Reviews

Mama Goblin

Skull Cult Can You See What I Mean? EP

Let’s get something out of the way real quick. We all agree that this is the best album cover on this godforsaken planet, right? Yes? Good. From the epicenter of egg-punk (or weird punk, if you’re too cool for that), Indiana’s SKULL CULT has proved again and again that they mean business, and has been a staple in my personal hall of fame ever since I first heard of them. This year’s Can You See What I Mean? sounds like they’ve dialed down the weirdness a bit and leaned into the catchiness element. Don’t get me wrong, all the things that made SKULL CULT great in the first place are present throughout the EP. Blown-out guitars, hyperactive drums, sick bass lines, nice synth melodies, and batshit insane vocals are still front and center, just a bit more modest. To me, Can You See What I Mean? signals a slightly new direction for the band, one that I’m curious to see where it leads.

NTSC PAL Full of Spots cassette

Sometimes you don’t really need much to make kickass music. You don’t need intricate songwriting, a full band of virtuosos, crystal clear production, or lyrics that give Shakespeare a run for his money. I mean, wasn’t this the whole premise of punk rock in its early days? You just need the attitude, style and intent. It really can be as simple as “Here are three chords, go start a band,” and you don’t even need to start a band nowadays. Melbourne’s egg-punk powerhouse BILLIAM knows this by heart and proves it once again in his new no-strings solo affair, NTSC PAL’s first EP Full of Spots. It’s very stripped-down: just synths, drums and vocals, à la the SCREAMERS (duh). Even though we all know that BILLIAM is more than capable of coming up with billiams of sick guitar riffs in a heartbeat, he makes the conscious decision not to by leaving out guitars all together and focusing on simple earworm synth melodies this time around. I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something magical in something so simple and barebones. Though technically not a BILLIAM release, NTSC PAL’s Full of Spots is my favorite entry to the BILLIAM-verse to date.

Scooter Jay Punk Floyd and the Moral Faggots LP

If it wasn’t clear from the title, Toronto three-piece SCOOTER JAY’s 2024 LP Punk Floyd and the Moral Faggots is an album that blends a very well-defined ’70s psychedelic rock sound with power pop sensibilities and undeniable punk attitude. Although the majority of the album is high-energy, it’s not just fast and loose rock’n’roll. There are some tracks that let you breathe, some that make you bob your head, and some that make you dance around your room. Everything sounds structured and ordered purposefully in a way that it doesn’t get boring at any point. Throughout the album, layers upon layers upon layers of sometimes raw and razor-sharp, sometimes acid-laced and surreal guitar tracks take the lead. With the help of tightly locked drums and bass, occasional keys, and expressive yet nonchalant vocals, the album takes its ultimate groovy form. The overall production of the LP sounds very traditionally early psych in some ways, but also novel when it comes to adding new dimensions to its sonic landscape. Though this LP was my introduction to SCOOTER JAY, I’m genuinely and totally blown away!

Extortion Threats EP

Australian powerviolence legends EXTORTION have once again blessed us with another tough-as-nails, full-throttle fastcore release. Actually, calling it fastcore wouldn’t do it justice. It should also be called tight-core, considering how unbelievably well-performed it is. As you finish the first song, which is just sixteen seconds long, you think to yourself “Whew, that was crazy. Surely it will slow down at some point!” Then guess what? You get sucker-punched into oblivion over and over by fifteen songs in a grand total of eight minutes. Every millisecond of Threats is jam-packed with raw, unadulterated aggression. The kind that you miss the moment you blink. It was one of my favorite releases of 2024 and after giving it about a hundred more listens, I’m happy to say that it absolutely still is.

Sprgrs EP1 cassette

There is no doubt that Barcelona trailblazers PRISON AFFAIR changed the trajectory of egg-punk with their unique take on the sound, becoming everyone’s favorite band at some point. But they’re by no means all that the rich Spanish scene has to offer. Granada/Jaén band SPRGRS manages to scratch that same itch and put themselves on the map with their 2023 debut EP1. It’s wobbly, it’s quirky, and it’s delightfully lo-fi. Seasick guitar melodies drenched in vibrato are perfectly accompanied by tasteful bass lines. While they take turns under the spotlight, they are always in lockstep thanks to the simple yet punchy electronic drums keeping the groove going at all times. Vocals are relatively deadpan throughout the EP and provide a nice juxtaposition to the dancy and quirky nature of their music. The EP’s runtime is around nine minutes, so you really can’t go wrong with it. And if you’re already a fan of the genre, chances are you’ll love it.

Titanium Exposé Disorders cassette

Hailing from the Netherlands, TITANIUM EXPOSÉ offers a high-voltage synth punk experience with their debut Disorders. Deranged garage riffs with moments of rockabilly lead the charge, but the star of the show is without a doubt the earworm synth lines that cut through every other instrument and establish their dominance throughout six songs. Vocals drowned in reverb make room for the crazy instrumentation of the songs by providing emphasis without trying to be too in-your-face. Drums are super crunchy and energetic, just the way I like ‘em. Honestly, TITANIUM EXPOSÉ’s Disorders sounds like the lovechild of the CONEHEADS and DIODE, and I’m totally here for it.

Ismatic Guru An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information LP

Buffalo’s ISMATIC GURU is truly a unique duo. Yes, they’re regarded as egg-punk and yes, egg-punk itself is a diverse genre where two bands rarely resemble each other. But even in this ocean of bizarre sounds, they manage to stand out. Covering all their previous work plus five brand new songs, their latest release An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information is the full package and the ultimate testimony to their eccentricity. With guitars alternating between rhythmic stabs and demented single-note lines, bass laying down jittery grooves, drums providing a steady backbone, organs adding another layer of manic melodic content while the vocals ramble on and on with such dynamic delivery, the overall sound is an even further abstraction of post-punk and full of nods to the iconic sounds of both no wave and new wave. I really appreciate their minimal, almost fully DI-sounding signature production style that makes the duo’s immense songwriting skills shine further. There is nothing quite like ISMATIC GURU, and there is no better way to immerse yourself in their work than An Incredible Amount of Overwhelming Information.