Reviews

MRR #496 • September 2024

999 The Sharpest Cuts Too LP

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a compilation album of songs by 999 from the ’90s and ’00s—I stopped listening to anything new from them somewhere around their fourth album. So wow, was this a surprise. It sounds like the 999 of the first few albums. I’m going to have to go back and listen to the album that put me off from 999. While this doesn’t exactly match the quality of the first three albums, it is really good and powerful melodic punk in the style of the first wave of UK punk bands. I really robbed myself of hearing these songs the first time because I wrote them off. Sorry about that, 999. This is definitely better than I expected, and better than most classic punk bands that had output into the ’90s and ’00s.

Abyecta EPs Collection LP

Fuck yes! ABYECTA from Chile rocks super hard. Part Japanese hardcore, part UK82, part thrash metal, all killer! Blazing, melodic, metallic. And all recorded and written by one woman—an immense display of talent and creativity. This 12” combines two previously released 7” EPs on one slab, both brooding with equal parts intensity and tunefulness. I love this one! Fans of the SEXUAL, the EXECUTE, and the SKEPTIX should get a lot out of this one.

Aihotz Niebla Total 12″

Instrumentally, this release by AIHOTZ sounds a lot like the ADOLESCENTS or AGENT ORANGE. However, vocalist Bea brings a range that is hard to beat and ends up landing somewhere near Eve Libertine and Poly Styrene, but with something almost operatic. The blend between band and vocalist makes this 12″ an enthralling experience. The summation of the parts is something that sounds like anarcho-punk but with a heavy rhythm section ready-made for dancefloor antics or skateboarding background tracks. Definitely check this out if you like punk rock. Absolutely check this out if you’re into intriguing vocals.

Ambient Noise I Was There at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 12”

Quite possibly the catchiest KBD cut of all time, 1980’s “I Was There At The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” by NY weirdo rockers AMBIENT NOISE gets promoted to a big ol’ 12” courtesy of trusted historian Harry Howes at Brooklyn’s Almost Ready records. A humorous homage to the 1974 cult film, this hokey little earworm of a tune famously features sing-along lyrics that are impossible to remove once embedded in the brain, as well as oddly anthemic guitar soloing, resulting in fun for all ages. After this goofball classic comes three more jams—the B-side from the 7” and two unreleased songs from the same recording sessions. A quirky little ode to artificial insemination, the previously unheard “Test Tube Babies” melds a rudimentary new wave groove with classic rock noodling. Next up is the original flip, the sleepy, CCR-esque “Hostage Hotspot,” with its offbeat political commentary accompanied by a requisite shaking tambourine. Finally, the decidedly less jovial “Another Day Gone” most closely resembles an earnest attempt at expression from this short-lived act. It’s always cool when records that have become prohibitively costly are supplanted by a more desirable version, and this is an exemplary instance of such. Scoop it up and cross this one off the checklist for good.

Ashlexi For Whatever Your Heart Desires cassette

Experimental noise tape from singer/songwriter OLEXI’s ongoing project of releasing an album a month in 2024. February’s Rock N’ Roll Paint Job was a standout release of DIY garage punk, so I was expecting more of the same. Way wrong. This is a collection of blown-out bass grooves, splintered drum machine beats, blackened vocals, and documentary (mostly about weed) vocal samples. It sounds like MAYHEM meets PRURIENT’s Bermuda Drain era meets a self-destructing mainframe computer. It’s not a bad listen if you’re okay with noisy electronics puking all over each other, and there is a sonic cohesion that indicates some care was put into the arrangement and sequence of these tracks. This is enough to freak out the norms, but it could be even harsher. Turn the gain all the way to ten and daisy-chain your Death Metal distortion pedals to speaker-shredding insanity next time. Harsh heads don’t mind. Still, I appreciate the experimentation and would listen to this again over a generic pop punk release. What’s coming next month, OLEXI?

Battery March Winter in America LP

Bilingual Beantown street punk, as indebted as much to Nantes as New England, with a follow-up to their debut 7”. Vocals are pleasantly gravel-gruff, clearly been listening to his TEMPLARS tapes, but the plodding chug that underwrites the ambling middle of this album really tests the patience—a song over four minutes? Chill out, RICK WAKEMAN. Ultimately, I cannot be too mad at a record that has this many tunes about how coppers are all a bunch of bad bastards, but it could really do with a kick up the arse to speed up a bit.

Bed Maker Bed Maker LP

Without any prior knowledge of the band, my original reaction was “wow, this sounds a lot like the way Ian MacKaye sings,” just for me to find out that his sister Amanda MacKaye is the lead. Her vocals though have a touch of the droning of Siouxsie Sioux, mixed with the spoken yowling of Ian MacKaye. The majority of the songs are slow-to-mid-tempo with a kind of post-punk and artsy punk vibe. A couple of the songs sort of blended together to me, as they were sonically pretty similar and didn’t have a ton of variation. However, “Pan-Pan” had a nice tempo change and I think it’s a great song to end the album with.

Blisterhead Bad Blood EP

Svenska street punk veterans BLISTERHEAD return with a “rawer direction,” which unfortunately does little to disguise the utter naffness of the tunes to begin with. It’s about as raw as microwaved salmon for one, sounding devastatingly like GOOD CHARLOTTE in parts, and despite the efforts to make it sound like it was recorded in a dustbin, it just ends up sounding like it needs to be chucked in one. Not for me.

Bloodstains Bloodstains 12″

Orange County punk rockers with exultant SoCal influence all over them, almost like waves in their vast sea. Flawlessly recorded by Jerry “This Ain’t Disco” Adamowicz, the engineer involved in recordings of JFA, US BOMBS, T.S.O.L., F-MINUS, STITCHES, and more, so you know what you are getting here, and it is excellent. Such an embedded sound can’t deny ADOLESCENTS, AGENT ORANGE, and the whole spectrum contained in between, with reverbed sounds and steady cadences, fierce palm-mutes and ever-ranting vocals, plus strident guitar sections that evoque pool skating sessions from the early ’80s and beyond. Suggested tracks: “Antisocial,” “The Last Rites,” and “When Men Were Men.” Great record, give it a spin.

Brezel und Anton Spielen Pisse 7″

Here, BREZEL UND ANTON offer two tracks and an answer to a question nobody asked: what would the music in a cheesy, ’60s Hollywood haunted house sound like if it were on an alien planet (where the aliens also speak German)? Oh, you have asked yourself that question? Well, you’re probably going to be excited about this. I, on the other hand, was asking when I would reach the exit of this martian house of wonders. Perhaps these two tracks would feel more effective if they were way shorter—get in, weird everyone out a bit with quick bursts of off-kilter spaghetti western synth, and get out—but at almost seven-and-a-half minutes, the experiment simply overstays its welcome.

Candy Apple Comatose LP

Latest LP by Colorado’s CANDY APPLE, reminiscent of Youth Attack releases or TOTAL ABUSE-style hardcore from the late ’00s era; somewhere around noise rock meets the faster side of ’80s USHC. Chaotic aural destruction with tons of noise, distortion, and feedback to annoy your roommates. For a noisy hardcore release, it does have enough interesting phrasing where it doesn’t become too overwhelming, yet it’s still cohesive.

Chalk Nothingness EP

Debut EP by Chicago’s CHALK consists of lo-fi, noisy hardcore that sounds like chalk—not some obscure hardcore punk band from the 1980s in rural Japan, but the physical writing material chalk. Mark McCoy artwork, with mastering by Will Killingsworth.

