ROYAL HEADACHE, another in an endless stream of fantastic new Australian groups, delivers an essentially flawless pop record in long form on their first shot. While their debut single totally impressed, they truly shine here, making the kind of record that folks from a wide array of genres will likely embrace. The performances are top notch across the board, complete with actual singing that’s so proficient and downright awesome that it sounds totally fucking jarring. The production is perfect, fuzzy in all the right places, propelled by a stabbing guitar sound that recalls the most powerful moments of classic UK DIY punk rock. The soulfulness and excellent songwriting exhibited throughout brings to mind a speedy, punk SQUEEZE, which I hate myself for saying, but fuck it, it’s there. Much like stateside heroes HOME BLITZ, ROYAL HEADACHE is capable of conjuring up a monster hook out of chaos and making a whole lot of other current pop bands sound terrible in the process. (RIP Society Records)

BÄDDAT FÖR TRUBBEL Det Här Är Inte New York LP

As a punk record aficionado, there are few things more exciting than finding a great record by an outta-nowhere new band. This is that sort of record…only better. In terms of international punk rock, I haven’t been this wowed by a debut since EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING dropped their first A-bomb. Got your attention yet? Though Sweden’s BFT shares little in terms of sound with ECSR, they share that same brand of confidence and pitch-perfect execution in what they do. And what is that, you ask? Well, imagine pairing a classic Euro Killed By Death sound (sung in Swedish, no less) with a lean toward pub rock and the amphetamine-fueled R&B that dominated the UK in the mid-’70s. While that might spell trouble for anyone unwilling to look past, I dunno, MASSHYSTERI for their Euro-punk fix, this amounts to nothing short of a fucking lightning bolt to the rest of us! It’s refreshing to hear a band mining the sounds of the initial punk era but shrugging off the pose and fashion-aping, opting instead for legit soul and passion. No easy feat, my friends. There’s not a single fucking dud among the fifteen tunes here, so singling any cuts out is a challenge. Check out the frantic “Fan Ta Dig” and the powerful, anthemic heart breaker “Jag Har Ingenting” for the purest, most effective distillation of this band’s many strengths. I have not-so-silently been singing this band’s praises since I first encountered them in late 2010 and, thankfully, a scant few copies of this LP have finally landed stateside. If you have any interest at all in hearing a neo-classic punk rock album, I implore you to check this LP out. Seriously…find this NOW. An absolutely perfect, jaw-dropping record. (Punks Only)