Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send one copy of vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA.

Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc. No major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

Stress Σκέψου Πριν Είναι Αργά 10″

From Athens, Greece, STRESS reimagines five of their ’80s ska/punk/dub hits to give a better clarity of sound and message. Rooted heavily in ska and punk from the ’80s and blending together perfectly, these songs will leave you wanting more. Their original LP from 1985 fetches hundreds, and even the 2013 repress seems to crack the $100 mark from time to time. But look, grab this 10” and maybe just be happy that you’ve got something. Also, who would I check with to see if the LP is in the MRR archives? Is there a phone number for Tennessee punk record archives?

Timüt Touka Touka LP

Minimal, funky post-punk from Metz, France, consisting of drums, clean guitar, and reverbed vocals that sound like they were recorded while being hollered from the next room. TIMÜT sounds like a tiny, noisy jazz combo at times (“KTM”) and a dubby, reggae-influenced jam group at others (“She Waze” and “Sick”). It’s a unique mix and excites with call-and-response vocals and never-ending syncopated rhythms. There is also a cover of NIRVANA’s “Tourette’s,” their most (only?) punk song. If you like the melodic minimalism of SACRED PAWS with a medium dose of no wave, check it out.

Tomar Control Frente al Miedo LP

I absolutely loved this hardcore band from Lima, Peru. They start off the album with strength and power, and it never diminishes throughout the entire album. I loved the balance of faster, more punk songs with slower and more sludgy riffs. I found myself doing the classic metal stank face during many of the breakdowns. You can feel their passion and energy in every single track. Overall, I could not recommend a band more.

Udder Or I’ll Kill You EP

Athens, Georgia’s UDDER originally recorded the three tracks on this archival-sourced EP in 1991, but flamed out before actually releasing them (or anything else, as far as I can tell)—Athens obviously has a rich and storied history of fostering subversive, convention-dismantling post-punk groups, from the B-52’S to PYLON to OH-OK to LIMBO DISTRICT, although that chronology gets much blurrier in the pre-grunge years of the early ’90s when UDDER was kicking out their feral, freewheeling post-no-wave noise with little to no proper documentation. With its steady but slightly asymmetrical beats and vocals that are somehow both deadpan and taunting, “Grandpa Volleyball” sits somewhere between the vacant-stare downtown drone of Bad Moon Rising-era SONIC YOUTH and the off-kilter genderfuck art-punk of GOD IS MY CO-PILOT, while the moody, slow-burn spoken word sprawl of “Or I’ll Kill You” is especially Kim Gordon-coded, and the knotted and intense rhythmic crush of “Incubus” has all of the hallmarks of a band that would have been rearranging the furniture at Rocket House in the early ’90s had they been from Louisville, basically plotting out the RODAN template a full year before RODAN managed to do so. A very cool time capsule, genuine freak shit here.

Xeroform Faceless Nameless Number cassette

Super catchy, energetic Oi! with a modern twist, as if BLITZ developed the same pop sensibilities the BUSINESS incorporated later on in their lifespan. The music itself sinks its hooks into you instantly and has a post-punk quality about it; a danceable rhythm section paired with manic dissonant chords and low-end upstrokes. The vocals here are the crown jewel of this album and really drives home that Oi! sound—deep and grunted, giving all these tracks that true working class quality. This is a very solid effort and well worth a play. It goes quickly though, ten songs that nary crack the ninety-second-long mark.

Zevk Zevk demo cassette

This might be my favorite demo tape of 2025. ZEVK out of Paris plays hardcore punk with a downtuned bent that lends a dark, contentious flavor to their sound. The four-song demo opens with “Bomboş (All Empty),” a sub-two-minute opus that shifts in delivery with blindingly fast momentum. The closing track “Dykes Trans & Queers” is a treatise on the emotional struggle related to self-identification in a society that favors heteronormative homogenization and how that struggle influences one’s opinions back towards their oppressors. All that is delivered in two minutes over thunderous rhythms and shredded guitars. If this is what ZEVK is capable of, then I’m eagerly waiting for more.

V/A Weird Scenes From Inside the Droll Mind EP

Four bands from Montreal who build off of each other to create a nice and loud EP. I felt quite enchanted with the vocals in the first track by GARDEN OF LOVE, and I loved the utter noise and chaos by G.I. JINX. I appreciate that this whole EP was live, I feel like it really added to each band’s sound. Overall, a solid release.

