Reviews

Ugly Pop

Cult Crime Gone Too Long / Stompin’ on Your Flowers 7″

I’m glad to see that Simon at the trusted Ugly Pop label is still crankin’ ‘em out. When he’s not exposing the masses to some of the most delicious obscurities of yesteryear, he’s showing love to classically-inspired modern bands like CULT CRIME. This Toronto outfit plays snotty and rough rock that bridges the gap between cutting ’70s punk and street sounds of the early ’80s. “Gone Too Long” is a nasty number with an earworm hook, and “Stompin on Your Flowers” is 100% attitude. Recommended for appreciators of the REATARDS, SICK THOUGHTS, etc.

Cult Crime Cult Crime LP

CULT CRIME’s self-titled album—courtesy of the nothing-but-consistent Ugly Pop Records—is a fantastic crop of snotty, ’80s-inspired rockin’ punk. “Nervous Breakdown” came to mind by the time the fantastic track “Suburban Violence” came around, and that energy seems a more than apt comparison here. CULT CRIME is creating hard-hitting sounds that demand your attention, but you can also tell that they’re probably having a great time doing it and aren’t afraid to get a little tongue-in-cheek (“Nuke Hollywood”). Speaking of BLACK FLAG, are the punk sounds coming out of Vancouver and Toronto the modern equivalent of ’80s L.A. and NYC? Is there a friendly rivalry between the Canadian coasts? Can PACK RAT ever miss? Do any of these people even work at a Häagen-Dazs? Anyway, this album rips.

Golden Shitters Love Blows EP

A RAMONES-core trio from the banks of Lake Ontario, GOLDEN SHITTERS play your typical SCREECHING WEASEL-styled pop punk. Fun and catchy stuff, and if you dig these kinds of tunes, GOLDEN SHITTERS will be right up your alley. Otherwise, it’s pretty run-of-the-mill bubblegum punk. I bet they’re a lot of fun to see live, though.

Golden Shitters Brutal Planet LP

Hamilton, Ontario’s GOLDEN SHITTERS deliver twelve tracks of snotty, ’77-style punk that’s fast, infectious, and just dirty enough to keep it fun. If you’re into the MARKED MEN, you’ll dig this—riff-driven, high-energy, and catchy as hell. The vocals get a little snotty at times, throwing off some SCREECHING WEASEL or QUEERS vibes, but it’s the guitars that really drive the thing home. Most songs barely hit the two-minute mark, and even though tracks like “Everything Sucks” and “I Don’t Wanna Live” lyrically aren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, the band’s energy will put some boogie in your butt. If you like your tunes with a little attitude and a lot of energy, this band is worth your time.

Micro Edge 1983 Demo LP

Cool excavation of youthful Toronto hardcore from the erstwhile Ugly Pop label (who’ve assembled some quality archival works in the last several years). These recordings, supposedly compiled from not one but three early ’80s sessions, have been kicking around the cassette-trading/file-sharing underground for a bit and are now seeing their first proper release. The LP opens with a BL’AST-esque stomper before kicking into thrash-speed intensity. If This Is Boston-era GANG GREEN is your shit, then you need this. There have been some questionable ’80s HC reissues lately (NEGATIVE ELEMENT demos?) but MICRO EDGE delivers the goods quite pleasingly, and at 45 RPM there’s not much room for filler. The sixteen-page “skate mag” booklet includes no lyrics, though to quote the liner notes, the vocalist “had a knack for catchy phrases about cops, greed, parents, skating, and of course…assholes” so you’re probably not missing any heavy political dissertations. One-time pressing of 500 copies and already sold out from the label, so buy now or regret later, eh?

Plasticheads Nowhere to Run LP

Sometimes it’s refreshing just to be somewhere familiar, and that is proven deftly by these Toronto traditionalists on this ten-track full-length. The tempo is up there, the guitars are dirty, and the snotty energy doesn’t let up from beginning to end. There’s not much to wax philosophical about here, it’s just one of those bands that has the punk fundamentals down and executes again and again. In a genre full of pretenders, it pays to do your homework and these fine folk have done just that.

Raw Power 1983 Demo LP

RAW POWER is a life-changing band. Years ago, when I first got into international hardcore, the early output of these Italian maniacs represented a gateway to a new sound and a new way of thinking for me.  Their first LP Screams from the Gutter is a stone-cold classic of unhinged screaming and bonkers guitar work, but the recording that truly blew my young mind was their demo from 1983. Often referred to as the Brown Studio demo, this rough and tumble recording largely circulated on cassette tape in punk’s international network of friends until the dawn of the internet age. Somehow, despite being one of the very best examples of furious Italian hardcore ever recorded and despite every random third-rate band from the 80s getting deluxe reissue treatment in recent years, the ’83 demo had to wait until 2019 for its vinyl debut. The packaging for this reissue is modest, with nary an overpriced gatefold or a nostalgia-filled booklet in sight. But the music, with its tornado of guitars, screaming-like-someone-is-chasing-me vocals, and fucking punk cowbell is as urgent and necessary as ever. RAW POWER was the epitome of Italian hardcore, and unlike some of their dour international peers in Scandinavia or Latin America, they brought a measure of goofy fun to their wild hardcore sound. A furious party indeed.

