Reviews

MRR #479 • April 2023

A.M.D. Sucking Stalin Tour cassette reissue

A.M.D. (ANTI MILITARY DEMONSTRATION) was a hardcore punk band based in Budapest, Hungary and was active around the late ’80s. This cassette, initially released in 1989, was recorded live, and while the audio quality certainly isn’t high-definition, it is certainly comprehensible. This tape is great—much like a lot of the bands coming out around this time, the guitarist has clearly been digging a lot of metal records, but this is hardcore punk through and through. Reminds me quite a bit of BGK at times. My only complaint would be that, at 42 minutes, it does go on a bit, but don’t let that dissuade you. Recommended for fans of classic hardcore punk with a slight metal bent (only slight).

Aggressive Combat Aggressive Combat LP

Spanish Oi! stalwarts AGGRESSIVE COMBAT return, and if you like your Euro Oi! to sound like Euro Oi!, then hold onto yer Sambas and camo shorts, because do I have the band for you! More on the hard rockin’ end of the Oi! spectrum, with a few guitar solo flourishes to dance across the factory-rhythmic drums, it’s a bit too polished for me. Some classic silly vox, with matey on vocals sounding like he’s doing his best impression of a scary monster rather than expressing working class solidarity, talking about drinking beer, inexplicably finding Andy Capp endearing, or any number of Euro skin activities.

American Thought Criminal Living in Reality CD

It’s been a long time since I’ve been asked to review an objectively awful release here, the kind of recording that you cannot find one nice thing to say about. Thankfully, my drought has ended with this shiny plastic turd from self-described “dissident punk” band AMERICAN THOUGHT CRIMINAL. Poorly played, poorly written, and poorly recorded melodic “punk” with slower parts that will make you wish you were listening to a fourth-rate, third wave suburban ska punk band’s practice tape. And the lyrics…hoooo boy, there’s a lot to unpack here, folks. The world where antiestablishmentarians and reactionary libertarian-fueled conspiracy whack jobs meet is a scary place, but the drivel voiced in songs like “The Enemy of Truth” and “Written on Our Face” is just a pathetic regurgitation of trite MAGA talking points (at best), the kind of nonsense that gives anarchists a bad name—ill-informed and misguided faux rage directed at invisible bogeymen and false flag pedophiles…it’s exhausting and annoying. The biggest crime here is that the music sucks so fucking bad that most listeners will never get to know how much the lyrics suck.

Ardillas Canciones de Amor, Locura y Muerte LP

Songs of love, madness, and death, brought to you by some of Puerto Rico’s most notorious rockers. ARDILLAS predate DAVILA 666, with whom they share members, by a solid decade. They’re far less prolific—but hey, you can’t rush genius! Whereas DAVILA 666 was born of the garage, ARDILLAS seem to have emerged from the dense haze of a smoke-filled pub. This is premium rock’n’roll with just the right amount of grit to keep the sing-along choruses from getting too syrupy. More infectious than the boogie-woogie flu! After a few spins, these songs will be kicking around in the damp corridors of your noggin for days. Unafraid to embrace their prowess, ARDILLAS dig into big rhythms and expand out past the confines of your typical greasy-haired, leather jacket punk’n’roll. These cats (or should I say squirrels!?) know how to pen some quality tunes. There are nods to the HEARTBREAKERS, and FLAMIN’ GROOVIES. What more can you ask for? Here’s to hoping we won’t have to wait another decade for their next release.

Area 51 51 Fight! demo cassette reissue

Punks of a certain age, have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the vocalist from FILTH and members of ANTI-PRODUCT and AUS-ROTTEN met as teenagers and recorded a demo in their parents’ basement? Well, 51 Fight! has provided you with the answer. I’m not sure how much this fast-paced, grimy re-release adds to the annals of crust punk outrage but, for this reviewer, it was a trip to simpler, easier times.

Argh El Silencio De Los Cromagnones EP

Temuco’s anti-new-world-order, post-apocalyptic punks. D-beat merged with classic hardcore punk featuring members of INYECCION, with lyrics touching subjects such as modern society’s surreptitious decay and the macabre system we are in, chemicals in the water poisoning us, submission to heavy technology, and abusive social domination. Ranting guitars, crazy open hi-hat D-beat drums, and a desperate maniac voice trying to warn you about the geopolitical experiments of globalization mixed with violence and chaos nowadays. Really dig the format of the songs as cautions or presages of a real near future, but also depicting stuff from our present. Chileans sure know their hardcore punk, and this themed DIY band is a faithful example. Four-track EP in under six minutes. Go give them a listen and join the forces of ARGH in order to be prepared to fight a more than grim prospect (or perhaps is it too late?).

Axxe Crazy Black Winds Blowing, An Indifferent Sky cassette

First of all, we are welcomed by a psychotic bunch of noise effects with fuzz, reverb, and an electronic blenderization from hell and a chaos from doomsday in their intro. Asbury Park, NJ metallic punk agents AXXE CRAZY is not fooling around. Ten-track cassette of metallic punk mayhem fused with D-beat and crusty vibes, but also thrash metal references and even some powerviolence. You can almost see the visceral thread left behind in each song and the cathartic feel in their demonic vocals, which are filled with anger, despair, and hate. Frenzied cadences and high-pitched guitars, plus engulfing, crazy bass lines. Suggested tracks: “Feast in the Sight of the Minds Eye” and “Pocket Full of Emeralds, Head Full of Lead.” Absolute ripper.

Bad Jesus Experience Ovat Muistojemme Lehdet Kuolleet LP

I’m no Finnish hardcore expert (I barely know my RATTUS from my KAOSS), but this shit rules. Each one of the ten short tracks is a total shredder: fast—like really fast—pounding drums, heavy dissonant guitars, and raspy, hyperspeed vocals that use every second to scream a desperate message. “OK HK” relentlessly blasts out and invigorates everything in me that loves hardcore. “Maa Palaa” opens with atonal strumming that is immediately backed with furious punk that sounds awesome. “Pohjalaiset Sikamafiat” takes a short, contemplative breather in the bridge that allows the band to stretch out for a few seconds before returning to rage mode. It actually makes you realize how intense and fast the rest of the record is. “Ruumiinpolttaja” starts with a blastbeat before the one-syllable-per-snare-hit vocals enter, sounding for a second like vintage NAPALM DEATH in its ferocity. Check out this record right now.

Bad Weed II LP

I’ve got to admit that I’m not a fan of the band name. I was expecting some sort of funny punk thing. The name aside, this record is impressive. It’s super catchy and super poppy. Some tracks have a power pop feel from the late ’70s or early ’80s, while others seem to capture the spirit of the Subway sound, a sound that I remain a fan of. It’s jangly and the vocals are very bouncy, creating a sort of carefreeness, yet remains somewhat somber. This thing is excellent from start to finish. From Austria, if that’s an important detail to you.

Barricaded Suspects Terminal Growth LP

First LP from Nashville, Tennessee’s BARRICADED SUSPECTS. All five songs from Winning, their 2020 EP, are scattered throughout this twenty-one-song album of relentless hardcore. The songs are fast and quick (only one track hits the two-minute mark), but they flow together so you barely stop nodding along from one to the next. This would be the kind of thing you’d hear at your local all-ages venue, giving a new generation of minors their first ringing ears. It’s grating but never droning, and you can pick out most of the lyrics over blisteringly fast drums and guitars; nobody gets a break here. I really like the humor in “Something You Already Know”: “The grass is green / The sky is blue / Don’t eat yellow snow.” But more and more we need common sense reminders these days…impressive set of work from this group.

Beat Panic Anti Club//Club 10″

Debut release from Naarm/Melbourne, Australia’s BEAT PANIC continues the dialogue about colonization and Aboriginal displacement in Australia, thusly giving name to the Kulin Nation of Naarm. This shows up more in the Bandcamp notes than what I can find in their lyrics, but something to recognize all the same. To the music: I didn’t know what I was going to find after the synth-only opener “Sprawl,” which is haunting and tender all at once. What follows is  wonderfully rich, goth-tinged post-punk reminiscent of DAVE VANIAN AND THE PHANTOM CHORDS, especially the commanding yet reverb-hollow vocals. Definitely worth a listen—but hey, I was sold at Aussie post-punk.

Body Cam Promo cassette

Hot new tape from BODY CAM. Their flexi from a couple years ago was pretty great, and here they’re grimier and sharper than before. It’s three songs of whipping hardcore with rocking riffs and a dirty, distorted sound. The warped groove of “R.T.S.” is the winner for me here, but the whole thing rips. I’ll be looking out for more of this.

Brain Bent Boilerplate 7″

Rhodehouse record brings us the vinyl debut from this Calgary quartet. These folks primarily play a mix of scratchy (nearly twee) clean-guitar punk and drum-forward, bombastic synth rock (think of the less surfy moments from Touch and Go-era MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?). They also manage to slip in some straight-up ’70s hard rock digressions from time to time, which may sound like an odd choice, but it kinda works. Musically, I think this record is cool. Lyrically, I have some notes. The two tracks on this 7” take aim at the corporate office world—a subject certainly worthy of derision—but the observations they’re making don’t feel very fresh. Like, a lot of what they’re complaining about isn’t that far off from the kinds of things covered in Office Space nearly a quarter of a century ago. I mean, a lot of that commentary still applies, but the corporate world has grown much more ghoulish in many respects, opening up new hells of worker alienation that I wish they were able to tap into instead. I think if these lyrics were harder to decipher, I wouldn’t have minded it so much. But they seem to be going for a bit of a URANIUM CLUB clever-rock vibe, so they’re right there front and center. I think URANIUM CLUB manages to skirt being annoying by keeping things abstract, but since BRAIN BENT is clearly trying to say something, they don’t have that luxury.

Brain Tourniquet …An Expression in Pain LP

Crushing debut LP from DC’s BRAIN TOURNIQUET. Although this record is most easily categorized as powerviolence, there is so much innovation here that it tramples micro-genre labels. These are epics in bursts, blasts of fury with the intricate structure of much longer songs. Take “Mental Tomb” for example: there is the fast and extreme hardcore, which rolls into a bridge of dissonant guitar noise and rolling drums, then back to the hardcore. The song is 1:17 long. Many of the tracks have this level of careful intricacy that make repeated listens a treat. There is definite influence from classic West Coast bands like MAN IS THE BASTARD and CROSSED OUT, but I also hear CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER-style crossover (especially the amazing drums) in songs like “Deny.” “Little Children Working” and “Behind My Eyes” are feedback-laden, dangerously creepy instrumentals that keep the record’s urgent and unsettling tone intact, while “…An Expression in Pain” has a slow-crawl intro that erupts into relentless fast PV and back to the doomy slow crunch. This goes back and forth over ten minutes, and it rules. This record is fresh and exciting, bold and risky without being pretentious. It’s early in the year, but I’m bookmarking this one for my year-end top ten.

Buen Destino Buen Destino LP

Excellent debut LP from this Barcelona band that deftly melds full-throated hardcore with math, metal, and even post-rock influences. The record immediately smacks you in the head with opener “Morir de Asco,” orbiting through the same universe as CONVERGE and BOTCH; serpentine guitar figures piercing through raw hardcore. “Los Creyentes” features multiple time changes that reveal the band’s musical chops while escalating an epic build-up that rivals any heavy post-rock band, tempering beauty with ultimate audio violence. It’s awe-inspiring. “Futuro Final” layers pounding, noise rock kick drums with algebraic guitar that becomes near-catchy despite its intricacy, like a flashing knot of Christmas lights. Final track “Bajo el Mismo Sol” constructs a staggering wall of sound with all elements turned up to maximum volume and intensity that is a staggering end to a great record. Intelligent, consistently experimental, and extremely heavy, this is an exciting introduction to a band worth watching.

Can Kicker Can Kicker LP

CAN KICKER from Cardiff has a sound that is primordial but also immediately transportive. Stabbing, fuzzy guitar intermittently blasts through the powerful rhythm section that creates the propulsion behind Luke Penny’s poetic vocal delivery. The second song on this LP, “Disassociate Now,” is aptly titled for its effect and lyrical theme. CAN KICKER seems to be one of those bands that uses the basic punk devices to create a world that is uniquely their own, while also being an inviting space to spend some time. The closing song, “Stupid Game Part II,” is the only song that seems to break the formula of the album’s other songs, almost like an alarm waking the listener back to reality.

Cell Play to Win EP

For the first time, the Play to Win EP from 2019 gets a proper vinyl release, courtesy of War On Reality. CELL delivers a feral hardcore kick to the groin with Play to Win. The seven tracks go through you like a steamroller. A perfect display of modern stompy hardcore right here.

Cell Deth Cell Deth demo cassette

The pissed-off punk clatter of Canada’s CELL DETH is pretty damn sharp. It’s old-school hardcore with an urgent and authentic feel, and the raw sound on this demo, with the intense vocals competing to be heard over the music, complements the style. My favorite moments here are the off-kilter stomp and cartoonish riffage of “Disposable Culture,” the blastbeat-laden “Climate Crisis,” and the furious closer, but the whole thing just rips on by and leaves a good taste.

