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!

Aŕesi Aurrera Beti 12″

I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the Basque language leaves much to be desired, which is an enormous shame since Mendeku Diskak has been instrumental in spotlighting what continues to be a verdant and fertile scene of top-notch punk. AŔESI is no different, having already impressed with a few potted releases, and now a full(er)-length 12”. A potent mix of rock’n’Oi! which has a nod to BLITZ and some of the more rockin’ CROWN COURT tunes to boot(boy). It really is impressive to write such compelling sing-alongs in a language I can’t speak, let alone shout along to. And yet I do.

Bardø Self Sabotage cassette

Described as “old fuckers on a PV bent,” and that’s exactly what it is. Very raw-sounding, unpretentious powerviolence with obligatory intro samples. INFEST and NEANDERTHAL are high on their influences list, as they take some of their cues and use them to perfection. Old school to the core. What else to say? Let’s fucking go!

Burgers Gone Wild / Dru the Drifter Do the Shplit! split cassette

Following in the lineage of Jay Reatard and Drew Owen, DRU THE DRIFTER is a prolific young purveyor of lo-fi garagery, and the A-side of this tape showcases four new transmissions from this the incorrigible punk upstart. On the flip, BURGERS GONE WILD is a tambourine-shakin’ one-man force to be reckoned with in the spirit of King Louie Bankston (R.I.P.) If you like it cheap and cheeky, you’ll be rocking this one until you need a pencil to help spin its guts back inside.

Candy Snatchers Good Riddance / Round Up 7″

Two new tracks of pure, unadulterated rock’n’roll from Virginia Beach’s own CANDY SNATCHERS, now entering their thirty-third year of existence. What’s left to say about a band that’s been consistently active for the last three decades? Vocalist Larry May sounds like a combination of MEAT LOAF and Lux Interior of CRAMPS fame. May’s range and energy is equal parts impressive and inspirational. Some folks begin phoning it all in after a measly ten years, but Larry’s still out there spitting venom—full of piss, vinegar, and Mountain Dew. I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the music itself. This slab sounds fantastic; beautiful production and tight as hell. I’m a tad shocked at how much I love this little piece of wax. Proof that punk can get better with age.

Class Act Malaise LP

CLASS ACT from Kansas City follows their debut tape with Malaise, a grimy and offbeat LP that toggles from full-speed West Coast-style hardcore punk to lumbering mid-tempo noise rock. There’s offbeat, angular guitar work, some instrumental interludes, and vocals that gleefully rant and rave throughout. It’s a frantic and at times chaotic listen; fans of MINUTEMEN and SACCHARINE TRUST will find lots to love here.

The Dissidents / D.O.V.E. A Better World split LP

Now I didn’t see this one coming, but it is a record that makes a lot of sense, not just musically but politically as well. Unless you have been living in total isolation in a cave for the past ten years, living off insects, dead snails, and moss, you will have noticed that the world is getting more oppressive, violent, and intolerant by the hour, and it is only logical that some punk bands, as a form of protest, use the medium to express their outrage in a way that is relevant to the present sociopolitical context. A Better World is a record embedded in our contemporary reality; it is a punk record of the old anarcho-punk tradition, a collaboration between two like-minded bands, united by a common message: the DISSIDENTS from Philadelphia (with the much-respected Bill Chamberlain on guitar, who tragically passed recently), and D.O.V.E. from California. I love the album a lot for its sincerity, its positive energy. and for the effort from both bands to write catchy tunes that have proved to be perfectly hummable. The DISSIDENTS, with their dual female vocals and dynamic, tuneful punk rock style, remind me of ‘90s and ‘00s bands like HARUM-SCARUM, the ASSASSINATORS, or even UK bands like DAN. The band manages to be melodic and angry at the same time in an old school fashion. I liked their split with VITRIOLIC RESPONSE, and this one is even better. On the other side, D.O.V.E. goes for a more classic ’80s anarcho-punk sound (often renamed “peace punk” in the context of the ’80s and ’90s punk scene in Southern California), a genre I have always cherished dearly. Their first LP was very good but showed that D.O.V.E. was still learning how to fly. This new effort is more focused, the songwriting is more solid, diverse, and memorable, and demonstrates how great the band has become. At their most upbeat, classic UK bands like the SEARS or A-HEADS come to mind, but there is also a moodier post-punk vibe running through the music, and INDIAN DREAM, AWAKE MANKIND, and LOST CHERREES also got invites, while the band even dares to wander into proper OMEGA TRIBE-approved hippie-punk territory with the soft “Peace by Piece.” If you don’t like classic anarcho-punk, D.O.V.E.’s music won’t really cut it (hopefully the message will), but I love the genre, and they gracefully tick all the boxes of genuine idealist anarcho-punk music—in a world full of bitterness and cynicism, this record feels fresh. You should definitely hurry.

