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!

Dancer Dancer cassette

DANCER’s new sound of young Scotland is not so new—on their debut cassette, these Glaswegians pick up directly from where their hometown’s cult heroes LIFE WITHOUT BUILDINGS left off in the early ’00s. Abstractly poetic lyrics and conversational talk-sung vocals that are sparingly punctuated by ecstatic chirps modeled after Clare Grogan from ALTERED IMAGES (taking the Glasgow local history reenactment back a few more decades to the early ’80s), noodly/twinkly guitar lines that owe more to ’90s post-rock/math rock (big SLINT energy) than any late ’70s DELTA 5/AU PAIRS-style moves, and languid, almost jazzy beats that get just riled up enough at the right moments to push DANCER back toward post-punk tradition and away from the sort of thing that you’d be likely to hear following the SEA AND CAKE at insufferable airspace-aesthetic coffee shops in any city with punishing rents. The tape actually clicks most successfully when they’re at their least mannered and buttoned-up, like on “Ferret Fancier” with its slippery bass, harsh, almost no wave-textured guitar racket, and drawn-out wails; I certainly wouldn’t be mad if they embraced the mess even more the next time around.

Depress 2 Track EP flexi 7″

Malaysian punk outfit DEPRESS presents two songs taken from the Johor Hardcore Compilation CD from 2001. “Sejahtera” is a melodic anthem, filled with dual vocals that almost go into Oi! territory. “Phobia” is a bit more aggressive but still retains the melodic component of the band. Music to have a drink (or ten!) and enjoy yourself.

Dez Dare Perseus War CD

Garage punk meets psych-damaged hard rock on this Brighton band’s latest. Classic rock riffing lives on in the stompy, all-downbeats rock‘n’rock of “Bozo” and “Myopic Tropic” with fuzzed-out guitar fills and spoken/sung vocals, some about society’s ills, some nonsensical. “Beach!” is catchy in its rocking immediacy, rolling toms, and laser-gun guitar tone. Final track “STOP. STOP. STOP TALKING.” is an eight-minute opus of distorted bass, chiming keys, and bubbling electronics that rocks the whole time. Recommended for fans of KING GIZZARD, fuzz pedals, and maybe those rad conversion vans with wizards painted on the side.

The Foilies Kick Out the Grams CD

Cocaine-fueled, high-energy, ass-kicking rock’n’roll from the land of big skies. There’s absolutely no denying the jams here—NASHVILLE PUSSY, ANNIHILATION TIME, MENSCLUB, straight fucking barroom fire from start to finish, accented with tracks like “Do Some Drugs About It,” “Crystal Beth,” “You Turn Me On (So Let’s Get Off),” “Blizzard Wizard,” and the end-of-the-night lament “2 Broke 2 Coke.” There’s not a wasted moment here, the FOILIES go hard until there’s nothing left but to scrape shards off the mirror. Absolute party slammer here, full endorsement.

Future Suck Simulation LP

As their first foray into full-length releases, Rack Off Records issues the debut LP from this Melbourne hardcore act featuring folks from BLONDE REVOLVER and SUPER-X. FUTURE SUCK’s brand of hardcore is hard to peg down. Throughout the record, I would hear snatches of what to me sounded like pre-Crossover D.R.I., mid-’80s 7 SECONDS, or even early DAG NASTY (at least instrumentally). It’s all solidly played, but it’s a mix of sounds that I probably wouldn’t be that into were it not for this stellar, tough-as-shit vocal performance from Grace Gibson. There’s just something about the way that she delivers these lyrics that makes it seem like a genuinely nice person has snapped and things are on the verge of spiraling out of control, adding a welcome sense of danger to what may have otherwise been a pretty standard hardcore record. Cool!

Gonk Oh My Gonk! cassette

Alex Sandoval’s bedroom solo project from Salt Lake City, Utah merges lo-fi with softcore egg-punk, blending programmed drums that lack force and a submarine telephone conversation effect on the vocals that make it quite monotonous. Some guitar riffs are sweet and in line with egg-punk referents PRISON AFFAIR. This one might be right up your alley if you dig everything eggy, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me.

