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!

Corker Falser Truths LP

Falser Truths explores the depths of post-punk while infusing it with highly experimental and genre-bending elements. The LP’s sonic palette is a tapestry of moody atmospheres, intricate guitar work, and emotive vocals. It’s evident that CORKER has honed their craft to perfection, as each track unfolds with a sense of purpose and artistic vision. What makes this LP stand out is the fearless approach to musical experimentation. This Cincinnati-based band is hard to describe but easy to listen to.

Dogs The Melodies Massacre Years LP

For those unfamiliar, DOGS (always sans the “the”) were a long-running punky power pop act out of Rouen, France. They formed back in 1975 around Dominique Laboubée, the primary songwriter and only consistent member, and were active pretty much until he passed away in 2002. Over that time, they released dozens of singles and nine LPs. This album compiles their first two releases, 1977’s Charlie Was a Good Boy EP and 1978’s Go Where You Want to Go 12”, both of which were, as the title of this LP suggests, released on the independent French label Melodies Massacre. And this is clearly when the band was at its most vital. The eight tracks on this record are a raw and immediate mix of early rock’n’roll-influenced punk with just a touch of pop around the edges. It brings to mind stuff like early SAINTS, the VIBRATORS, or the HEARTBREAKERS. Honestly, the thing that this record, particularly the more up-tempo tracks, reminded me of the most is TEENGENERATE. Like, imagine if those records were a little less blown-out and slowed down just a hair, and you’re pretty close to what DOGS are laying down. I even had to check to make sure Fink and co. hadn’t actually covered these guys before. I couldn’t turn up anything, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that they had some DOGS in them. Still, as much as I love all the fast tracks, the highlight of the record for me is the slower JOHNNY THUNDERS-meets-Pissed on Another Planet SCIENTISTS number “Go Where You Want to Go.” If for some reason you only listen to one track, make it that one! Anyway, I’ve loved so much of what Reminder puts out that it’s pretty much a guarantee at this point that I’ll recommend you pick up any of their stuff, but seriously, this is one you really shouldn’t miss.

Enemic Interior II EP

Great fucking name. The band behind it  puts out some pretty standard fare, working dad Oi!  The influences are worn in, tried and true with all the comforts. “Les Ombres” shifts things slightly with a well-tied riff that summons as much of the COCKSPARRER gods as can fit into a minute and forty seconds. Wanted to like it.

Eyes and Flys / Personal Style Labor Day / White Strawberries 7”

Lo-fi garage psych from Long Beach, California. Musically, this is in the vein of BLACK ANGELS on the top side, with the flip, “White Strawberries,” being a more uptempo, straightforward garage affair. Both songs are hampered by a lackluster vocal delivery, where the vocalist tends to sing the riff. Coupled with a fairly obnoxious megaphone-sounding treatment, the songs are relegated to mediocrity at best. There’s a reason that most neo-psych bands drench their vocals in reverb and delay. If nothing else, this release makes a strong case for doing so.

Fredag Den 13​:​e Mänskiga Gränstillstånd LP

Nearly two decades in, this Gothenburg D-beat crew delivers nothing less ferocious than anything in their discography. What I love about Swedish D-beat is the almost operatic melancholy at much of its core sound. This band doesn’t dilute any impact with sprawling melodic structure, all while driving everything home like a steam hammer with unrelenting rhythm (yes, often that sweet “doon-kah-doonka-dah” we never get sick of). The mournful lead guitar in tracks like “Våldsmonopol” lends much to the overall effect of cathartic hardcore, as only feels fit coming from the bleak heart of Scandinavia. Everything here is dialed-in, throat-in-tatters vocal delivery and black metal frostiness in tracks like “Tryst Vår,” and of course the drums at the forefront like artillery, all while never shying away from a full-on rock’n’roll heartbeat. If you’re into this rich regional wing of hardcore (and why the hell wouldn’t you be?), this record is a must.

Intention Brand New Story LP

Precast and hackneyed Japanese hardcore punk straight from Nagoya. Chaotic yet very well-executed classic hardcore punk cadences with predominantly early ’90s references. Solid vocals mixing both English and Japanese, and excessive crazy solos that make the flow between the songs vanish from time to time. I enjoyed the song with all-Japanese lyrics better than the others—what happens with this LP is that sometimes the mixture of sounds and ideas don’t necessarily blend in the right way.