Chelsea Radio Active Tapes LP

The UK.’s CHELSEA may be best known as the starting point for a young William Broad (a.k.a. BILLY IDOL, who quit with most of the band to form GENERATION X), and for being contemporaries with bands like the SEX PISTOLS, the DAMNED, and the BUZZCOCKS. But this collection of outtakes and demos from their 1977–1980 period captures the raw energy of a young scene channeled through music that sits somewhere between rock’n’roll and new wave. The playing is solid and frontman Gene October can really sing. By today’s standards, this music is more pop than abrasive, and it wouldn’t be difficult to find this band’s DNA mixed in with a lot of Lookout!-style pop punk from the ’90s. Versions of these songs are already in circulation, but this collection has been remastered and it sounds great. They might not be your next favorite band, but there are plenty of worthy tracks here for your next mixtape. Check out the song, “I’m on Fire.”

Cinnamon Demo ‘24 cassette

Hailing from Albany, New York and heavily influenced by the NBHC scene, CINNAMON plays surprisingly accessible powerviolence infused hardcore. Produced by ORCHID’s Will Killingsworth in his prolific Dead Air Studios, this tape has got some high-ass quality for a demo; there isn’t a blemish to be found. Every element is fully locked in, from the perfectly gravelly vocals to the frenetic drums to the crunchy and thrash-y guitars (especially on opener “Cinntro”). All in all, an impressive first showing—I’d expect to see CINNAMON on some pretty big festival lineups in the not too distant future.

Cran Rejet EP

Parisian punkers CRAN return with a three-song EP that straddles surf, Oi!, and post-punk.  The band doubles down on the chant/shout/group vocal delivery on each song with a unique blended reverb guitar splashing away behind it.  “Rejet” in particular delivers this mechanical repetitiveness that has the obvious METAL URBAIN connotation fused with early KILLING JOKE, a combination mostly pushed out of context with what sounds like Carl FIsher screaming harmonies beneath it all. Hard not to listen to this over a few times, it grows on you, the esprit rings out.

Cry Baby Killer Double Black 13 LP

CRY BABY KILLER formed in the ’90s and finally offers their first full-length collection of songs with Double Black 13. Given the 23 tracks on display here, including “Sunday Best” and “Skull Shaking Boogie” which were previously released as a single back in 1996, one assumes this is a collection of songs rather than a singular album. Either way, this is a long run time that isn’t really meant to be ingested all at once. If you pick from the pile, there are for sure some solid sounds to be had, such as “Boystown,” which has a nice little NEW YORK DOLLS tinge to it. If rockabilly suits you, there’s at least a few tracks that dabble in that sound too, including the aforementioned “Skull Shaking Boogie.” Overall, there are some things to like here in smaller doses, but being presented with nearly 70 minutes of music is one thing that should have stayed in the ’90s.

Cutre Yendo a lo Oscuro cassette

Gloomy, frantically pissed and maddening, distorted and blistering classic raw hardcore punk with a grim and raging twist that I personally enjoy very much. Crazy, upset vocals rant about existentialism and social critiques on behalf of their singer Diente. The string section is on-point delivering never-ending riffage, with such a strict grip that makes you pogo instantly—as tight as mayhem-filled hardcore punk can be, while the drums are ever-ranting, speedy and well-executed in the fill sections. Suggested tracks: “Hongo Entero” and “No Comparto.” This blasts without doubt, and they are a violent party live; chaos is assured.

Dead Ends Complaints LP

This one is a punk relic treasure straight from the Filipino ’85 punk rock movement, representing the first LP effort by Pinoy punks during the dictatorship that ended in ’86 and now brought back to life by Berlin’s Merciless Records. Classic speedy punk rock with traces of sarcasm that remind me of DEAD KENNEDYS and even the sounds of the CLASH’s early records, plus a feeling of vitality and anger only found in those critical times. A great surprise from the tunnel of time regarding forms of punk with meaning, and a real treat in the respects of mastering, mixing, and restoration. Favorite track: “Dreamer.” Recommended.

Dead Hero 2015​–2024 LP

Formed nearly a decade ago in the punk hotbed of Bogotá, Colombia, DEAD HERO is mostly composed of members of SECTA in addition to vocalist Paula Suarez, whose snappy vocals give a refreshing spin to their brand of BLITZ-worship Oi! Collected here are their demos, splits (one with the aforementioned SECTA) and 2017 LP La Vida Continua. Opening with a tastefully executed cover of BLITZ’s “Solar,” DEAD HERO’s collected material show a band committed to and proficient in ’80s British and French Oi!, proving over and over again that they know how to play catchy and anthemic rippers in the vein of mainstays like COCKNEY REJECTS and the BUSINESS. From the catchy singalong chorus on “Nuestra Vida” to the ringing guitar intros of “Por Siempre” and “La Vida Continua” to the sparse post-punk of “La Ley,” DEAD HERO has the sound down to a science. If you’re enjoying the current wave of modern Oi! bands like the CHISEL and MESS, pick this one up.

Dirt Sucker At the Landfill cassette

Following up their 2022 debut 7” release on Convulse Records, DIRT SUCKER from Laramie, Wyoming returns with an eleven-song cassette. Hardcore punk on the cusp of leaning into screamo/powerviolence territory, but also managing to navigate catchy surf guitar parts. DIRT SUCKER is a three-piece with all members sharing vocal duties, each of whom slightly sounds like a different cartoon character. While a lot of the parts kind of blend together, there are certainly some cool aspects within the first nine songs. The tape really ramps up once the instrumental surf track kicks in, drastically changing the vibes for the final two songs. The surf song “Quicksand” and post-punk intro to “Till Death” are the most memorable part of this cassette and are pretty killer.

Disciplina Limitar Yo Tambi​é​n Yo No LP

A handful of quick and buzzy songs, featuring the oddly light sound of a certain flavor of Spanish punk. Seriously, how do bands like LA URSS and FUTURO TERROR achieve that “distortion cut with clean guitar” sound? It’s too gritty for just a boost, but not nearly full-blown distortion. Anyhow, the music here is bouncy, (usually) punk-moderate tempo, just right for pogoing.

Diuretic Zero Days Without Incident EP

It’s been a long moment since I’ve listened to a grindcore album and simultaneously enjoyed the riffs while giggling at the jokes. Enter DIURETIC, a four-piece from Philadelphia. With all the ways grindcore is stretched to fit these days, it’s really refreshing to hear a band that sounds like old school, straight-up, no-holds grindcore. NAPALM DEATH and UNSEEN TERROR-inspired guitar with speed-shifting rhythm and blasts that race through your aural canal straight to your brain. DIURETIC chose to write this ten-song EP with the theme of “workplace accidents” as the inspiration. Song titles like “OSHA Supersoldier,” “Forklift Certified Early Retirement,” and “The HR Rep is Dead” deepen the joke behind the album title. A really fun listen and definitely something I want to catch live.

Dogs The Legendary Lovers Demos LP

Presenting the uncut splendor of the demo sessions from their 1983 Legendary Lovers LP, this revelatory release strips the polish of the Rouen-based band’s fourth full-length album to put the DOGS raw and groovy aura on display in all its natural glory. The band was a class act with a clean and powerful sound firmly rooted in ’50s and ’60s rock’n’roll cool, but played in a way that never allowed it to come across as a hokey homage. This isn’t just a demo version of the album as it was released; instead, it achieves its own identity with a slightly different track listing presented in an entirely different order. Gone is the cover of Gene Vincent’s “Bird Doggin’” that originally made the final cut, and instead we get a previously unreleased title track for the album; a haunting ballad that effectively changes the mood of the record. Standout smoky jumper “Never Come Back” is also omitted, and instead we get the lovesick “I Just Can’t Get You Off My Mind.” Whereas the official release shines with power pop pizzazz, this version offers a sweeter, more intimate feel that stays squarely within the garage, and fans of these French legends will enjoy the contrast.

