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!

Active Minds Things That Cannot Be Unseen LP

Look, the world needs ACTIVE MINDS. For 40 years, they have been delivering blunt-force, uncompromising activist hardcore/punk to generation after generation of punks, and I swear they feel more relevant today than ever before. The way they present such basic topics makes them feel…well, as important as they actually are. ACTIVE MINDS challenges acceptance on tracks like “The Price of Sporting Excellence” and “We Need to Talk About Saudi Arabia,” and ACTIVE MINDS challenges convention with the five-minute-plus anthem “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and the dirty Motörpunk speed-picking of “Fear of a Secular Planet.” Their commitment to The Plan is what makes ACTIVE MINDS so important—much like DROPDEAD continues to bludgeon everyone in earshot with the unfiltered truth, this UK duo continues to spit fire and deliver uncompromising (and uncompromised) sounds rooted in early UK anarcho. Fortunately for us, those roots have taken hold, and the result is more powerful than ever.

Better Plastic EP2 cassette

Brooklyn’s BETTER PLASTIC follow up their self-titled debut with the aptly-titled EP 2. Featuring two original tracks of powerviolence-infused post-hardcore and one LEFT FOR DEAD cover, anyone interested in mid-tempo, slightly off-kilter songs with blastbeats will find much to enjoy here. Overall, I do think the vocals are cool, but this doesn’t really do anything for me.

Blind Adam and the Federal League DCxPC Live Presents, Vol. 39 LP

If you’ve read my past reviews, then you’ll know I often go to bat for these DCxPC live albums—pure rock’n’roll archiving that will be long remembered for documenting the history of the genre in the 2020s. They are always worth at least a couple spins. BLIND ADAM brings more of the same energy you’ve seen in the past on these slabs, with high octane punk spliced with a hint of country/western and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to refer to BLIND ADAM as skate punk (which I think is fair, as they sound like a cross between SWINGIN’ UTTERS and early RISE AGAINST), as the term “pop punk” doesn’t really do them justice. In an era where political punk is more commonly found in folk punk and powerviolence, it’s refreshing to have a skate punk act return the genre to its roots. These are the types of anthems you can build a revolution around. Their songs are so polished that if you told me this was a studio recording, I’d believe you. The lead guitarist is easily one of the best I’ve heard in a very long time; nothing but face-melting licks that tear their guitar to absolute shreds. A truly brilliant player and master of their craft. You already know what I’m gonna say: go give this record a twirl.

Camp Regret Camp Regret LP

High-energy punk with snaky elements of post-punk guitar work and staccato vocals. Catchy garage riffs and the overall buzzing enthusiasm make this record a fun listen along the lines of HOT SNAKES mixed with BLACK EYES. There are straight-up rockers like “Smoke Screen” and “Summer Venues,” but more interesting are the skittering drums and jerky bass rhythms on tracks like “Go Getter” and “New Zack City,” the latter with a smooth synth accompaniment.

Cigarette Camp Steps LP

CIGARETTE CAMP easily falls in with OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, RVIVR, DILLINGER FOUR, early JAWBREAKER, and all-over-the-place gruff melody and hooks galore. This record has summer and friends dribbling and popping through every note. I think that it is important to understand that although they are covering well-worn ground, this record also comes off authentically and not as merely wanting to mirror or rehash any other bands. There are nineteen songs, which might seem long, but they average fifty seconds each and are perfectly sequenced to flow together, and before you know it, it’s over and you have to flip it and start all over again. I think Steps is going to make gobs of folks happy, and perhaps make it easier to get through the cold and wet spring.

Dashed Dashed LP

DASHED’s self-titled debut LP offers eleven tracks of surf-inflected rock from this Minneapolis four-piece, built on jangly tones and rawly emotive vocals. The musicianship is solid throughout, and it all sounds fine in the most literal sense of the word. I wanted it to grab me, but every so often I found myself drifting, waiting for a moment that never quite arrived. Closing track “The Elephant” finally lets things get noisier and more raucous, hinting at a wilder band lurking underneath. I’d love it if this became the starting point for album number two. Recommended for people who like their surf sounds with a mild hint of HOT WATER MUSIC. The vinyl is pressed on Coke bottle clear wax.