Kato Demo ’23 cassette

Four tracks of Finnish hardcore thrashing bombardment fury. Straight-up 1982-era Propaganda Records, Totaalinen Kaaos 7” meets Valtion Vankina LP, Super Fuzz-style fuzzed-out guitars with psychedelic howling vocals. A convulsion of explosive chaotic energy with pure intensity. Jakke is rolling in his grave every time you play this, and Lazze will most likely say it’s right up his alley.

Los Ignorantes Fenómenos Para Anormales EP

Paul Messis of Market Square Records and the SUBURBAN HOMES relocated from the UK to Gijon, Spain in the past few years, and recently started Manzana Podrida, another 7”-only label, this time featuring exclusively Spanish (or maybe just Gijon) acts. This EP is the label’s debut. LOS IGNORANTES, a five-piece out of Gijon, play ’66-style, Farfisa-driven Back From the Grave-worship (Tim Warren even mastered this thing!). It’s part LARRY AND THE BLUE NOTES, part LOS SAICOS, part SAM THE SHAM, and 100% a good time. I don’t know that it’s gonna win over any casuals, but garage turkeys will surely gobble this thing up.

Meat House Meat House 12″

Comprised of players based in North Carolina and Pittsburgh, MEAT HOUSE brings us seven cuts of biting and rocking punk with belligerent vocals on their debut 12”. This band is a gathering of modern hardcore veterans, featuring members from WHITE STAINS, PUBLIC ACID, SCARECROW, MUTANT STRAIN, and more. The sound here is strong and agile, flipping from loose, head-bobbing rock stomps to ripping speed on a dime in a way that kinda flaunts and celebrates the group’s collective pedigree. They really nail the ideal balance between fresh and classic. The music snarls and snaps, the lyrics are slurred, and it’s a home run from these “Punk Stars.”

Mother’s Milk Render Void at Gate LP

Atlanta, GA-based MOTHER’S MILK is fronted by (or comprised entirely of?) Josh Feigert, who also runs the State Laughter label. While he’s been credited for other projects like CAMARO CROTCH, GG KING, and UNIFORM to name a few, this is the debut LP for MOTHER’S MILK. Render Void at Gate is an experimental, noisy, fantasy narrative that was written and recorded during pandemic lockdowns. Spoken word over synth is placed as bookends for the album, and gives context to the strange realm within—at times the vocals sound like BUILT TO SPILL’s Doug Martsch, set to an EVOL-era SONIC YOUTH soundscape. Feigert tells his story about the album on the State Laughter website, and is worth a look if the music captures you. This isn’t a casual listen by any means, but is an interesting concept album for lovers of science fiction and off-the-beaten-path seekers.

Norcos y Horchata Aloha Motherfuckers EP

On paper, this Detroit trio has the goods. Blunt-force, three-chord punk with melodic vocals at the forefront. Unfortunately, the vocals are a bit too forefront, giving them a stilted feeling in the mix and also placing undue emphasis on them. They’re not bad, but the lyrics and melodies are a bit rote for this style and leave the whole affair sounding a bit dated. The band is more than capable, sounding like they can leave a barroom or two in splinters on the right night, but I just find myself kept at an arm’s length from really engaging with the material. It treads similar ground to greats like DILLINGER FOUR and DARK THOUGHTS, but doesn’t quite connect the punch. With some tweaks to production and songs that have a bit more meat on them, this group could really bring it.

Pat and the Pissers Growth EP

A set of five new rockers from Indianapolis punks PAT AND THE PISSERS. What’s not to like? Unpretentious Midwestern hardcore that is instantly enjoyable while sounding fresh. Opener “Breaking Free” has a heavy breakdown that showcases everything good about this tape: snotty vocals that can turn vicious in a beat, razor guitars, and a fat bass line that occasionally does a sneaky, funk-dabbling scale run. “Context” has a classic, crunchy riff in the chorus that is so good it would fit in any guitar-based music genre, from country to metal. “Grow” features sung vocals over bluesy clean guitar that explodes into familiar punk sounds; the stretching out and quality playing is appreciated. Every track is a winner.