80 Billion Animals 80 Billion Animals cassette

80 BILLION ANIMALS play anarcho hardcore with desperately urgent vocals that range from spoken word to frenzied screams and articulate lyrics pertaining to animal liberation, police and state repression, the corporate war machine, the genocide in Gaza, and other topical issues. Instrumentally, 80 BILLION ANIMALS is an enjoyable rollercoaster with quick shifts, jacked-up riffs, and chugging bass. There are moments that remind me of BEHIND ENEMY LINES or some early R.A.M.B.O., albeit with more grime and finesse. This self-released cassette is opened and closed with poetic spoken word and is packed with edifying jams that are sure to keep you inspired during the present madness, so definitely check this out.

Agathocles / III Guerra split EP

Mallorca’s III GUERRA opens this split with some no-frills hardcore punk that has the old school attitude with a relatively modern sound. Shouty vocals drenched in delay sit on top of guitars with perfectly dialed-in distortion and gnarly bass with a strict sense of duty, while the drums punch their way through the mix. This side sounds like getting hit in the face with a concrete block that is so perfectly cut that you don’t really get mad about it. But once you get to the mincecore pioneers AGATHOCLES’s side, the sound definition degrades dramatically. It sounds as if the band recorded their side through a single AirPod’s shitty microphone, but decided to place it even closer to the hi-hat this time around. But hey, if you have any prior experience with this band, you should have seen it coming from a mile away. So, that’s kind of on you if you have any complaints. To be honest, I’m not well-versed in AGATHOCLES’ discography—I mean, who even has time for that??—but it sounds like they incorporated a tongue-in-cheek parody of Oi! punk into their sound to celebrate their bajillionth split. Yay?

Barren Soil All Paths Lead to Darkness cassette

Pounding into your cranium like a frozen axe, BARREN SOIL drops three cuts of plodding, blackened crust on this self-released cassette. The stench is ripe with this one, in the vein of WARCOLLAPSE or HELLSHOCK with fewer fast parts. The use of synth and soundscapes makes for an atmosphere of depressive frigidity. Holding an ice-laden mirror to society, this Vancouver-based three-piece demonstrates that all paths do indeed lead to darkness. This begs for a longer form to unfurl the group’s full brutality.

Class Tourists Blunt-Forced Trauma cassette

A fiery tape from CLASS TOURISTS, who play fast and catchy hardcore punk with cool vocals. I hadn’t heard CLASS TOURISTS before this review, but read that they previously used a drum machine, something I’d be interested in hearing. Anyway, on this tape things are pretty straightforward, although there’s definitely a sort of rock’n’roll vibe throughout. This really comes through in the guitar leads on “Thorn” and “Time,” two tracks that make this one worth checking out.

Derrumbe El Animal Humano LP

Solid twenty-minute-ish slab of D-beat/mid-tempo hardcore punk, with really clean production on the guitars and a bit of reverb on the vocals and drums. What stands out to me the most about this record is that it works so well as an album/release; it has an aural cohesion that tells a story from despair to outrage/hope. The first half feels a little clenched tight and it gives way to more flourishes (maybe even a little melody) and hopeful-feeling moments. The vocals took a couple listens to click for me (I have a weird relationship with reverbed vocals), but when they did, it really worked with the music. Lyrically, there is a poetry to it that you don’t usually see with this kind of punk expression,  which was quite impressive—at least in the Spanish language songs, but I guess the song in Basque is probably along the same lines. Really impressed with the use of song structure here to benefit the feel/effect of the songs, well worth a listen.

Desolacion Desolacion 12″

Now, this is a record I had been waiting for, and I am quite pleased to have been graced with the opportunity to review it, which can be read as yet another sign that I might be becoming the official in-house crust annalist here (a noble position I’d humbly take, of course). DESOLACION is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is made up of members of the excellent RUINAS and the lesser-known CLAUSTROPHOBIA. Expectedly, DESOLACION plays dirty stenchcore for the true believers of the genre, those who gave up on soap a long time ago and embraced a life of devotion to filthy crust, a bit monastic in essence but with more booze and better-looking jackets. The music is downtuned, dark, and offers a good balance of fast, thrashing, gruff crust and slower, brutal metal-crust. The sound of RUINAS clearly informs this first LP that must be seen as an heir of the meaningful ’00s stenchcore revival, in line with the more BOLT THROWER-influenced school. STORMCROW or FEMACOFFIN are not far away sometimes, while CANCER SPREADING and FATUM definitely got good seats to the gig as well. The production is fairly raw at times, and this unprocessed authenticity gives the album a genuine punk vibe that feels fresh—well, in a fetid fashion—and primeval. This is for the crust lifers.