Death Party Haunted 10″

This one’s got a little bit of a SOCIAL DISTORTION feel to it, both in the vocals and the instrumental work. Definitely not a copy or even trying to sound like them, but it’s there. The vocals are also a little distorted, almost like SONIC AVENUES—maybe they’re just leveled up super high. Catchy and melodic, there’s a lot to like about this one. It attacks the whole time and it’s got a garage-y eeriness to it. At the same time, it maintains that catchy, poppy side. Good stuff.

Forma Forma cassette

Debut release from Bilbao, Spain’s FORMA, a mixed female/male-fronted group singing mostly in Italian, with one song (“Itzalen Artean,” I believe) sung in Basque. Songs are heartfelt, angry at times (“Non c’è Spazio”), and run in the post-punk realm, at least in the phaser/effect pedal bass, crunchy rhythms, and clean lead lines way up front in the mix, while the vocals take a little more from a hardcore/melodic hardcore sound. Dynamic sound all around, great mix—music for the good and bad times.

Hektiks Obliteration cassette

Discordant, chaotic, noisy, and rage-filled is the short description of the Obliteration tape by Vienna, Austrian punks HEKTIKS. The six songs on the cassette are over and done with far too quickly, which means multiple replays are mandatory. Lyrics cover a range of topics including the horrors committed in the name of capitalism, sexism in our current times, and state oppression/repression, while sonically raw punk, feedback, and dirty distortion abound. This cassette is currently available through Roachleg or can be had digitally for a donation through the HEKTIKS Bandcamp page.

Itches House Animal Included LP

Very garage-y. The first track intro sounds a lot like MTX’s “Paula Pierce,” a garage rocker from their first record if I remember correctly. These guys definitely lean towards the garage sound. And not just any old garage sound, but the ’60s garage sound. I can’t tell if that’s a tambourine or just a ton of hi-hat, but you get the idea. Catchy and very easy to like.

Komatiite Famine Pact cassette

This is a short one: five songs in less than five minutes. Not even enough for a cig break. This tape EP is KOMATIITE’s second recording, after their demo in 2023. I would be a shameless liar if I said I’d heard of these chaps before, but I understand all the members previously played in the rather good BAKKARA, an evil metallic discore affair. KOMATIITE is a different animal, belonging to the US hardcore species with a distinct dark touch and something of a modern D-beat influence. The band does manage to vary the pace on the tape, offering a beefy, stomping number and a dynamic classic mid-paced hardcore one. There are a lot of things happening here, and what they did include is done well, but because of the length of the tape, I have trouble identifying what they really aim to do. I guess an additional ten minutes would have helped. Still, a pleasant slice of raw, dark hardcore.

The Liarbilitys Vandalheart LP

Here’s a reminder to never judge an album by its first track. Vandalheart kicks off as your standard skate punk affair: basic power chords, call-to-arms lyrics, and NOFX-esque drumming. I prematurely wrote the rest of the record off, assuming it would all sound similar. I was dead wrong. This slab completely opens up following the second track, “Sickbed,” and is a masterclass of modern punk rock songwriting. While the guitar work itself is as catchy as it gets, the vocals and the lyrics are what drives this home. The storytelling here is reminiscent of the CLASH; very personal yet undoubtedly relatable and sentimental for all who listen. The vocalist themselves is on another level—pure unadulterated talent here. I mentioned the guitars being catchy, but goddamn, this singer has hooks for days. It all reminds me of an English ARMCHAIR MARTIAN and Chad Price-era ALL. Very solid album, well worth hundreds and hundreds of spins.

Mandy Die Herrin Ist Mein Hirte LP

Germany’s MANDY belts out twelve tracks of no-frills powerviolence in around ten minutes. Throat-shredding vocals, tempo changes aplenty, blastbeats…they’re ticking all the right boxes. The down-tempo parts stand out for not being overtly metallic or floorpunch-y, and the production is exceptionally balanced with just the right amount of grain. The between-song feedback and samples add enough flesh to the skeleton for it to clock as a full-length LP, though I wonder if it would actually feel more complete as a 7” EP. That’s really splitting hairs, but I suppose that’s what I’m here to do. All told, a solid release with heft and force that leaves me searching for something corpuscular that would push it into brilliance.