Privacy Warning Promo 2023 cassette

Much like GAG, PRIVACY WARNING excels at capturing the raw energy and unfiltered aggression of hardcore. The songs are short, sharp shocks to the system, and they waste no time in delivering their stomp. It’s a sonic onslaught that’s designed to incite a primal response. Indonesia is quickly becoming a hotbed for this type of hardcore, and PRIVACY WARNING does a great job bearing the flag.

Rot//Woven No Hope For a Better Past LP

Fiadh Productions has released a slew of gorgeously produced cassettes and records this year, and No Hope For a Better Past by ROT//WOVEN is among them. ROT//WOVEN plays crusty anarcho-punk with a healthy addition of melodic hardcore punk in the mix, creating an impassioned sound of indignation. Vocals range from all-out raging screams to a more traditional gravely punk delivery, with lyrical content including topics like abortion and women’s rights, human and animal liberation, and a big middle finger to the pigs. Sonically, ROT//WOVEN is a three-piece with fuzz-maxed guitar grinding, chunky bass riffs, and speedy drum breaks. “Sinking” is a ripper of a song that invites a more melancholic tone to the band and is reminiscent of CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE but with a predilection towards riffing. In all, a highly enjoyable first full-length from these Oregon punks!

Sludge Sludge CD

Japan’s SLUDGE have been releasing high-energy metallic hardcore punk cuts since 2011, all of which are conveniently compiled here. Hailing from the southwestern region of Kinan Wakayama, it’s cool to hear this style coming from a non-major city for a change. Raw and violent with plenty of metal riffing and confident punishing vocals, fans of GISM and the other usual suspects of gnarly Japanese crust will love it.

Sparrowhawk Sparrowhawk LP

Wow. This is a super catchy and compelling combination of power pop and punk. Mid-tempo and melodic, it’s no surprise to me that at least one of the dudes in this band was in MYSTERY DATE (their other members also have impressive resumes, but we can’t talk all day about what other bands they used to be in…). At times it’s mid-tempo, other times they pick it up a bit. That’s often done within a song, something I don’t always appreciate, but I like it here. In addition to power pop and punk, I think you can hear mod elements, glam elements, street elements, and just plain old rock’n’roll. The lead guitar is there, but it’s not too much, and the transitions within songs are just really nicely done. Similarly, the lead vocals and how they incorporate the backing vocals is seamless. I’m not that big a fan of the JAM, so it surprises me that I hear them here. And a DICTATORS cover? Nice. Excellent record.

Steel Pole Bath Tub The Skulls Tape 12″

For a band that attained a modicum of notoriety and exposure during their early ’90s heyday, STEEL POLE BATH TUB has sunk a bit deep into the moors of history. There have been some reissues, but this 12” on No Coast digs up an early peak for the band. After decamping from their hometown of Bozeman, Montana for the foggy hills and cheap thrills of punk mecca San Francisco, STEEL POLE BATH TUB announced their presence on the scene with a self-released tape. Excellently entitled We Own Drrrills in its original incarnation, the EP now bears a more straightforward nomenclature (everyone loves skulls!). The sidelong “Kung Fu Love” demonstrates one of STEEL POLE’s signatures—employing television samples as texture and reference. As the trio hammers away at their jackknifed jams, fight flick snippets bubble up through the din. The flip features four relatively normal rock songs, by turns noisy or funky or melodic (“Rain Song” has a REPLACEMENTS lilt to it), and not far removed from Sub Pop bands of the era. A cool archival release for all the former subscribers to Your Flesh mag.

The Steves In a Room EP reissue

My first thought listening to this EP was “Wow, every band really does want to be DEVO these days.” Then I noticed this was a reissue from 1980, and thought “Wow, this band wanted to be DEVO during DEVO’s peak.” Which, honestly—bold move, STEVES. I can’t fault you for trying. But I also can’t help but laugh at the press release, claiming the STEVES sounded too unruly to be considered for radio play. Freedom of Choice literally came out that same year! Maybe it’s all tongue-in-cheek and I can’t pick up sarcasm the way I used to. I will say though, it was daring of them to put a disco track on the B-side in 1980. Now that’s bold.