Faucheuse Rêve Électrique LP

There is so much to say about FAUCHEUSE that it’s challenging to find the right place to start. There’s just not another band on the planet that sounds anything like them. They synthesize a range of distinct influences and sculpt the raw material into a totally novel form. Scorching käng fretwork mayhem is injected with a tinge of classic rock sensibility, while Emilie’s searing and unexpectedly tuneful vocals catapult their sound into the goddamn stratosphere. Have you heard a D-beat band make use of an organ? On paper, this might not make much sense, but in practice, FAUCHEUSE absolutely shreds. Rêve Électrique pulls together five songs from their demo and an additional five brand new ragers to create an incredibly memorable album. If you listen to these ten cuts and aren’t immediately sold, it’s worth playing through a few more times to let the full scope of FAUCHEUSE’s brilliance come into clear relief. A top-tier release, one of my favorites of the year.

Fazed Humanization Now cassette

Collecting four previously released songs from these Belgian punks, the music on this cassette reminded me of metal-inflected hardcore from the ’80s with its crunchy guitar sound. The songs are fast-paced and engaging, with dynamic intros and tempo shifts that keep things interesting—none of the tracks exceed two minutes. Vocalist Kevin Hellbuyck alternates between singing and sing-talking, reminding me a bit of Shawn Knight from CHILD BITE. The band says, “FAZED as a band favors kindness over cruelty, tolerance over intolerance, altruism over egotism, cooperation over authority, communication over frustration,” and those all seem like worthwhile causes to champion. This is good shit. Check out “Go for Broke.”

Freak Activity Cassette Tape #2 cassette

From the solo bedroom (read: basement) project of Myles Page, the fairly prolific FREAK ACTIVITY drops another cassette. Buzzy guitars greet us on the opener “Come to Me,” with simple backbeat drums, distorted vocals, and a generally pop-forward sound, maybe BILLIAM-reaching. While this is true for tracks one through four, five through nine take a different tone, trading a freewheeling irreverence for a melancholic shuffle. The B-side also brings in the synth, which is at times cantankerous (“Lots of Things”) and at others catchy disco-poppy (“Material World”) like a COBRA MAN song. There’s a cover of DIGITAL LEATHER’s “Physical Man” as well, which is booming, spacious and doom-filled, leading perfectly into the last track “Lost at Sea,” featuring a mesmerizing synth line with lyrics that repeat “I lost my ship along the way;” a sense of loss, despair—insert whichever feeling you like—and is my absolute favorite of the album. From what I can tell previous releases—something like five EPs, a few singles, and an LP—were all self-released digitally or via hand-dubbed tapes or CDs with personalized drawings on each. Cassette Tape #2 marks the first label release on Painters Tapes, self-described as “Detroit’s Worst Cassette Label.” So, congrats, and please keep up this enjoyable FREAK ACTIVITY.

Fulmine Randagio EP

This was always going to be a total cracker. A motley crew of alumni from CHUBBY & THE GANG, ARMS RACE, STINGRAY, and the NEW YORK HOUNDS, among many others, combining forces to create a love letter to rough-as-yer-like Italian Oi! The result of a session in London’s veritable hit factor Fuzzbrain studios, fuck-all practice, and a shared love of skinhead rock’n’roll, baby, this six-track EP is pure not-from-concentrate, stripped-back, hard-rockin’ Oi! There are clear influences from NABAT, KLASSE KRIMINALE, and even a sprinkling of CAMERA SILENS with a faint sax lick for all the Euro skins. Vocals like a cement mixer, bass lines so thick you could spread ‘em on toast, it’s the real deal. Plus, the online-only THIN LIZZY cover is pure pint-necking fodder. A real mid-tempo stomper that you need in your life.

Gee Tee Prehistoric Chrome LP

GEE TEE is from Australia and has been around for eight or so years now, and this is a compilation described by the label as “eighteen tracks from both the distant future and the nearly forgotten past.” I would describe it as lofi punk/pop that was very popular from around 2006 to 2018. Bands like the OKMONIKS, NOBUNNY, SNEAKY PINKS, HUNX AND HIS PUNX, and others—I can hear some of the same influence as the current Australian bands that are so popular right now. Rocking lo-fi.

The Drolls / Gentlemen Rogues split EP

Indie/power pop split out on an attractive Snappy Little Numbers 7” disc. A-side is Seattle’s DROLLS with an upbeat pair of tunes in the Epitaph realm of good-time indie—BOUNCING SOULS come to mind on the first track “Burned Out,” while “Happy Hour” has a MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES arrangement (sans gravelly bravado and horns). The B-side comes from GENTLEMEN ROGUES out of Austin, Texas, who push further into the indie realm, even having the saccharine vocals more associated with 2000s emo in the sense that it’s a little whiny, but not exactly sad or melancholic. This music has a place, and I think is gaining popularity with nostalgia-seekers who were teens during the height of this craze—while I fall neatly in this age group, it is admittedly not my bag. If, however, it is yours, please enjoy this sugary little 7”!

George Crustanza George Crustanza cassette

Does anyone remember the ’00s band CRUSTINA AGUILERA? They had a hilarious name and played top-shelf snotty anarcho-punk, and since the GEORGE CRUSTANZA moniker immediately reminded me of them, I thought I might be in for a good surprise. I was expecting straightforward, energetic, political, fast hardcore punk, and once again my punk radar was right—I have not been disappointed, to say the least. Despite the pun, GEORGE CRUSTANZA from San Francisco is not a crust band, although they do have some käng influence and are able to pummel the shit out of the casual listener if necessary. The band can switch from a fast primitive hardcore beat to a stomping mid-paced one and then conclude on a D-beat, all in 90 seconds. They are versatile and very much in tune with the modern school DIY hardcore music in that respect. What I appreciate here is that they don’t hide behind dozens of pedals and mountains of effects (which I increasingly tend to find rather distracting instead of engaging) in order to accomplish their punk mission. It is direct, unpolished, energy-based, and it works perfectly. I love the female vocals here, angry but still keeping a snotty sense of tune. Overall, a very enjoyable tape.

Hammer and the Tools Hamma cassette

Seemingly all of greater Mississippi underground punk came together to create this frenzied second HAMMER AND THE TOOLS demo. The band, from Jackson, features members from BIG CLOWN, and it was recorded in the southern punk mecca of Hattiesburg, MS by Hampton (Earth Girls Tapes, JUDY & THE JERKS, BAD ANXIETY, and countless more). Seven songs of kooky, witty, quirky, clangorous hardcore punk that somehow feels both intelligent and incredibly juvenile. Add in a weirdo, manic, indecipherable spoken word noise track and you’ll likely find yourself “Contemplating the Tool Box” as well.

Häxorna Häxorna demo cassette

Rip-roaring hardcore punk from Athens, GA, and the debut release on a new tape label also from Athens, Total Recall Recordings. Three-song demo that consists of a total of two minutes and fifty-six seconds worth of music. I listened to the demo in its entirety three times just while attempting to decipher the bramble of a band logo on the tape cover, then again a few more times while I attempted to figure out how to type an “Ä” on a computer because I’m admittedly a bit of a caveman. Fast hardcore with D-beats peppered in for flavor. HÄXORNA bursts through these three songs with pure intensity and aggression, not letting up for a single second. Can they keep that energy up past the three-minute mark? I, for one, look forward to hopefully seeing them live to find out firsthand.