Elvis II Thank You Very Much 12″

A one-man recording project that achieves a rare degree of rockin’ comprehension, ELVIS II is the brainchild of Australia’s mysterious Mitch Casino. With a procession of beefy and electrified tunes, this album presents an energetic and astute take on the “budget rock” mentality, fusing classic style with the DIY power of the modern age. Cool melodies colored by soulful licks and mired in thick digital distortion make for a combination that’s as timelessly tasty as fried peanut butter and bananas. Fans of THIN LIZZY and TOKYO ELECTRON can enthusiastically shake hands over this one. All hail the new king.

Forty Two Beeblebrox CD

I love the cover of this, as it reminds me of an AVAIL record. But that is it. Only the cover reminds me of AVAIL. I don’t want anyone picking this up and thinking it is anything like AVAIL. Musically, oh man, this is fine. I appreciate the effort, but it falls into medio-core sonically. There are six songs on here, and I think they should have tossed these out and maybe recorded their thirty through thirty-sixth songs. I just can’t get a feel of what the band is about. They are hitting all the notes, the lyrics are clear, some of the songs are driving, with gang vocals, and through all that, I’m just not convinced that they even know what they want. Regionally, I bet their shows pack the house. Maybe FORTY TWO should break up, or maybe switch instruments clockwise one band member. Listen to the link and you decide.

Harry Chinaski Ciudad de Ratas Muertas cassette

Buenos Aires hardcore skate punkers keep pushing, and HARRY CHINASKI is at the front. Ciudad de Ratas Muertas is taut, furious, and socially wired—short songs, sharp feedback, and venomous vocals. They don’t waste a second: from the title track’s creeping dread to “Algoritmo” and “Caras,” there’s a political pulse, a sense of community anger, a reflection of decay, but also hope in the raw urgency, in their uncompromised underground ethics. Sounds like the streets are screaming and someone turned the volume all the way up. Vividly active in the underground Argentinian scene, their live gigs are on fire, clinging to a sense of emergency and an outburst of hate and despair.

Lùlù Lùlù LP

I don’t speak any real French or Italian, but I sure wish I did at this moment. That said, I do know catchy when I hear it. Both musically and vocally, this is infectiously catchy. Mid-tempo pop’n’roll, this will have you tapping and swaying along from the get-go. This is my kind of pop music. A couple of the tracks miss the mark for me, but overall I like it a lot. More cowbell.

Moving Targets Red Eyes LP

Boston vets MOVING TARGETS are back with Red Eyes, the third studio album since their 2018 comeback Wires. They still tag themselves “melodic punk,” but this release lands closer to the GOO GOO DOLLS than BAD RELIGION. It’s ten songs recorded by J Robbins, produced tight and clean, but definitely too clean for my taste—it sounds to me more like a band that would underscore some WB drama instead of inspiring kids to fuck the system. Maybe that’s the goal because we’re all grown-ups now, but I found 2023’s Live at Kling Klang, with all of the rough edges on full display, to be so much more compelling. If you’re a die-hard, or if your shelves already have space for SOUL ASYLUM next to your punk section, you might find something to like. For me, it’s more background noise than a burner.

NightFreak Mindfuck cassette

Hardcore hanging on the metal side of the spectrum, sounding a bit like SUICIDE FILE with all of their twangy, noodly guitar leads. Very strong vocalist who has the power of one thousand burning suns. Guitar and bass are in lockstep and play off each other very well. Super fast and energetic as all hell. Very fun EP if you like this kind of thing.

Peer Pressure Zombies Screen on the Green LP

Drum machine post-punk with psychedelic flourishes from this Cleveland band. Monotone vocals with repetitive, chant-like lyrics hang over moody synth textures like a mix of PLEASURE LEFTISTS and fellow Clevelanders KNOWSO. They are best on slower tracks like “Zip Code” and “Circular Psychiatry,” bass-heavy jams that evoke Calvin Johnson fronting BAUHAUS, but it’s all great. Weird, abrasive enough to fit under the punk umbrella, and danceable—it’s a win.

Poky III LP

Third release from Leipzig, Germany’s POKY. Songs stay on the shorter side, and have a bedroom-meets-basement energy with some psych-rock guitar elements thrown in, best heard on “Cerberus.” Songs bounce around and stay lighthearted, even eggy, like the track “Im in a Band” which gets more comical with every key change and oddball shriek. Vocals are sassy, even a little whiny, but never in a melancholic way, more like Joe Jack Talcum. With no credited musicians and very little information on Flennen’s or their own Bandcamp page, it’s hard to give any context to the group. But no matter, have the friends over for this one, all fun within.