Cenobite Cenobite demo cassette

Beaming in nightmares from space (a.k.a. Chicago) is CENOBITE, whose sci-fi hardcore evokes a visionary heftiness that calls to mind—hear me out—TIMEGHOUL, if they veered more punk than death metal. I rarely think of world-building outside of fiction, but there is a sort of mythological aspect to this demo due to its inventiveness and bleed-over into tinges of deathrock and industrial-adjacent noise that distorts (mutates?) the DNA of what would otherwise be a straight-ahead hardcore project in terms of energy output. This pummels, but it’s goddamn weird, too. The overall production tends to deprioritize the low end without neutralizing the weight of the riffs. The guitar is cranked through all kinds of cyberware that aids the overall dystopian paradise vibe. All in all, this is a ferocious and thrilling new project—one of the best demos I’ve heard in a while. Check it out, jack in, and blast off.

Chorus Pedal Typo Landscape cassette

Noisy, angular, effects-laden art rock. This falls on the indie side of post-punk, with jangly guitars and overdriven vocals layered between blankets of swirling phasers, tape loop echoes, and (I presume) emissions from the eponymous chorus pedal. This is the sound of knobs being turned. There is an undercurrent of no wave influence, so if you don’t find a band like DNA annoying, then CHORUS PEDAL will almost certainly pique your interest. The songs are fairly repetitive by design and contain sensible hooks and enough charisma to prevent them from being totally inaccessible. Not dissimilar to the INTELLIGENCE or the COOL GREENHOUSE.

City of Industry Spiritual West LP

Angry and moody melodic hardcore from Seattle, Washington’s CITY OF INDUSTRY. This is the trio’s fourth LP, and according to guitar and vocalist John Caraveo, “Spiritual West is, musically and lyrically, the most honest, raw, and poignant piece of work I’ve ever done.” The lyrics are highly personal, and Caraveo sings and shouts them with an abrupt honesty, like he’s already lost his shit. I expected more songs like “Perruquier,” with dark, meandering synth, heavy mid-tempo drums, and droning guitar, which, past the three-minute mark, feels long compared to so many sub-two-minute tracks that chug at full speed. “Spiritual West” is the most confessional moment of the album, with Caraveo’s voice alone shouting over a hollowed-out synth line that’s repeated throughout the twelve songs. If sad and tragic with a touch of crust is what you’re looking for, check out CITY OF INDUSTRY.

Compilations Powerless 12″

A four-song project that features a different guest vocalist for each song. The songs are very ’90s Southern California-inspired, along the lines of the stuff that was coming out on Dr. Strange in the mid-’90s. In fact, two of the songs feature vocals from Ken Conte of IMPLANTS/BROWN LOBSTER TANK and Jeff Caudill of GAMEFACE, both of whom released records on Dr. Strange. The other two feature vocals by Francis Garcia of POP UNKNOWN/FOURTH GRADE NOTHING and Robby Cronholm of TAXES/CRUMB, and Stella Maxwell of CRUISERWEIGHT, respectively. Three of the songs are original compositions. The fourth is a TOM PETTY cover. All in all, it’s a neat idea, and if you are a fan of any of the vocalists that appear on this record, you’d definitely wanna give it a listen, although I’m not sure how often one would go back for repeat listens.

Cuir Flood de Loose EP

Synth punk is another one of those subgenres that really needs to be dialed in so as not to sound stale, and this French solo project gets it pretty much right on the mark. Despite production that leans slightly toward thin, these songs are nonetheless meaty and efficient, ripping it up in record time with no fat whatsoever. It’s a nice buzzy blast of synth-driven punk, simple as that.

Dan Melchior Band Welcome to Redacted City LP

Instantly likable collection of post-punk-seasoned indie rock tunes from UK-born, TX-based DAN MELCHIOR. Songs like “Going Outside” and “Watching TV” conjure the carefully-written but loose energy of PARQUET COURTS or TERRY with strummed guitars, PIXIES-style surf licks (like on “The Right Influencer”), and the occasional warbly synth note. The only issue is that the pleasant music and wry, clever lyrics can fade into background music if you are looking for something more energetic. The whole affair is pretty low-key and relaxed, but that could be your perfect Sunday morning jam. Twenty-one songs is a lot though, and with some of them nearly crossing the seven-minute mark, like the repetitive “Incel Country,” the same effect could have been achieved in half the time. Maybe listen to one side at a time, but recommended for smarty-pants indie rockers.

Death Toll 80K The Future is Yours 12″

Finland has always been a hub for death metal and black metal, but what about grindcore? Is Finnish grindcore any good? The answer is “fuck yeah!”. Similar to their grinding countrymen ROTTEN SOUND, DEATH TOLL 80K has been relentless at the grindcore game ever since their inception in 2005. Taking cues from the likes of ASSÜCK, PHOBIA, or TERRORIZER, they take the crown as one of the most extreme grindcore acts at the moment in the absence of INSECT WARFARE. Unrelenting grindcore with a death metal feel to it, complete with pummeling drums and moshing grooves. Nine songs in eleven minutes. What more can you ask for?

Debt Rag Lost to the Fantasy LP

The three humans behind the mid-2010s Oakland noisy avant-punk group WET DRAG have all since relocated to Olympia, WA and recently rekindled the project as DEBT RAG—apparently the Bay Area isn’t the only thing they’ve left behind, as they’ve completely ditched guitar on their debut LP Lost to the Fantasy, weaving layers of seasick synth, sharp blurts of trumpet, and all sorts of clattering percussion (full-force cowbell!) into some of the ample negative space newly liberated from six-string oppression. Everyone contributes vocals, with lines overlapping and intersecting in an almost anti-call-and-response just as often as they coalesce into sardonic gang-chants (the collective statement behind “Barf on USA” is brilliantly direct and self-explanatory), drums are reduced to the barest minimum (one tom and one cymbal) and pounded out in sparse, tranced-out patterns, and calculated, ping-ponging bass forms the primary structure for DEBT RAG to build up their sideways art-skronk collages. How many other bands in our modern day and age are capable of triggering thoughts within me of NOH MERCY, DANNY AND THE PARKINS SISTERS, or Y PANTS, let alone all of the above within the span of a single song?! The answer is zero. DEBT RAG for president, barf on USA.

Desamparo Cansado De Perder cassette

Obscure hardcore spawned in the lands of Chile. DESAMPARO delivers a spastic and frantic brand of hardcore with metallic leanings, with an emphasis on a sinister atmosphere. Like a crustier version of the sound that DEVIL MASTER crafted, with warmer tones. The urgency in the vocals and relentless riffing create a parallel with the bands they used as references. Not for the faint of heart.

Dezerter Underground Out of Poland LP reissue

Not exactly sure what can be (or even needs to be) said about a record that MRR released in 1987, which served as thousands of Western punks’ first exposure to DEZERTER and the larger Soviet Bloc punk underground. As a starting point, it’s still a near-perfect introduction— the four tracks from the Ku Przyszłości EP are absolutely timeless, and the live recordings from Jarocin (the first Polish festival to showcase punk bands) truly capture the band’s live mania (“Nie Ma Zagrożenia,” anyone?). Thirty-five years after its initial release, Underground Out of Poland is still mandatory listening for new punks and gets reissued every few years (as it should), but this one from Pasażer includes a massive booklet with photos and ephemera, so even the well-versed stodgy fucks who have the original will want to pay attention.

Dirt Royal Shoot Me Now / Better Than Worse 7″

Two peppy numbers of self-described mod/punk. I get more of the punk than the mod, but feel free to disagree with me. Super catchy, I found myself bouncing my head non-stop. I’d even say more power pop than mod. Super tight, I found myself putting this back on again and again. The sing-along vocals on the second track were particularly good, I thought. I’d go out of my way to find this one.

Disciplina Limitar Ausencia Ganadora LP

Hooked on the first play. After releasing a four-track demo as DISLI in 2021, this Valencian quartet has evolved so much on their debut LP Ausencia Ganadora, on which they revise their demo and add several new tracks. Pure Spanish punk with nods here and there to post-punk, but with an overall sensibility towards well-crafted and catchy songs. With members of FUTURO TERROR, MAUSOLEO, and MORENAS, DISCIPLINA LIMITAR gathers the essentials for a great band. Bangers from start to finish.

Disease SS Distort Pollution cassette

Would I have called my band DISEASE SS? Probably not. It is, truth be told, rather generic, and I am not a massive fan of having “SS” in a moniker (it makes bands’ shirts pretty much unwearable at dinner parties). But then, the name DISEASE SS definitely gives you a clear preliminary idea of what this Malaysian punk unit from Kedah is all about: the D will be beaten, distortion will be celebrated, and fury revered. The band comes from the same scene that has recently graced us with bands in love with the Swedish and Japanese sound like 13DAS, SYNKKYYS, or PARÖTID, so that when the listener is confronted with a tornado of raw distorted D-beat from that area, surprise is not exactly of the essence. Just another day at the noise-not-music office. Does it matter? Of course not, as DISEASE SS do well what they claim to be doing. If you are in need of a raw and wild take on LIFELOCK or DISCLOSE (whom they cover), significantly infused with the “dislickers” sound of bands like the Swedish DISCONTROL or early APPÄRATUS like Malaysian punks are renowned for, then this will be your thing. It is a niche, but a comfy one.

Divorcer Espionage EP

Third release from Vancouver, BC’s DIVORCER, who “formed in late 2016 in a booth at Duffin’s Donuts,” according to their Bandcamp page. Pretty, slow-tempo pop/punk filled with sugary harmonies, backed by slippery bass and lead lines. That said, the distortion pedal gets a stomp here and there to give texture to these pop-heavy ballads. I think of jabby, single-note guitars influenced by SLEATER-KINNEY mixed with the breathiness and candor of DUM DUM GIRLS. Their lyrics aren’t diluted by pop trappings however, as “Bug” (my favorite of the four-song EP) is a metaphysical haunting (“You woke up in a box / I woke up as a bug / This world’s not meant for us”) that only gets weirder as you go…just listen to it.

Doctor Explosión Superioridad Moral LP

First record in over a decade from Spain’s DOCTOR EXPLOSIÓN. Great collection of songs here that bring to mind KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES melded with the MAMAS & THE PAPAS. This may sound like a weird concoction, but it works well. What you get here is a combination of the raw energy of a ’70s garage rock band and the bittersweet sentimentalism of golden-age oldies radio. Very partial to the vocals here, which sound like they’re coming from the deepest depths of an AM receiver in an old station wagon. Guitar work is incredible with licks for days. Great summer jams for those hot days where you sit around and do nothing but drink beer and sweat your ass off.

Bench Press / Dr. Sure’s Unusual Practice A Split 7″ Between Friends split EP

Here’s a split of two Aussie post-punk bands fighting the good fight. DR. SURE’S UNUSUAL PRACTICE starts the A-side with their wiry, buzzy guitars, haunted house synths, call-and-response vocals, and metronome-tight drums.  “Great Pacific Garbage Island” brings the tension of our human impact to home, with the line “As the great Pacific garbage island moves in on Hawaii, you’re on my mind.” You’ve probably heard at least something from this lot, they’ve released a lot and are a big name in Melbourne, rightly so! I hadn’t heard anything from BENCH PRESS, but I can see why this “split 7″ between friends” makes sense, as they too are politically engaged in a world that needs youth advocacy. “What you are doing is all wrapped up in politics” is the opening line of “More Than That,” and they do not relent.  Excited to check out BENCH PRESS’s two LPs. The anger on these tracks reminds me of contemporaries MINI SKIRT, but with a more minimal structure. I also read that this is the first record Fellaheen, home of bands like PAVEMENT and BEASTIE BOYS, has put out since the late ’90s, so that might give you an idea of the worth within. Enjoy.

Eddie & the Hot Rods Guardians of the Legacy LP

Life on the Line is on a short list of essential records…but this is EDDIE & THE HOT RODS in 2023, folks. First-wave punk veterans who do indeed have one hell of a legacy to guard, but I give this LP a solid shrug. Good, solid, mainstream pub rock—not bad at all but far from essential.

Eel Men Archetype / West Green Pirate 7″

Second 7” from this four-piece out of London. I wasn’t really able to turn up anything about the band, so I can’t tell you much about the players here or any other projects they’ve been involved in. In any case, they play pretty straightforward ’60s-influenced garage/psych pop. “Archetype” is a reverb-heavy number that sounds not unlike the slickest song you’d find in the STRAIGHT ARROWS catalog, except something about it sounds a little more intentional, like it’s been written by a pop band cosplaying as a garage band. It’s really giving me SUPERGRASS-channeling-BUZZCOCKS vibes. Same could be said of “West Green Pirate,” probably the better of the two tracks, which goes for more of a Piper at the Gates of Dawn sound and throws in a hook built around a “Be My Baby” drumbeat. I really don’t know what to think about this record. On the one hand, I want to say it’s really good—these are well-written songs that tick a lot of the same boxes a genuinely cool record would. But at the same time, something about it just left me cold. Like, I can easily imagine a world where one of these tracks appears in a Honda commercial. But that’s probably more on me than it is these dudes. So, give it a listen! Hopefully, you won’t have my same hang-ups.