Texture Freq Masochistic Episode cassette

Six songs of demented, mid-tempo, plodding, disturbing queer punk. This is outstanding. It’s like Minneapolis, MN’s answer to Cleveland’s mighty CRUELSTER. The way the singer barks the repetitive and seemingly idiotic phrasing over and over, you could have even potentially convinced me that this cassette was CRUELSTER taking a slightly different direction than their previous output. Don’t be fooled tho, there are some very obvious and important differences between these two bands, one being that TEXTURE FREQ’s debut cassette comes with a zine entitled The Immediate Stages of the Hardcore Singer, whereas I’m not entirely convinced that the members of CRUELSTER know how to read, let alone write. The zine, written by the band’s singer Jimmy Cooper, has all the lyrics to the demo at the end, but first takes the reader on a bit of a journey which, as an idiot, was a little bit difficult for me to follow. Talks of opera singers, Kierkegaard, and Medusa are peppered through the discussions about queer struggles, formation of a band, lyrical writing, and even a reference to other published reading material to check out. Some of this may be over my head, but I absolutely love it regardless. I would be happy to pass the zine portion along to a credible zine reviewer if someone would be interested in doing a better job of reviewing written words. As for the music, don’t snooze on this. TEXTURE FREQ is top-notch.

Tube Alloys Magnetic Point LP

L.A. (by way of Australia) post-punkers with a knack for all the Colin Newman-isms. The songs on Magnetic Point deliver an encomium to the post-punk gods of yesteryear, with production that matches the time and place. Lots to like, for sure—a little GANG OF FOUR, with a lot of WIRE. If Mark Perry sang for SWELL MAPS, this would be the sound. The music is provoking and doesn’t get stuck in the rut of parody while mixing electronic ambient breaks like “The Redactor” and “Machine Learning” throughout the record. Was a good listen.

Virgin Whores Last Chance to Dance LP

There are songs on here that remind me at points of the fast, “uber-punk” QUEERS songs— at least stylistically, and especially the opening track “Gee Ma.” Having said this, this is not a pop punk record. There are hooks for sure, but it’s also gritty. I can see this appealing to various types of punks for different reasons. A real unifier, if you will. Personally, the thing that won me over was the last song “Pissed at the Pub,” which just happens to be a Christmas song, and I’m a sucker for a punk rock Christmas song, particularly with the lyric “Santa’s getting drunk tonight.” Top-notch.

Affect This is Värmland Noise CD

There is a “make it or break it” aspect to doing D-beat. And I’m not talking about using D-beat in your hardcore, I’m talking about playing proper D-beat, the way Kawakami intended. AFFECT, the Swedish D-beat band, does it the right way! With a sound that draws clear inspiration from the blueprint left by DISCLOSE, they deliver a relentless onslaught of punk aggression. This is Värmland Noise is a discography compilation that gathers their four releases as a barrage of D-beat madness. This compilation is a testament to the enduring power of D-beat and AFFECT’s place in its lineage.

Antagonizör Heavy Metal Bootlicker cassette

Charged metal punk’n’roll from this all-female chaos trio from Gainesville, Florida, delivering leftist songs fueled by fire. Suggested tracks: “Pearl Clutcher” and “Heavy Metal Bootlicker,” exuding the feeling of sounds from another era; special mention to “Ammunition” for being so clear about gun policies, like open carry and such. Nice metalpunk full of catharsis and the spillage of anger, with soft remembrances of the everlasting MOTÖRHEAD vibe but in another trance and with newer sounds. Politically-charged hardcore-meets-metal with charged lyrics and vocal work at the front, plus thick bass lines.

Bad Anxiety Demonstration II cassette

Straight smoker of a tape here from BAD ANXIETY out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. These five songs are all A+ jams. It’s sharp and frantic hardcore punk played in intervals of whipping speed and head-bobbing stomps, feeling like a frenzied blend of original DC and NY style with bratty vocals along the lines of the ANGRY SAMOANS. When it first comes on, as the opening bass line on “Big Dumb” rumbles in, an overdubbed voice lets you know that “this is gonna rule,” and then it does.

