New Blood

Formerly a section in MRR magazine, “New Blood” is now a regular feature here on maximumrocknroll.com spotlighting new bands from around the world! See below for info on how to submit. Now, get to discovering some killer new bands…

Band name:
MYSTERIOUS SKIN

Date & location formed:
Seattle, WA, in October 2013.

Reason for forming:
First bass player/everyone’s best friend Ian had moved to Olympia from Boise, so we started that punk band we had always talked about. Keith, Tyler, and I didn’t really know each other when we first jammed, but from the Golden Girls portrait taped to Tyler’s bass drum, I knew we were going to be best friends. Eventually Ian couldn’t continue to make the drive, and started playing in Vexx. Shortly after, we met Mikey, who had played bass in Porcelain God with Tyler.

What are your lyrics about?
Love and professional wrestling; Not giving a shit, while at the same time, always giving a shit; Managing anxiety and anger through agressive confrontation. It’s weird being alive today, but when has it ever been comfortable to be alive? I’m never comfortable.

How would you describe your sound?
Fast punk.

What’s in the future for this band?
Going on a West Coast tour the day after Christmas; down to L.A. and back with a new tape. The dream for us this year is definitely to tour down to Mexico and put out a 7″.

Links and contact info:
mysteriousskin.bandcamp.com

Band name:
VHS… Chose something generic and easy to say. Sometimes if  we’re feeling real punk we tell people it stands for the Violent Human System.

Date & location formed:
Born in the basements of Reno, Nevada, as a sometimes solo, sometimes collaborative recording experiment. Currently materializing as a live entity, in Seattle, Washington.

Reason for forming:
An excuse to fuck around with an old 8-track, a shitty keyboard, and cheap pedals, and see what kind of garbage sounds came out of that.

What are your lyrics about?
Sometimes animals, sometimes people. Paranoia, dreamscapes and living in the cultural death sigh of basic human needs…

How would you describe your sound?
Depends…The songs are typically written in batches with the intention of capturing an overall cohesive feel, or exploring certain ideas and sounds, so things can get really diverse, but maintain a pretty punk approach to heavily effected guitar hooks and catchy vocal lines with a lot of shitty rocknroll under currents, and occasional keyboard damage…. if throwing out some band names makes that statement a little easier, I guess I’d say maybe Devo/DeadMoon, or the Adverts and Wipers???…but nothings really off limits. We do what we want…

What’s in the future for this band?
We have a 6-song tape called Vultures and Hungry Spirits, out now on our own imprint, Casino Trash Records, and another tape called Art Decay/Everything Looks Boring currently being pressed. Also recording a 3-song 7-inch in late January for a label called Carbonated Sounds in Reno, NV, that should be out in the spring of 2015. Some Northwest shows in the winter and maybe a short tour in the spring. Hopefully two LPs before the year is up.

Links and contact info:
casinotrashrecords.bigcartel.com
violenthumansystem.bandcamp.com
violenthumansystem@gmail.com

Band name:
YOUTH SUCKS

Date & location formed:
Summer of 2014, Budapest

Reason for forming:
Do another meaningful things beside skateboarding.

What are your lyrics about?
Most of our lyrics are about the problems of our generation. Some of them are only about simple stories that happened around us.

How would you describe your sound?
Our sound is like when you finish shitting and it makes you satisfied even if what you put out is only shit.

What’s in the future for this band?
Avoid to be fired from our rehersal room, and continue what we’ve started

Links and contact info:
youthsucks.bandcamp.com

Band name:
WATCHER’S WOODS

Date & location formed:
Summer 2014. Milwaukee, WI.

Reason for forming:
Bands we were in, Crowdpleaser and Crotch Honey, had just broken up. And all the more posi punks had left for the weekend to go to Plan-It-X Fest.

What are your lyrics about?
The end of industrial/western civilization, hunt sabotage, taking psychadelics in the forest.

How would you describe your sound?
Early 80s post-punk or goth. On the poppier side of darkwave. Chorus pedals, reverb, and drum machines.

What’s in the future for this band?
We’re going to be touring to the east coast and back this April. We’ve been taking our time on new songs because the last batch felt a little rushed. We got a song that’s going to be out on this comp by Chain ov Command in January and there’s a potential split in the works.

Links and contact info:
watcherswoods.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/watcherswoodsband

Do you have or know of an awesome new band? It’s easy to submit to be in MRR’s New Blood feature. Use our new online submission form or just email us the following info, and keep keeping’ it real…

1) Band name:
2) Date & location formed:
3) Reason for forming:
4) What are your lyrics about?
5) How would you describe your sound?
6) What’s in the future for this band?
7) Links and contact info:

Along with the answers please send a band photo at least 600px on the longest side (with photo credits), and a logo if you have one, to: mrrnewblood@gmail.com