Electric Chair Act of Aggression LP

Olympia’s ELECTRIC CHAIR dropped their debut Act of Aggression on Iron Lung, and it has to be said, this band has chosen the perfect name—putting on this record is like getting strapped in and shuffled off this mortal coil. Stuffed to the brim with abrasive metallic punk, ELECTRIC CHAIR plays in the same vein as GERMS and N.O.T.A., with some oddball freakouts sprinkled throughout that remind me of TY SEGALL at his freakiest. Musically, it’s a dense listen; songs vanish as quickly as they appear in a flurry of violent guitars entangled with frenetic bass and drums. Vocalist Dinah Corona’s unhinged warble is mixed so low it becomes like another instrument, adding an evil vibe that permeates throughout the album. Check out “Fatal Disease Pt. II” and “Security Camera” to see what I mean. Overall, an overwhelming but fucking awesome listen.

Es Fantasy EP

This is only the third release in seven years by ES from London, but in under an hour’s worth of music (to date), they’ve hit that sweet spot where a band establishes a singular and identifiable sound, but switches it up enough from record to record so things are retread-free. That sound, in short, stacks up spartan, rickety, vaguely creepy keyboards, doomsaying vocals, and a punchy post-punk rhythm section with no guitars in sight. It was a smash on 2016’s Object Relations and 2020’s Less of Everything, and so it is on the four-song Fantasy, but on the whole it’s a bit less goth and a bit more synth pop (“Too Late” especially), even if ES provides pretty screwed versions of both. The bass/drums-led “Swallowed Whole” runs at an almost anarcho-ish canter, too, which is what I mean about nice surprises each time.

Eye For An Eye Teraz LP

Including their 2005 split with the HUNKIES, Teraz is the eighth full-length album by this Polish powerhouse. EYE FOR AN EYE fires off ten tracks of their signature metal-tinged punk, with scorching female vocals and hardcore breakdowns. It’s obvious that EYE FOR AN EYE has been honing their craft for many years, and Teraz finds them at the top of their game. Alternating between brutal and melodic, each song feels like the result of the kind of chemistry that is reserved for long-running bands. The lazy comparison is to POST REGIMENT, due to the vocals and being from Poland, but EYE FOR AN EYE veers far more into an aggressive, metallic territory with lots of tempo changes and even some blastbeats. The production value on this album is quite polished, which detracts from the energy, but suits the mosh parts well enough. Overall, a strong effort from a group of seasoned hardcore veterans. 

Foil Full Band Demo cassette

I read somewhere that a song that starts with a good drumbeat sticks in your mind like gum on your shoe. That’s what happens with FOIL’s demo—three songs of fast and dirty hardcore punk with changes of rhythm and an urgent feeling to the whole composition. The bass sounds thick and the guitars are sometimes like sci-fi noises, throbbing here and there. Kansas City, Peruvian coke, police hatred, and depression, an explosive combination for a punk record. Love the artwork.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Eternal Circles of Fuzz EP

One of these Dutch punkers must have pals at the pressing plant, as this is their fifth vinyl EP in barely three years. In case you haven’t been listening, this is a two-man band featuring former members of SCOUNDRELS and WASTE, and their sound is a less punk and more garage version of those bands. Yes, there’s tons of fuzz and it’s very Dutch in sound. Reading their Bandcamp page, they’re really good at tooting their own collective horns with over the top self masturbatory praise like “These tracks pretty much sound like they were culled from a killer, semi-psychedelic score for an imaginary 1970 low-budget exploitation biker movie.” No, for real! None of this is bad at all, and I find myself primarily intrigued with the closing, mostly instrumental (minus dog barks and growls) “Fuzz Dogs” with it’s “Rock’n’Roll High School” Nick Knox drumbeat over some really nice early CRAMPS-meets-SUICIDE fuzz. Check it.

Fortschritt ZT 300 Fortschritt ZT 300 cassette

Seven lumbering German punk stomps with clean and damaged guitars and infectious shouted vocals—closest (admittedly lazy) comparison is KICKER. But German. To hear them lose control when they speed up is to hear what punk sounds like when there are no guardrails.

Fükkheads Speed and Political demo cassette

Pure noise. Call your friends, lock yourself up in a basement with mold and bad acoustics, try some acid, and play out-of-tune guitars and rusty drums. Then, record everything with an old phone while a maniac screams as if the world was coming to an end. The result would be something similar to the latest FÜKKHEADS work, an indiscernible maelstrom of din topped with a voice out of a psychophony. A crust pandemonium just apt for the demented and fans of the most unhinged DOOM tracks (kind of the same thing). The A-side is a 10:32-long recording of a cave show; the B-side was taken from a squat gig at an abandoned factory. It seems more fun to play than to listen to, but as they say: “This release is an existential cry for help as the human race accelerates towards complete oblivion, wishing to return into the mycelium network from once we evolved from. It’s ugly but so is this world!”. I agree.

Gaffer Dead End Beat LP

Perth punks GAFFER dropped their debut demo back in mid-2020 then seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Considering the times, I just assumed it was another COVID casualty. Bummer! I was really into what they were putting out—a blend of ’77 punk and early ’80s UK hardcore with just a smidge of post-punk at the edges, fronted by a plainspoken but charismatic vocalist. Fortunately, they’ve re-emerged just as unexpectedly as they disappeared and are finally back to deliver on the promise of that debut. They’ve resurrected a good chunk of the tracks from that demo here, added a few more to flesh this out to a twelve-song LP, and polished everything up just enough. The record has a nice trebly, mid-fi production that manages to make everything sound crisp rather than thin and really helps drill these tunes straight into your dumb head. It’s a solid LP. Give it a listen if you like cool stuff or if you’ve ever wondered what PREDATOR would sound like if they traded their love of the ADOLESCENTS for GBH and swapped out their nihilism for a little bit of class consciousness.

Gatsu Generación Atormentada Tratando De Surgir Unidos cassette

Directly from the La Florida neighborhood in Santiago, Chile, we hear a loud message of positivity and great inner force being cast by this band. A solid project giving the most intense experience with inspiring lyrics, backed by a merge between classic ’90s East Coast hardcore and intense fastcore with crossover nods, great powerful drums, and thrashy, high-pitched guitar. Solid sound and lyrical performance and flow, the vocal carrier of a high-energy, never-stop-fighting vital force. The enduring urge to mosh comes right away. Classic breakdowns ending in even faster string cadences are carriers of inner strength, pumping you up—you can tell they are all good friends and didn’t just click to do this band. Self-overcoming and personal growth is encouraged, as GATSU stands for guts, exuding determination, bravery, and self-knowledge. More than an interesting project and format, not seen as often as it should be nowadays. Suggested tracks: “El Mensaje” and “El Desafío.”

Gee Tee Goodbye Neanderthal LP

These Sydney darlings of neo-garage/egg, who began as a one-man bedroom project and got regurgitated repeatedly until spewed out as an unhinged live force to give the SPITS a slow jog for reigning synth punk deviant kingship, are back. They’ve made the big time (as in Goner Records) and will probably be played on repeat in every cafe and kratom-slinging vape shop in middle America real soon. Very deserving are they though, as this might be their best. It’s big car driving music, and no two places have long distances like Australia and the US of A to cruise and enjoy hits like “I Hate (Drivin’ in the City),” “Heart Throb,” and “40K,” as well as the engine-revving title track. I feel like I’ve said enough here, and you could have written this a million times yourself from your prime seat on the bandwagon. Just nod hello and keep your cool.

Glasses Compendium LP

Female-fronted band from Germany with some great screaming vocals, solid drums, and interesting guitar sounds with rocky solos blending metal and hardcore in the ’00s-style way with some sort of progressive rock. Sludgy cadences mixed with classic hardcore cuts that go by the vocals. Released by Contraszt Records from Köln, Germany, Compendium is a collection of their work between 2008 and 2020, though their last recordings in 2020 were separate from their past releases, so you seem to be hearing different pieces and different styles from time to time, losing the album’s flow. It’s interesting enough to hear metal-infused hardcore from the last two decades, Guitar-driven riffing, heavy drumming, and powerful vocals, with members of EAVES, PERTH EXPRESS, and TRAINWRECK, among others. Suggested tracks: “Spirit Crusher” and “IHYSM.”

Gut Health Electric Party Chrome Girl EP

Well, this is an interesting one. On my initial listens to this Melbourne five-piece’s debut, I was having trouble nailing down points of comparison. I kept landing somewhere among the contemporary no wave/post-punk scenes of Oakland and Portland. The four tunes on this EP are built around sparse, bass-driven grooves, and harsh guitars play more of a percussive role. So, in that respect they’re not a million miles away from the stuff LITHICS, the WORLD, or COLLATE have made. But it would also be a stretch to say this sounds like any of those bands. It’s more like GUT HEALTH takes that same minimal post-punk foundation, cranks up the tempo, and, instead of making something funky, arty, or cool, layers in goofy synths and exuberant vocal melodies to create something that’s unabashedly new wave pop. Listen to a track like “Lethargic” to get a good sense of the uniqueness of this act—I wouldn’t say this “Kids in America”-meets-JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS chorus comes out of nowhere, but it’s definitely not what you would expect given the first 30 seconds of the song. It’s a formula that I think ultimately works due in large part to the tightness of the band and Athina Uh Oh’s commitment to this vocal performance. I’d be really interested to see how well this works live. On record, though, it’s good!

Gutter Oil IX cassette

Six tracks of gross hardcore in the MEATMEN vein from this Perth, Australia band. The track list is probably the best litmus test for whether you will be into this or not; if you think songs like “Bomb the Hospitals” or “Small Hands Make the Best Clothes” are funny, you will like this. Their Bandcamp promises that “proceeds of sales will be donated to the ‘Second Chance Foundation’ to help re-home ugly children.” I’m sure the band finds all this hilarious. The music itself is thick, heavy hardcore with pounded floor tom beats, power-strummed chords, and slimy raw vocals, all interspersed with odd sound collages of crackling VHS tapes, patriotic songs decaying into noise, and self-help financial seminars. Standout tracks are “Drunk Fuck,” with the catchiest part of the tape in the refrain, “He only sucks when he’s drunk,” and the heavy bass groove that moves “Over the Hill” from mid-tempo chug to speedy D-beat. If well-produced, transgressively humorous punk is your thing, you could definitely do worse than GUTTER OIL.

Hambre Libre Es El Que No Desea Nada EP

Now this is a bit of an odd one. Or maybe not that much, as it cannot be denied that there is currently a trend in punk that sees the music go back to very minimalistic and primitive forms like those that could be found in the ’80s, when punks could not play and were unintentionally crude musicians. This band can be thought of in this light. Still, they’re a bit weird, but in a good way. HAMBRE comes from Mollet del Vallès in Catalonia and they are, quite aptly, rather mysterious. There is no bass guitar on this single-sided EP made up of four short songs of, supposedly, taoist hardcore (!), with lyrics dealing with foundational concepts from the Tao Te Ching (“Libre es el que no desea nada” for instance, which means “Free is the one who desires nothing”). Not exactly topics you see everyday on the punktube, but it confers a sense of originality and paradox to the band’s concept (the Tao Te Ching can hardly be said to have been a massive influence on punk or glue-sniffing). Is it just a silly pose? Well, I don’t think so, as HAMBRE plays minimalistic, fast tupa-tupa punk rock music, maybe not unlike some old Mexican bands, with vocals typical of old-school Spanish punk. Think REVOLUCION X and HEREJIA with a clearer punk rock sound and an obsession with simplicity. The demented artwork reminiscent of Asian horror is as bizarre as the band’s creative stance, and emphasizes the contrast between the taoist notion of harmonious selflessness and the utter madness of our psyche. Or something. I’m not sure the EP is good, but at least it is bizarre enough to be fresh.

Headcheese Demo 2022 cassette

Kamloops’s HEADCHEESE is planning an LP, but in the meantime, we get this unhinged little demo. The band swings back and forth between sounding playful and pissed as they run through four speedy tracks of schizophrenic hardcore. These beefy tunes are centered around start/stop dynamics and often drop into spats of sparse, jerky instrumentation, not unlike the CONTORTIONS. If you like ‘em heavy and weird, this one’s for you. There’s a great hoe-down-style song called “Loss Prevention” on here, too.

Heavy Mother Comical Uncertainty cassette

On the heels of their debut album from last year, HEAVY MOTHER drops a hefty slab of scuzzy rock’n’roll that just oozes with mojo. Three originals and three covers spread across twenty-six minutes of rowdy, raunchy garage punk featuring a bona fide all-star cast. Their lead vocalist, Eddie Flowers, was in the GIZMOS, for fuck’s sake! There’s a guest appearance by Craig Bell of ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS! We’re talking a Midwestern proto-punk hall of fame here, not to mention that half the members were in the COWBOYS. I’m often disappointed by these groups that sound so good on paper, yet HEAVY MOTHER exceeds expectations by exacting the sonic punishment their pedigree dictates: perfectly trashy, obnoxious, loud rock’n’roll. From the brilliantly depraved opening track “Friday Night (Blackout!),” to the phenomenal rendition of the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “Foggy Notion,” HEAVY MOTHER is firing on all cylinders. An indefectibly stripped-down production gives Comical Uncertainty a ’60s-inspired haze, fueled by reverb. Toss DEAD MOON and ELECTRIC EELS into the cauldron along with the aforementioned bands and you’ll get a whiff of what HEAVY MOTHER is cooking up. Spicy!

