Reviews

Contraszt

Accidente Caníbal LP

Tight, melodic, high-energy release from Madrid, Spain, with vocals reminiscent of Agent M from the early TSUNAMI BOMB 7″ singles that were released by Checkmate Records in the late ’90s. That label was run by Hunter Burgan who plays bass for AFI, and we can argue if his band sold out well before the Black Sails in the Sunset album, but the tight guitar/bass interplay with thunderous drumming reminds me of those early albums. Recorded in Madrid, the album was mastered by Mass Giorgini (COMMON RIDER, SQUIRTGUN) at his Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, Indiana…so maybe that’s where all this ’90s/’00s stuff is coming from. Translating the lyrics from Spanish, the songs take a strong rebellious stance, putting the common in the center and fighting back the corporate cannibals. I have a feeling this is the kind of band that will pack out the infamous Wurlitzer Ballroom in Madrid to sweaty spastic crowds after the pandemic is over.

Glasses Compendium LP

Female-fronted band from Germany with some great screaming vocals, solid drums, and interesting guitar sounds with rocky solos blending metal and hardcore in the ’00s-style way with some sort of progressive rock. Sludgy cadences mixed with classic hardcore cuts that go by the vocals. Released by Contraszt Records from Köln, Germany, Compendium is a collection of their work between 2008 and 2020, though their last recordings in 2020 were separate from their past releases, so you seem to be hearing different pieces and different styles from time to time, losing the album’s flow. It’s interesting enough to hear metal-infused hardcore from the last two decades, Guitar-driven riffing, heavy drumming, and powerful vocals, with members of EAVES, PERTH EXPRESS, and TRAINWRECK, among others. Suggested tracks: “Spirit Crusher” and “IHYSM.”

Morgana Contemporaneità 12″

From Florence, Italy, MORGANA releases some re-recorded demos, a couple singles, and a new song to form Contemporaneità. These seven songs are an icy post-punk that reminds me of the Copenhagen group KOLD FRONT that I reviewed a while back. Mid-tempo, reverb-heavy, with high-octave, melody-driven guitar riffs. While this may not break any molds, this is certainly my cup of tea, and I would recommend a listen.

Posy Bongga Ka Dai LP

This is a limited-edition LP reissue of a 2021 tape by this Olympia hardcore band. It starts off with a big fist-swinger of a tune and only ramps up from there. Every song is built with an off-kilter dissonant riff or stuttering rhythm for the weird hardcore heads, but builds up to a classic mid-paced stomper payoff part for the ignorant moshers. The vocals and lyrics are crystal clear, torn-throat screams spitting personal truths and catharsis, crossing off vendettas one by one. I wouldn’t say they’re mysterious guys, but I can’t find too much info on them.

Radical Kitten Uppercat 12″

After their first full-length Silence is Violence from 2020, RADICAL KITTEN is out with their second release Uppercat. Groove-driven post-punk through a queer and feminist lens gives perspective on “No Means No” with lines like “No means no! / Patriarchy fuck off,” and the absolute ripper of a track “Fake as Fuck” that death screams at the end of the line “These two-faced peoples will try to trick anyway / No, I don’t wanna waste my time on them!” There’s some spiky energy at work here, with bobbling bass lines and great drum fills reminiscent of Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat-era MINUTEMEN set to the political fervor of PYLON. Great album. This Toulouse, France trio is one to watch!

Saufknast Tränengas EP

Fresh punk project from Hamburg/Kiel. High-pitched female vocals, and strident guitars that contort between power chord sections and soloing from time to time. Garage-y vibes and mixed couplings, but with a hardcore punk drive. The eight tracks reiterate the same formula over and over, which may be a bit exhausting, but altogether it’s a great debut. Determination in the singing and tempos are on-point, with the garage-driven guitars and vocals being the main focus.

Tulips Tangled in Transition 10″

TULIPS are from Germany, they love both Sylvia Plath’s poetry and SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, and they are able to create songs of ethereal beauty, where they spin a constant tension as if an eminent external danger was about to engulf us all. More than a band, I consider them painters of urban landscapes in the style of German expressionism, searching for ineffable beauty at the bottom of an abyss.

Weak Ties Find a Way LP

The first thing that strikes you is the vocals. Laura’s snarl is formidable to say the least, and it stands in contrast to the clean (though damaged) guitar and advanced, inward hardcore attack. They drop “Sorry, Not Today Pt. II” near the end of the first side, and that’s when you truly start to feel the depth of WEAK TIES—this isn’t regular hardcore punk, this is more. It’s not just the power and/or emotional intensity of those slower moments, it’s the blasts from “With Every Step” that fucking explode out of “I” and it’s the way that they insert that depth into even (or especially) their more straight-ahead HC numbers. Find a Way is great, it dances all over the place a bit not because the band is trying to make a point; rather it feels like that is just where the songs, and the band, felt right. The whole record feels right…and holy shit, can these fools drop a mosh part when they want to.