Nite Sprites Only Better Changes LP

This sits in that sweet spot of soaring pop punk with gritty hollering and chunky diamond bass lines. The shout-along melodies are triumphant in a triumphless world, weary but fighting ‘til the end. While the band can air it out, too, with tracks like “Teaching Boys” and its chiming arpeggios, they’re muscular in sound in the evergreen tradition of groups like LEATHERFACE and OFF WITH THEIR HEADS. There is a wistful heartachingness to these tunes, but it always gallops forward. I also appreciate the lyrical abstraction, evocative and poetic even as the music sounds like anthems. A smart, spry full-length that’s recorded beautifully.

Open Veins Dead Inside LP

On Dead Inside, OPEN VEINS channels a distinctly metallic strain of hardcore that favors suffocation over flow. The riffs land in full-speed, collapsing patterns—less about momentum and more about pressure—while the low-end churn gives everything a nauseating density. The band does accelerate in almost each track, but it’s in short, panicked sprints that only heightens the sense of entrapment before dropping back into breakdowns that feel engineered for maximum structural damage (excepting their LP intro “Scorched Earth”), The vocal performance is all serrated edges, riding the mix like a threat rather than a guide. There’s a calculated bleakness running through the entire LP that resists easy release. Dead Inside doesn’t posture despair; it manufactures it in real time.

En Dead Inside, OPEN VEINS canalizan una veta marcadamente metálica del hardcore que privilegia la asfixia por sobre la velocidad. Los riffs caen en patrones lentos y derrumbados —menos sobre el impulso y más sobre la presión—mientras el bajo le da a todo una densidad nauseabunda. Cuando la banda acelera, lo hace en sprints cortos y paranoicos que sólo intensifican la sensación de encierro antes de volver a breakdowns diseñados para daño estructural máximo. La performance vocal es puro filo dentado, montándose sobre la mezcla como una amenaza más que como una guía. Hay una negrura calculada que recorre todo el LP y resiste cualquier liberación fácil.

Plant Bau! cassette

Talk about a good switch-up—these guys range from a mid-tempo post-punk feel to classic punk in just one song. I loved how I was caught off guard with guitars streaming in and out all of the time, and just when you think the song’s over, they bring in something new. Overall, these guys do a great job of bringing something fresh for every single song.

Quite Ridiculous Nonsense A Failure… EP reissue

Long-lost DIY EP from 1984 whereupon a young man named Dan Foley made audio experiments with a drum machine, a bass guitar, and kitchen appliances in his Montreal bedroom. Why go all the way to New York City when you can get SUICIDE at home? The ingenuity shines in all four tracks, like the blender solo in “General Attitude,” and the warped conga beat in “Appropriate Blocks.” Teenage ennui leaks out of the gurgling “Boredom” in the form of a looped “Dull / Boring / Dull / Boring” lyric. Kind of like a junior league THROBBING GRISTLE in that there is more creative spark than musical aptitude in these short song kernels, this is a curious document of DIY industrial-leaning punk, and a testament to the joy of fucking around with what’s at hand.

Radioactivity Time Won’t Bring Me Down CD

RADIOACTIVITY’s Time Won’t Bring Me Down arrives ten years after Silent Kill, and, damn, the wait just might have been worth it. If you’re not familiar with this crew, Jeff Burke, Mark Ryan, Gregory Rutherford, and Daniel Fried intersect across so many bands (including MARKED MEN, MIND SPIDERS, BAD SPORTS, HIGH TENSION WIRES, etc.) that their family trees must look like a spirograph. Here we have eleven songs in just over thirty minutes, each written with clear purpose and played with the kind of tightness you’d expect from people who’ve spent their lives doing this. At times, for me, this brought to mind Meltdown-era MIND SPIDERS, but I think fans of any band in this extended universe will feel right at home. The faster songs are always going to be my happy place, but one standout track for me was the more nuanced “Shell,” where the rhythm section locks in below a soaring guitar line that opens up an unexpected sense of space while maintaining that forward momentum. Ten years between full-lengths, and they’ve evolved without losing the best parts of their sound. This would have made my top ten list last year if I had heard it in time. Strongly recommended.