Hellscape Cujo EP

HELLSCAPE, out of West Yorkshire in the UK, is a unique band to say the least. Heavy deathrock influences pervade this recording, but there are also hardcore breakdowns and a big helping of anarcho-punk. It’s a sound that shouldn’t work out, but it does, and it’s fucking awesome. Vocalist Ciara is full of fury as caustic lyrics are delivered. Joe on drums and Lily on bass make up the rhythm section and keep perfect time with effortless stops and shifts. Guitarist Ben uses a buzzsaw tone that is absolutely punk rock. From start to finish, this six-track EP is an absolute blast.

Horsemen Demo 2023 cassette

A very cool demo from Blitar’s HORSEMEN put out on Indonesian-based Darkroom Records. Four tracks of youth crew-style hardcore that at times remind me of INSTED and CHAIN OF STRENGTH. Check out “Reality;” great riffs, great breakdowns, great vocals. Apparently the hardcore scene in Blitar is thriving right now, and a cursory glance shows there’s no shortage of young and angry bands coming together to put on shows and fests—Blitar Hardfest 2024’s lineup is a great list of new bands to check out. It’s always a pleasure to discover these scenes that I would’ve missed out on otherwise (thanks, MRR).

Joro Path Golden Lines cassette

I’m absolutely smitten with this release. Hardcore rock’n’roll fronted by a rabid King Kong recorded directly to tape. Well, at least it sounds like it was recorded directly to tape. The production for this EP is perfect. Gritty, raw, and messy as hell, the audio peaking at the correct times, leaving the drums sounding as if they’ve come through a twisted black hole. Four insane songs clocking in at nearly five minutes; this is one of those EPs where the entire thing is parked on only one track. No need to cut them up anyways, you’re gonna wanna hear it through from start to finish each time.

Juventud Podrida Control/Encierro EP

Damn, I had no idea that this Panama-based band was still going. I was aware that the singer had found employment in HEZ, but naively thought that JUVENTUD PODRIDA had retired. The band released some solid records in the first half of the 2010s, notably the 1989 EP in 2012 that put them on the map. Good on them for not giving up and continuing to fly the raw hardcore punk flag at home. Control/Encierro is classically executed and well coherent with the Discos Enfermos catalog. Mean and fast Scandi-style rabiozo hardcore punk with direct and snotty vocals in Spanish and fuzzed-out distortion on the guitar but, even without taking the vocals into account, it does sound like a non-Swedish band having a go at the genre (the band must have carefully played some crusty Japanese records from Osaka). The production is very energetic and certainly packs a punch. In theory, the vocals, very reminiscent of traditional old school “hardcore en Español” in terms of singing style, should not totally fit with this distorted käng hardcore sound, but they actually do, and it brings a different vibe altogether. I was going to say “fresh,” but that’d be a bit far-fetched. A strong comeback, and I can imagine JUVENTUD PODRIDA to be crushing live.

Killer Kin Point Blank / Mr. Dynamite 7″

It’s okay, I guess. I had a big yawn at the end of it. They have energy, I’ll give them that, but it’s all kind of weighed down by a shitty performance and overly glossy production. I’d probably be able to get more into this STOOGES-meets-MÖTORHEAD sound if it had the grit of a punk band rather than the washed-out muck it serves up. The drums and everything about it just sound weak to me. Wake me up when this boring wave of punk is over.

Killseduction Demo 2023 CD

We got riffs on this one! Three quick thrash metal tracks with an …And Justice for All-style medieval intro from this Japanese band. The production is super clean, and the playing is impeccable, riding the finest crossover line between straight thrash and hardcore. Blastbeats abound, and the rapid-fire spoken vocals make this premium fodder for classic Big Four fans as well as SUICIDAL TENDENCIES devotees. Cool CD.

Knives What We See in Their Eyes LP

Dual female and male vocals with a big post-punk influence. That is not all this is, though: I hear a wide range from bouncy punk to hardcore and even some metallic guitar riffs. Make no mistake though; this isn’t metal, this is closer to post-punk than anything else. Great vibe on the dual vocals with the bass and drums hammering out a punishing, bouncy punk beat, and the guitar is working with everything else despite the fact that it is in contrast to everything else most of the time. In some ways, it reminds me of the TYRADES mixed with a very popular duo from England who play a laptop and sing. This was a really good listen and very interesting—I listened to this four times and every time I heard different things, so I will be listening to this again.

L.A. Drugz Outside Place LP reissue

Guessing that since this is the tenth anniversary edition that I missed this when it came out ten years ago. Six cuts of driving, melodic punk rock meets power pop is the kind of thing I can get behind. Mid-tempo and super catchy, this is easy to like. It’s nicely produced, which results in the vocals not getting buried down below. I’m really reminded of BAD SPORTS in the end, which is not at all a bad thing. The only real negative here is that it took me ten years to find it.

Litige 2 Degrés EP

This EP is some really great melodic punk. I also hear some late ’70s early ’80s French power pop and new wave. Whatever you want to call it, this record makes me want to tap my toes and get up and dance. At times, the music can almost be called hardcore-influenced in the choruses of a couple of songs, reminiscent of the DILS or WEIRDOS, before settling back into some new wave power pop, something like the band LES CALAMITÉS. I want to hear more from this band.

Mala Vista Fun-Time LP

It’s hard to even care about this band. It’s mind-numbingly basic, and not in a good way. It uses tired punk rock clichés until it’s dried up. I’ll give it this though, “Juana La Cubana” is pretty good. It has a nice groove and chorus going for it. Aside from that, I can’t really give this LP that many props. It was so boring the first time I listened through it that I practically forgot it even existed until I had to revisit it for this review. It’s not intolerable, it’s just quite dull and boring to my ears.

Mènage Dètroit I’m a Fool / Would You Say (I’m in Love) cassette

This Detroit-based guitar-and-drums duo delivers two tracks, “I’m a Fool” and “Would You Say (I’m in Love),” firmly rooted in ’60s/garage rock influences. The playing is loose and raw, with a gritty, unpolished energy that fits their sound but the muddy production doesn’t do them any favors. Lyrically, the tracks delve into themes of love, loneliness, and heartache, capturing a classic melancholic vibe. If you’re into the rough edges of rock, this pair would be right at home opening for any number of bands from the Crypt label from the ’90s. I’d love to hear them revved up to eleven, but they’re currently at about four.

Moral End Demonstration cassette

K-town punk’s blistering sounds are definitely here—chainsaw guitars with acute sharpened tones, sick-sounding pinched vocals, plus maddening drums with excellent fast cadences that never seem to stop jumping on this record. Suggested tracks: “Black Eye” and “Back Against the Wall” for a pulsating urge to pogo the life out of you. It rings with speedy classic punk rock and hardcore, yet it has a twist of filthy modernity to it. Highly recommended.

N.E.O.N. The Time Changes The Problems Don’t cassette

Third cassette release by this Jacksonville, Florida-based solo project. N.E.O.N (NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF NASCAR) is some sort of goofball amalgamation of harsh noise and synth punk that is incredibly heavy on the industrial music interludes. It actually starts out with a pretty straightforward SCREAMERS-type song that has an industrial drum beat behind it, but devolves into complete madness before the song even ends. The cassette kind of continues getting more confusing and unhinged as it proceeds from there.  As a bit of an outsider to the whole industrial world, this project comes across rather perplexing to me. Most of the songs on this N.E.O.N cassette feel like an unfinished, less memorable version of NINE INCH NAILS, who I have never fully understood to begin with.