Cluster Bomb Unit Abgesang LP

D-beat raw crust stalwarts CLUSTER BOMB UNIT return with a new LP, after churning out distorted chaos since the late ’80s. I have a few records by CLUSTER BOMB UNIT, including a 10” and some EPs, but I think this is the first full-length I’ve listened to by them. Anyway, I was not familiar with their new vocalist Julia, and they kill it. At one point on the opening track, their vocal harshness blends seamlessly into a bombarding guitar solo. This happened a few times on the album—vocals melding into and sounding like a screeching guitar. This EP sounds eerie and off-kilter. The snare is high and tight, almost like CRASS, while the strings buzz à la CONFUSE. The overall tempo is like meets KURO and STATE OF FEAR. Grim riffs and singed solos, as you’d come to expect. This return LP stands out with primitive flair; slight stumbles and organic flowing make it punker than ever. Raw clamor and a grumbling Dis-onslaught with some hits of prog noise between the verses. Fifteen tracks of ear-melting punk racket. For fans of LEBENDEN TOTEN and CLUSTER BOMB UNIT over the decades.

Dirt Box Disco Rokapokolips CD

This is definitely a “don’t judge a book by its cover” situation. The cover and title of this album come off as something a hair-metal-loving bar band would use. Fortunately, the contents of the album are far from being what one would imagine by looking at said album cover. Instead, what is offered up is some solid, catchy, sing-along punk with subtle rock’n’roll, glam, and Oi! influences that all mesh together quite well without sounding dated. This is the type of album that gets better with every listen, but if I came across it in a record store, I’d sadly pass it over due to the artwork. That’s a shame, because it is actually a pretty good record, but I’m just being honest. Even with modern technology being what it is and almost everything being available at one’s fingertips at all times, sometimes the age-old tactic of checking something out due to what the cover looks like wins out, and in this case that would be a shame.

Evil Spirit Black Cross demo cassette

Seven-minute total demo with an eerie intro from Avernus, poorly recorded in hell with the sense that this was an old tape found after a crash in Brooklyn, NY by these satanic punks. Surely interesting live—put your headphones on for this crazy, lo-fi (but good) ripper recording. Seems like a lost gem of a doomer age, and if you dig proto-satanic sounds, this might be right up your alley. Frenzied metalpunk, with solid ranting guitars, metal-infused sections that slay, and a crazy demonic voice melted on the tape. Crazy eerie shit sounds all around, making mayhem…or climax.

Flash Eztek Ber Besteik cassette

Basque Country’s FLASH released this three-track cassette for a West Coast USA tour, and it’s a lo-fi attack of catchy, fully driven, snotty mid-tempo punk rock songs, sonically akin to local legends such as LA PERRARA as well as ZERO BOYS. Lyrics are in Spanish as well as the Basque language. Heard this for the first time, but I already know that these are catchy, classic punk anthems—no filler, all bangers, no bullshit right here, a straight-up explosion of fist-pumping pure energy for punks to pogo and sing along to.

General Concern About Time… LP

Pacific Northwest rippers GENERAL CONCERN only succeeded in getting a 7” out during their initial run, but they did manage to record an LP’s worth of material with POISON IDEA’s Thee Slayer Hippy at the helm, and now, just for fun, you can see what the hell they were cooking up back in 1989. While definitely a product of its era, About Time… still delivers the goods in a myriad of ways. While nominally a hardcore outfit, many of GENERAL CONCERN’s songs bear similarities to bands like CRIMPSHRINE and CRINGER, straining at anthemic melodies with an earnest, energetic charm. The DC influence is also apparent, but GENERAL CONCERN tamps down the po-faced aspects, while retaining some of the elevated musicianship of that scene. There’s an endearingly snarky attitude to these quirky songs that erupt in bursts of speed and sometimes sound like SNFU gone (first wave) emo. Outside of the occasional region rock standout, this style of punk has fallen by the wayside, and even a cynical bastard such as myself feels pangs of reticence at its loss.

Hundred Eyes Faking and Pretending LP

I think how the guitars on this album play is a little more important than what they’re playing. The music is what you’d find on a lot of punk and punk-adjacent records: simple melodies paired with more aggressive ones via varying degrees of distortion. But the rhythm and speed vary frequently and signal a change in each song’s mood. The drums help that along. They can play at a steady pace with some expressive flourishes, or ramp up to standard punk tempo, depending on the song. The vocals might be the only consistent part, maintaining an anguished howl for all twelve tracks. I felt hoarse just listening to them.