Serial Experiments Freshly Baked Ritual cassette

Tokyo’s SERIAL EXPERIMENTS offer some of the most deranged and psychotic powerviolence I’ve heard in a while. Freshly Baked Ritual sounds absolutely hostile. Two bass guitars dialed to the most sledgehammer-y tone imaginable along with abrasive guitar riffs and blistering drums create a wall of sound that is impossible to penetrate. And yet, two vocalists rip off their vocal cords trying to do just that. The result is a noisy, almost avant-garde kind of fastcore that would be impossible to replicate. It’s totally, uniquely disgusting. Therefore, I love it.

Thee Headcoatees Man-Trap LP

“Dude, did you see THEE HEADCOATEES have a new record out?” I asked my bandmate. “I’ll check the press release, I doubt it was recorded recently,” he responded, followed by “Welp, I guess I’m immediately eating my words.” Eat ‘em and smile, my friend! This is their first new release in 26 years, and features a few BILLY CHILDISH-penned originals along with a bunch of covers. If you’re an existing fan, you take comfort in knowing that the band still sounds great after all these years, and CHILDISH’S songwriting has improved the same. If you’re new to their music, sit back and hear where the COATHANGERS learned it all. I would have loved to hear more originals, but you can’t slight the band for having fun and letting the tape roll again after all these years.This one is a no-brainer for all the garage heads out there.

The Tights Bad Hearts EP reissue

Didn’t the TIGHTS have a single called “Howard Hughes”? They did, way back in the late ’70s. This is also from that era (1978) and originally came out on the Cherry Red label. This is classic early UK punk rock/power pop, back when the two weren’t necessarily distinguished. This is a must-have. In addition to the punk and the power pop, this one’s got a dusting of new wave you can throw into the mix, just for fun.

Ultra Bleach Ultra Bleach cassette

Eight songs of quirky, bubbly, unhinged, repetitive art-punk from Richmond, VA. Musically, ULTRA BLEACH stays within driving, mid-tempo punk range. Cool little drum fills, tight-sounding band. I am not entirely sure if it is how loud the vocals are in the mix or the eccentric yelp styling of the vocalist itself that makes the repeated lines in each song feel less like hooks and more like someone aggressively lecturing you from a soapbox. There are moments where I hear a little bit of early MEAT PUPPETS, which only added to my overall feeling that this has much more of a grunge-type feel to it than anything near the band’s self-proclamation of egg-punk.

Windley Cloverleaf CD

WINDLEY opens up with a quiet and pensive look back at moving on and into the next phases in life. However—dang, duder! WINDLEY likes the DESCENDENTS and ALL and gobs more Bill Stevenson-esque bands. Look, of this specific kind of powerhouse pop punk, WINDLEY does it very well and prolly kills it live. The lyrics are a bit more introspective than usually tend to drive tunes of this ilk. Ten songs is the perfect amount for an album, and they nail it with nine out of ten, only because I’m not a fan of tunes about hangovers, and one of the ten songs is thirteen minutes long and sounds like maybe four different songs, so maybe eight out of ten or fourteen out of ten for someone else (¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). I’ve spun through this three times trying to find ways to beef it up or be more descriptive, and I think I’ve nailed all you need to know for you to jump in. Oh, the only other band I knew from Myrtle Beach, SC was BAZOOKA JOE, and now I know of WINDLEY too, so there’s that.

XSmashcasters Tokyo Rose CD

Virginia punks the SMASHCASTERS broke up in 2013. Three years later, three of the group’s four members decided to reinvent the band, christening their updated configuration with the logical moniker XSMASHCASTERS. And now they’ve put out this CD. Though the tunes take cues from classic English street punk, they present an earnest rock’n’roll style akin to the HUMPERS. I’m reminded at times of the ANGELIC UPSTARTS, the BUSINESS side project PROLE, and also poppy ’90s punk like early BOUNCING SOULS. It’s smooth, upbeat, and punchy stuff that probably rocks harder live.