Em Gee NMA cassette

I admire this project because it is unapologetically about being things that the punk world at large tends to scoff at these days: it’s a hyper-personal, bedroom-pop-feeling, ukulele-forward bit of folk punk. It takes huge balls to put that combination out into the world, so I have to commend that courage. It comes close to working for me, but sadly it doesn’t quite get there. It sounds like a lo-fi, back-alley performance (is “back-alley punk” a thing? it should be) version of the spirit of the WORLD INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY through a Plan-it X Records filter. There is a ton of charm here, confessional and simply direct lyrics that very much have a personality, and some beautiful little moments, but on most tracks, that slightly off-meter folk punk vocal delivery just doesn’t come together with the song. The fact that there is a full band and some interesting instrumentation (there’s a trombone in here) comes so fucking close to making it work, too. I didn’t hate this, I can tell it’s just not my thing more than any objective flaw in the music, but I’m glad this is out there.

Entrapped Světlo Je Mrtvý LP

Phobia Records never misses, and ENTRAPPED’s Světlo Je Mrtvý (“The Light is Dead”) proves it once again. Dark, desperate crust punk from Czechia that crawls out from under the ashes of human collapse. Echoing vocals, grinding riffs, and mid-tempo drumming build an atmosphere that feels post-apocalyptic yet oddly triumphant. The record feels cinematic—each track adds to a larger world of decay, but the energy never falters. Bleak, honest, and absolutely vital for the current state of European crust.

Frigöra Fullständig Frigörelse LP

All punx rejoice, as General Speech continues doing the work to bring us the absolute goods! In this case, we get the complete studio discography of ’90s Tokyo legends FRIGÖRA, compiling 27 tracks of buzzsaw punk with a mängel bent. My theory is that they must have heard Kärnvapen Attack and dove all the way in. Tight, ferocious blasts that never outstay their welcome. Only one cut crosses the two-minute mark, and most don’t come anywhere close. Damaging waves of distortion make for a tidal wave of destructive punk, all done up in a luscious package with a sweet booklet. This is a limited release that will undoubtedly get snatched up fast, so do yourself a solid and hop on it!

Gentleman Jesse I Wonder if You Would Even Notice: Singles and Rarities LP

This Atlanta four-piece plays upbeat, hook-driven power pop built on clean guitars and tight melodies. Sharing some of the same DNA as EXPLODING HEARTS or the TRANZMITORS but with a lighter, less aggressive touch, GENTLEMAN JESSE trades in most of the speed and harshness for classic pop songwriting. Formed in 2006 by Jesse Smith with drummer Dave Rahn (both from CARBONAS), the band’s early singles captured a scene steeped in melody and a fascination with the late ’70s band the NERVES. This collection gathers sixteen tracks from those first five years, most around two minutes long, offering a concise picture of their evolution. Later songs like “I Want What’s Mine” and “I Can’t Hardly Take It Anymore” stand out for their extra bite and momentum, but damn if my brain doesn’t keep going back to the first track, “I Don’t Wanna Know (Where You Been Tonight),” which is just a really good pop song. The collection as a whole works as a snapshot of an era when a bunch of punks started playing pop music. The lyrics, true to style, stick pretty close to affairs of the heart.

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.