Inu メシ喰うな! LP reissue

Mesh-Key pulls out yet another mind-bender from the vaults of rare Japanese punk—this time it’s メシ喰うな! (“Don’t Eat Food!”), the 1981 LP from Osaka’s INU, who started in 1979 as a group of frustrated teens reacting to what they viewed as empty, trad rock’n’roll posturing from many of the Tokyo Rockers bands occupying the inner circle of Japan’s early punk scene. Tracks like “つるつるの壺” (“Lift the Lid”) and “305” hit a razor-hooked, almost GENERATION X-ish beat that bleeds between first wave punk and new wave, with a killer animated mile-a-minute delivery from vocalist Machizo Machida (a.k.a. Kou Machida, actor and award-winning author after his time in INU), while the unsettling death-drone crawl “夢の中へ” (“Into Dreams”) and junkyard clamor of the title track are laced with more than a bit of PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED circa Metal Box, and the no wave scratch of “気い狂て” (“Gonna Crack”) and contorting stop/start twitch of “おっさんとおばはん” (“Old Man, Old Woman”) establish INU’s clear affinity with their more caustic compatriots of the era like FRICTION. The provided English translations of Machida’s lyrics really illuminate the no-future desperation at work here, if it wasn’t already apparent in the music itself—“Today follows on from yesterday / Will tomorrow just be more of the same?” (“フェイド・アウト”/“Fade Out”), all the way to “Japan’s history is a crime drenched in blood” (“ダムダム弾”/“Dumdum Bullet”). Get it or regret it.

Kinetic Orbital Strike The True Disaster EP

D-beat crust from Philly with Chris Ulsh from POWER TRIP on guitar. The EP is tough, with enough grit and vitriol to spread to the masses. All  tracks are  from the same recording sessions as KINETIC ORBITAL STRIKE’s first demo that came out in ’22. Each song on the EP is sizable with the usual comforts of the genre, and for me brings to mind DISFEAR’s Soul Scars era. I think the tad slowed-down track “True Disaster” takes the cake. Get it.

Love Interest Motherwound 12″

I was immediately drawn to the illuminated sheer drape on the cover and thought, “Is this going to be a moody, dark catharsis?” Yup. This well-presented debut EP comes from Detroit’s LOVE INTEREST, and is “a meditation on motherhood within a hostile world” (from their Bandcamp page). Tom-heavy drums set the undertone for icy guitar lines, punchy bass, Houses of the Holy-esque synth, layer upon layer of operatic backing chants, and a strong frontwoman with a killer range. By no means is this paired-down or sparse—it’s that wall-of-sound production that works really well with this dreamy, gothic, darkwave-in-sound, post-punk-in-lyricism styling. These four songs have meat to them, are on the longer side, and require your attention. Lovely music for the fall season.

Mononegatives Crossing Visual Field LP

This album is great! Speed-fed, first-gen-styled punk that is noisy, fast, and catchy. Imagine an even more caffeinated TOY DOLLS with the amps turned all the way up. Or maybe it sounds like A FRAMES with more tonal variations. Perhaps this is SPITS-worship, but without any schtick. Any way it gets chopped up, Crossing Visual Field is an absolute must-have in my collection.

Niner Niner The Muck LP

Upon first listen, my thoughts were that this wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t without its faults though, as I started to think that every song was just maybe a hair too long and could have been trimmed—at a point, some of them went on so long that I wasn’t sure if it was the same song or a new one. As time went on, the singer’s voice also started to wear on me. It’s a very ’80s glam metal-sounding voice. Then the epiphany came: this in fact was very much a weird amalgamation of ’80s glam metal and generic alterna-rock that I’m sure would appeal to some group of human beings, but I am certainly not one of them.

Pal Pals cassette

Kooky, driving synth punk from Cleveland, Ohio. What a debut release! Completely unhinged subject matter and vocals on top of bopping, herky-jerky eggy punk stuff. It gets a little too artsy for me at times, but these songs have a way of feeling incredibly zany without losing their pop sensibility. I think this is great and plan on listening to it quite a few times. Excited to see what comes next for PAL.