V/A Stop Genocide Now! Volume 1: In Solidarity With Lebanon & Palestine War / Genocide Victims cassette

The Stop Genocide Now! series has put together an impressively diverse roster across four volumes to raise funding for Lebanese and Palestinian victims directly affected by the ongoing genocide. This tape (the first volume to be put out as a physical release) features twenty bands from across the globe, spanning Brazil to Canada to Mexico to the Philippines and beyond. I recognized a couple of names here like INDIKATOR B and TÀRREGA 91’, but I was mostly introduced to these bands through this comp. There’s a lot to dig into, but standouts include raw punks MAU AGÖURO from Brazil, Dis-beaters DISANXIAN (地三鮮) from China, and ’80s USHC-inspired STILETTO from Singapore. I could go on, but this collection is best explored by the listener. Pick up a copy, discover some new bands, and support a good cause.

Amy Beth and Thee Creeps Shitheel EP

Portland, Oregon’s AMY BETH AND THEE CREEPS put down some turned-up trash garage on their debut 7”. Led by drummer/vocalist Amy Beth, whose bullhorned vocals and lo-fi bashing create a classic budget rock sound, the group smashes through three originals along with a fun cover of the URINALS’ “I’m a Bug.” It’s a nostalgic racket recommended for fans of the DUMMIES, THEE HEADCOATS, and other 1990s noisemakers of the stripes-and-sunglasses ilk.

The Blue Gods Youth An Ode to Blight cassette

I’ve got to admit my confusion with this release and will do my best to make sense of what I’ve got here in front of me. Musically, the BLUE GODS YOUTH play heavy, anthemic, mid-tempo melodic hardcore with pirate punk “yo-ho-ho” kind of parts, all with a singer doing his best TRAGEDY impression—like, if TRAGEDY decided that after Vengeance, they wanted to have more traditionally catchy parts in their songs but still wanted to keep their heavy-sounding recording style. Artwork: An Ode to Blight has very minimalist art, just simple text surrounding a heart wearing a crown and angel wings, and crosses on the back panel and on the tape. Sure, one of the crosses is broken, but with song names like “The Trespasser,” “A Lifeless Prayer,” ”The Chains,” and “Faith and Fury,” I am left thinking that either this is a Christian band, or that the band is attempting to be very strongly tongue-in-cheek against Christianity, taking the piss out of many aspects. Unfortunately, with no liner notes, no lyrics, and every aspect of the band’s online persona having been wiped clean, I have absolutely no way of knowing which one of those things the band was attempting. Can’t give you any other information other than it seems like they’re from Manitoba, Canada.

Briefbombe Deutsche Pest EP

The BLACK FLAG font on the cover had me dreading the first listen. I get a homage, but I see it used so often that it feels overplayed and unoriginal. It just feels kind of cheap, ya know? Are we so starved for fresh ideas that we must reuse and rehash the past? As much as I loathe the cover art, the music fuckin’ rips. It’s as angry, fast, and as pissed-off as the stuff our forebears were releasing 40-plus years ago, but it’s a different animal entirely. BRIEFBOMBE brings the riffs, and they do it with a fury. The songs are quick and meaty, packed with tight riffs and over-the-top drum fills. The vocals are intense and sung entirely in what I presume to be German. I can’t understand a word they are screaming, but the intensity in which it is delivered leaves no question that they mean every word. Cool stuff.

Control Freaks TV Generation LP

CONTROL FREAKS return with their fourth LP, TV Generation. Twelve garage punk salvos from San Francisco, all clocking in around two minutes each, which is perfect. Greg Lowery (SUPERCHARGER, RIP OFFS, INFECTIONS, ZODIAC KILLERS) trades vocals with Amy Munoz, and the back-and-forth between them gives the record a spark that made this stand out for me. Sammy G provides exactly the right drums for these songs, never showing off, just nailing it. The sound will land immediately for anyone familiar with Lowery’s earlier bands, though maybe a notch or two down in aggression. We all mellow eventually, but don’t mistake that for going soft: about half the tunes are diss tracks aimed at bosses, ghosters, liars, lazy slobs, and people who smell bad, so clearly nobody’s gone zen. It’s not reinventing anything, but it delivers the goods. Twelve songs, zero filler, job done. Recommended.

Cuyahoga Fails Still Punk as Fuck CD

I really don’t know what to make of this. I really like it, but maybe not for the regular reasons. This is mid-tempo, RAMONES-ish garage/punk rock, maybe a little DIESEL QUEENS-ish too. I get the feeling that these fellas are lifelong best friends and this band maybe started more as a hangout session first and band second. I’d put money on the majority of their practices being just goofing off and reminiscing about stuff like “Remember when Turtle and Willie broke into that cop’s house and stole his Coors?” This album is a fun romp, catchy, with gobs of humor, and an overall truly “fuck you” attitude that can really only be achieved when you’ve become this level of grumpy.