Horrendous Cutthroat System Horrendous Cutthroat System demo cassette

This demo cassette by HORRENDOUS CUTTHROAT SYSTEM is four songs (about one minute each) that push the limits between noise and hardcore. This two-person operation emits a powerful blast that is full of rage and menace while still remaining fun to listen to. Like D-beat dis-rocker noise that worships HANATARASH while shotgunning beers over lines of cheap speed. This shit rips and I want more.

Hourglass Atomic Clock LP

Atomic Clock packs a lot into each song. They sound well-rehearsed, but I’m not sure such a busy sound is a good fit for hardcore. Often, they’re playing dissonant, jazzy chords at a stop/start pace before a pummeling doom or sludge metal chorus. The songs feel very deliberate and arranged, a real contrast to hardcore’s stripped-down M.O. The vocals are mixed right up front, which ensures you’ll hear the similarly elaborate lyrics. The band sounds eager to push the genre’s constraints. Whether that’s good or bad is up to the listener.

Influenza I Think 12”

With a band called after a disease (the second one this month, probably a sign from the gods of punk that I should go to the doctor for a checkup soon), a slimy green font dripping onto a severed human head (or is it a head inside a head?), and ‘’I think’’ carved on the forehead, I initially thought that INFLUENZA was going to be some sort of raw and noisy gruff hardcore punk affair, especially since they are from Tampere. But I was wrong. I did not expect them to be, but INFLUENZA is very much influenced by early US hardcore, or maybe more accurately, I would compare them to those ’80s Italian bands that were influenced by US hardcore (not unlike SHOTGUN SOLUTION?), as the band has that similar wild vibe—I suppose POISON IDEA was also very much on their mind when they wrote the seven songs making up this mini album. There are some well-crafted, crawly, mid-paced numbers on this one and some proper rocking guitar leads, while the snotty singer is clearly committed and the lyrics have that sarcastic political tone that you expect from this style. Not the kind of sound I necessarily listen to often, but I did enjoy it, and with a total length of about seventeen minutes, the energy and dynamics are always present. Apparently INFLUENZA started out as more of a typical distorted hardcore punk band with reverb-heavy vocals, but the change might be for the best.

Iron Guts Kelly Good Luck, Get Fucked LP

Melodic hardcore punk that kinda runs the gamut of sounds. There’s elements of a little bit of everything here. The singer sounds like a mash-up of SICK OF IT ALL’s Lou Koller and RANCID’s Matt Freeman. This isn’t bad, and there’s definitely an audience for this kinda stuff for sure. That said, it’s not something I could see myself reaching to put on more than once or twice. Probably could have done without the OPERATION IVY cover…but that’s just me.

Itchy and the Nits Itchy and the Nits cassette

Let’s not beat around the lousy, unkempt bush—this is one of the best releases I’ve listened to in a while! ITCHY AND THE NITS, a new-ish trio out of Sydney, pair Raffaelli-era DONNAS worship with Pink Flag minimalism, as though the MUMMIES’ brand of budget rock was too opulent since it failed to trim the fat on traditional song structures. There’s no excess here. The average track length hovers right at 1:20, and the album employs exactly one extremely locked-in drumbeat. It gives the impression that these girls aren’t here to fuck around…despite the fact that most of the seven tracks on this cassette are about someone having crabs or whatever. What’s wild is that it never even feels like a gimmick. It comes off more like they set out to write some songs, and this is just what they happened to have on their minds. Nothing but good dumb fun for scabby dumb punks! Bozos need not apply.

Jack & the Rippers I Think It’s Over LP reissue

Real nice and vital reissue (from the reissue kings Puke N Vomit Records) of this excellent 2005 compilation of songs by these essential Swiss KBD punkers. You get the “on every comp and good mixtape,” pogo-crushing hits “I Feel Like a Tram” and “No Desire” from their one-and-only back in the day 7” single. The other tracks are culled from an unreleased second EP session and various cassette tapes. They’re  extremely English in sound, with a BUZZCOCKS, the BOYS, or poppier DAMNED numbered vibe crossed with some more UK DIY or even anarcho moments. Not quite as punk as fellow Swiss peers the NASAL BOYS, but most tracks are essential except maybe the pseudo-reggae “Endless Peace” or questionable JOHN LENNON “Cold Turkey” cover. It’s even available on splatter vomit tie-dye dayglo vinyl that you can slap on your punky bedroom wall. Good stuff.

Kibera Nemáš Jméno EP

D-Beat from the Czech Republic with an epic touch, good structures, and an afterlife voice. The guitars are too grandiloquent and solemn for my taste, almost with a bit of metal, but they have everything you look for in the genre.

Klint Klint cassette

Here’s something worth sinking your teeth into! Driving electro/synth punk utilizing a drum machine with tons of attitude. LOST SOUNDS pops into mind as a stylistic reference, but KLINT isn’t as guitar-forward, nor are they flirting with new wave in quite the same way. The vocals are overdriven and at times end up sounding robotic. In fact, it’s all vaguely robotic and suitably low-fidelity. The song “Noiseless” sounds like the SPITS if they were more obsessed with DEVO than the RAMONES. Fans of the PRODIGY or ATARI TEENAGE RIOT may find this appealing.

Larsen ¡No! EP reissue

I love a niche, boutique reissue label precisely for bringing me nuggets like this early ’80s power surge of militant Spanish punk. A bit of an overlooked artifact, and it’s not earth-shifting material, but this is pretty ferocious stuff that manages to stay catchy. The vocals have interesting character, veering somewhere between theatrical snottiness and political vitriol. Also, the bass tone is great, much brighter and more present in the way records from this time often get right. “Vomitas Sangre” is definitely the standout here and scratches an itch for something truly unhinged. The rest is worth hearing, but there aren’t really any revelations to be found in this brief historical document.

Last Bias Last Bias demo cassette

Three-track demo from LAST BIAS, a Tampa Bay, Florida four-piece. Tagged as a post-hardcore group, I can hear similarities to/influences from bands like UNWOUND or the JESUS LIZARD, but with a really gruff vocalist, more in line with traditional hardcore. I think the last song “Not The Same” shines the brightest of the three with its structure and riffs. Polish this up and let’s see what’s next!

Level Gone West EP

I typically love short and quick hardcore albums, but there’s something about this one that feels a tad empty and unsatisfying. The momentum is affected by dead air and sudden tempo changes, and it kills the energy midway through. These types of transitions work well on full-lengths, but for an EP that’s barely hitting the seven minute mark, there isn’t a lot of room to stretch your wings. I’d love to hear what an LP from these folks sounds like—feels like it’d fit their aesthetic a little better and give the building parts more time to breathe. Regardless, there’s some good stuff here. Very reminiscent of early CEREMONY. The drums sound great on this and are probably what’s causing me to long for more of their intensity.

Limbs Bin A Glass of Sour Quince cassette

Has a decade (plus) of harsh noise madness mellowed LIMBS BIN? No, young punk…not at all. Eighteen doses of chaotic, repetitive blasts shoving frenetic vocals from track to track with no time to breathe in between. A swarm of electronics fill the scant remaining spaces so the listener experiences nothing but pure mania; extreme noisecore stripped to its core elements (the “noise” and the “core”) and presented untreated, at maximum intensity. Eighteen fully-formed assaults crammed into 177 seconds…and then you can exhale.

Liver Values Blind Anger cassette

Fuck me, this is a rough one. I don’t recommend blasting this at your next family reunion (unless you actually want to be repudiated, in which case definitely go for it). LIVER VALUES are from Germany (Blind Anger was recorded in Ludwigsburg, so I’m guessing they must be from the Stuttgart area) and I’m not completely sure about what they are trying to do, apart from making a lot of noise. The production, if you can call it that, is rough indeed. I do like the very primal raw vibe of the recording, but because of the lack of hooks and breathing space in the songs, it just leaves the listener exhausted. In terms of songwriting, LIVER VALUES’ dark hardcore tends to go in all directions, too many in my opinion, and I think a more focused approach would help. I do like the distorted D-beat moments, I think they work well especially with the drums being very forward in the mix, and I can hear a lovely DISORDER/CHAOS UK influence too, but on the whole, the slower hardcore parts and some transitions lose me and it is all too harsh and flat to really make sense.

Marred Dark Legacy cassette

A fuzzed-out crusty punk punch to the stomach. MARRED is an ultra-brutal punk machine. A barrage of songs comes at you like gunfire, they don’t even give you time to breathe. For fans of pure aggression!

Mass Separation Semarak Api EP

There are bands that your granny may definitely enjoy if you include them on her birthday playlist, like the UNDERTONES for example, or maybe your terrible high school pop punk band because she’s too kind to hurt your feelings. Kuala Lumpur’s MASS SEPARATION is not one such band. I had not heard of them in ages and thought that they were no longer active, but I was fortunately wrong. Incidentally, MASS SEPARATION was the first band from Malaysia I came across back in the ’00s through their split with ATROCIOUS MADNESS, so their name clearly has a positive connotation for me. The Semarak Api EP includes six songs, three of which were actually recorded in 2007 and remastered for this release. If you are not familiar with the band, MASS SEPARATION plays—and indeed have played since 1996—noisy grinding thrashcore with a punk attitude and lyrics in Malay and English. It is a little out of my perimeter and there are probably too many tempo changes for my tastes, but I am into the harsh, aggressive vocal style and the political nature of the band. Not totally my kind of raw noise, but I can tell that they know what they are doing, that they are doing it properly, and that they are for real. In it for life. This EP was released on Bollocks Records, a new local label run by, well, the singer of the BOLLOCKS.

Mess Traidores / Excuses 7″

Here are two more crackers from MESS, one of the best to do it in the current crop of Oi! bands gaining popularity. Both sides of this 7” scratch the itch, with “Traidores” and “Excuses” straddling the line of first-wave ’70s punk and classic UK82 and Oi!, influenced by the usual suspects (BUSINESS, BLITZ, 4-SKINS). Throw this on with a beer or spliff for a solid Saturday night.

Model Citizen Live at Dial Back Sound LP

MODEL CITIZEN is composed of members of DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS and the DEXATEENS. Apparently this LP marks the groups first release in years, like since the late ’90s or something crazy. Some of these tracks have a STRAWBERRY ZOTS feel, really pop-oriented with a ton of organ. I think I’m good, maybe the band’s namesake song is kinda OK? This is like being trapped in a truckstop bar, get me out of here!

Model Citizens NYC 1978​–1979 LP

First-time redux of the the MODEL CITIZENS’ one-off 1979 EP (originally released on John Cale’s Spy Records label), now fleshed out as a proper long-player with an additional eight live tracks recorded at the Hurrah and Max’s Kansas City in 1978/1979. The MODEL CITIZENS were part of the constellation of New York weirdos crafting dissonant, danceable, and gleefully asymmetrical sounds in the city’s late ’70s downtown squalor, approaching the music-making process as a conceptual extension of their artistic practices. The four studio cuts all wiggle around the sort of anxious, off-kilter rhythms favored by the best art-school-spawned American post-punk outfits of the era (DEVO, PINK SECTION, etc.)—the delirious, near-wordless shrieks and squeals from vocalists Eugenie Diserio and Gloria Richards that punctuate “Animal Instincts” make them sound like the big city evil twins of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of the B-52’S, backed by some perfectly trashy organ stabs that only reinforce that parallel, and the tightly-wound, violin and marimba-accented minimalist groove and neurotically yelped vocals from one of their male counterparts on “I Am Honest” bests early TALKING HEADS at their own schtick. Some of the unreleased live cuts are especially great (the Eugenie/Gloria new wave from hell call-and-response of “Do It Like It Matters,” or the serpentine, bass-led mutant funk groove of “Foreign Tongue”), foreshadowing what was to come from the projects that the MODEL CITIZENS ultimately splintered into at the end of their brief run (major label new wavers POLYROCK, downtown funk-punk combo the DANCE, the backing band for preteen post-punk queen CHANDRA). Yes art, let’s dance.

Nag Human Coward Coyote LP

If you’re looking for straightforward hardcore or punk, maybe look elsewhere, but if you’re in the mood for that creepy, kind of surreal, Outer Limits-inspired punk, then stick around. NAG from Atlanta, Georgia released Human Coward Coyote earlier this year as a fresh addition to their growing catalog. This new album pushes the punk element deeper with a bit more raw production and in-your-face drums. If you’ve ever enjoyed the work of A FRAMES, then you’ll like this. There’s even elements that remind me of the ADOLESCENTS and a bit of AGENT ORANGE. Overall, it’s a fast, fun blend of darker punk interspersed with some intergalactic noise.

Negative Prayer Morbid EP

Three evil crushers from NEGATIVE PRAYER, for fans of GENOCIDE PACT, NECROT, and DISFEAR. “Morbid” is the standout for me here; a flurry of growling D-beat that pumps the brakes a minute-and-a-half in, detouring into a thrash-y chug before grabbing you by the throat and throwing you back into the pits (of Hell). Lyrically, NEGATIVE PRAYER isn’t exactly a ray of sunshine, but who wants that from their crusty death metal anyway?