Perp Walk The Chain of Infection EP

Cardiff’s PERP WALK have done quite well making a name for themselves in a relatively short amount of time, opening for the likes of the CHISEL, FUCKED UP, and CHAIN WHIP. They’re poised to become headliners themselves considering the strength of their debut EP, The Chain of Infection. Playing straight hardcore punk with a sprinkle of garage rock weirdness (think the aforementioned CHAIN WHIP with a dash of TY SEGALL/OH SEES energy), PERP WALK has a fully realized sound that is both politically charged and rabid. Check out “Dogwhistle” and “Moral Compass” to hear what I mean.

Pus Demo 2023 cassette

PUS’s demo on German label STTW consists of five tracks of metallic, almost NYHC-style hardcore fury sung in a Slavic language. Despite the fact that one might consider this to be in the metallic hardcore realm, the gritty, overdriven guitars and the shouting vocals tend to make them a unique-sounding band compared to many counterparts that have a typical crossover sound. Many parts for two-stepping, border-destroying mosh tracks, a combustion of tough, energetic output.

Rabid Assault We Are Party LP

The cover depicts the band playing at a skatepark flanked by cartoon skeletons enjoying beer, pizza, and blood, the album is called We Are Party, and the first song is called “Curbs and Coping”— this is straight-up skate punk out of Bakersfield that’s completely devoid of pretense or posturing. These guys are what they are, and what they are is some hardcore thrashers having a good time playing the soundtrack to sick ramp sessions. It’s fast, metal-ish, and gauche in the spirit of early SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, except it’s 2023 and I’m too old and jaded to really appreciate it.

Shove It No Comply LP

Given the band name and album title I was expecting this to be some raging skatecore à la BONES BRIGADE, but instead, SHOVE IT hits us with snotty punk rock that has a melodic bent. Fairly standard stuff that isn’t exactly pushing the envelope…but hey, it’s not like every band has to strive to break new ground. At their best, SHOVE IT sounds like a stripped-down version of HICKEY. That’s a high compliment! At their worst, they sound like one of the post-Larry Livermore Lookout! Records bands that never got traction. Mostly, they fall into the mediocre middle of producing by-the-numbers punk rock that in 2023 is bound to get lost in the fray.

Slutavverkning Levande Charader LP

Their Bandcamp description reads “Swedish anti-capitalist jazz-punk fury!,” which is pretty accurate. With playing that hovers between jazz-rock fusion and bass-heavy noise rock with exploratory sax and clarinet soloing, SLUTAVERKNING has a unique sound and vision, held together by the deranged screamed/sung vocals concerning a pig farmer. The album opens with rolling drums and skronky sax, setting up the expectation for exploratory noise-jazz à la JOHN ZORN, but becomes much more structured and even funky on tracks like “Psykisk terror” and “Om Natten.” “Längtans Törst” features a warm, beautiful sax solo, raging vocals, and even nonsensical BOREDOMS-style vocalizing before its end. Instrumental “Attika” is a churning exercise in tension with a looming clarinet hanging over distorted bass and drums like a smoky neo-noir scene. Seeing as punk and jazz have both been anti-corporate, revolutionary forces in their best forms, the melding of genres makes sense and works well here. Recommended for noise rockers and freaky jazz nerds alike.

Smirk Polyrhythmic Ticks EP

More drum machine egg-punk, which seems to be completely dominating underground rock’n’roll at the moment. I loved it when all those Total Punk bands did it, but I think it’s time for us to move on to a different style. They’re all starting to sound exactly the same. Most of this EP is very drab and dry, and is void of anything catchy. “Bored By Everything” is the standout track, and is a much more energetic and engaging anthem than the other three. I’m all about bands experimenting, but “Bored By Everything” sounds much more like their prior work and I think it suits them better. Coincidentally enough, I’m just bored with this EP.