HISTAMINE Quality of Life LP

Quality debut LP for this Australian band. Punk-centered, stompy-as-fuck hardcore that is drenched in the echoes of the vocals to an interesting/unique effect. The band also manages to sprinkle some metal leads and unexpected melodic moments throughout the duration to keep shit from getting boring. I’m a big fan of this type of hardcore being produced largely and cleanly, and it does a killer job of filling out the sound here. Convulse is on roll of releasing HC punk in this vein recently, and they snagged a winner with HISTAMINE. Could have used a little more variety in the slim fifteen-ish-minute runtime, but that’s a nitpick; solid hardcore is always welcome.

Lookers Deeper LP

Sounding like if PJ HARVEY smoothed out all her edges, LOOKERS offer up ten tracks of self-described “dark pop” that don’t seem to firmly plant roots in the listener’s brain. The words “pleasant enough” come to mind over and over as the album moves along, but these tracks feel like they want to feel more confrontational—again, the sleekness unfortunately dampens the fervor. This isn’t to say this album is a total drag, but it just feels like there is a discrepancy between what is trying to be conveyed and what the end result becomes. The vocals can be interesting when they go unexpectedly minor-key or intentionally flatter than you were expecting, which keeps the interest piqued a bit, but they can also do the opposite, like when certain words are just repeated too many times that don’t really have any gravitas, which happens more than a few times throughout (including right from the jump with the words “TV dinner” repeated seemingly ad nauseum). Needed more raucousness, less innocuousness.

The Mar-Mars Demo 2025 cassette

Quirky lo-fi punk rock from Savannah, GA. Demo 2025 is the second full-length cassette from the MAR-MARS, and their first release featuring a full-band lineup. Their self-titled cassette was released as a solo project and has something of a dark, broody street punk aspect to it. This new MAR-MARS release has versions of five songs off the first cassette, so it’s easy to listen back and forth to the progression of the project. A solo project turning into a full band can bring a new excitement to what was once only able to be a recording project. Unfortunately, in the case of the MAR-MARS, the main things that seem to have changed are that the recording of this new cassette is considerably more lo-fi, and the songs sound as if they are holding on for dear life to keep from falling apart at the seams. I was surprised to see that there was a label associated with the release of this, presumably run by someone from the band, as their other release is also on it, but nowhere on the cassette or shell can that information be found.

Ofensa ¿Cual Humanidad? cassette

Genre-bending metal punk from Barcelona, with one foot on the classic UK crust sound and another in the cold buzzsaw death and black metal from Scandinavia. The crusty NIHILIST tone gives the guitars a new dimension of heaviness, and the very politically-minded vocals still make this a very punk-oriented record. OFENSA almost fits the neocrust label, reminding me of bands like AMBULANCE or EKKAIA, but somehow they are something else. A bleak piece of music for bleak times.

Pena Maxima Alentando Hasta El Fin LP

Spanish-sung Oi! from Miami, Florida, with lots of gang vocals, gruff football chants, and anthemic guitar leads. PENA MAXIMA has been around since 2016 and is just now releasing their debut, which is evident in the polished production, skillful playing, and tight songwriting. It isn’t really my taste, but I can appreciate the talent on display here, and can certainly see the appeal for the Samba-wearing crowd.

Ripcord The Damage is Done LP

For those living under a rock, RIPCORD was a seminal hardcore punk band from the seaside town of Weston‑super‑Mare, England, active from 1984 to 1988. These lads played extremely fast hardcore punk with elements that positioned them among the first UK bands to push toward grindcore territory. Their music combined the speed and aggression of US hardcore with the rawness of UK82 punk, having been cited as one of the flagship bands of the UK’s mid‑’80s hardcore scene alongside bands such as HERESY (for whom RIPCORD’s founder Steve “Baz” Ballam played) and NAPALM DEATH. RIPCORD’s The Damage is Done was first released in 1986, originally as a flexi. From the start, The Damage Is Done doesn’t waste any time; each track barrels forward, maintaining a relentless intensity throughout its runtime. One of the standout features of this album is the band’s ability to balance chaos with structure. While the songs are undoubtedly fast and abrasive, there’s a clear sense of purpose in the way they build tension and release it. Lyrically, they don’t shy away from heavy topics: anti-authoritarianism, personal frustration, and critiques of societal hypocrisy. The production is appropriately raw, giving the album a live-wire energy that enhances its punch to the gut. It’s not polished to the point of losing any of the rough edges that make hardcore so captivating, but it’s clean enough to make every instrument shine through, even in the most chaotic moments. Overall, RIPCORD proves 39 years later that they captured the essence of punk in a way that feels timeless and entirely of this present moment. Free Ola!