New Dawn The Wicked Shall Not Rule 12″

Something tells me that between them, the members of NEW DAWN own every pressing of every record Porcell played on—even the YOUNG REPUBLICANS 7”. I kid (well, about the YOUNG REPUBLICANS record, at least). Seriously though, there’s some heavy YOUTH OF TODAY/JUDGE influence here. While they may not be breaking any new ground with their sound, it’s not stale by any means, and being that they only give the listener seven songs here, it’s over before it gets the chance to dry up.

Nightstick Justice Complete Discography cassette

Well, here’s a rip-roaring blast from the past. If you weren’t lucky enough to catch them within the brief window of their existence from 2006–2008, treat yourself to this absolutely blistering collection of raging USHC from NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE. Goddamn, this one really holds up. Twenty-four tracks compiled from three EPs and one long-player; the frantic hardcore on this cassette is up there with some of the era’s best like DIRECT CONTROL, STREET TRASH, and TEAR IT UP. Straight-ahead, no-frills, angry fucking punk. Stellar drumming, rabid shouted vocals, fuzzed-out bass, and riffs on top of riffs, on top of riffs! Listen to songs like “Control” or “Desensitized” and try not to smash anything. My only gripe is that they didn’t make more than 50 of these tapes. Grip one if you can!

No Comply East Coast Powerviolence LP

Holy shit, this fucking shreds. This 42-song collection gathers tracks from the Florida band’s storied history. Like GODSTOMPER, this is bass-heavy powerviolence with noise interludes, threatening samples, and absolutely unhinged shrieking vocals. I don’t have a lyric sheet, but the songs have a meanness to them that can’t really be translated anyway. The production varies a little from track to track due to the different source materials, but all the tracks sound thick, blown-out, and filthy. Some of the songs venture into near grind/noisecore with brief bursts of screech, while others stretch out into doomy breakdowns, and we even get a few STIKKY and SPAZZ covers. “The Noise Set (9 Songs)” is like a Whitman’s Sampler of the band with furious PV, emoviolence passages, and jazzy bass. It all rules, and if you like powerviolence, consider this essential.

Non Band Vibration Army / Silence​-​High​-​Speed 7″

Two tracks that were recorded by Japanese art-punks NON BAND in 1981, but ultimately left on the cutting room floor when they released their self-titled 10” the following year. Rhythm completely guides the songs, with hypnotic tom-centered beats tumbling behind see-sawing violin scratch, elastic-snap bass grooves, and vocalist/bassist Non’s flipped-out baby doll chatters and shrieks—a splintered no wave deconstruction of (punk) rock-descended sound, but one that’s more playful and freewheeling than skronking and confrontational, sort of like the RAINCOATS by way of DNA (if you want to be reductive). Both sides are absolutely killer, and as a bonus, the 7” comes with a beautifully laid-out 48-page booklet/magazine full of archival photos of the band taken by Yuichi Jibiki, who was responsible for backing some of the wildest Japanese post-punk of the early-to-mid-’80s through his label Telegraph Records. It’s a German import and not cheap, but absolutely worth every penny and any effort involved in obtaining a copy. Do it!

Ordinance Ordinance demo cassette

Crushing raw punk done right. Hailing from the thriving hotbed of hardcore that is Richmond, Virginia, ORDINANCE plows through four songs in under seven minutes. Buzzsaw guitars blanket the entire production in a cocoon of harsh static, while the drummer pounds out pulsing D-beats. The slight delay on the shouted vocals allows for a touch of depth, tying it all together. This fits right in with fellow Richmond rockers FUTURE TERROR  and SPORE, with an injection of Swedish influence for good measure. I imagine ORDINANCE being raised on a steady diet of the SHITLICKERS, CRUDE S.S., and MOB 47, with Scandinavian jawbreakers served as dessert. My favorite track, “Hatestrung,” disrupts the formula with a tempo change that gets mean and stompy, but make no mistake, this demo is an ax-swinging ripper. Noise > music!

People’s Temple I’m With the People’s Temple EP

Brooklyn, NY-based hardcore punkers released this solid eight-track EP in February 2023, aided by Roachleg Records. Filled with classic ’80s USHC nods and all its raw energy, giving us powerful, distorted guitars and good soloing, sharp, spot-on bass lines, and on-point drums with fast cadences, directly entangled with visceral vocals guided by the sharp drum cuts. A great surprise of ’80s-infused songs combining the most classic skate punk from all over, a hint of charged punk rock, and a fresh pinch of no wave in there. Put early AGENT ORANGE, DEAD BOYS, NECROS, and POISON IDEA in a blender and there you go. Suggested tracks: “Patriotic & Brain Dead” and “S.O.S.”

Physique Again cassette

PHYSIQUE has been one my favourite US bands of the past five years, a statement that is not to be taken lightly since the belly of the beast has produced a lot of quality crust, noisy hardcore, and D-beat music in that time. Before PHYSIQUE, the word “physique,” in its English form, inexplicably evoked images of David Beckham’s underwear ad campaigns, so I am extremely grateful that it has now been replaced with visions of crust pants and Flying Vs. Olympia is not a town that one would traditionally associate with being mercilessly assailed by Japanese-style distorted atrocious hardcore madness, but this makes PHYSIQUE even better. Again is the band’s first real LP and it is relatively long for a dis-noise crasher oeuvre, no less than thirty minutes (as a comparison The Evolution of Combat was a twelve-minute affair), so clearly it is an ambitious undertaking. I have always liked how the band’s sound evolved through time, as the progression from Punk Life is Shit to Again is striking. On this new one, PHYSIQUE keeps working in the liminal space between the crasher hardcore crust school and the most brutal käng tsunamis. D-CLONE Frenching FRAMTID at a conference about the Tokyo Crusties EP and followed by a workshop about how to write your band’s name with the classic DOOM font. Basically. The sound on this album is devastating and almost scary: the drums sound insane, an impressive demonstration of the manic crasher style with its distinct rolls and transitions, the guitar’s distortion is al dente, the bass sounds like there is an earthquake next door, and the vocals have never sounded so desperate, agonizing, and almost unnaturally angry. They sound like a zombified bear singing along to SHITLICKERS on a night bus. PHYSIQUE shines on this, but it is the sheer relentlessness of the songwriting that is incredible, with only two delicious, DISCHARGE-loving, mid-paced scorchers to let the listener breathe and throw a few cool dance moves. Again is an articulated work behind its frightening ferocity, and the last song “Again (Reprise)” is a seven-minute-long galloping D-beat song that goes on again and again, precisely in the style that traditionally goes on again and again, just like war and misery go on again and again. The song never seems to stop even when it should, which is a pretty accurate metaphor for the world we live in. The tape is released on Iron Lung, but there will be a vinyl version soon enough. What a brutal experience.

Plastic Tones Power Pop Testament LP

I fell in love with this female-fronted Finnish band years ago after reviewing a single of theirs—I remember thinking that they reminded me of someone when I reviewed that record. I still think that’s true, but I also still haven’t solved the mystery. It bugs the fuck out of me. Nine perfect cuts that are seemingly equal parts pop, punk, and new wave. All are super catchy and the vocals are just plain pretty. Despite the pretty vocals, there’s an underlying eeriness in all of their songs. Highest recommendation.

Poker Face Poker Face LP

Early ’00s full-length from Warsaw’s POKER FACE gets the reissue treatment from Enigmatic. Melodic hardcore that hits like a street punk NOFX, or the later records by NYHC bands who had started to mellow. Catchy guitar leads and determined, gritty vocal snarls, they’re at their best when the songs are short and sweet, but there’s a legion of new fans just waiting to discover this band—and I hope that they do.

Polansky Y El Ardor Ataque Preventivo De La URSS EP reissue

Originally released in 1982 as a 12” EP, Snap!! Records has done a great service by reissuing Ataque Preventivo De La URSS as part of their ongoing Revival series. Although POLANSKY Y EL ARDOR was part of the second wave of punk to emerge from Madrid’s bustling scene, their sound is firmly rooted in 1977. The title track is an infectious ditty with a distinctive double-picked guitar line and sing-along chorus. Not far afield from the VIBRATORS or BUZZCOCKS, I’m reminded most of the utterly fantastic Finnish band 013. “​​Y No Usa Laca” is a killer tune as well and exhibits POLANSKY Y EL ARDOR’s use of a saxophone, which comes to prominence on the somewhat dour B-side cut, “Chantaje Emocional.” Beyond being a fascinating document illuminating a corner of Spanish punk history, this reissue also provides an excellent opportunity to get your hands on an underappreciated gem.

Polluter Demo 2021 cassette

High-octane is the name of the game. South Korean fast hardcore infused with blastbeats and occasional D-beats. Highly energetic music with a very, very pissed-off vocal delivery. Sometimes it reminds me of a slower and less spazzy RAINBOWS OF DEATH. The shifts in style and beats only bring another dimension to their love of hardcore punk. Amazing debut display of modern hardcore.

Positive Violence No Such Thing! CD

Poland’s POSITIVE VIOLENCE play Oi!-influenced, East Coast-style hardcore with some UKHC influences on 2022’s No Such Thing!. Pretty standard fare that unfortunately falls prey to feeling a little generic at times. There are, however, a couple of odd exceptions; POSITIVE VIOLENCE has a penchant for beer and hippies, so much so that each subject gets its own song (the former on “Pearl Among Beers,” the latter on the aptly titled “Hippie Chick”). Curiously enough, each of these tracks trades the tough-guy hardcore act for more of a goofball pop punk thing (which helps explain the equally eccentric album cover). Kind of a bizarre listen, but also an interesting one.

Primitive Fucking Ballers You Gotta Do Something cassette

Hectic drums, powerful bass, and a sloppy, provocative voice with the violent urge of a televangelist on speed. It seems like the drummer is trying not to repeat the same beat twice, and the result is an atmosphere of anxiety and muffled howling, like a chemical hangover the morning after a party that got out of hand. Hardcore punk in the vein of the Lumpy Records catalog, but more aggro.

Rat-Nip My Pillow EP

This is it. The kids from Pittsburgh always know how to deliver it. This is just my thing: the whole thing oozes aggressiveness, you almost can touch it. Drums are like a horse’s kick in the head or a blacksmith punch, riffs are a blunt and overwhelming repetition topped with some razor-like licks, and the vocals are an invitation to take things outside. I can hear 2000s hardcore punk in here, bands like WASTED TIME, DIRECT CONTROL, or CÜLO, a corrosive way of playing fast and dense punk that you don’t find so often nowadays. With this kind of band, everything’s already said or written, so the best thing to do is try not to overthink it and just let yourself go. Dance, scream, break things, and go berserk. RAT-NIP already did it.

Repeat Offender Promo 2022 cassette

Raw-as-fuck steamroller hardcore attack out of Los(t) Angeles. They’ve been kicking behinds for a long minute now, and this is hopefully just a teaser of more to come, judging from the snappy title. Reminds me a lot of CONCEALED BLADE as well as the usual FIX/POISON IDEA comparisons, the latter whom they do a nice job of covering. Well, it’s 2023 and this shit’s sold out already. Give me more. We’re all waiting.

Retirement Bleed City cassette

Bleed City was released as a promo tape before the LP Buyer’s Remorse comes out on Iron Lung Records. With a label like that releasing the band, you can already get a sense of where this is going. Harsh, bleak, and unfiltered aggression of hardcore as it was back in the day, with bands like INFEST or NEGATIVE APPROACH as a template. “No feel-good anthems here, just the downward spiral of a dark and bleak trip,” as stated on their Bandcamp. A couple of surprises on Side B in the form of a RUDIMENTARY PENI cover and a remix by Andrew Nolan from ENDLESS BLOCKADE, COLUMN OF HEAVEN, and INTENSIVE CARE fame. Excited for the LP to come out.

Revanche À Jamais EP

A nicely-done EP from Switzerland’s REVANCHE, featuring four sturdy Oi! tracks sung in French. No frills here; this is as clean as a freshly shaved dome. Opening track “Poucave” and title track “A Jamais” are a saxophone or two away from being indistinguishable from the source material these guys are working from. For fans of the old school (TROTSKIDS) and the new school (MESS, CASTILLO) of the genre.

RF7 Weight of the World LP reissue

Twelve-track LP originally released in 1981 by Felix Alanis’s label Smoke Seven Records, reissued by Puke N Vomit. Classic hardcore punk from Southern California (Simi Valley), reminiscent of early BAD RELIGION with new wave hints. Rocky guitars with some interesting riffs, amateurish bass, sufficient drumming, deep vocals, and anthemic songs on this one—classic early USHC formula, but with a softer touch. Probably a great band to have seen live back in the day, and although lacking precision, this recording is full of the amateur passion so important for punk. This time vault discovery reissued captures the essence of an era, but for my taste, it lacks distortion and speed. Suggested tracks: “Satan’s Son” and “Jesus Loves You.”