The Covids / Nestter Donuts Banned From the USA 7″

The story behind this 7” is that the Amsterdam-based band got, well, banned from the USA at the border due to visa issues in 2023. The two members who persisted on wrote and recorded a demo in Savannah Studios which was later re-recorded with the whole band back home. The result is some anthemic punk that’s a mix of the swagger of NEW YORK DOLLS and the aggression of U.S. BOMBS.

Neuf Volts Ignorance cassette

A HC/classic punk band from France. The cover of the cassette originally drew me in with its classic punk vibe; it has drawings in the style of American Traditional tattoos, including the mythical creature, the Griffin. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. Using a combination of both French and English, NEUF VOLTS brings a high-energy sound (yet with no screaming, only loud vocals) that makes you feel like you are seeing them live at a show. The contrast of the higher-pitched yelling creates a delicious contrast to the fuzzy and distorted guitar. If you like any style of punk or hardcore, I would check these guys out.

No Future Mirror LP

NO FUTURE from Perth has been a band for a while now, honing their music into a raw hardcore/crasher-influenced sound that is full of bass, noise, and rage. If you’ve never heard of NO FUTURE, no worries. The Mirror full-length is a great place to get started, with twelve tracks that are mostly previously released. Between the bass-and-drums overload and the crackling guitar, I’m not really sure which aspect is my favorite, but I will say the vocals are excellent.  “Endless Torture” is a standout track for me. This is a split release between Iron Lung and Televised Suicide, so you know this is a well-produced album with all the charm and hallmarks these two labels are known for.

Nyx Negativ Kalrshamns Punks 1981–1984 CD

NYX NEGATIV was a Swedsh hardore punk band who were around from 1981–1986. This compilation starts off with some good chaotic hardcore punk, and then they progress to being a fast hardcore band that seems to get their influence from This Is Boston Not L.A. and early JERRY’S KIDS. At the end of this, they are playing slower and with more melody, and then we get a couple of live tracks as well. Most of this album is pure fast hardcore and it’s great. It really does have the same type of sound that the very earliest recorded JERRY’S KIDS had—fast as hell and sounding like it could fall apart any second, but all that does is make it sound more punk.

Old City The Last Thing Left to Harvest LP

Portland, OR’s post-crust favorites OLD CITY are out with their second LP. This (mostly) three-piece band has developed a full and driving force of disillusionment—Dan’s ferocious, tom-heavy drums play under the leg work of Erik’s distorted bass, often acting as both rhythm and bass guitars, next to Nick’s guitar leads and downcast vocals that owe as much to Portland predecessors DEAD MOON on tracks like “Illusion of Peace” (with Sara on guest vocals to boot), as they do to mean-spirited D-beat screams on “Not Here, Not On the Other Side.” This variety, along with the penultimate “Isolation,” a short acoustic guitar-led instrumental, gives the album an undeniable depth, furthered only by the anthemic closer “Wilderness” that despairs with “And when you need a friend / We’ll never meet again.” Sara performs soaring melodies on this final track; it is beautiful and dark. The Last Thing Left to Harvest is not to be missed.

Olexi Voicemails cassette

Oh my god. When I first started listening to this, I couldn’t believe it was actually the LP I was reviewing, but here it is. This is bad. This just sounds awful, like it was recorded in somebody’s dingy apartment on a flip phone. The vocals are not sung, but spoken in this obnoxious deadpan voice. The voice of the “vocalist” is just bad, and the production is practically non-existent. There’s these really thin synth and drum machine sounds that made me really question if this was even a serious music project at all. He’s not even rhyming most of the time, and when he does, it makes me grit my teeth. On the song “Miss You,” it’s him talking as a mother who misses her son and wants him to come home. It just really drives me up a wall, because he talks in this wimpy, feminine voice while that awful synth music plays. Then when it gets to the “I miss you” part, he starts screaming like he’s getting his asshole waxed. It’s horrendous. It tries to critique punk rockers, and I would be able to get behind that, however I can’t help but notice that the music is atrociously bad. I can’t recommend this, not even to the most die-hard synth punk fans.

Physique Overcome by Pain EP

Six more tracks of ripper crust from the reigning monarchs of crasher chaos, Olympia’s PHYSIQUE. You should know what to expect by now—raw, blazing FRAMTID worship from the very best in the game. It obviously rips. They’re as fast and as ferocious as ever on this one. It’s more D-beating goodness, but it’s still as fresh and as exciting as it ever was. A must-listen.

Planet on a Chain Culture of Death LP

Oakland acid-to-the-veins hardcore punkers deliver twelve blunt force ragers filled with an exquisite anger and precision in the execution of their ball of sound. Fast-paced, urgent, and cathartic vibes in a racket of harsh, nails-and-glass tracks that come like punch after punch. Breakdowns are good abuse, and specifically flawless in taking speedy cadences and momentum. Solid fire record, and a project that’s probably great live.

Pleasants Rocanrol in Mono LP

Australia continues to be the number one exporter of fantastic, pure rock n’ roll, this time from the remote city of Perth. PLEASANTS play with the typical power pop energy we’ve grown used to seeing these days, combining elements of RAMONES, DEVO, and MARKED MEN with a little bit of the STONES thrown into the mix. Shit, the singer sounds like a younger Mick Jagger being run through a megaphone. This was recorded to a four-track cassette station which is absolutely amazing to me. This sounds brilliant. Just goes to show you don’t need any of them fancy doohickeys to capture the true power of the rock’n’roll spirit! Really great stuff here, well worth a spin.

powertakeOff Cacophony 12″

Slow-motion reverse hardcore from North Carolina that mixes the crush of early EARTH with the spirit of classic bummer punk like NO TREND and FLIPPER. Led by Gus Engstrom (formerly of GRIDS) with a revolving cast of musicians, this time Scott Wishart of LATE BLOOMER and guitarist Kathleen Johnson, a beloved Charlotte scene icon who tragically took her life during the recording process. This release takes noise rock to new heights (depths?) with quaking Sunn amps and subterranean guitar tones that are challenging, confrontational, and off-putting in the very best way. Opener “Exorcist III” (originally by the STRANGULATED BEATOFFS, one of three covers on the record) crawls through nearly six minutes of down-tuned droning riffs and repeated vocals that sounds like a punk band stuck in a molasses spill. DRUNKS WITH GUNS cover “Wonderful Subdivion” features Engstrom’s piercing, Albini-adjacent vocals piercing the sludge with diatribes that twist the original into something even heavier, ending with a five-minute collage of feedback and chaotic crowd riot audio. “Aural” grinds over an industrial-leaning “heave-ho” rhythm evocative of early SWANS, and the band’s cover of BLACK FLAG’s “Damaged I” turns the classic inside out, leaving all the guts on the floor. Basically, if you are into any of the bands mentioned or you can handle the outer limits of nihilistic noise punk, you’ll dig this.