Sakura Violencia flexi EP

The three-song Violencia flexi was created by four-piece Las Vegas band SAKURA, and it fucking rips! Drawing heavily upon the extensive sound catalog of Japanese hardcore, SAKURA melds noisy, terminal velocity punk into songs that immediately call to mind other things that rip, like RESIN’s 2021 Pot Overdose or DEAD CITY’s 2022 Banned from L.A. What I’m saying is that if you’re into that punk crudo that makes your inner ear feel like a kick drum, or when feedback sounds like an M-80 in a bowl of Rice Krispies, then you’re going to want to pick this one up.

Snarewaves DIY flexi EP

Four quick jammers on this release that equals about two minutes of music total. It’s fun and raucous: LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS-style gross-out vocals, reverbed garage punk guitars, and digital drums, all played very fast. There isn’t much information online about SNAREWAVES, but they have quite a few of these micro punk capsules and a lot of colorful artwork. If you like what you hear, go down the rabbit hole.

Tension Pets Expresso Plaza CD

In just a few tracks, this Chicago group is able to explore a lot of exciting territory. From bad-vibe carnival punk to more earnest (if unhinged) punk-inflected indie, this group is clearly confident while at play. Talk about adventures in sound and richness of ideas, and yet while some bands can stretch themselves too thin, this band seems uncannily aware of their strengths (which are many). This is squiggly, artsy weirdo music, but heavy thanks to a syrupy synth underlying it all. The vocals are howling and manic, but stuck to the rhythm in a way that all but demands you shout along. One of the most singular, fun, and powerful releases of the year.

The Whiskey Bats DCxPC Live & Dead, Volume 7 EP

Another edition of DCxPC’s Live & Dead series which sees the featured band contributing a handful of both live and studio-recorded songs (“live” and “dead,” get it?). This time around we’ve got Pennsylvania’s WHISKEY BATS bringing us two tracks from the studio, and two live tracks from Camp Punksylvania in the summer of 2024. This is your typical pop punk/orgcore affair, sounding a bit like DILLINGER FOUR meets LAWRENCE ARMS meets DEAR LANDLORD. You know the deal. I’ll always go to bat for these DCxPC releases. This is the type of pure punk archiving that you just don’t see anymore. The live recordings are raw, unedited, and uncut. You can hear every fuck-up as well as every victory. It might sound a bit ironic, but that’s pure perfection to me. I really appreciate what DCxPC has been doing and you should too. Grab this slab and a couple of their other releases. You will not regret it.

偏執症者 (Paranoid) Vanished Resilience / False Control 7″

偏執症者 continue to exert mastery over D-takt in a way that few others even approach. Of a piece aesthetically with a slew of recent releases, this two-song ripper embodies the band’s general imperative: the perfection of a craft. Distinct from so many dis-clones in form and function, I think of PARANOID as “boutique” D-beat. To the matter at hand, both tracks unsurprisingly rip. Upbeat and punk forward on both accounts, the topside “Vanished Resilience” contains a fun trick where they switch from a fast, raging D-beat to a slower (still raging) D-beat. It may sound minor, but this is exactly the type of punk acrobatics that a lesser band would never consider, much less pull off so seamlessly. If you’re not sufficiently lured in by the rad art, this moment alone makes for required listening.  

 

Added Dimensions Jane From Preoccupied America LP

Richmond, Virginia consistently churns out great bands of all stripes, and ADDED DIMENSIONS are certainly no exception. Discordant garage with danceable grooves and unexpected harmonic layers. Art-tarnished if not fully damaged, the SWELL MAPS reference is fitting. They don’t sound much like GRASS WIDOW or VIVIAN GIRLS, though both of those bands spring to mind. Catchy and streamlined without being simplistic or saccharine. Out of the fertile bed of minimalism flowers a vine yielding complex fruit. Citric, sweet, with a touch of bitterness…remarkable and delectable. I dig it more with each listen.