Rudimentary Peni Cacophony LP reissue

To review a classic record is a difficult task. Ideally, a serious reviewer should pretend to be unfamiliar with the work before writing about it in order to be somewhat objective and maybe offer something fresh. The risk of being in awe before a canonical record and therefore unable or unwilling to think critically about it is also serious. After all, there must have been dozens of reviews about Cacophony in the past 35 years, and most people already know about the record. Why bother when I could just binge-watch a mediocre series that I will inevitably forget about? Originally released in 1988, Cacophony is one of RUDIMENTARY PENI’s most famous recordings and some people rate it as the band’s best work, but I am not one of them. The band’s uniquely deranged, bizarre sound, magnificent creepy aesthetics, their reluctance to play live, and the mystery surrounding them have clearly created a legend, and few bands can claim to be as cult as PENI. There is no doubt that reissuing Cacophony is a brilliant idea and a necessity, as it is a classic album that just should be available. More than a collection of songs, it has to be listened to as a gothic trip, if not a descent, into the life, psyche, and oeuvre of Lovecraft, an uncanny world governed by fear, madness and eeriness. It is as strange as it is particular, unlike any other punk albums. To be honest, I like Death Church much better, and I think Cacophony makes more sense if you take PENI’s previous output into account, as it is a clear departure from conventional punk songwriting, if not from the classical definition of punk itself. Taken individually, the 30 songs that made up the LP are not particularly meaningful—it is only as a cohesive whole, as a full narrative, that they create deep meaning. Musically, Cacophony is hard to describe. Polyphonic, versatile, dark, free, macabre, insanity-driven, undead, strangely sensual, anguished and tortured, creative asylum punk rock. It is great, essential even, but I am still struggling to know if I love it or if I am just fascinated. Whatever the answer, we should all thank Sealed Records.

S.C.U.M. Born Too Soon… LP reissue

Discovering a great band or album you’ve somehow missed over the years never gets old, especially when it’s a record as killer as this. Underrated hardcore heroes S C.U.M. from Montreal get the reissue treatment for their excellent 1985 LP Born Too Soon…if only I could go back in time and give this to my high-school self. Oh well, better late than never. S.C.U.M. (who bastardized the Montreal Urban Community police name and logo at the time) played hard and confrontational punk similar to J.F.A. and BAD BRAINS, with some cool satirical Jello Biafra-esque vocals. Lyrically, the band hits every touchstone of punk that was as relevant then as it is today: politics, war, skateboarding (although truthfully, I could do without the sort of corny “Pool Hunt”), and of course, hating the police. Ragers like “Go to War,” “Exit Death,” and “So Much Hate” rattle with power and are so well-produced, it really is a shame these guys haven’t received more recognition.

Schwach Kälter LP

Hailing from Berlin, SCHWACH has been putting out music for quite some time now, although it is this reviewer’s first time listening. All in all, it is by-the-numbers, melodic youth crew hardcore (although it does contain surprises within, including but not limited to the latter half of “Gedankenpalast,” which contains both a killer drum solo and even a pretty bitchin’ sax solo!), which isn’t a bad thing. Most of the lyrics are in their native German, but with the occasional burst of English lyrics like “Don’t give up!” that should give an idea of the lyrical content. Sure, it is far from groundbreaking, but it doesn’t need to be. This LP will be a two-stepper’s delight and comes very recommended for fans of the youth crew style.

Scrounger At the Edge of Our Abilities cassette

The guitars on this tape are sloppy pop punk with just a touch of reverb and an occasional bum note. The drums sound like a collection of cardboard boxes, pots, and pans. This is a sound I always associate with early ’00s bands like SHOTWELL or ADD/C. The whole thing sounds like an overdub of a bootleg, but SCROUNGER has great hooks and a sense of timing which makes them sound carefree rather than careless. At the Edge of Our Abilities is an easy, breezy ride on top of a punk rock freight car.

Senata Fox Discography cassette

Croatian punks SENATA FOX started in the late ’90s and lasted through the ’00s, and this tape collects the entire recorded works they left in their wake—47 songs on the gnarlier side of the spectrum, with relentless pounding drums and dual screaming/monster vocals. With a thrashy and rabid attack, the band plays a type of hardcore that toes the lines of neo-crust, powerviolence, and grind. In this career-spanning collection, you can hear the band evolve from more of a straightforward fastcore style into the sarcastic, blastbeating beast they had become by the time they recorded “Death Metal Diet.” Kudos to Doomtown Records for preserving the carnage.

Shattered Dreams In Bremen March 1993 CD

Under-the-radar, high-energy hardcore from Bremen’s SHATTERED DREAMS, who left us with just one (killer) EP before disbanding, not long after the show captured on this disc. Metal-tinged hardcore punk with an excellent recording that reminds me more than a little of RKL’s Double Live in Berlin—this disc is a winner as an introduction or a posthumous document. Top cuts: “Feel the Change” and the more melodic “Into the Dark.”

Shitstorm Demonic Alien EP

This EP checks the boxes. There is all the snarl and sass that one would expect from such a band that is SHITSTORM. There is some PRISON AFFAIR for sure, laced with vocals that could easily be coming from B.A.’s offspring. The tracks are all fast and just kinda furious, with the sloppy lyrics being the only point of discord throughout the listen. The party ends with the slow-moving tank of a track “Get It Right.” Hell yeah! Let Missouri continue to be the depository of this satisfying filth. I can feel the septic Midwest bubbling away.

Silent Drama Silent Drama cassette

Sick Italian hardcore here from SILENT DRAMA. On this ten-song tape, the band mixes Japanese and USHC influences into their stripped-down approach, and the whacked-out vocals cement it as a memorable experience. “Ignorance is Blissing” is the stand-out track for me, sounding like a cross between Fuck Heads-era GAUZE and early BAD BRAINS. Snotty as fuck.

Slug Continuing Growth LP

I may be biased, but nothing hits quite like hardcore from the Midwest. Very cool shit from SLUG, an Ohio-based outfit playing lean and mean punk on their EP Continuing Growth. There’s some lurching WARTHOG goodness here—check out “Axe” and “…Tired” to see what I mean. I’ve seen some Hate5Six footage of SLUG and all I can say is that I’m anxiously awaiting a Chicago date.

Snailbones Tinnitus Alrightus LP

Three session musicians from Portland get together with vague ideas of forming a band. One dude is really keen on starting a NIRVANA tribute act. He’s “nailed” his Kurt impression and thinks it would be funny to name the band DUMB, but then put in much smaller letters “a NIRVANA Tribute Act.” The other two are considerate friends—they pretend to mull the idea over, but gently encourage everyone to keep thinking. Ultimately, they decide they should try their hand at doing originals. Stuff that sounds like a mix of their favorite bands—X, L7, MISFITS, DEVO, and, sure, even NIRVANA. It doesn’t matter that they’ve never written songs before, they’ll figure that out along the way and have a ton of fun in the process…or at least that’s how I imagine the SNAILBONES story goes. That would at least explain how this LP of slick-as-shit-sounding, cringe-inducing grunge-punk came to be. Does not explain how it ended up with this title, though. Yikes! To be fair, it does genuinely sound like they’re having a good time, and that’s not nothing. Still, this was a tough one to get through.

Snuki Demo 001 cassette

Six rage-filled songs of plodding, fuzzed-out, nasty hardcore punk. Shockingly memorable despite these songs being completely devoid of anything standardly deemed “catchy.” SNUKI sounds like they would be very appreciated by the lovers of CULT RITUAL and other popular mysterious guy HC bands from a handful of years ago, but it’s certainly not on that same powerhouse level. It is a bold claim numbering your very first demo with multiple zeros in front of the one. I expect at least 99 more demos from SNUKI, or I want it known that I am now officially on record as being pissed about it.

Society Problem Stolen Moment EP

There’s a whole lot of noise here, but the most disorienting feature is the rapidly changing drums. Every time I’m ready to settle into a nice raging rhythm, they halt, change speed, or even switch entirely mid-beat. It felt like a student driver riding the brake all down the highway. The vocals arrive via a busted speaker with traces of static. The whole thing is accompanied by a generous (or excessive) use of sound bites.

Sordid Ship Vague Digitale 12″

Avast ye landlubbers and hoist the mainsail, because here comes a 12” of seemingly entirely nautical-themed street punk(?)—while it doesn’t semantically make sense, it turns out that it also doesn’t make for very good music, either! It’s extraordinarily generic; I could see it nestling gently at 4:00 pm on the Breton leg of La Tour Warped or whatever, but I’m not even sure the band themselves would be able to recognise these tunes if they heard them in the wild. One for skateboard owners.

Spad EP cassette

Two-riff songs that last less than two minutes each, simple but effective guitars, and a voice that kinda speaks to you from behind a megaphone at a rally. I like the canned sound and how the bass takes over in the middle of “The Corner Room.” There are no pretensions here, just old hardcore punk with influences from the classic New York and Boston styles, but with a less solemn approach.

Spark Supernova LP

Hardcore that harkens back to the youth crew revival sound that was so prevalent around the start of the new millennium. Pretty decent stuff as far as sounding like more than just a rehash of what has come before. Lyrics are more on the personal and introspective tip than just singing about straightedge, which a lot of these types are guilty of. These kids may be straightedge, but they’re not throwing it in your face, which is welcomed. Solid effort here.

Speck Speck cassette

Equation-core complexity meets feedback-riddled, no wave drone jazz on this eleven-song release. Imagine the bewildering instrumentation of BOTCH or DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (without the tough guy affect) accompanied by CONTORTIONS-style sax riffing. That sounds like a mess, but it’s cool. The vocals are strained and desperate, buried just deep enough in the mix that, although unintelligible, they occasionally offer melody if you mine deep enough. “Dead Beach Boy” is head-bobbing, stop/start dirge-punk that propels forward into noisy chaos. “Blab Eye Chops” has a repetitive bass groove that creates a rhythmic backbone to atonal guitar and sax squall that sounds like NAKED CITY playing on a falling elevator. Eclectic and innovative, punk at its core, SPECK experiments with the form to our benefit.

Spirit Dive Demo 2022 cassette

This demo features two versions of two songs: one electric, the other acoustic. This felt a little gratuitous to me since the latter didn’t depart too much from the former. SPIRIT DIVE’s tunefulness is front and center, so it’s not like you’d miss it but for the acoustic versions. The electric versions are delivered via flanged guitar and the vocalist’s deep, from-the-belly belting. The rhythm section is definitely putting their hours in balancing the guitar’s treble with a full, lower-register sound.

Stalingrad 42 Skins’N’Punks LP

When I threw this on, the first thing that came to mind was that the vocals were vaguely reminiscent of Fuaim Catha-era OI POLLOI. That’s about the best thing that I can say about STALINGRAD 42, because it really goes downhill from there. While there are a plethora of Oi! bands currently pushing the boundaries of the genre, STALINGRAD 42 is taking a far less innovative approach. Skins’N’Punks is replete with overproduced, under-inspired songs that are so phoned-in, they should be charged for collect calls. The guitar lines sound like they were lifted from your dad’s butt-rock cover band. Oh, and there’s a ska song. This gets a hard pass from me.

Stereo Joy 10 Minutes With Stereo Joy cassette

Hitting more like a bedroom than garage, this solo project brings some nimble and nifty punk with enough genre experimentation to really craft something you can sink your teeth into in the promised ten-minute runtime. With surf excursions such as the aptly-named “Whirlpool,” as well as the more shambolic, apocalyptically grunge-tinged opener “Mind Imperfection,” this tape really showcases a broad range of what Joey Roest-Aleman can do. This is all while maintaining a cohesive sound of wet (like, drenched) and agile guitars, clear and punchy bass, and strange disaffected vocal delivery. The one gripe, and it’s biased, is the computerized drums. I get it, finding a drummer is every punk’s nightmare sometimes, but I’d love for this project to find one. It would really seal the deal.

Stiff Meds Exciting Violence EP

Based between London and Leeds, England is STIFF MEDS, who go in hard and fast on their debut vinyl release. Uber-fast hardcore punk with some powerviolence-esque time-fuckery thrown in for good measure. Exciting Violence drips with rage and aggression on all fronts— the vocals roar over tight-as-a-vice instrumentation (drummer Luke is the absolute best in the game in the UK right now). If you like it as fast as possible, STIFF MEDS is not a band to sleep on.

Stiff Richards Stiff Richards LP reissue

The latest reissue of STIFF RICHARDS’ debut LP from 2017, delivering melodic garage rock with hooks for days. Like a mix of the SAINTS, PAINT FUMES, and BLACK LIPS, this record is a non-stop, classic-sounding jam with punk energy. For instance, “Brainwashed” has raspy, smoke-ruined vocals and guitar-hero riffs, but then lifts the “I’m seein’ red” refrain from the canonical MINOR THREAT song, “Seeing Red.” Other standouts are the earworm “Layla,” the psych-tinged “Bustin’ Out,” and the naughty pseudo-ballad “Ride on Me.” If this type of high octane, no-frills grime rock is your jam, check it out.

Surface Waves The Phantom Centre CD

Five songs that have a vibe like ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT minus the horns, meets SMUGGLERS at a TURBONEGRO show. Really well-done rock’n’roll-tinged punk. This stuff is really hit-or-miss a lot of the time, as it’s either a really bad rehash of something from decades before or really fresh sounding. Luckily, this falls in the latter category, and while it does have the feel of the aforementioned bands, it is something all its own.