Puncture Mucky Pup / You Can’t Rock and Roll 7″ reissue

General Speech is a shoo-in for 2024’s reissue label of the year. Those DEEF LPs, the LEGION OF PARASITES 12”, those two DIE ÖWAN collections—just absolutely essential shit! And this reissue of PUNCTURE’s 1977 classic, the 7” that kickstarted Small Wonder Records (one of the first independent punk labels in the UK) is quite the cherry to throw on top of all that. For my money, “Mucky Pup” is one of the best (and maybe punkest!) numbers to come out of the UK’s second wave. Just an absolute burner of a track, a two-minute ode to being a gross teen from a bunch of gross teens who preferred the DAMNED to the PISTOLS and were too Cockney to be bothered with all the bondage pants and safety pins of their contemporaries, looking instead like they’d been outfitted at the UK’s equivalent of Sears. The track’s loutish attitude would serve as inspiration for the emerging streetpunk subgenre—in fact, the EXPLOITED covered it on their debut LP—and its unbridled immaturity (including some extremely wild synth racketry) ultimately earned it a spot on one of the Killed by Death compilations. It’s really great…but you likely already know that. What you’re less likely to be familiar with, though, is this B-side. “You Can’t Rock and Roll” is less a punk track in the KBD sense and closer to one in the Nuggets sense. It sounds like one of the more R&B-influenced beat groups (let’s say the YARDBIRDS circa 1964), but it’s stripped back to the point of almost qualifying as a skiffle number. But with an attitude straight out of a kitchen sink drama and a yobbo-ass sense of humor, it ends up sounding undoubtedly punk. Fuck—I just love it! What an incredible 7”!

Pyrex Bozo EP

To define this EP in two words, I would say magnificent chaos. Heavy, distorted vocals/screaming overlay the tight fastcore instruments, while maintaining a bit of a spooky vibe. Specifically, the track “Viper” seems like the type of song that would be playing during a chase scene in a horror movie. I feel like this EP would be great to play if you need motivation to do something and want music to get you excited enough to do it. Overall, I would say that much like their band name, PYREX’s music is sturdy and timeless.

Rebeliant 12 Lat Walki Z Wiatrakami LP

This interesting retrospective pulls together 34 tracks from Poland’s REBELIANT, a long-running, eclectic hardcore punk outfit. Active from 1989 until the early ’00s, the collection features cuts from various cassette releases throughout the ’90s, along with some live material and previously unreleased studio captures. Given all of this, the sound quality is surprisingly consistent. The tunes themselves are also quite consistent in terms of quality, which shifts the emphasis on how the band evolved over time. The sound they cultivated is unique, but unashamed of letting their influences shine through. Smash the CLASH, NOMEANSNO, and DEZERTER together, and the results of that alchemy have to resemble REBELIANT. Although they don’t sound that much alike, I tend to think of REBELIANT as a spiritual sibling to CITIZEN FISH. Worth a spin for anyone interested in the more experimental side of punk.

Rider/Horse Matted LP

Bluesy post-punk that melds gritty, locked-in rhythms with swamp water to create a grimy gem. Slide guitars feature on most songs, sometimes as a graceful chirp like on opener “Combing the Horse,” and other times as a haunted spectral warning, like on “Fouled Walls.” Churning underneath the slide is a tight bass/drums groove and a boiling no wave guitar squall that foments a distinctive unease. Corey Plump’s (of SPRAY PAINT) spoken/sung vocals deliver fractured tributes to frustration, pairing perfectly with the band’s sound. Standout track “Bored by the Infinite” features a raw, detuned three-note guitar figure that leads into a group chant vocal. It sounds like wandering into some kind of backwoods secret initiation rite, both spooky and intriguing. Check it out if you like the DRIN or live in a gloomy cabin in the woods where the owls tell you secrets.

Salem Wolves The Psychotron Speaks cassette

Listen, I need to start off this review by saying that I am extremely impressed with the production and general care SALEM WOLVES put into this concept album, telling the story of a downtrodden pro wrestler who utilizes a magical device called The Psychotron to make all of his wildest dreams come true, ultimately leading to his own self-destruction (I think). It’s like Lord of the Rings, except instead of the Ring, it’s a Psychotron…whatever that may be. The band took it a step further and created a zine and trading cards that pair with this cassette to bring the story to levels that I can only describe as world-building. Musically, it sounds like if BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was signed to Drive-Thru Records during their darker period in the late 2000s. As a fellow fan of pro wrestling, I was more than excited to dive into this release, and I would again like to reiterate that SALEM WOLVES have completed something that very few underground bands even dare to begin, let alone finish. But in the end, this release is slightly boring at best and, at worst, a slog to finish. It all feels flat, and nothing really ever kicks into second gear. The musicians are all clearly very talented, but I’ve listened to this album a handful of times now and nothing has grabbed me or left a lasting impression. There’s very little catchiness here, and while I understand that the storytelling is the most important part, you gotta give me a reason to want to come back. This may play well for those who value pageantry and theatrics in their music over anything else, and if that’s your thing, then I suggest you give this a listen.

Shitbots Live at the Butt Can cassette

SHITBOTS from Winnipeg, Manitoba seem to have been putting out records since 2017, and after familiarizing myself a bit with their studio-recorded output, I am absolutely floored by how much more I like this live cassette. Let’s first dive into the “live” claim. It certainly sounds as if it was recorded live, but the crowd sounds between the songs are pretty clearly the band hooting and hollering at themselves until the next song begins. It all actually comes off incredibly entertaining. While I am sure that the previous albums released by this band are fine on their own, the eight songs on this cassette are debatably the way a band of this style should be heard. Super driving and stomping garage punk in a Back From the Grave-worship kinda way. Dementedly lo-fi recording, making any sloppiness sound endearing and intentional. I am a big fan, and if there is ever any vacancy at this Butt Can that the band members all seemingly live at, sign me up on that lease.

Simp Sordid Imprecations Meant for Posterity cassette

“If TED NUGENT had a child who disowned him” has got to be the best band bio I’ve seen in a while. Hailing from the urban sprawl of Washington, this duo-turned-trio of sonic provocateurs has made a name for themselves by blending the visceral energy of old school hardcore with a modern, stompy edge. Eight songs in nine minutes, so you know it is going to be a fest of fast hardcore songs that I would put in the same bag as some of the younger Youth Attack bands. SIMP confronts issues of social injustice, systemic oppression, and the struggles of marginalized communities head-on. Whether you’re a longtime devotee of bands like VOID or seeking to experience the more pit-oriented energy of modern hardcore bands, SIMP has what you need.

Smokers The Rat That Gnawed the Rope LP

From Oakland, SMOKERS deliver a sort of frenetic, moody, dark punk. It’s also got elements of power pop and even a demonic/metal edge to it at times. Still, in the end it remains very much rooted in punk rock. It’s self-described, or “tagged,” as “detached-garage,” one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a long time. Go check this out.

Prison Affair / Snooper split EP

If you’ve never heard of either of these bands, the good news is you have two great discographies to worm through some of the verviest, vibiest bedroom punk put to tape in the last decade. This split exemplifies what each act does at their best—lo-fi hard bops to tickle your brain and move your ass. “On Line” is one of my favorite tracks to date from Nashville’s SNOOPER, with its furious pace and a bass line that never ends (until it does, abruptly). Barcelona’s PRISON AFFAIR likewise keeps it filthy with overcooked lo-fi gems careening into your innerspace. Squawking, drum-machine-fueled masterpieces like “Algo Huele Mal” put you through your paces and set the tone for two more tracks of bug-eyed manic marvelousness. It’s faster than hardcore and catchy as pox. Two of the best at their best, what more do you want?