Primal Brain Is It All a Game? cassette

Third release for this Oklahoma City unit. The main inspiration here is ’80s American hardcore with pedal-to-the-floor intensity and some noisy elements, especially around the vocals. There’s some moments of wild speed, but what stands out for me is the mix/production for the guitar: the whole mix is centered on it, and the distortion flirts with being clean-ish in a very Midwestern HC way. This is decidedly not hardcore worship or rehash; every song on here goes hard, regardless of tempo, with plenty of interesting twists and turns. Great fucking hardcore punk that stands out among its peers, like OUT COLD put in a blender with weirdo Midwest HC vibes.

R.M.F.C. Ecstatic Strife / Golden Trick 7″

Buz Clatworthy may have changed the meaning of his acronym and broadened the scope of his home-recording vision, but he hasn’t lost the electric charge of the early recordings that made so many of us take notice to begin with. With merely one full-length in his oeuvre, he continues to push himself creatively through singles, which feels like the smart play. He is allowed the freedom to experiment and express without really having to harken back to any trace of his beginnings of automaton-inflected, fast-paced wormy punk from his youth (okay, he’s still young, but still). “Ecstatic Strife” dips its mug into the punch bowl of what’s best about New Zealand’s ’80s jangle pop scene, with Clatworthy’s assured drumming keeping it on edge. “Golden Trick” is just that, a magical stunner that delves into something more meditative. Honestly, I’d take a whole album of something born of this strain of meditative and mature exploration. It’s gorgeous and lush and hopefully a promise of more to come.

S.C.U.M. DCxPC Live Presents, Vol. 36 LP

S.C.U.M., or SOCIETY FOR CUTTING UP MISOGYNISTS, attacks with brute force and sheer passion. I couldn’t quite understand the vocals (long, drawn-out screaming) and I absolutely loved it; that’s why I really appreciate that they made this album live and kept the raw energy that they bring to all their songs. I loved how they messed around with tempo changes throughout, slowing down right after picking up the speed—you really don’t know what to expect next. They aren’t afraid to be a little goofy at times, while simultaneously having strong, pointed lyrics. Loved this album.

The Sick Rose Dont’ Give Me Up Now / A Golden Boy 7″

Long-running Italian garage rock crew SICK ROSE released a two-song 7″ with the A-side covering the LYRES’ “Don’t Give It Up Now,” featuring guest vocals from Dom Mariani of Australia’s the STEMS. This version is faithful to the original, but Mariani’s delivery and the production give it extra punch. Flip it over and “A Golden Boy” channels a breezy mash of ’60s/’70s rock, toe-tapping and driven by a guitar/organ attack straight out of Sixteen Flights Up-era CYNICS. They play the kind of throwback retro rock that frequently makes my eyes roll, but here it seems more substance than style and it works for me. Only 300 copies pressed, so grab one fast.

Strul Fuck Strul LP

Just when we needed it most, STRUL has re-emerged to unleash a banger LP that eclipses the intensity of the Gothenburg group’s ferocious 2019 Punkrock Deluxe 7”. These guys shred and pummel with a rocking, guitar-heavy edge, playing O.G. hardcore punk as if it were taught to them by the guys in TOTALITÄR. It’s a top-shelf heavy-hitter in a classic way that brings Kansas City’s TOTAL SHAM to mind, but let us not finger it all up unnecessarily—this rips completely, and STRUL is easily one of the best bands doing it in the worst era of modern history.

Tritonic Bend the Arc! cassette

Do you remember the feeling when you were young and you became aware of something that you thought was so cool, be it the cover of a record or a toy or a movie poster or something? You spend your time obsessing over it. You do whatever needs to be done to be in a position of experiencing the coveted thing. Once it is finally acquired, you really take your time with it, trying to savor every minute of the experience. Then you receive the rude awakening of finding out that MOLLY HATCHET was nowhere near as cool as you tricked into thinking they were from Frank Frazetta’s artwork. You remember that feeling? Well, receiving this tape was like that experience with time sped up. The packaging of this cassette is so insanely cool. Gold cassettes in a black O-card adorned with splattered gold paint, all wrapped in tissue paper, inserted into a cardboard folding case which is hand-painted and stamped in multiple locations, then dipped in wax to seal it like a bottle of Maker’s Mark. This thing is an absolute work of art! Slowly, I took my time and opened and inspected every aspect of it. Preparing for the unknown, I pushed play. These are expert-level musicians playing every genre of music you can possibly imagine, changing drastically from song to song. It’s essentially the score to a musical. There’s the “CRADLE OF FILTH but it’s a slick hardcore band” song, there’s the “pirate sea shanty” drinking song, there’s the RADIOHEAD-inspired track, there’s some unlistenable garbled nü-metal that breaks into a Tibetan monk chant, there’s a three-minute-long free-jazz drum solo, there’s a laid-back elevator music jazz piano track. I could go on, but I think you get the idea. These are clearly very good musicians who are fans of every single musical genre, and this cassette shows that TRITONIC has chops across them all, but I just couldn’t possibly care less. If this sounds like it is up your alley, then I can’t believe you’re reading Maximum Rocknroll…I mean, if this sounds like it’s up your alley, there is a dissertation on the TRITONIC Bandcamp that will explain to you why you can’t just check It out online. Normally I think that’s a cool move to only have stuff available on cassette tape, but for some reason, the manifesto seems a bit self-righteous and artsy to me. The tape looks truly awesome, though.