Big Laugh Days of Disarray LP

Possible swan song from this Milwaukee hardcore band, and it’s a ripper. This 12” EP contains four tracks of complex punk, mixing big riffs, metallic palm-muted chugging, and layers of intricate sonic variations that keep each moment exciting like a blend of INSIDE OUT’s attitude with FUCKED UP’s compositional intricacy. The whole record is great, but “Vacation” stands out with its blend of aggression and textural minor-key fuzz. Check this one out, and let’s cross our fingers that it’s not the last from BIG LAUGH.

Crude Image Crude Image cassette

New London-based hardcore punk project from Lindsay Corstorphine of VIOLIN. CRUDE IMAGE cites inspiration from a few corners of the world, but the Midwest influence is most prominent. All of the instruments are quick, muscular, and tight, and the vocalist sounds like they popped a few blood vessels laying these tracks down. A real pressure cooker of a record, For fans of INMATES and the HELL.

Disolvente Guerra cassette

Some mid-tempo headnodders from Barcelona’s DISOLVENTE. Nothing too complicated here; this is very much your meat-and-patatas bravas UK82-flavoured street punk. It does chug along at a decent pace, but is nothing that’ll stay with me beyond the end of the record. I’m sure they are a laugh live, at the least.

El Sancho Roll Right Over You LP

Oh my golly! A punk band from Hawaii! EL SANCHO, I wasn’t expecting something so transportive to my teenage years. This emulates PROPAGANDHI with lyrics defining personal politics, wrapped in subtle humor. I think this record is a perfect jumping-off point for kids that are drawn to punk and underground music. EL SANCHO’s Roll Right Over You LP is budding with sing-along choruses and lyrical depth that float this record substantially above many other records in the same sound pool. Drawing sonically from the DWARVES and the HARD-ONS, this makes for a great, well-rounded LP. For me, this record should have had four or five fewer songs that could be used as a follow-up EP in a few months, but that’s just me.

Empired Strikes Back CD

What if TEXAS IS THE REASON was a radio pop-rock band from Southern California? That’s the vibe I’m getting here, for better and worse. On the positive side, elements of when pop punk goes hard into the pop realm (think the melodic work bands like BROADWAY CALLS have made their bread and butter) are deftly executed and mixed with ’90s post-hardcore. When the needle is more on the post-hardcore/punk-adjacent side as opposed to the alternative/radio rock end of the spectrum, the record works best and goes at all cylinders. A couple quasi-corny radio rock and ska-ish moments would simply make the songs better by not being there. Lyrically, these guys seem to be fairly punk in their thinking, which I appreciate, but I wish the EVERCLEAR or cod reggae  moments were cut to give the good elements more time to shine.

Fake Unamerikan EP

Debut release from the four-piece Memphis group FAKE. This definitely lies on the outer fringes of MRR coverage: a little garage-y, a little poppy, a little hokey, with clean guitars and a fairly low BPM. With all its quirks and silly asides, this reminds me of PAUL LEARY’s Born Stupid album. This certainly isn’t offensive or annoying, it’s just there, like a misfit cousin no one invited, but who just keeps showing up. Maybe this fake music is your thing. Give it a chance?

Game Show Models Sunk cassette

A quick collection of delightfully lo-fi and charmingly blown-out RAMONES-inspired buzzsaws. You can hear a lot of other sounds in these four tracks, from JAY REATARD to GEE TEE to SICK THOUGHTS, but the overall package of sounds helps this gem stand out. With three of the four tracks clocking in at less than two minutes, GAME SHOW MODELS aren’t here to ponder and pontificate. The guitars sound fantastic and make an amazing racket, while the vocals dare you to pick them out of the mess, like trying to stab an ice cube with a plastic fork, which simply adds to the replay value here.

Hyper Minds / Pizza Stains split EP

It’s a little freak show on wax, with an A-side showcasing some Rip-Off Records-style garage spiked with the shadowy psych of the SCIENTISTS courtesy of L.A.’s HYPER MINDS. The PIZZA STAINS out of San Gabriel Valley occupy the B-side with two tracks of bass-heavy and bare-bones RAMONES-y rocking, no brains required. While not directly demonic, these sounds are sufficiently twisted for ass-shake-inducing Halloween party bumpage.