The Ichi-Bons Get Away / Heart Attack 7″

Great, old school rock’n’roll played how it’s meant to be. The first side is just really fun and has a lot of top-notch soloing that’s very LINK WRAY-inspired. The second side is a radical instrumental with some spirited shouting in the background to give the song that extra kick in the ass. Not really much to say other than get your hands on this single if you can. This is the shit I’d rather be hearing in stores across America instead of whatever the sick bastards that queue the music in there play.

The Kewpie Dolls Bad Boy Mine EP

This thing is for sure kind of kitschy. No chance anyone could deny that. And I could see someone just not liking it. That’s the risk you run with kitsch. But I do like it. The KEWPIE DOLLS are an all “girl” band that deliver super lo-fi, but solid, garage rock with elements of doo-wop, surf, and jangly ’60s flair. Four cuts, and all four just hum right along. Look for them at a garage festival where most of the other bands will have a very similar sound. If that sounded mean, it really wasn’t supposed to. The cover of “Justine” is nicely done.

The Ward The New Dykes / Mike, Mikey, Michael 7″

Two old tracks from a short-lived Toronto group circa 2011 released as a 7”. While the songs are over ten years old, they manage to concurrently feel fresh and timeless. These songs would be right at home on a Lookout! Records release from the ’90s, or a No Idea release twenty years after that. While having pretty different runtimes (one at less than two minutes and the other at over four minutes, respectively), both tracks are massive sing-alongs filled to the brim with hooks and energy. I’m glad Ugly Pop gave these anthems some new life by rereleasing them, and hope they find a whole bunch of new ears to appreciate.

Thee Rogue Telstars To the Moon / Do the T.E.L.S.T.A.R. 7″

Whenever a band opts for “Thee” over “The,” the hope is for some proper garage rock, and THEE ROGUE TELSTARS provide exactly that with these two tracks. If THEE HEADCOATS went to space, it would sound something like this. Simultaneously frantic and tight, “To The Moon” bursts with energy from start to finish, while the B-side starts slow and retro, but quickly finds itself back at the same breakneck speed with a tasteful rockabilly sheen slapped on top. The perfect use of the medium, it’s no surprise this hot slab of Canadian wax was put out by Toronto’s Ugly Pop Records.

V/A Left Without Much Fuss LP

Disguised as an unassuming compilation LP, closer inspection reveals Left Without Much Fuss to be an elaborate love letter from Ugly Pop Records founder Simon Harvey to the music and culture that has driven him for decades. Tapping his colorful roster of Canadian punk buddies in groups like CULT CRIME, the ICHI-BONS, and the VAPIDS, Simon has assembled a fun collection of cover tunes spanning a range of favorites and lesser-known bangers from the RAMONES, MOTÖRHEAD, FANG, JAWBREAKER, and many more. This diverse lineup is chock-full of solid renditions that make for a rewarding listen, but the thick booklet that comes with it is what really makes it a unique package. Filled with an essay, band bios, collages of classic cover art, and even a list of 500 killer songs to expand your horizons, this shiny insert provides plenty o’ tasty grist for the ever-churning mill of punk obsession. One could spend hours just poring over the hundreds of EP sleeves depicted and updating their Discogs want list. It’s a noisy and sincere celebration of the good stuff, brought to you by a trusted source of chaos for over 27 years.

V/A Hipsville 2026 A.D. LP

With no thanks to PAT BOONE, this comp is a hit! Inspired by the Toronto outsider garage rock event Welcome to Hipsville and comps of the yesteryear like Pebbles and Back From the Grave, it features ten tracks of fuzzy garage punk, rockabilly, and surf, with most paying homage to relics from the past. Toronto’s KEWPIE DOLLS and THEE TERRIBLE THREES, along with the USA’s East Coast rippers DRACU-LAS and the OUT-SECT, cook up their trash-and-bash takes on classics, with the OUT-SECT’s version of the MAKERS’ “Do What I Wanna” being the cream of the crop, so good that I had to turn the needle back and listen twice. Elsewhere, you’ve got legends like the ICHI-BONS and BLOODSHOT BILL doing what they do best. One look through the liner notes and accompanying zine will prove evident that this is more than just a compilation. It’s a well-penned and planned-out love letter to Canadian garage rock. Toronto rules and has always been a favorite city of mine for punk and garage, and anyone interested in the latter would find this as a great starting point. There are more names, bands, and dates listed than I could mention, and it will take multiple views to digest it all. I love to see this level of detail and fun put into a project. Well done.

Zero Bars Fear of Future, Future of Fear 12″

ZERO BARS coming in hot with some particularly sharp and addictive hardcore punk out of Toronto. Wet your beak on the brief yet ripping “Goon,” or check out the menacing riff on “Nervous Wire” for some immediate proof. Collecting the band’s 2023 demo and last year’s Life and Hell cassette EP, this fat 12” spins at 45 rpm to bring you up to speed. Full disclosure: they cover “Mountain Song” by the CRUCIFUCKS, which made me like them automatically before I even listened to the rest of the record. But sure enough, these dudes rule.