U.I.S. U.I.S. cassette

Are we entering a new age of Mysterious Guy Hardcore? Did it ever go away? There isn’t much online about the shadowy figures behind this five-song EP, but it rips. Mining similar aural terrain (probably caves, maybe catacombs) as HOAX and CULT RITUAL, filthy shit-fi production reigns supreme here. Nasty, serrated guitar riffs and leads that hint at extracurricular studies in metal, coupled with ultra-raw vocals, create a gnarled full-aggro churn that demands repeated plays. Bleak and disquieting, I look forward to what comes next.

Vestigio Vestigio LP

Full of rage and waging a sonic war against injustice, VESTIGIO uses punk as a vehicle to convey a sense of their experience as Latinos living in Canada. Gruff shouts punctuate the chainsaw buzz of wild guitars and tupa-tupa drums. The artwork portrays a scene of skeletons and razorwire that might lead one to chalk this up as a D-beat record, but this is a little different than your standard gasmask and bullet belt fare. VESTIGIO brings to mind APATIA NO and FALLAS DEL SISTIMA, passionate anarcho-punks committed to the struggle against oppression. A solid release from a band I’ll be keeping an eye out for.

The Wind-Ups Confection LP

Third LP from Chico, CA’s WIND-UPS. Started as Jake Sprecher’s solo endeavor, the project has evolved to include many different credited musicians, most notably JONATHAN RICHMAN’s electric guitar work on the outro “Little Boy Blue” (originally on the ’23 Jonathan Says EP).  Is there a steady lineup? Unclear, though there is a trio pictured on the Bandcamp page. Inside, we find a RAMONES-core, burnt-sugar kind of power pop that owes as much to the aforementioned greats as they do to the shamble and sweetness of pandemic-era bedroom projects. I kind of glazed over at first, but after a few listens getting through the powdered, confectionary “Fine Pink Mist” (great, punchy opener), I really enjoyed this. Some standouts of the album for me are “(That’s Just My) Dream Girl” and “To Keep Away,” both which really lean into the RAMONES sound. Kerra Jessen wrote and co-performed “Cheer Up,” which may be the feel-good, don’t-be-too-down-on-yourself song of the year, and features some shoegaze-y guitars during the chorus, in contrast to the otherwise light and sparse verse. And JONATHAN RICHMAN on “Little Boy Blue”?? That reference alone could speak for itself, but the song is actually one of my favorites, featuring a blown-out, melancholic energy that feels well-placed at the album’s end. Is this sad birthday music? Is it the glistening, split-skinned cherry atop a cake no one asked for? Is it a bad haircut on a windy day? You decide.

Zero Azúcar Zero Azúcar LP

I’ll say it again. It’s funny as hell to me that I got assigned records from ZERO AZÚCAR and NO SUGAR in the same month. It’s gold. Unlike the NO SUGAR record, this one and I are getting off to a fantastic start. It’s punk, but it’s a little poppy. That said, I would not call it pop punk. Mid-tempo and super catchy, it’s got some sort of organ or synthesizer that they use enough that you notice it, but not so much that it’s a distraction. It gives it a little bit of an early new wave feel. It’s all in Spanish and I speak some Spanish, but not at the level that I understand much of this. But I can say that the vocals are strong and perfect for the music here. Really nicely put together. A complete package. At its core, this is punk rock.