La Isla Electronica No Digas Nunca EP

Following their 2024 demo, Portland, Oregon’s LA ISLA ELECTRONICA is out with their debut EP. Spanish, femme-fronted vocals over a synth-heavy darkwave type of thing—moody, poignant, haunting, with a steady-as-can-be dance beat. Like RIKI, but with a little more edge. I’m all in for this one.

The Lousekateers DCxPC Live, Volume 37 LP

Live recording of a set played by this NY pop punk band in Troy, NY early this year. I’d put their sound somewhere between TILT and the MUFFS, with a penchant for more intricate rock’n’roll guitar/bass arrangements more indicative of the latter but a propulsive ’90s pop punk edge easily ascribed to the former. The recording is clear and crisp, the band is playing pretty tight, and the singer seems pretty engaged with the crowd and her lyrics. An easy listen that underlines a quirk I’ve noticed several times where pop punk bands have a pronounced edge live they tend to hide on record. Good stuff.

Misere Misere 12″

MISERE is a new band out of Berlin who recently released their inaugural recording. Their self-titled 12″ is etched with seven tracks of gloom-laden post-punk that frequently borrows from proto-goth. Groove-riding bass lines, angular guitars, and shuffled, mid-paced drumming makes MISERE easily danceable for all the party bats out there. If you like XMAL DEUTSCHLAND, then absolutely check out MISERE.

No Peeling Can I Pet That Dog? EP

Short and sweet, hyperfocused, chaotic egg-punk. I loved how much was happening in every track; there were so many layers and things going on, I felt almost overwhelmed, but also not at all. They had a couple more melodic and lighthearted tracks as well, which caused a good balance. Overall, so much fun, I would recommend them if you need an extra shot of energy.

Petrograd A.B.C. LP reissue

Benchmark LP from some extremely prolific and melodic Luxembourger anarcho-punks. A.B.C. was released in 2000 (the only PETROGRAD release I previously knew except for the ACTIVE MINDS split), and it is a master class in infectious, intense, and accessible punk. You’re going to hear LEATHERFACE, EA80, hints of the things that made ’80s BAD RELIGION so timeless, and the roots of emo/indie through a political punk filter (most notably on the B-side). The vocals are the focal point even if they aren’t the highlight; it’s the embodiment of an “earnest” and honest delivery and it makes you want to listen to everything else with a concentrated ear. There’s a reason why thirteen labels were involved in the initial release, and a damn good reason why Sabotage reissued the record a quarter-century later…it’s a fucking masterpiece.

Psych-War Psychotic Warmonger LP

Yoooo, this record fucking smokes! Scandinavian-style crust coming straight from the city of brotherly punk. An absolute Philadelphia skull-basher! Muscular riffs accompanied by searing guitar solos and pummeling drums. The menacing vox pull everything together with gravelly precision. I hear some elements of CRUDE SS, WOLFPACK, and ACURSED, beyond the more obvious influences. Unabashedly rockin’, there’s a nice Motörcharge on tracks like “Screams at the Sky” and “Criminal Mission.” Throughout the eleven cuts, the shredding solos burn with a heat that risks melting the wax right off yer turntable. Undeniably sick artwork completes the package, placing it easily among the top releases of 2025. Never mind the brain cell battle, this is brain cell warfare!

Roach Squad Roach Squad LP

The gruff-throated singer Hugo Mudie (the SAINTE CATHERINES) joins forces with two members of the mighty LEATHERFACE, including Frank Stubbs, to craft more great melodic punk with dive bar conviction and grit. If you’re a fan of this particular thread of punk for songwriters, and I very much am, there’s a treasure trove here for you to dive into. Collectively, their sound is big and beaty, and the hooks are undeniable. Stubbs, thankfully, contributes his timeless voice to “I Wonder,” and while I applaud that this band mostly sounds like a group of musicians not trying to recreate their past glories, I can’t help but greet his presence like an old friend. But this isn’t some vanity project to relive the past. These players are here for keeps, and this is a flag planted confidently in the ground to announce a new chapter for everyone involved.

