Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

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.”

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 / 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.

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”!

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.

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.

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’.”

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

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).

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.