Alien Nosejob Forced Communal Existence LP

With little introduction needed for the Aussie bedroom artist Jake Robertson, known as the formidable ALIEN NOSEJOB, Agitated and Anti-Fade have put together a compilation of previously released EPs and singles on this massive 23-track LP. Releases are displayed chronologically: 2017’s Panel Beat, 2018’s Death of the Vinyl Boom (featuring a cover of JACKSON ZUMDISH’s “Flyblown”), the DEAD KENNEDYS cover “Government Flu” comes out to play in between, then 2020’s HC45, 2021’s HC45-2, 2022’s Cold Bare Facts, and finally a cover of ED KRUEPPER’s “S-O-S ’75.” Whew. I don’t know, it felt important to credit the releases for some reason. This is one-stop shopping for some of the best ALIEN NOSEJOB on offer—it spans the progression, the off-kilter aggression, the fuzz, and the insanity of this tireless Australian gem. I needn’t say more.

Berserker The State of the Empire LP

Hardcore is just one of those genres whose umbrella stretches so far that no two fans ever have the same taste. If your sweet-tooth for hardcore trembles for the more melodic strain, harkening back to the late ’90s/early ’00s especially in guitarist/singer Jon Vornbrock’s convincing Dennis Lyxzén impression, you’ll have plenty to like here. In fact, overall BERSERKER is specifically reminiscent of REFUSED. The riffs, the vocals, the earnest and unpoetic political lyrics; it’s difficult to parse it from the influence of the Swedish icons of post-hardcore (read: when hardcore became appealing to indie rock kids). The blend of pit-savvy chugs and chiming open chords in particular dips its toe into noise rock, a cross-genre amalgam that isn’t my cuppa but is competently written and performed. It’s just hard to look past the lack of originality, especially when a track like “Suicide on 66” lifts a riff directly from “Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine” from The Shape of Punk to Come. And look, I’m not against wearing your influences on your sleeve. I just prefer when it’s not so easy to trace back to a singular source.

Blug Turnip Nation cassette

Liberated now wave, as brought to you by three of this century’s foremost freaks—you might (and should) know Grace Ambrose, Marissa Magic, and Max Nordile from their time spent warping minds in projects like PREENING, DEBT RAG, MOZART, NEON, and GIRLSPERM (that’s just the short list), and together, they are BLUG. Turnip Nation was written and recorded over the course of just a few hours this summer, a frenetic and agitated first thought/best thought scrawl of clanging percussion, loping, eternal return bass lines, and gnarled, punctuated shocks of treble-heavy guitar in six minute-long (give or take) parts. Intuitive instant music as a document of friendship and collaboration, art-punk at its most wild and free, can you take it?

Celebrity Handshake Counterfeit Head LP

You know that one guy in town who’s always shouting conspiracy theories for the world to hear but they’re actually not speaking to anyone in particular at all? Well, what if that guy fronted the BUTTHOLE SURFERS? This is like a combat-shocked D. Boon fronting SONIC YOUTH. The fact that I have to make up these weird scenarios to try and explain CELEBRITY HANDSHAKE is honestly a testament to the originality at play here. This is pleasantly unpleasant, or unpleasantly unpleasant; it just depends on who’s listening. And honestly? That’s awesome.

Colegiata Colegiata 12″

Barcelona’s COLEGIATA dusts off the old synths and drum machines that were left in the attic and puts them to good use in their new 12” record. It’s pretty bare-bones with modest synth layers and a minimalistic approach to songwriting, yet it manages to captivate and immerse you in its gloomy universe. Though it’s mostly mid-tempo, there are some sudden tempo changes that very quickly shift the mood. If you’ve ever sunk hours into those Soviet post-punk playlists on YouTube, or listened to a couple coldwave tracks and thought “Oh boy, this is quite nice, I wish it was a bit less depressing though,” then this record might be what you’re looking for.

Decade / Wolfcharge split LP

DECADE and WOLFCHARGE combined to bring a fourteen-track split 12″ full of high-grade D-beat. DECADE plays an exceptionally raw and noisy breed with a strong focus on ANTI-CIMEX inspirations, while WOLFCHARGE plays a brute force DISCHARGE blend. If you’re a D-beat aficionado, then you probably own one (or several copies). My honest impression, I love the music, but kind of hate the album cover.

Eye Ball Gull Songs cassette

At long last, the full-length is here! Over a year ago, EYE BALL released a cassette EP with promises of the songs appearing on their forthcoming full-length. Well, here it is, and holy hell, was it worth the wait. EYE BALL is from Toronto, and I have seen it referred to as being a solo project, a two-piece, a guy and his dog, and even seen photos of a full band. I’m assuming this began as a solo project and has grown into a full band, which would make a lot of sense given the stylistic offerings of EYE BALL. This is egg-punk at its absolute poppiest and catchiest, a band of similar ilk to that of NANCY. There’s more pop punk elements here, however. Picture if DILLINGER FOUR was a twangy egg-punk band. Twelve almost addictingly catchy songs, many of which clock in at under a minute long. Both labels releasing this cassette do incredibly limited runs, so act quick if you’re looking to track down a physical copy.