Scrotum Clamp / The Scuts I*A*N / Miss Information split EP

Fun split from across the pond, with both bands showcasing their own flavor of street punk while sounding different enough to keep things interesting. SCROTUM CLAMP plays a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek Fat Wreck style of pop punk akin to GOOBER PATROL and FRENZAL RHOMB. The SCUTS sound as if they could have come from an early A-F Records comp sandwiched between THOUGHT RIOT and the CODE; melodic hardcore with lyrics drenched in politics. “Miss Information” is sung from the perspective of a right-wing bigot, and I’ll be honest here—if it wasn’t for the song title, I may have missed the irony. However, this is a really great split EP and is well worth a couple spins.

Sensor Ghost Irritation on Demand LP

Art-punk from DC that mixes angular post-punk rhythms with nasally vocals, like ERASE ERRATA meets THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. Lyrics like “Back then we were the uncouth cream of the crop / Screaming on the stage / Boppin’ around like an unkept cadre of lollipops,” from “Lamentations of the Scene,” are bouncy and catchy, and notably less serious than what I usually associate with a Dischord release. The vocals ride a fine line between quirky and off-putting, but if you spend some time with the tracks, they start to make sense in their own weird little orbit. The LP was recorded with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios, so you know it sounds incredible. Most striking is the feeling of genuine oddball fun SENSOR GHOST seems to be having. They are probably not a band for everyone, but the energy is contagious if you give it a chance.

Traidora Una Mujer Trans Sin País LP

A trans woman without a county. TRAIDORA’s Una Mujer Trans Sin País is an exploration of the isolation and displacement faced by trans women, particularly those without a homeland, both physically and emotionally. The album’s title speaks directly to the experience of being a trans woman who doesn’t fit within the confines of traditional gender or national boundaries. Opening with “Grito Ausente,” TRAIDORA introduces a sonic picture that is both unsettling and intimate. The themes of alienation are clear, with tracks like “Disforia Eterna” and “Ella” addressing the absence of space for trans identities in a world that insists on conformity. The music is a vicious hardcore punk assault sung in Spanish (Eva Leblanc is originally from Venezuela) that borders on faster hardcore acts like DROPDEAD. Una Mujer Trans Sin País is both a personal and political statement, a soundtrack for anyone who has ever felt displaced or unwelcome for who they are. TRAIDORA’s journey of resistance is one of both internal and external struggle, as the project challenges the borders that seek to limit. This album is a cathartic scream for belonging, a reminder that, even without a country, one should still carve out a space to exist. This is the main goal of punk: to liberate the mind and body!

Tramadol Crucifixion EP

Blistering second release from West Yorkshire’s TRAMADOL, whose muscular brand of D-beat takes cues from the best of Scandinavian and British hardcore. At any given moment on Crucifixion, you can hear echoes of ANTI-CIMEX, TOTALITÄR, MOTÖRHEAD, and of course DISCHARGE. Raw but in a refined sort of way (listen and that’ll make sense), the production here sounds great. The bass is springy, the drums pop, and there’s a particularly bright tone to the guitars that just really fuckin’ hits, especially on the title track. If any of the aforementioned bands are your cup of tea, this one’s a no-brainer.

Unarmed Unarmed cassette

For some unfathomable reason, I completely missed out on this tape released about a year ago on Phobia Records in spite of my usually infallible and reputable crust detector (just imagine a punk version of Jiminy Cricket yelling in my ears whenever it spots a trace of crust music). I have of course long been familiar with Sweden’s UNARMED, pretty much the epitome of the typical ’90s Eurocrust style—or rather perhaps an era-defining take on the genre. UNARMED does exactly what you’d expect a common crust band to do between 1994 and 1999: old school raw cavemen hardcore music inspired by DOOM, 3-WAY CUM, HIATUS, or WARCOLLAPSE, done with Swedish taste and a bear behind the microphone. They are certainly not reinventing the wheel, and a full discography with no less than 28 songs will be hard for most to take unless you are as monomaniacal as I am. I love these kinds of projects because they play a crucial role in archiving and recollecting our collective history, to save it from oblivion, for posterity. UNARMED was never the most high-profile, the most talented, or the most remarkable among the legions of D-beat and crust bands during the ’90s, but I personally really enjoy the primitive and hyperbolic gruffness of their sound. This is for the real crust die-hards.