Fantasma Quase LP

Debut release from FANTASMA, a group started by Gustavo Venturelli and Lucas Cabu who immigrated from Brazil to New York City. Sung all in Portuguese, I can’t accurately describe anything more than their Bandcamp, which says the album “tells the story of a soul that aims to become real and establish a better future amidst dystopian times.” The post-punk instrumentation does an excellent job channeling this energy, with riffs that are dark, melodic, ceaseless, and—at times of extreme peril—ear-splitting. A few songs, like “Lugares Mais Altos,” take a slower, calmer approach with a rubbery bass, chord sweeps, and a feel that reaches for a memory (not knowing the lyrics, that’s where it takes me, anyhow). Having formed as a two-piece, the band is now filled out with Marc Grillo (STIGMATISM), Margaret Chardiet (PHARMAKON/DOLLHOUSE), and Craig. Had I heard this earlier, I think Quase would have easily placed in my 2025 year-end top ten. The album plays with mood, energy, and tempo, acting as a mirror to the modern scatterbrained sense of feeling everything at once equating to feeling nothing at all; finding some way to compartmentalize each piece. Fantastic debut.

Fruit Tones Easy Peelers LP

Budget garage rock played loose with a little swagger like OBLIVIANS, NATURAL CHILD, or BLACK LIPS back when they were on Bomp! Records, a label that has both pioneered and preserved this genre and would suit this band nicely. The vocals will recall HASIL ADKINS’s style, not just in tone and measure but in an attitude which carries across the dozen tracks.

Goolagoon Patrickviolence Demo EP

I’ll be honest, when I saw that the first thing on my review list was a Spongebob-themed powerviolence demo, I rolled my eyes and shrugged, thinking it was going to be one of those gimmicky bands. But seven minutes lay-tuhh, it was clear that my review had to be a written apology. GOOLAGOON, I sincerely apologize for underestimating the potential of the glorious genre that is Patrickviolence. It’s just that I wasn’t familiar with your game, and my biases got the best of me. All those pulverizing riffs, the extremely tight drumming, and abrasive vocals proved me wrong, though. Long live Patrickviolence.

Highway Ghost Nightmares LP

Ranging from screechy garage punk to a gloomier post-punk feel, HIGHWAY GHOST bombards you with a constant dark and spooky atmosphere. I love how scratchy and raw every track is, with backup vocals that feel like a ghostly voice hovering just behind you, sending shivers up your spine. Get ready to enter a hypnotic and amped-up dream-like state, flowing from one track to another.

Illuminati Hablar Contigo / La Promesa Imposible Del Mar 7″

Wowzers! Side A could be from Can I Say by DAG NASTY, with its thoughtful lyrics delivered powerfully over the driving, melodic, upbeat tune. Side B comes in a bit slower, but still with the same impassioned vocals delivering a song about the past eating you alive and a future just out of reach. I’m bummed that there are only two songs. ILLUMINATI has certainly piqued my interest, and I will be checking out their other releases with the hopes of finding more stellar post-hardcore tunes.

Los Idiotas En Las Sombras Se Mueven Mucho Mejor LP

When LOS IDIOTAS’ debut 45 came out in 2007, its raucous and electrified garage sound was about a decade late for its heyday. Now, they’ve doubled down on their winning concept of delayed gratification, waiting a lengthy eighteen years to follow it up with this ferocious full-length LP. These sunglasses-wearing Spaniards are out here ripping like the ’90s never ended, and here you have thirteen tunes with old school budget rock energy. At this rate, we may have to wait another 30 years for a follow-up, so let’s enjoy the devil-may-care, dive-bar spirit of this one thoroughly in the meantime, shall we?

Musty Flick Make It Out Alive CD

Very BLINK 182/early ALKALINE TRIO-coded, with a bit of AMERICAN FOOTBALL tossed in here, too. This is probably a lot for me to ask, but I would love to hear what these songs sound like with a real drummer. The sequencer is a tad too perfect, and it does not pair well with the off-key vocals and loose guitar. I’m a big fan of the bedroom punk aesthetic, and I think MUSTY FLICK is sitting on some potentially great songs, but this squeaky-clean production does not do them any favors. Regardless, there’s a lot of authenticity and promise in these tracks. I just think they would really benefit from having a full band behind them.