Surplus 1980 Kremlin Gremlin (A Dull Fiddler) / Some Few Facts (And One False One) About Birds (Birds Are Real Dub Mix) 7″

New single from Moe Staiano’s SURPLUS 1980 project. Staunchly in support of Ukraine, the album cover is simply Putin’s face crossed out by Ukrainian colors, and all sales of the single go to the Vet Crew, taking care of animals displaced by the war. This is my first dabble into anything Moe Staiano-related, and apparently, I’ve got some homework to do. SURPLUS 1980 was originally started as a studio-only band, with Staiano playing many different instruments on the 2011 debut Relapse in Response, and transformed over the years into a collective of different musicians with some live shows. The music is a little unnerving and off-kilter, but in a playful way. Lots of odd percussion, single synth notes walking up obscure scales, asymmetrical guitar riffs, and fun backing vocals coming from all directions. “Kremlin Gremlin (A Dull Fiddler)” provides the political context, and has a little more typical song structure, while “Some Few Facts (And One False One) About Birds (Birds Are Real Dub Mix)” on the B-side is a full dub-groove experiment with a cyclical melody that is a little maddening, sounding like some DEVO hidden track. Show some support for Ukraine and get weird with SURPLUS 1980!

Tàrrega 91′ Fill De La Merda EP

TÀRREGA 91′ is a band from the small town of Tàrrega in Catalonia. Their speedy, skate-friendly brand of hardcore is played in honor of a 1991 riot in which 86 youths were detained. Blasting like some of the best hardcore punk bands of all-time, TÀRREGA 91′ manages to blister their way through three fast songs, only to close things out with a welcomed mid-paced pummeler that uses all the primordial power hidden in those tom drum fills. Play on repeat and you’ll be stomping in circles, pissed-off and ready to butt heads. This is that authentic anarchist hardcore that primes the synapses for anything and everything.

Tee Vee Repairmann Organic Mould EP

More wacky, drum-machine-clad, DEVO-infused garage rock from our friends at Goodbye Boozy, this time featuring Australia’s TEE VEE REPAIRMANN. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it a thousand times: the best in punk is currently being exported from the Land Down Under. The rest of the world should collectively thank Strai’yah for their services to rock’n’roll. First half of this slab retains the traditional egg-punk we’ve all come to know and love, reminiscent of SNOOPER, ALIEN NOSEJOB, and CHERRY CHEEKS. The B-side features two slower ballads with a much stronger bedroom pop vibe. Really rounds out the EP as a whole. Great piece here, highly recommended.

Teini-Pää Sata Syytä Aloittaa LP

I don’t have an inkling of how to speak the Finnish language, so I had no idea what to expect with this record. The cover art reminded me a lot of the mid-to-late ’00s indie rock scene, and to be honest, because of that, I wasn’t expecting much here. However, this album completely blew me away. Very sentimental, rustic dream-rock. I can’t understand what they’re singing about, but I can feel it with the hooks and melodies. For all I know, they could be singing about something absolutely brutal. Still, the songs ooze with tenderness and nostalgia. “Mun Sydän On” is the standout track, the one that caused this album to sink its teeth into me. For fans of SUGAR STEMS and GOOD LUCK. Wonderful stuff.

Tercer Mundo Discografia cassette

Cool! TERCER MUNDO’s debut EP was one of the first records I got assigned to review that I was really stoked on getting a review copy to take home as well. Encased in a beautiful hand-screened envelope with ultra-gore ¡Alarma!-style graphics and an insert with decapitated heads on one side and a woman’s armless and legless torso inside with the words “Mexico 2012—60,000 human beings dead. Now go party and score some cocaine” gave one an idea of what to expect. Brutal, violent, raw hardcore from an especially violent and bloody period in Mexico’s history. This turmoil spawned an awesome spark of raw musical inspiration much as ’80s and early ’90s Medellin punk and metal did under Escobar’s reign. Bands like TERCER MUNDO, MUERTE, INSERVIBLES, ABORTICIDIO, and RATAS DEL VATICANO were on fire with art and anguish, with a sound akin to an updated MASSACRE 68 or SECTA SUICIDA SIGLO 20. Eager American punks like me lapped it up.  Here we get that killer EP as well as the follow-up LP all on one cassette, beautifully packaged in the pictures I’ve seen. It’s limited to 40 copies so you’ll have to fight me to get one of your own, but if you miss out, member Dave Rata is making beautiful music in NYC in POBREZA MENTAL, XERO, and more. Really cool.

Terminal Filth Death Driven LP

Crashing cymbals, guttural and nearly blackened-style vocals, gnarly hardcore breakdowns, and impossibly swift rhythm shifts make TERMINAL FILTH the current masters of international-style hardcore/stenchcore. This full-length is jammed with some heavy-hitting material! The band calls Berlin home, but they recently played in Portland, Oregon, so I’m hoping to see some more US dates develop. For me, this is worth seeing live. If you’re in the mood for heavy, metallic crust, then definitely check out TERMINAL FILTH and grab one of these LPs.

The Brats Be a Man / Quaalude Queen 7″ reissue

Sick. The BRATS’ once-obscure ’70s single (since reissued and sold out by Hozac Records) now graces us again thanks to this fine Italian label’s money. In case you’re not an obsessive ’70s proto-glam punk nostalgia nerd, the BRATS were the vehicle of very brief original NEW YORK DOLLS guitarist Rick Rivets. My well-aged peers might know “Be a Man” from the cover done by SF punk favorites the INFECTIONS. It’s definitely the better tune here, but the flip ain’t no slouch either, and the whole thing has a slightly warped sound adding to the whole platform-soled “Quaalude” stagger sound. If you’re like me and missed the boat on ingesting the Roher disco biscuits, this is a suitable, clearer-headed substitute that won’t leave you with the joy of questioning your bedmate’s name in the morning. Good stuff, punker. Pick it up.

The Brats Keep Doin’ (What You’re Doin’) / If You Can’t Rock (You Can Roll) 7″ reissue

Ten seconds in and I’m thinking to myself that this sounds like some kids that want to sound like a glam band from the mid-’70s, or maybe they fancy themselves the next ROLLING STONES. Turns out this was originally released in 1975, so I was onto something. It’s fine, but it’s not knocking my socks off. The sound is a little thin for me and I find myself wanting them to pick up the pace. It’s just a little too deliberate. I feel like it was a good start to a good single, but they never quite finished the job.

The Drin Today My Friend You Drunk the Venom LP

Moody post-(pretentious)-punk from Cincinnati, but it’s not as bad as you’d think. The usual required deadpan vocals are accompanied by a bit of Australian VENOM P. STINGER/KIM SALMON musical leanings leaking through along, with the usual JOY DIVISION/WIRE/FALL influence. Some songs have almost a spooky RESIDENTS vibe, and there’s a little classic Ohio ELECTRIC EELS and PERE UBU in there somewhere. Nice. The heavier songs like “Peaceful, Easy, Feeling” are my faves here, and I could write something about beautifully textured musical landscapes or some such bullshit, but basically it’s a nice bleak winter day kinda listen but nothing to kill yourself over though. Lol.

The Fall-Outs Fine Young Men LP

Seattle-based record and book shop Hex Enduction reissues this band’s 1986 debut, originally an eight-song cassette put out by Green Monkey Records. It’s expanded here with two previously unreleased tracks, pressed to vinyl for the first time. Similar to the grunge scene taking shape around them, the FALL-OUTS pulled a lot of their inspiration from 1960s garage rock acts and 1970s punk. But if these dudes had copies of My War or Master of Reality in their record collections alongside their SHADOWS OF KNIGHT or UNDERTONES records, it ain’t coming through in their music. They lack any of the dourness you would typically associate with the Seattle rockers of that time, choosing instead to play their pop-punky garage rock very earnestly. It reminds me a bit of Tim-era REPLACEMENTS, but it’s also not a million miles away from what Lookout! Records would put out just a few years later (like, CRIMPSHRINE or early MR. T EXPERIENCE). I had a really good time with this, but I can also see folks cringing through a lot of the moments that I found super charming.

The Lo Yo Yo Extra Weapons LP reissue

The LO YO YO splintered off from the UK musical collective FAMILY FODDER in 1984, upholding their parent group’s tendencies toward post-punk experimentation but de-emphasizing FAMILY FODDER’s detours into quirky, effervescent new wave (think “Savoir Faire”/“Debbie Harry”) in order to wander down more dub-adjacent side streets. “Bad Intentions” opens their 1985 LP Extra Weapons by carving out a bass-driven, stiff funk groove with DELTA 5/AU PAIRS parallels that are further underscored by vocalist Joey Stack’s no-nonsense delivery, while “All the Atrocities” sets an “Earthbeat”-era SLITS punky reggae rhythm to highly pointed, practically CRASS-worthy anti-colonial/anti-religious lyrics, and the Afrobeat-inspired “Learning to Fly” is overlaid with warbling synth and the subtle scratch of RAINCOATS-esque violin. “Cache-Cache” into “You Never Know” is a the unbeatable one-two punch of the LP, with the former’s airy male/female vocal trade-off and percolating beat colored in by understated keys and sax representing the LO YO YO’s stab at sprightly UK DIY pop à la TWELVE CUBIC FEET, and the latter’s loping, bouncy dub-punk rhythms and anthemic vocals evoking the more experimental ’80s anarcho-femme faction (ANDROIDS OF MU, HONEY BANE’s “Guilty” single, etc.). Not an easy band to pin down and that’s a positive thing; free your mind.

The Remote Controls The Remote Controls CD

Self-titled debut from this Indiana power trio. They pretty much have that early SCREECHING WEASELS/QUEERS pop punk snot down pat. As a fan of said genre for 30-plus years now, there’s definitely nothing new here, but they attack the genre with enough verve and gusto to make it sound fresh enough.

The Rubs (dust) LP

The RUBS make no-frills, verse-chorus-verse pop music. They have been at it for a while now, and have scrawled their name in the lengthy scroll of the Chicago pop punk sound that keeps on trucking. It has been a minute since I have seen this band around. I do remember hearing their single “The Walk” when it came out in 2015 and thinking that Joey Rubbish and company were on the  bluesy garage end of the spectrum…seven years later with (Dust), the band comes with much more of a synth-laden, dreamy pop punk feel. It all has the right feel with enough hooks, harmonies, and palmed guitar riffing to get the bubblegum popping. I feel that a good amount of the record’s tracks would almost do better with shortened lengths—the opener “I Want You” and “Dana” come to mind. I would buy this album just to listen to “Here in My Dream,” a sleepy, quiet composition. It is acoustic and woody and does not sound like the rest of the pack.

The Speedways Talk of the Town LP

While this is reminiscent of the EXPLODING HEARTS, it’s decidedly softer. Still, the melodies are as catchy as the guitar riffs. It’s mid-tempo power pop with a jangly guitar thing that’s not quite as infectious as everyone’s favorite power pop/punk combo. At times, this has a certain PARTRIDGE FAMILY quality to it. If you think even for one second that that is anything other than high praise, you are mistaken. They’ve even got their ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS moments. This is worth looking for.

The Toms The Toms 2xLP reissue

A relic from ‘79 gets the reissue treatment from Feel It. Who the hell are the TOMS? From what I have gathered, this project is from an older Jersey guy, Tom Marolda—songwriter, composer, performer, movie soundtrack writer, etc. Not finding much on any other musicians involved in the project. This is really sweet music, cloying in fact. Like consuming a box of glazed donuts, I can feel my teeth hurting after the long march of heavy-duty power popness that makes up the 24 tracks on this LP. There are moments to be had for sure, but in the end, the production is squeaky clean and the songs way too repetitive. This might be for some, but I need more sharp edges.

The Vacant Lot Living Underground EP reissue

Impossibly scarce OZ DIY artifact brought back to life! The four songs on this 1980 EP from Canberra’s the VACANT LOT legitimately sound like the product of four different bands—I’d love to see some sort of Myers-Briggs-type punk personality test based on one’s preferred selection from Living Underground. I’m in the group clustered around “She’s Really Dead,” an exercise in stark, FALL-ish rhythm and repetition with a hypnotic, endlessly spiraling bass line, off-center disco beats, layers of fucked-up keyboard buzz, and desperate, keening vocals laced with more than a touch of PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED. “Multinationals” is a rabid synth punk scorcher, like DOW JONES AND THE INDUSTRIALS gone murder punk, and “Tatslotto Night” is even nastier, just sheer unadulterated KBD snot and snarl. Oddest of all (the record’s INFJ?) is “Milk the Land of Its Honey,” which sets up Factory Records expectations (like, major, major early WAKE vibes) before completely shattering them with Nuggets’d-out ’60s garage/psych keys that could have been lifted from the SEEDS. Pick your king!

The Vaxxines Suits EP

Rising out of the ashes of the PATHOGENS comes this catchy-as-hell band with mainstays of the East Bay punk scene on board. There may be no Jesse Luscious or Cinder Block present, but the patented Gilman-style male/female trade-off vocals and catchy (but not wimpy) pop punkedness made famous by BLATZ and TILT carry on. “I Wanna Be In Quarantine” is definitely their best shot for a hit here, but I much prefer “Drink Beer And Destroy.” Go figure. Keep it up.