The Spackles Happy to See You / The Shakes CD

Let me just get this out of the way: this is two songs. That’s not a fucking CD. It’s a single. Musically, this is mid-tempo power pop. It’s catchy, but it’s got a certain herky-jerkiness to it. That can be hit or miss with me. I’m not sure this one’s a hit. I also find the vocals, both the female lead and the male backing, kind of contrived. They’re talented, no doubt, and they’re tight, but there’s something in it that’s missing for me. They don’t remind me of the BOOMTOWN RATS musically, but they do remind me of them in the sense that some of their songs I really liked and other ones I found that they just had too much going on.

Top Left Club Turn and Burn LP

Beer-soaked from Brighton’s shores, TOP LEFT CLUB deals out pop-inflected pub punk rock. This brings me back to the all-ages club of my pimply punk rock teens. The songs are what you would expect, with a tinge of retro-ish Farfisa synth touches. Kind of EPOXIES meets “take your pick of early ’90s Lookout!”—fun for a few cuts, but probably not an album’s worth. I would’ve happily shoulder-tapped a Night Train and seen them live, however.

Wet Specimens Over Pale Bodies LP

If you’ve spent any time on social media in the past couple of months, then you’ll know WET SPECIMENS have released this LP. However, if you spend most of your time in a cave or a catacomb, then you may be unfamiliar with this release, so let me give you a brief description. Brutally loud hardcore, complete with screaming guitars and bashing beats, combines with deathrock to form the WET SPECIMENS sound. Like if INTEGRITY decided to fight CHRISTIAN DEATH in a pit and the last standing members shook hands and formed a band. Over Pale Bodies represents several years worth of playing and recording, and is a complete artifact ready for rotation on your turntable.

V/A Illusion of Choice: A Girlsville Benefit Compilation for Feline Rescue, Inc. LP

Girlsville does the whole comp-for-a-cause thing the way it ought to be done, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering this is the same label that put out the excellent Be Gay Do Crime comp back in 2020. This time the cause is Feline Rescue Inc., a Saint Paul-based organization that runs a no-kill shelter and foster program for cats in need of adoption and compassionate care. The fifteen tracks on here come from a wide array of acts, some of which you’re bound to have heard of before and some of which you’ll likely be exposed to for the first time, covering a fairly broad swath of sounds—a lot of post-punk/dream pop/UK DIY, but there’s also a handful of straightforward punk and contemporary weird (eggy) tracks—with a good mix of fun covers, cool originals, and interesting demos. Highlights include an excellent BLONDIE cover from STAR PARTY, a clangy lo-fi post-punker from GERM HOUSE, and the exquisite dancy no wave freakout title track from CONDITIONER DISCO GROUP. Not to mention stuff from NEUTRALS, BILLIAM, and tons more! Do yourself and some cats a favor and pick this up!

Agur Garena Gara LP

The Bandcamp info tells me these guys are from Spain. All the Zs and Xs in the song titles lead me to believe they might be Basque. A little internet research confirms that. Not all, but lots of Spanish punk really lands with me. This one is extremely catchy, with lots of “whoaaa, whoaaa” backing vocals, but also some snarling lead vocals, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s one that I like a lot. At times very mid-tempo and other times quite a bit faster, but it maintains that catchiness, even when the mood is somewhat frantic. Only six cuts, but they’re all winners for me.

Atomic Tide Night Crimes CD

Second release from the San Francisco group ATOMIC TIDE, with members from AVENGERS, ANGRY AMPUTEES, GLITTER WIZARD, and the PLEASURE KILLS. This is a bombastic approach to punk with tinges of surf-y, psych rock guitars, and is gripped by the power of Lydia Taylor’s vocals, reminiscent of Yula Be’eri in NANUCHKA—deep, rich, and resonant. Their first self-titled cassette release came out in 2019, so it’s good to see this group survived lockdown and made it out with five new rippers! This is night music, if the title didn’t make that clear, so once the sun sets, pop this CD in your 2008 hatchback and let ATOMIC TIDE do the troublemaking for you.

Bad Bad Men Messed Up LP

A gritty, hard-rocking slew of songs from the veteran old guard of the Omaha scene. A brutally honest swagger that comes with years of putting in the Midwestern reps, akin to Austin’s SONS OF HERCULES. It’s the kind of swagger and self-pummeling sludge that’s reminiscent of the STOOGES, MUDHONEY, and MOTÖRHEAD.