Reviews

Indolent

Another One Never Again EP

Eleven songs are on this 45 repress that originally plopped out in 2014. There is a strong LEGENDARY WINGS, BIG DRILL CAR, and DOC HOPPER impression to the songs. I really wish there would have been a lyric sheet instead of a bunch of almost legible writing on a bedroom wall; I’m certain they didn’t get their security deposit back. I heard a bunch of “she” and “her” and the one line I made out clearly on the first pass was “My sex drive’s lacking and she wants to get fucked.” If you like any of the above-mentioned bands, then you will most certainly enjoy this platter as well. I think there are only 50 of the splattered version, so act now while supplies last. Or don’t act now. Free will, baby.

Gerber and the Babies Gerber and the Babies cassette

GERBER AND THE BABIES capture the egg-punk/garage Midwest thing very well. At times, the vocals remind me of WALL OF VOODOO. Sometimes this style can go too far into synth or too far into scream-babble, but GERBER AND THE BABIES ride perfectly within the guardrails to make a really fine cassette of catchy and silly tunes. There are nine tracks, making this the perfect length of a listen. The only issue I have with this is that it is put together so well that it has all the elements of a one-time-band release, and then I’ll have to start tracking down the members to see what they do next.

Cemetery Girl / MDOP Asymmetrical Warfare split EP

Solid little slab of Michigan hardcore right here. MDOP plays classic heavy, mosh-oriented powerviolence with a hint of youth crew energy. Good stuff, but nothing you haven’t heard before. CEMETERY GIRL, on the other hand, teeters more on the early ’80s hardcore vibe and sounds a hell of a lot like a punk version of UPSIDEDOWN CROSS. I absolutely adore the vocalist, combining screeching yelps with charismatic toasting, almost like a hardcore Flava Flav! How can you not love that? Really, what’s important here is the messaging, as these are the anthems of our times. This is one of those records where the liner notes are just as crucial as the music.

Øbvious Approach Pre-Rhetoric 2xEP

First release from Grand Rapids, Michigan’s ØBVIOUS APPROACH. Five songs split between two 7” discs, all with really long titles, like the opener “…No, It’s My Face! It’s Like Your Face is Made Up of 1 Million Tiny Versions of My Face,” delivering a moody, poppy blend as if you smashed MXPX and AFI together. Generally, a clean and well-polished recording, with strained-to-crooned vocals over tom-happy drums, breaking way into pick-sliding guitar chugs. Catchy, poppy, melancholic, self-described as “dumbestic punk.” Did these guys grow up listening to the Warped Tour CDs? If you did, and are hungry for more, check out Pre-Rhetoric.