Sputa Consume & Be Consumed LP

I’ll be honest, folks. I initially played through the first song at the wrong speed and liked it a lot more than I did when I bumped it up to the correct 45 RPM. Still a decent outing here, though. Hardcore punk with a little hint of thrash, grind, and slam. The singer is the real standout player here—brutal screams carry each of the songs. Seriously great vocals that alone merit a spin of this slab. Also well worth checking out if you’re into this type of crossover.

powertakeOff / Squelch Chamber split cassette

Split release by North Carolina’s POWERTAKEOFF and Pennsylvania’s SQUELCH CHAMBER. POWERTAKEOFF’s side is rather ambient; long feedback sound with some sort of inaudible sample of someone rambling about something. SQUELCH CHAMBER is proper noisecore (not in the CONFUSE/GAI kind of way, but more so the grindcore side of it), so noisy to where it crosses over into noise music territory. A release that brings out the weirdo side of the genre.

Street Panther Muscle Rock LP

Naming your band STREET PANTHER and putting out a record called Muscle Rock lays out a pretty damn tight rope you gotta walk to pull off; fall one way and it’s all too jokey, fall another way and it’s all too coke-y. Well, not to worry, because STREET PANTHER nailed that walk with ease. These are self-aware, tongue-in-cheek rock anthems about being an aggro, fist-fighting, street boy, troublemaker heathen (and yes, those all happen to be song titles as well). This record is about the primitive urges rock’n’roll was created to convey to the masses. So drop any pretense, drape yourself in denim, turn it to eleven, and don’t forget to always “Flex hard / Keep on flexin’.”

Take It In Blood Roadmap of Pain 12″

Now, there is perhaps no subgenre in the entire punk lexicon that tends to prove more hit-or-miss to this particular reviewer than that of heavy hardcore—it’s either something I really dig or strongly dislike with very little in between. I am happy to report that Paris-based TAKE IT IN BLOOD falls under the former category. Take notes, tough guys, because this is how it’s done. Being from Paris, the KICKBACK comparisons are inescapable, but there’s also plenty of NEGLECT and the like. The production, the musicianship, the tunes—they’re all spot-on. Basically, I dig it a lot, which is not something I can often say about bands like this!

Teppebombe Bare Blod EP

Self-proclaimed as “Oslo’s most rotten,” TEPPEBOMBE is one of the younger hardcore punk bands that I’ve had my eyes on ever since sharing a stage with them a while back. They tick all the boxes when it comes to playing good hardcore punk: high-energy, gritty sound, raw unapologetic style, rebellious spirit, and a distinct Scandinavian flair. Their “take no prisoners” attitude is the icing on the cake. Taking cues from more modern bands like S.H.I.T. and classics like SVART FRAMTID as well, I would compare them to a band like ASININ in the overall vibe. TEPPEBOMBE knows how to deliver a thrilling listening experience, so go see them live!

Terminal Δ​ε​ι​ν​ό​ς Ε​ξ​ε​υ​τ​ε​λ​ι​σ​τ​ή​ς EP

Don’t be fooled by the cover art, this is a ferocious D-beat album! TERMINAL is a solo effort from Apostol of Kifisia, Greece, and he manages the job well. Since the first demo released in 2018, TERMINAL has been putting out songs that grab you by the collar and shake you awake to the realities of the world. The TOTALITÄR influence is prevalent throughout, but it manages to stay in its own lane. Δ​ε​ι​ν​ό​ς Ε​ξ​ε​υ​τ​ε​λ​ι​σ​τ​ή​ς offers a cathartic outlet for the downtrodden with its unrelenting ferocity and stands as a defiant middle finger to the powers that be.

The Dark Sinking Into Madness LP

This L.A. four-piece, featuring members of bands like TOZCOS, STRANGERS, SADICOS, and PERSONAL DAMAGE, excels when they’re playing at full throttle. Their sound is like a collision of deathrock and thrashy ’80s metal, with the chugga-chugga guitar and even a handful of solos. Comparisons abound to bands like G.B.H. and Japanese punk/metal acts like G-ZET. The production quality is good, and a delay effect on the vocals adds an extra layer of menace to singer Irvin Kim’s wails and snarls. Everything on this album seems deliberate. It’s effective, but for me it gets a little monotonous after a few songs. For a taste of what they do best, check out the track “Nightmare.”

The Klingons 1979 EP

Another day, another short-lived late ’70s UK DIY band getting pushed back into the light. This time, it’s KLINGONS (“of Hildenborough,” as they’re now differentiating themselves), who played a total of five shows, recorded four unreleased demo songs in 1979, and completely flamed out in under a year; the half-life of even the most marginal punk obscurities is unreal. The KLINGONS’ sound was predictably ramshackle and rudimentary, straddling the increasingly shaky fault line between the three-chord first wave of ’77 and the artier, more open-ended approach of turn-of-the-decade post-punk, and clearly indebted to the likes of ALTERNATIVE TV, the PREFECTS, SWELL MAPS, etc. The A-side pairing of “Terminal” and “Cold Love” takes bare-bones DIY amateurism to the extreme, as the drums skitter along in an primitive, unfluctuating thud, the guitar hacks away at halting chords, and the vocals oscillate between monotone rants and and an only slightly more lively quiver—if “Action Time Vision” or “Dresden Style” are Brutalist council estate towers as punk songs, the KLINGONS would be a singular concrete slab. On the B-side, the sparse, seasick rhythm of “Influence” takes things into a DOOR AND THE WINDOW/later DESPERATE BICYCLES-ish direction, with “Manners in Trains” going a bit more trad (relatively speaking), not unlike an ultra-shambolic, way inept WARSAW. That’s a lot of names to drop, and the KLINGONS don’t even come close to leveling up to any of them, but if you’ve been thoroughly Messthetics-pilled, here’s a fresh fix.

The Mystery Dates Who Are the Mystery Dates? LP

From San Antonio circa 1982, here come (or there went?) the MYSTERY DATES. Overall, for the time, the recordings are really good and seem to capture the energy of the band and how groundbreaking the sound was at the time. At times, it’s very hardcore. Other times, it’s traditional, melodic punk. And then sprinkled in there, you get power pop and new wave, along with some quirky bits (think B-52’S, CRIME, FLIPPER). Very cool. This isn’t just some garbage someone unearthed and decided to put out. This is legit. Eighteen tracks.

The Pist Is Risen LP

Hailing from Connecticut, THE PIST is legendary in certain punk circles. This LP is their first since 1996. Reunion records like this are often a hit-or-miss affair, but this one is really good! Some parts are better than others, but it’s overall a super solid slab. The music is still rockin’ after all this time and the lyrics actually mean something. Overall, good stuff! Always great to see an older band still making dope music.

The Sheaves A Salve for Institution LP

Parisian label SDZ teams up with the fledgling Brooklyn label Dot Dash Sounds to bring us the second full-length from this five-piece out of Phoenix that shares at least a couple of members with the prolific noise rock outfit SOFT SHOULDER. The LP is composed of eleven two-ish-minute vignettes that can roughly be categorized as DIY post-punk or jangly lo-fi indie rock. You get stuff that sounds like early FALL playing the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “The Gift,” SWELL MAPS locking into the loosest krautrock groove, some indistinct blend of GBV/BUILT TO SPILL/SEBADOH, or—as with my favorite track on the record (and one of my favorite tracks of the year), “In Center (X-Static)”—a shit-hot mix of, like, CRIME’s “Terminal Boredom” and the extraterrestrial buzz punk of CHROME’s “TV as Eyes.” But the whole record has this sun-bleached and sandblasted quality, like it was recorded after the band was forced to wander the Sonoran Desert for a week. The vocals, which often sound like someone doing a stuffy-nosed Mark E. Smith impression, are so odd and loosely multi-tracked at times that it makes you feel a little delirious. Real strange, but also real great!

