Reviews

No Patience

Impede Digital Hell cassette

IMPEDE from Australia plunks down five slabs of grizzly and haunting punk on this debut cassette EP. The band draws from a diverse pool of influences, and they’re all a bit on the dark side. If the title of opener “Melissa” doesn’t give its source of inspiration away, the high-pitched wail near the end of the song likely will. Shadows of Japanese and Italian hardcore are all over the tracks, and the intro to “The Swarm” goes straight into black metal. Check out the atmospheric evil of “Super Computer” for a taste of how interesting this tape really is.

Nylex Plastic for People LP

NYLEX’s 2018 cassette totally lit up the PYLON cortex in my brain, melding the latter’s tightly-wound and danceable tension with some goth-leaning smudged-eyeliner melancholy. Most of the songs from that tape have been reworked for Plastic for People, now polished to a flawless black patent leather sheen alongside a handful of new tracks that further play up the band’s shadowy melodies and early 4AD-level drama. The vocals are powerful and commanding in a way that probably invites more than a few SIOUXSIE comparisons, shifting from subtle whispers to stern narrations over driving, propulsive bass and razor-edged guitar, but with enough nuance to elevate NYLEX above the typical dark-punk-by-numbers approach that makes so many modern BANSHEES disciples seem like tired exercises in ’80s cosplay. That said, for me, the LP’s strongest moments are still when NYLEX really dig into those driving, claustrophobic PYLON-descended rhythms—that trifecta of deadpan lyrical incantations, needling, single-note guitar and repetitive bass/drum patterns in “Fascinate” is pretty tough to beat.

Perspex Torch EP

“Straight to the point” is what you feel as soon as you press play on this record by Sydney’s angriest PERSPEX. Weird and twisted hardcore that taps into the deranged worlds of US hardcore legends WHITE PIGS and NO TREND alike, but managing to sound refreshing throughout. Their selling point is immediacy and a not over-intellectualizing approach to hardcore that should be a given in any punk sub-genre, but unfortunately many bands have lost touch with its roots. These five tracks will quench your thirst for no-bullshit angry hardcore.

Scab Eater Ultra Vires LP

SCAB EATER of Australia plays diminutive slam-pit hardcore that sounds like a more lo-fi garage-core version of MIND ERASER with the punk ugliness of SADIST, HOAX, and GAG. You know the drill. SCAB EATER, however, has a subtle, more dark tone to them such as DEATH CHURCH. Ultra Vires switches up the tempo several times while remaining a straightforward steam engine of hardcore. Songs clock in at under two minutes yet seem to be filled with deep composition. By the fourth track “It Gets Worse,” I am totally hooked and it gets better from there. Followed by “Flag Bearer” with grabbing double kick pedal, gritty, filthy bass, and a locomotive furnace for a mouthpiece. You will get into this immediately and wish you’d worn a helmet. A.C.A.B. S.C.A.B! EATER. FTW.

The Condos The Condos cassette

High-energy synthwave/post-punk coming from Adelaide, Australia. This debut EP was recorded live in 2019, and on the first few listens I wrote it off as another modern try at a darkwave revival, but maybe there’s more at stake here. I think they nailed the sparsity of instrumentation; ranging from synth intros, to bass and drum lead verses, to wall-of-sound choruses where the reverb-bleeding guitar riffs hang behind snarling Aussie vocals. It reminds me of the DAMNED’s goth rock years, only set to a dance beat. Check out “Suffice” for a good sample.