The Whiffs Scratch ‘N’ Sniff LP

Scratch ‘N’ Sniff is the sophomore suite of songs from the WHIFFS, whom Dig Records have billed as “Kansas City’s foremost power pop foursome.” From the oft-mimicked Hard Days Night cover art to the above statement, I was not eager to like this, writing it off as parody.  After tucking into each syrupy, twelve-string Rickenbacker-layered song, the record quickly became hard to turn off. This album reminds me of a lot of happiness that will soon get stuck in your head. The record seeps with great melodies and tight songwriting that becomes something more relatable and oddly familiar than first perceived. The album’s thirteen tracks each build on each other, without any weak filler. Sounds like the BYRDS covering the REPLACEMENTS, feels like Paul Weller when he rocked a turtleneck. Start with “Wanted” and “Pretender”—there is not a moment wasted, and the tracklist continues on with modern-world glee.

Toilet Rats IV cassette

Poppy, noisy, synth-driven punk about ghosts, cryptids, conspiracy theories, and horror movies is a rapid summary of what Tommy Ratz of TOILET RATS does on this cassette. I would also describe this album as a romp through various levels of layered-up electronic fun. The instrumental delivery occasionally reaches epic levels, while the vocals croon and snarl in familiar ways. The song “Drug Bird” reminds me of a post-RAMONES Dee Dee side project or something generated by the SPITS. Then “Oskar & Eli” hits in a way that early 2000s pop punk does, finished out with “Walk the Earth,” a zombie-themed, darkwave toe-tapper—yes, please. Give me more.

Uliczny Opryszek Na Zwasze Punk 3 LP

The final entry in a massive three LP endeavor, Na Zawsze Punk 3 is Poland’s ULICZNY OPRYSZEK doing covers from old and obscure Polish punk bands spanning 1978–1998. Throughout the three albums, they deliver a whopping 79 songs, most of which were never recorded to any acceptable degree or previously released in any format. Instead, the band relied on tape recordings from the Jarocin festivals they grew up going to as source material. Jarocin was basically an annual Polish punk version of Woodstock that lasted throughout the ’80s and into the early ’90s and was a vital part of the genre’s existence in the Warsaw Pact nations during that era. They’re essentially resurrecting and documenting an entire forgotten timeline here for posterity, which is a wildly admirable effort. The music itself is a jungle of punk rock that leans into the various styles of the legion of bands who originally played it. There are some grimy old-school punk tunes, moments that wouldn’t be too out of place on a Fat release, Oi!, tinges of ’80s metal, and even a dub-style jam—it’s all over the place, as to be expected. As an added touch of class, each of the twenty songs on this record features a snippet of the original live recording of it before it, presenting it with a direct nod to its authors. The record comes with a dense booklet with info on the bands as well (presumably in Polish), completing the package. Nice little chunk of history.

Unarmed World of Shit EP

It boggles my mind that this four-song 7” opus was originally recorded in 1998. For over twenty years, it was sitting on a shelf somewhere, aging, waiting to be unfurled. The instrumentation forms a Neolithic-styled D-beat assault, while the guttural vocal delivery blends and balances to form a brutal wall of blasting crust. UNARMED forms a sound that is so dense and heavy that it’s difficult to make a comparison, except maybe to say it’s monolithic. This edges heavily into the extreme category and occasionally crosses the metal border with indifference. “World of Shit” grinds along with a quick guitar sizzle towards the end, but is then followed with the very Motör-inspired “Your Dream.” UNARMED seems to focus more on heavy delivery than technique while occasionally allowing their refined technical skills rise to the surface. This is also one of those EPs that does the thing where the band buries their most skillful songwriting on the backside. Honestly, I could listen to this one on repeat a lot, and never find it tiring.

Uni Boys Do It All Next Week LP

Wow. This is straight-up power pop. And it’s straight-up excellent power pop. Sort of mid-tempo and driving, it’s delivered with incredible confidence. The vocals are sometimes sort of soft and almost feminine and they’re perfect for this music. It’s really incredible the way the vocals, the guitar, the bass, and the drums work together to become a single thing. This record really is fantastic.

V/A The Inmates are Running the Asylum: Best of K.B.D. Punk 1978–1988 CD

Vast and diverse sound range on a selection of twenty tracks from US and Germany insanely full of proto-punk and pub rock nods—there’s no way a punk rock listener won’t find references and sounds often used later by the most notorious punk bands of the late ’80s and beyond. Frantic lyrics and good tunes, filled with styles that later are the trademark of the different subgenres contained in this relic compilation. Great selection on behalf of Just 4 Fun records from Norrköping, Sweden, active since 1987. Headphones are strongly recommended for listening in order to catch all the details and layers in this one. Suggested tracks: “Black Sheep” by the NIHILISTICS, with their avant-garde hardcore punk from ’83 filled with anger, “Berlin Wall” from the histrionic Germans SUMPFPÄPSTE from ’87, and “High Heel Sex” from LIPSTICK, talking about “real live wires.” For proto-punk enthusiasts, a great archeological work on behalf of this Swedish label. Keep digging!

V/A Invasión 88 LP reissue

Reissue of a total cult classic LP released in the ’80s, compiling 20 tracks of punk rock, hardcore punk, and Oi! from Argentina—one of the first Argentinian punk compilations. Features songs from LOS LAXANTES, ATTAQUE 77, DIVISION AUTISTA’s early approach to straightedge, FLEMA’s first line-up (with their later iconic singer Ricky Espinosa on guitar), EXEROICA, COMANDO SUICIDA, DEFENSA Y JUSTICIA, RIGIDEZ KADAVERICA, CONMOCION CEREBRAL, and LOS BARAJA. Originally released by Radio Tripoli Discos in December 1988 with recordings that were made between 1982–1988. It was one of my first exposures to punk as a teenager. Highly recommended for lovers ’80s punk rock and hardcore from Latin America, as it depicts Argentina’s most notorious bands at the time who were in some aspects first in their class, reaching the fiber of the feeling of an era when punk emerged and became a fully recognizable subculture in South America. Reissued by Fuego A Las Fronteras, a Basque/Mexican label that operates in Barcelona, it includes a DVD with a short film from the ’80s called Festipunk by Patra Exeroica along with the LP, which is a trip to a much yearned-for era for the first Argentinian punks, and also works as an archeological musical project for those unfamiliar. Lot of punks in these latitudes got a first glimpse at punk and listened to it in the first place back in the day because of this album, and it is still much appreciated today. Filled with songs expressing anger, anti-political statements, pure nihilism and violence, and revolt, and even polemic statements like those on behalf of COMANDO SUICIDA (I personally discourage listening to them because of their spreading of nationalist ideas). Suggested tracks and mentions: Legendary FLEMA’s early recordings like “Buscando Un Lugar,” EXEROICA, the first all-female alternative punk band from Argentina, DEFENSA Y JUSTICIA’s street punk against police forces in “Ratis,” the chaos-charged punk rock formula by RIGIDEZ KADAVERICA ranting against the system, classic punk anthem “Operación Ser Humano” from LOS BARAJA, and “Pasión de Multitudes” by ATTAQUE 77, combining football affinity with punk rock. There’s a lot to take in, but it’s worth it. Go ahead, dive into Argentina’s crazy, wild, and sometimes anakoquilombero ’80s punk!

V/A Gritty But Pretty, Vol. 1 EP

This is a mixed bag of tunes, some of which hit hard while some are actively annoying. NEKRA, a London-based hardcore band with a previous release on the excellent La Vida Es Un Mus label, kicks things off with a ripper of an opener. From there, a more melodic track from the Belgian outfit LAVENDER WITCH keeps things engaging. The rest is fairly forgettable, save for a cut by TIGER SEX, whose song “Food Porn” continually repeats “She got my brownies / She likes the fudge” as its chorus over a rote riot grrrl riff. Yikes. Definitely nothing here makes this an essential comp.

Vacum Pang – Du Är D​ö​d! EP

An interesting single from VACUM, a pioneering post-punk band from Northern Sweden who were active in the late ’70s. After some digging into the band’s discography, I found a lot to love on their earlier releases. VACUM had a cool style, sort of a quirkier WIRE, or even JOY DIVISION with an additional female vocalist. They were active for a few years and seem to have had a small but powerful impact on the punk scene at the time. Years later in 2019, they re-recorded their track “Pang – Du Är D​ö​d!” (“Bang – You Are Dead!”) to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of their label Massproduktion. While still maintaining the general vibe of their earlier work, this updated version unfortunately doesn’t work as well. The production is a little too slick and the blaring saxophones during the intro and chorus reminds of third-wave ska, while the verses jerk back to icy post-punk mode, making for a slightly confusing listen. The B-side is an updated demo from 2014 which starts off well but is a bit bland overall. It’s a shame, because VACUM is a band worth looking into—this just isn’t the right place to start. Check out their debut Rädd För Tystnaden 16 Brottstycken Ur 5 Verkligheter for the good shit.

Verdict Time to Resign LP

I am so happy to be assigned this scorching LP. VERDICT’s debut was on my year-end top ten for 2022—a raging attack of Swedish hardcore with the speed of TOTALITÄR and KRIGSHOT, plus a unique nod to American hardcore crust giants DISRUPT and FINAL CONFLICT, for example. Galloping D-beat throughout with clear accentuated vocals, this one is a non-stop hardcore pummel-fest that teeters on fastcore thrash while retaining classic ‘80s mangel and the original grinding ‘90s crust sound. So many subgenres mentioned here, and only a few bands, but some years from now, Time to Resign will still sound like quintessential hardcore punk fucking rock. Oh, this band is comprised of members from NO SECURITY, 3 WAY CUM, MEANWHILE, WARCOLLAPSE, IMPERIAL LEATHER, SLUTET, EXPLOATÖR…VERDICT is just what these guys do when they don’t want to relax.

Arrogänt / Visions of War split LP

Cool to see VISIONS OF WAR are still around—I was organizing my records this weekend and put on their split with OLHO DE GATO. I haven’t heard anything from them in a decade! Anyway, they retain a guttural crust vocal delivery with clean rhythmic D-beat hardcore à la later ANTI-CIMEX. Chords are bright and the tones are dense and dark, which creates balance and contrast that is aggressive and smoothly irreverent. Vevarsle at its finest; dirgelike, heavy, metallic, and crust as ever. This side totally rages. ARROGÄNT follows with an even heavier death-beat, with echoing vocals and an industrial punk pace. Percussion palpitates and bitterness seethes. Dual vocals complement one another, similar to FLEAS AND LICE meets MEATHOOK SEED. This looser and more raw and chaotic side suits the split so both sides are unique but equally sinister. I want it!

Wayne Pain & the Shit Stains The Zoo EP

You know what you’re getting into here. This EP sounds like trash. Glorious, nasty trash. If the MEATMEN were more rock‘n’roll and put a swing into the beat, you might get something like this. It’s four tracks of blissfully blown-out and ugly garage punk presented with love and care from the always on-point Goodbye Boozy label. It’s noisy as fuck, but doesn’t grate the ear (captures the lo-fi sound without throwing production entirely in the bin). The songs are anarchic, blindingly fast, and have that tight guitar pop structure that makes a crowd go crazy. So, to reiterate, with a band like this you know what you’re getting into—and it kicks ass.

Welt Star Ich Hasse Blumen cassette

Here is an international collaboration featuring the brains behind DIODE, BOBBY WOULD, and VAGUESS. Needless to say, I was thrilled to dive into this German (by way of L.A.) punk that is moody and fun all at once. The drums absolutely bop, there’s a tasteful amount of synth, and the guitar and bass interlock like some kind of all-angles double helix in a way that hits from the heart and not the head—this isn’t some erudite post-punk, but something much more populist and propulsive. It’s a total blast to hear these musical minds intersect, and though by all reports it could be a while until we hear more from this project (if ever again), I will be anxiously waiting. “Cool” feels like a meaningless word these days, but if anything is cool, it’s this. Tell me “Monstertruck” doesn’t have you shouting along and I’ll tell you to check your pulse.

What Me Worry? Friendly EP

On the second outing from Tampa, Florida’s WHAT ME WORRY?, they offer up two originals and a PAVEMENT cover. The cover is cool, but where the band shines is its other two offerings. “I Wanna Party With Bob?” is a friendly jab at the drummer of TILTWHEEL, who also hosts his own podcast called I Wanna Party With Bob. “Eckeled!” is the story of a houseguest overstaying their welcome. Fans of TOO MANY DAVES will find this very similar as the two bands share members, although I’d consider this more toned-down and less full-on party than the DAVES.

Wipes W.F.O. cassette

WIPES, hailing from Tokyo, play a tuneful but off-kilter kind of thrashy hardcore punk. This cassette tape (released as a 7″ EP in their native Japan) is wild and unhinged, but still hummable. Not necessarily something to go crazy over, but it’s certainly a worthwhile and enjoyable listen for fellow fans of that classic American-influenced hardcore punk style.