Ford’s Fuzz Inferno Ultimate Fuzz Frequencies LP

Garage rock/punk. The first couple tracks didn’t grab me—they sounded a bit like general garage punk; there wasn’t anything super unique to them. However, “Frantic Fuzz Rush” set a shift where all of the following tracks felt like they had more of a grab or an umph to them. With a more droning, noise-focused guitar in “Why Are We Here and Who Are You?” to an explosive start to “Conquerors,” I feel like these guys really started to pick up the pace.

Grip Bite / Mindrott / Radical Fun Time / Self Abuse Four Way Split, Vol. 2 split CD

Fun little split between four bands that sound different enough to keep things interesting. I’m sure that what I’m about to say sounds like the “Country/Western” bit from Blues Brothers, but there’s something here for anyone who likes punk-adjacent music. GRIP BITE plays the classic “your favorite local band” brand of street punk, MINDROTT has a late-era PANTERA/HATEBREED vibe going on, RADICAL FUN TIME plays lo-fi crust, and SELF ABUSE rounds it out with their flavor of crossover thrash punk. Really solid disc here; I had it on while I was doing yard work and it helped me forget I’m an old man now. This is well worth a spin.

Moron’s Morons Live in Kyoto cassette

Live in Japan, it’s the jet-fueled rock’n’roll of MORON’S MORONS! These Polish punks have been at it for a while now, but they’re still playing loose and nasty, as demonstrated by this solid eleven-track live tape. If you dig the CANDY SNATCHERS or the HUMPERS, this will slide nicely right up your alley.

No Sugar Last Call LP

How do I get assigned a record from NO SUGAR and a record from ZERO AZÚCAR in the same month? That’s some funny shit. Onward. Hmmm. This one may take some time to grow on me. We’re not hitting it off right away. It’s female-fronted punk’n’roll that’s heavier on the rock’n’roll than it is on the punk. Still, this should be up my alley. I think it’s just a little too slick for me. Too much guitar work. It’s catchy enough and all that, just a little polished for my taste. It’s even got a little stadium rock feel to it. At its best, it kinda sorta reminds me of the DONNAS. It’s not you, it’s me…

The Observers Collection LP

Released on the opening day of their summer European tour, the OBSERVERS are back on stage along with this commemorative Collection LP. Taken By Surprise has rounded up EPs and singles from the archive of the OBSERVERS, who were active from 2002 to 2005 in Portland, Oregon. These fourteen songs come from 2003’s Lead Pill, 2005’s Walk Alone, 2005’s Where I Stay, and Maximum Rocknroll’s 2006 Public Safety compilation LP, with some previously unreleased tracks to boot.  Colin Grigson’s bass and Douglas Burns’s guitar and vocals started this group, and if the latter sounds familiar, Burns went on to form RED DONS after the OBSERVERS stopped playing in 2005. I reviewed the RED DONS’ Generations 7” a while back, and thought I was hearing something in common…this collection displays the band’s straight-ahead, catchy power punk/garage songwriting, with mid-to-upper-tempo tracks largely in the sub-three minute range featuring clattering, cymbal-heavy drums, gangly bass, simple, crunchy guitar, and Burns’s hallmark croon and exaggerated vocals. This particularly comes to light on “Walk Alone” from the EP of the same name, and has become my favorite of the album.  It’s a little darker than the rest, and the vocals really shine through. I also enjoy “Normally Normal,” a tongue-in-cheek exploration of what it means to be normal, reminding me of something SUICIDAL TENDENCIES might do. Not-to-be-missed release of a staple in the Portland music canon.

Psyop Defector cassette

With their first release dating back to 2021 and the follow-up dropping in 2023, Washington, DC’s PSYOP continues their biennial release schedule with their 2025 release Defector, featuring four songs of fast and heavy hardcore punk with strong political subject matter. PSYOP is pissed at the system, the government, big business, as well as many other things which they are much more eloquent at expressing than I am, and truly, who could blame them? Fast, relentless palm-muted riffs, driving drums, and barked vocals, with political sound clips between the tracks. Of the three recordings the band has dropped, this is far and away their best output so far. That is, until their next release, which I’m assuming based on their set pattern is scheduled to drop sometime in 2027.