Normativ Demo_1 cassette

Out of the foothills of the Italian Alps comes NORMATIV. After forming from the ashes of two separate acts (A/LPACA and SUBMEET), NORMATIV began creating raucous post-punk smeared with noise. Their three-track demo cassette features two originals and a BJÖRK cover. The two originals (“Papers Back” and “Positive Sanction”) are defiant, indignant, and blend layers of punk instrumentation with synthesized clangor while lyrically eviscerating global capitalist police states and describing the emotional fortitude required to survive under their oppression. The BJÖRK cover (“Declare Independence”) closes the cassette with an explosive display of the band’s sonic capabilities, taking what was a minimalist composition and flushing it out into a full-on punk pummeler.

Onyon Pale Horses LP

A dark and gothic album that ranges from more classically post-punk to more melodic rock. I found myself losing focus throughout, though I’m not sure if that’s from the songs feeling a bit long or because of how dark and gloomy they could be. Some of the songs didn’t quite land with me, as a couple sounded quite similar to one another, but I still enjoyed the album as a whole. You should listen to this if you like general post-punk and want a solid gloomy vibe.

Pet Play Hell to Tell cassette

Chicago’s PET PLAY isn’t here to fuck around, coming out swinging with six slices of furious, noisy, seething punk. Fast and to the point, they display the chops and vitality of DETESTATION with a modernized approach. It’s easy to see that these folks are fueled by outrage but they don’t take themselves too seriously, as evidenced by the last song “Bowser’s Theme,” with an instantly recognizable riff that inexplicably translates perfectly. Crazy solid demo here—mean, with great transitions and slick but understated guitar work. Lots of character, verve, and a seriously killer vocal delivery. More, please.

Psychic Death Trilogy LP

While taking notes during my listen to PSYCHIC DEATH’s Trilogy, a collection of their three releases so far, I wrote down the words “rabid,” “offbeat,” and “chaotic” to describe the first few songs. By the time I reached the final two bonus tracks, those three adjectives still felt like the most appropriate ways to describe them. PSYCHIC DEATH plays eclectic hardcore punk with shrieked vocals that have been compared to ’90s West Coast bands like SWING KIDS. Their songwriting is anything but straightforward; each track twists and turns, speeds up and slows down, and at times feels too busy for its own good. That said, across three tapes, their sound has stayed impressively consistent, making this a cohesive if not exhausting collection.

RHDP Kaskasero LP

Virginia Beach’s answer to ANNIHILATION TIME, with a melodic twist. This power trio has been plugging away for quite some time. Yes, they’re rowdy and quite possibly intoxicated, but they don’t fit into the party punk box entirely. The vocals being sung in Tagalog is one of the elements that sets RHDP apart. Another is their willingness to experiment with rhythms and instruments that don’t often turn up on a punk record (is that a jaw harp I hear?). The balance of expression and full-throttled savagery is what makes this album so interesting. Just when it feels like they’ve ventured out to the ledge, they snap back onto a locked groove that hits ya dead between the eyes. Their sound on this album is absolutely massive, a perfect fit for the lean, muscular tunes. A layered, dense collection of powerful rock’n’roll songs that draw me in further with every listen.

Strange Program Strange Program LP

Detroit stoner psych that pulls from the grand SABBATH-ian tradition of slow, distorted blues figures and hammer-on riffs. It’s honestly pretty boring, to the point that I zoned out and forgot it was playing. Recommended if you like inoffensive, unremarkable hard rock playing in the background of your black mass or LSD party or whatever.

Tin Foil Chicken Sandwich LP

You like late-era MINUTEMEN? You’re gonna like this a whole bunch, then. This album sounds like if D. Boon fronted MOLLY HATCHET. Jazzy drums, soaring guitars, and twangy vocals with tongues firmly placed in cheeks. We’re treated to a little bit of banjo action as well, which is a huge A+ in my book. This is the thinking-man’s punk, folks. Outside the box, unconventional, and catchy as hell. I adore this record. Possibly one of the best slabs I’ve heard in a very long time. Highly recommended.