Visual Learner Greg LP

Debut full-length from this Minneapolis quartet that at its core has the working-class realism of the ARRIVALS and AMERICAN STEEL. Lyrics that are equally dead serious and tongue-in-cheek; angsty and optimistic. There is an element of urgency and that almost slightly out-of-control feeling as they crash through the ten tracks in a short twenty-six minutes, particularly on the track “Cure-All” when bassist Morgan Purcell takes over vocals. The mastering by MARKED MEN’s Jeff Burke adds to the punch. Also telling is the young band getting an invite to play the Recess Romp this year at the Sardine. The band is relatively new but has the feel of well-worn sounds from earlier times, particularly the first few albums from fellow Minneapolitans HÜSKER DÜ and the REPLACEMENTS.

Whipping Boy Dysillusion: A Muru Muru Remix LP

The Dysillusion LP issued by Blackhouse Records is an intriguing reissue/remix of WHIPPING BOY’s 1984 seminal album Muru Muru. If you’re unfamiliar with WHIPPING BOY, that’s okay because they were a niche band in Southern California during a time when bands were ubiquitous. Muru Muru was originally recorded by the DEAD KENNEDYS’ Klaus Flouride while Dysillusion is remixed by Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli and remastered by John Golden, each having extensive histories working with noisy post-hardcore mega-acts like the MELVINS and SONIC YOUTH, respectively. In reality, Dysillusion is a refined reworking of Muru Muru with a better instrument-to-vocal balance. WHIPPING BOY still shines through with their hauntingly dark take on hardcore/post-hardcore. Their riff-layered, abstract take on the heavy music of their day remains fresh, with Eugene Robinson’s vocals coming through with a soft but fervent croon. Dysillusion is absolutely worth checking out, especially tracks like the gothic “Myster Magi” and the bluesy closer “Junkman,” and if you’re a mega music history nerd, then you’ll probably find the original recorded banter between the band and Klaus amusing.

Ameretat Ameretat 12″

AMERETAT is formed by members of the Iranian diaspora who use their shared culture to influence their hardcore. AMERETAT uses the chaotic delivery of later anarcho-punk hitched to international hardcore, with the resulting sound reminding me of something between GEHENNA and DYSTOPIA. In fact, the second track, “Marg-e ye Doktor (Death of a Doctor),” has a very INTEGRITY-like style of delivery. Their self-titled 12″ album is an eight-song journey that blends rage with despair, surging punk with plodding metallic breakdowns, and an extensive view of the world that westerners will never know. If you haven’t given AMERETAT a spin yet, then you need to immediately.

Besta Quadrada Besta Quadrada LP

BESTA QUADRADA brings us a fresh helping of off-kilter noise out of Western New York. Moving between droning and lurching rhythms and explosive hardcore with dark undercurrents, the brief and artful songs on this debut LP spin a web of brooding potency. The dramatic vocal performance gets downright Kim Gordon-esque at times (“Spiral”), and then switches moods to capture even brattier and more sardonic tones (“Life of the Party”). Drenched in distortion, it sways and charges in unpredictable intervals, leaving the listener pleasantly dizzied in its wake.

Beta Maximo A Cuchillo cassette

BETA MAXIMO is the moniker for Javier Sánchez, a one-man operation who has been cranking out recordings for a good three years now, earning a spot in the wave of synth punk that has been showing up stateside from Europe. Where a band like CUIR takes synth pop and jams it full of anthemic punk and Oi! influences, or fellow Spaniards  ZERO AZÚCAR very successfully blend it with pop punk sensibilities, BETA MAXIMO is more fixated in the early, robotic aura of early synth-pop and the work of absolute genre godfathers DEVO. From the delivery of (and effects on) the vocals, to leaning into the kind of synthesizer sounds that make you think of early keyboards and boxy robots, the result is pretty interesting. That’s not to say you’ll miss the guitars and punk rhythm as they are well-represented, but the emphasis is what differentiates this project in a good way. That same tendency may rob the songs of some of the catchiness of other current proponents of the “punk + Casio” sound, but proves effective regardless. US tape release of a digital EP cranked out in 2024.