Pure Terror Ehteram إحترام EP

PURE TERROR, New York City’s pan-Arab hardcore band, is back with the Ehteram إحترام EP. This four-song record is filled with raw NYC punk, but with a distinct flavor. If you didn’t catch the PURE TERROR cassette that was released a couple years ago, then now is your chance to check this band out. I’m currently obsessed with the third track entitled “No Compromise” and its shifting guitar riffs over whirlwind tempos. PURE TERROR features Nader of HARAM and a crew of gifted musicians who have managed to create some of the most abrasive (and thereby loveable) punk to exist.

Retrospects Shattered / In My Dreams Before 7″

Hey, who is this singer? It’s the dude from the WHITE WIRES. I’m certain of it. Wait, isn’t “Shattered” even one of their songs? It has to be. This sounds so familiar. This is more new wave than it is power pop, so it’s similar, but definitely not the same. And it’s not just the drum machine. Anyway, if you’re a fan of the WHITE WIRES and think you might like to hear a more new wave version of that band, you should give this a shot. I’ve always been a huge fan, so it makes sense to me that I like it.

Sistema De Muerte Sistema De Muerte cassette

Impossibly good punk from Montreal—SISTEMA DE MUERTE may be my new favorite band. Top down, this tape is absolutely smoking; the leads are fire, the riffs are big and brawny, the Spanish lyrics are spat with venom, and the drums are working overtime. I hear a few influences throughout, but later-period ANTI-CIMEX comes to mind more than any other for me. I know lower-fi production can be preferred when it comes to this sort of thing, but SISTEMA DE MUERTE benefits from sounding bright and clean, not too dissimilar from contemporaries SISTEMA OBSOLETO. I’d pick a favorite song but I can’t, they’re all too good. A total ripper and very highly recommended; hopefully someday it’ll get a release on wax.

Sutras The Crisis of Existence cassette

SUTRAS have gained a new fan! Their new cassette The Crisis of Existence combines so many elements I love. With art that looks like a gorgeous cave relic with what I am hoping are cherry blossoms exploding joyfully, they’ve taken the DC spiritual punk vibe and woven in silvery guitar and vocals that sound like being on the verge of tears, ENVY-style. “Welcome, Kingdom Kids” is a perfect song—it makes me feel nineteen and like my friends and I can fight back to save the soul of a sick world. Their Bandcamp says SUTRAS understand suffering, and I believe it. With the meditative hum of LUNGFISH and the urgent cry of early ’00s New Jersey screamo, they are a welcome salve in a world in which I truly feel the crisis of existence. They also remind me of a quote I heard recently that said something to the extent of if you are heartbroken and hopeless at the human suffering and injustice around you, take solace in the fact that multi-trillion dollar industries had PR campaigns to try to make you not care—and they failed. This is a set of songs all ripe to put on a mixtape for the cute person you met at the protest, truly. I’m not kidding. Do it. And roll down the windows of the car when you are blasting “Being Nobody, Going Nowhere.”

TA-80 Open Late cassette

Punk rock that you can circle-pit to with a smile on your face. This is pop punk in the non-pejorative sense, meaning it is loaded with massive hooks and anthemic sing-alongs with enough melody to infiltrate even the most resistant ear. The overall feel of the album is late-night hangouts after a show, possibly in a parking lot, just enjoying being a punk and hanging out with other punks. Lyrically, that feeling is enforced with mostly celebrations of being part of the community, politically and socially. Think of MIXTAPES at their most upbeat or the JETTY BOYS at their most catchy, add a healthy dose of beer and Midwest, and that will take you most of the way to where this record plants its flag. Gotta respect the balls to try yet another cover of TOTO’s “Africa,” but honestly the band does well by themselves on it. A fun summer record if I ever heard one, meant for hangouts with good people.

1 St Class Collapse / The Prim split 12″

The split 12″ from Germany’s 1 ST CLASS COLLAPSE and the PRIM is a chaotic little gem of powerviolence that doesn’t overstay its welcome. 1 ST CLASS COLLAPSE, hailing from Koblenz, delivers a chaotic and engaging set, marked by either traded-off vocals or one particularly unhinged singer, cycling through yells, screams, and deep, demonic croaks like a hardcore Swiss army knife. The PRIM, from various cities including Berlin, shifts gears with a more metallic hardcore approach—heavier riffs, longer songs, and raw, tortured vocals that cut through the murk. While the songs run longer than average for the genre—each clocking well over a minute—they’re tightly composed and never feel drawn-out. This split is a strong showing from both bands and ends almost as soon as it begins.