The Vee Bees Third in Line for the Throne / Yeah Orright 7″

It takes less than five minutes for the VEE BEES to make their statement. They’re here to rock, and they are here to party. They’ve been saying it since the turn of the century, and they haven’t changed their tune yet…ROSE TATTOO, beer, JED WHITEY, riffs, AC/DC, not giving a fuck. Grizzled, thick, meaty Aussie punk.

Whyte Lipstick Deadbeat cassette

The snotty vocals at the forefront of this Boston garage punk act, with satisfyingly sneering backup, immediately caught my ear. I’ve long lamented the end of MOMMY LONG LEGS, and I’m not saying this sounds like that band one-to-one, but it’s a similar sort of stupid on purpose, “who gives a fuck” garage abandon that fills a well I’ll fill my bucket from every day of the week. The hooks are simple, the production is dry and unflashy in just the right way. There’s a sense of humor, but it’s not cloying, especially on the title track which rollicks along with the emblematic garage beat while celebrating (and lampooning) being a broke-ass dysfunctional punk in love—I mean, but also you should probably dump him. “Why Can’t You Love Me” is another bruised-heart rager with doo wop backing vocals that utterly shreds. Rules.

V/A Florida Underground Fest, Volume Two LP

At first, I thought this was a showcase of Christian punk. Turns out, it’s a compilation of live acts from Florida Underground Fest 5, and features a hearty mix of pop punk, ska, and metal. It’s not rough enough around the edges for my personal tastes, and there is too much silly onstage banter for me. It reminds me of watching a small local fest where you catch two or three bands that really have their shit together, and the other ones are bands you’ll probably never hear again. Even the “metal” songs are silly and soft, lacking any real edge or intensity. FLAGMAN sounds like a pop punk version of SYSTEM OF A DOWN (interpret that how you will), and CHILLED MONKEY BRAINS do a cover of the “The Trooper” by IRON MAIDEN that is as dumb as their band name. The GILLIAN CARTER tune kind of rips if you’re into that heavy screamo noise thing. I am not, but it’s the cream of the crop here. I’m still not convinced this isn’t a Christian punk comp.

At Night At Night LP

I can’t quite place these guys in any specific genre and I love that. They truly have created something entirely their own, drawing on more pop or indie-style vocals with the occasional synth, keyboard, and distorted guitar. The standout track for me is “I’m Afraid They’re All Talking About Me,” as it felt so unique and powerful from multiple vocalists repeating the same line (sans instruments) that quickly dropped into an utter explosion of guitar and noise. Overall, a really fun band worth listening to.

Backstage Pass Legend (Come On Up to Me) / Let Me Show You Love 7″

Originally recorded in 1977, this has all the elements of early Bomp! Records, NIKKI AND THE CORVETTES, MNM’S, HOLLY AND THE ITALIANS, and perfectly encapsulates the early days of L.A’.s underground music scene. “Legend (Come On Up to Me)” was previously released on the Saturday Night Pogo LP on Rhino Records in 1978, but has been remastered to bring out the full attitude of the tune. Like all of the best power pop and pop punk from this time, “Let Me Show You Love” kills from the opening riff and continues straight through to the last ringing note. Simple and melodic guitar solos and instant earworm lyrics make this a very great and tight single. I’ve read that there was a 2019 cassette of live and recorded material floating around—I think it’s time that cassette gets a proper vinyl release, please.

Clan Dos Mortos Cicatriz Técnicas de Morte LP

Blackened death punk from Brazil that is difficult to wrangle. Técnicas de Morte is a genre-blurring affair that pulls the listener in a multitude of directions, often within the same song. From a one-two pogo beat one moment, to a blastbeat the next, CLAN DOS MORTOS CICATRIZ is erratic and at times disjointed. Across the fifteen tracks, you’ll find elements of crust, hardcore, black metal, and even rock’n’roll. The vocals are the most consistent component, with a pervasive echo that’s like Elmer’s glue and doesn’t hold the parts together sufficiently. The lack of cohesion is a shame, because there are some searing moments with consequential riffs. Tasty morsels, but the whiplash is too disorienting to provide sustenance.