The Side Eyes What’s Your Problem? LP

The SIDE EYES range from punk to hardcore to a touch of hard rock, all throughout one album. With a range of lyrics of the classic punk “get out of my face” style, to more thought-out lyrics as a comment on society, they give a classic hardcore, head-bopping vibe. Their LP is loaded with a shit-ton of super short, super powerful songs. Specifically, the tracks “False World” and “What’s Your Problem?” go so hard, so fast. Without giving you much time to think, they dive into their next track with a new kick to the face.

The Uncouth The Uncouth LP

The UNCOUTH are a melodic punk rock band from Kansas City, Missouri that incorporates elements of street punk and rock’n’roll into their songs. The eleven tracks on this album are predominantly mid-tempo, with layered vocals that feature some harmonies, and a few “whoa oh ohhh”-type flourishes. They could be described as anthemic, but that applies more to the attempt than the outcome. I get a strong sense that I’ve heard these tunes before. The progressions and scales they riff on are worn to the point of fray. That can sometimes be a great thing—like the familiarity of your favorite faded band shirt that is comfortably threadbare. This album is more like the scratchy new shirt that has been manufactured to look old. It’s familiar in the generic sense. The anthems just never quite break through for me. I think a useful reference would be ANTI-FLAG. That’s a band that left a similar impression…a late-stage iteration of something great cut with, I dunno, baking soda? Look, you can try sniffing Elmer’s glue, but what’s the point of that?

Tics Flash Language LP

This is an album brimming with post-punk, disjointed funk, and spoken word with backing harmonies, following the paths of CRISPY AMBULANCE, the FALL etc. I would not consider this LP in an adjacent standing with the majority of records typically reviewed in these parts, but provoking? Yes. Fun and oddly enticing to return to? Yes again. Kolsch bohos TICS at first came off like an aging tribute band, but at second spin, there is a lot more to unpack. Fractured songs that mix dance rhythms with shouted pleas alongside synthetic guitars and tin metronome drums tapping away. It’s all assembled in a way that gives more with each listen.

Jalang / Unsanitary Napkin split LP

Now, this is what I call a judicious split LP, as both bands toured together in Europe during the summer. Sometimes bands sharing records seem to have nothing in common and just look like a mismatched couple sharing the same bed, but there is none of that here: JALANG and UNSANITARY NAPKIN are the perfect couple. Since I very much enjoyed JALANG’s absolutely furious LP released a few years ago, I was eager to see what they had been up to, and, well, they haven’t gone softer, musically or politically. This Melbourne (or Naarm, as the island’s Indigenous people call it) band delivers abrasive käng hardcore with a crust punk edge at times. The band clearly lies on the TOTALITÄR-inspired side of the Scandicore spectrum like INFERNÖH or RAT CAGE (the riffs rock in a catchy way), but the music also displays a sense of anger that I would compare to STATE OF FEAR, and I am also reminded of some of the crusty anarcho-punk bands from the ’90s and ’00s (I love how raspy and pissed the vocals sound). The lyrics are in English and Indonesian and deal with colonialism and feminism, among other topics. On the other side, UNSANITARY NAPKIN from Wellington (or Te Whanganui-a-Tara) await. Lesser-known than their tag-team partner, their All Billionaires Are Bastards album was incredible and an unexpected highlight of 2022 for me, seemingly out of nowhere (well, New Zealand). The band can be said to have a unique take on the otherwise tried and tested fast and angry anarcho-punk recipe. What I particularly enjoy in their music is the atmosphere of uncontrolled, anger-driven dementia. I am reminded of RUDIMENTARY PENI (or indeed, of GODORRHEA) in places, especially with the anguished vocals, the sound of the guitar, and some of the snake-like bass lines. The band would appeal to the modern hardcore crowd in terms of production and songwriting (more polished than on their previous work), but I am personally reminded of raw, fast, and angry ’90s anarcho bands like JOBBYKRUST or PINK TURDS IN SPACE, because I like to pretend I’m old school. I miss the mid-paced numbers of their previous work, but it is still very convincing and enjoyable. The band tackles the same subjects as JALANG and even covers one of their songs (the Australians doing the same on their side of the fence). Bellicose, meaningful, and positive hardcore punk here.

V/A Tributo a Camera Silens LP

Tribute album to the late, great Gilles Bertin and CAMERA SILENS from an assortment of Tough Ain’t Enough bands. While none of the participants actively defile the legacy of one of French Oi!’s greats, it did just make me want to go and dust off my copy of Réalité more than anything. Go do that instead.

V/A Disco Charge 2023 CD

This is a compilation of bands from Japan from 2023. The styles are varied and quite different from song to song, and all of them rock pretty hard. My favorites are ASBESTOS, CRIKEY CREW, DEMIGLACE, COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS, ZTOM MOTOYAMA (who breaks up the load and fast music with some nice pedal steel playing, unorthodox for a pedal steel player but that makes it more interesting), and my absolute favorite on this compilation is GENBAHU ONABIES playing hard-driving punk—I’d buy this for that one song, so I will be on the hunt for more records by them.

We March The Dirty Curty Selections LP

Athens, Ohio’s WE MARCH existed for most of the 2000s, and, during that time, they were one of the most ferocious and exciting bands in America. Not that anyone really gave a fuck, including the band. They knew they were great, but they also reveled in self-sabotage. Sometimes these impulses go hand in hand. But to those who saw them tear up a room, it was hard to shake the fact that you’d seen something meteoric blazing across the sky. They played their rotten little hearts out as singer Zaxon Campus hung from the rafters and bled all over the place. If you were smart, you grabbed one of their self-released CDs, three full-lengths in all. But outside of a pair of 7”s, there wasn’t much WE MARCH wax. WE MARCH didn’t have cool punk labels swooping in to bottle up their desperate punk—pitched perfectly between rural and urban mayhem—for the wider world to get a handle on. A lot of bands go to sleep at night wishing that they could sound like a cross between the STOOGES and NEGATIVE APPROACH, but WE MARCH is the only one who woke up transformed into a take-no-prisoners groove machine (barring EASY ACTION, of course). Hell, WE MARCH even turns WEIRD AL’s DEVO-inspired “Dare to Be Stupid” into a PAGANS-style romp, completing a rare Ohio triple play. By their final album, 2007’s Creator/Destroyer, WE MARCH was still pumping out POISON IDEA-style ragers, but they were also writing songs like “Ethnic Electric,” which starts out like a SUN CITY GIRLS jam before unleashing the full force of the band, and “Soul of the Desert,” an imposing, monolithic cut like the kind DESTRUCTION UNIT would start delving into a few years later. All of these tracks and more are on The Dirty Curty Selections. So who was Dirty Curty? He was band founder (along with singer Zach Fuller) and guitarist Curtis Frey, and he passed away shortly before this long-overdue, well-deserved collection came out. RIP, motherfucker.

Yellow Rain Generation Dead LP

It was just okay. The same way that eating white bread on its own is okay. It’s fine, but it’s nothing that’ll knock your socks off by just how good it is. It feels too familiar. Nothing about their sound feels original or like they’re doing anything fresh with it. At best, they sound like Keith Morris and Fat Mike drunkenly fucked to create an even more drunk hybrid of themselves so that child would go on to front a punk band. It’s not that bad. There were some lyrics I enjoyed, like on “Can’t Touch Me,” but to name the first song off your LP “Lower Than Shit”? That kind of made me side-eye the already hideous LP cover while listening to it. Not a horrible LP, just kind of bland overall.