truly a headbanger), SQUID INK gets snotty in the garage, and OPTIC SINK rounds it out with a synth punk, spaced-out closer. If you go to stream this on Spotify, FAKE FRUIT and SWEEPING PROMISES are not on the album, even though they both exist elsewhere on the platform. I don’t know why, but neither are to be missed, so just buy the record! Dive in, and I’m sure you’ll find something new to enjoy.

Varonas Instinto Animal EP

Given that there are Spanish labels involved here and the songs are sung in Spanish, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that these folks might be Spanish. Whether or not that’s true, if you’re a fan of female-fronted, sometimes up-tempo power pop with a focus on the vocals, this is likely for you. There’s nothing that says that your punk rock or power pop can’t come from someone with a pretty voice. Three quick songs, and just like that, it’s over. Well-played and well-produced. I wanted more.

Double Me / VIOLENCIA split EP

Heavy split between Padua, Italy’s DOUBLE ME and Tijuana, Mexico’s VIOLENCIA. DOUBLE ME gives us five powerviolence slammers in about two minutes. Blastbeats dominate the mix, but there is interesting guitar work and call-and-response caveman vocals à la SPAZZ. This side could have been mixed better. I like the songs, but they sound trebly and lack low-end heaviness, through no fault of the band. Meanwhile, VIOLENCIA shreds with a mix of powerviolence, hardcore, metal chugging, and doomy interludes. Their four songs are heavy and distinctively varied. “Frenesi” opens their side with ripping powerviolence, featuring super-pissed co-ed vocals like the best parts of DESPISE YOU. “Requiem Por Mi Existencia” is straightforward D-beat hardcore done extremely well, and just to round out the genre explorations, the side ends with an instrumental doom metal song. All heavy, all memorable, VIOLENCIA is a band to watch.

Warrior Tribes The Con cassette

A posthumous cassette of the now-defunct WARRIOR TRIBES. Fifteen tracks of relentless, no-frills hardcore punk recorded in 2017. Enough hooks to keep your attention without getting too showy. WARRIOR TRIBES wear their Chicago roots on their sleeve with a sound that could easily be compared to ARTICLES OF FAITH. Maybe throw in a dash of BATTALION OF SAINTS, but with a gruff, lower register vocalist. Repetitive, fast, and snappy riffs that never get boring, with the occasional mid-tempo, flange-heavy dirge tossed in for good measure. This is a real success and it’s a shame to hear that the tribe has fallen. I would have very much liked to have seen this band.

Iron Chic / Ways Away split 7″

It’s been a while since there’s been a new IRON CHIC track and this one does not disappoint. It’s a mid-tempo melodic masterpiece and everything one would expect from these Long Island punkers. WAYS AWAY offers up a track that is a great companion to the track on the other side. Melodic, bouncy, catchy. Good split all around. My only gripe would be that it’s a split single. Personally, I would have liked to have heard one more song from each band.

 

Weaponized Flesh Hurtful cassette

Five tracks of throwback-style speed metal from Athens, Georgia. WEAPONIZED FLESH does an excellent job of keeping your attention with a mixture of classic-sounding speed/thrash metal riffs, raging heavy metal guitar solos, and power metal harmonized leads. Throw in that hard-to-define punk edge that a band like this brings to the table, and it all works pretty well.

What A Waste Demo 2022 cassette

Four songs here. Hardcore punk that has potential to be pretty good if given the chance to polish up the diamond in the coal here. Sound-wise, it definitely has some of the pitfalls implied given that this is a demo. Everything, while played well, sounds like it was recorded in a home studio with no options of layering vocals or guitars to give the songs a fuller sound or a decent mix. With that said, this is only a demo after all, and one is to expect such things. While I’m looking forward to hearing a future release from this band, it is quite refreshing to hear a demo that, in fact, sounds like a demo!

Witches Broom Witches Broom LP

Kind of a surprise here. This isn’t punk and would fall more under the straight ’60s psych/garage category, but it’s really good. While not groundbreaking at all, it’s a nice interpretation of the Nuggets/Pebbles compilations done in a not-at-all-modern vein. Unlike more recent revival versions of this music, from the MUMMIES era to more recent stuff like Ty Segall’s projects, this is less punk or trash and more pure ’60s, like some of the Paisley Underground bands or maybe Northwest heroes like GIRL TROUBLE and the NIGHT KINGS. Mostly it’s just pure SEEDS, and how bad could that be? More to come, I hope.

Z-Pak Z-Pak demo cassette

This demo is one distressing crash after another distressing crash. The sound is damp and a little off-time, with waves of reverb and squealing vocals that bring a lot of early LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS to mind right from the start. The band is from Philly, and this appears to be the first cassette out for them. I will for sure make time for this band with what comes next. Get into it.

Zero Function Zero Function cassette

From Wyoming, ZERO FUNCTION plays dense, dark hardcore with a fuzzy finish. On this eight-song tape, the songs are effective in painting bleak and frightening pictures, like with the noisy, stretched-out intro and warped lyrics on “Pull,” and the interspersed system-failure-like wreckage on “Serve No Purpose.” I keep seeing this producer Will Killingsworth’s name on new projects, each time accompanied by a solid sound, and this continues that streak. Its aura of hopelessness scratches the same itch as an artsy horror flick.