Inebrious Bastard God Swipes Left LP

With a sort of goregrind entrance, INEBRIOUS BASTARD levels out to gruesome crustcore. This has a Motör-charged death metal sound to it like CARCASS, CRETIN, or GURHKA. Plastered with blastbeat meat and chunky thrash riffs, INEBRIOUS BASTARD of Sydney offers a splattercrust LP with clever, tongue-in-cheek songwriting, typical of perhaps GHOUL (US). Crust grind with such subjects as a “Shadow Pony” (how they see themselves within a categorizing scene), “Tuesday Night Budget Blues,” “Bish Bish Bash the Bish,” and a curious and killer track called “Boat Thrower.” The production is warm and gooey—like a muffled pounding upon cardboard and murky earth. That is to say, it is dense and fits really well with their sound. If the guitars were piercing and showy and the drums high and tight, I would not appreciate this nearly as much. This is repugnant crust with lots of horrific attitude, a savage splatterfest that seems more death grind by punks than crust punk or anarcho by genre nerds. But INEBRIOUS BASTARD obviously does not care what I think. They are sailing on into a messy storm caring about the ecosystem and making noise just the way they want to.

Killing Frost Frozen Dawn EP

From the depths of Hell(sinki), KILLING FROST has returned with their follow-up to last year’s killer The Declaration of W.W. demo. Blending classic thrash with ’80s US hardcore and adding a healthy amount of dramatic flair, KILLING FROST takes you on a harrowing journey over the eleven-minute run time. Opener “Frozen Dawn” kicks things off with glorious riffs and a brutal vocal delivery from frontman Niko Wilkman before unexpectedly washing over with glorious keys and angelic backing vocals. The juxtaposition of brutish hardcore and gothic wailing make for an exciting listen, which reaches a full realization on “Wilkman’s War II”, a blistering five-minute closer. Beginning as a mid-tempo head-banging grind, the song lurches forward before the return of the gothic organ, more desperate growling from Wilkman, and metal riffing that ascends to the heavens before reaching its payoff, a minute of head-splitting thrash that leaves you begging for more. Highly recommended.

Knickers Collection cassette

Well, this is a treat! I first heard KNICKERS shortly after the release of their excellent 2019 tape Bored. Collection compiles the eleven songs from Bored, plus a whole slew of new material as a complete discography. Strap in for an hour of top-notch, art-damaged punk. Graduates of the Mark E. Smith school of post-punk, KNICKERS pack in enough surprises into their tunes that an hour of music doesn’t drag or become repetitive—except for when they want it to be. There are some definite krautrock undertones, along with nods to GANG OF FOUR and SUBURBAN LAWNS. Despite all the references to bands of yesteryear, KNICKERS have a thoroughly contemporary sound. Crisp guitar tones, synth for atmosphere and texture, fantastic vocals…these cats really struck gold. Quirky punk with loads of character! I assume the release of a discography indicates they’re no longer an active band, and that’s unfortunate, but leaving behind a solid collection like this is nothing to balk at.

Lotus / Ship of Fools split LP

Belgian hardcore punk is alive and well, and this split will prove it! Side A belongs to LOTUS, a band that occupies the sound territory of early TRASH TALK and early CEREMONY, when they played powerful and energetic melancholic hardcore. Violent and resigned with the outside world, the same sentiment that the aforementioned bands would project on their releases. Side B showcases SHIP OF FOOLS, a two-man venture turned into a full traditional punk band. The name is lifted from a FUCKED UP song, so that is a good starting point to describe them. Sounding fresh while rooted in old-school USHC at the same time, SHIP OF FOOLS brings a groovy quality that can hook you. A split that encompasses two sides of the hardcore world that seem to fit together perfectly. At the end of the day, it’s all hardcore!

Nukke Virtue Signaling EP

An EP of six tracks in eight minutes, released by Portugal’s NUKKE. Pandemic-inspired bleak metal punk with lyrics heavily influenced with sociopolitical content and a lexicon about consumer culture, the dark outcomes of social media and its sinister status machinery, social inequity and injustice, and even quite polemic thoughts and stances regarding the coronavirus and the world’s situation in quarantine. Metal-infused hardcore with good drumming and guitar riffing of a crude metal nature.

OK Satán Master of Neglect cassette

Copenhagen’s OK SATÁN’s latest cassette release consists of five tracks of garage punk with vocals reminiscent of CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS or even Darby Crash at times. Fuzzed-out, lo-fi trash punk from the city with too much daylight or too much darkness, with noise punk vibes of FLIPPER, NO TREND, or KILSLUG. Soundtrack to slowly losing our minds. It’s a matter of time.

Pesadez Fenomenologia Del Espiritu Agonico: De La Existencia Sordida Al Pendulo De La Nada LP

Atmospheric and dank, PESADEZ plays grim death thrash from deep in the bog-reeking forest. This is an onslaught of gruesome, torrential deathbeat blackened metal with choked, vulture-esque vocals (including underlying early BRUTAL TRUTH vocals) and blistering riffs. Percussion palpitates through in a raw, off-kilter D-beat style, though vibing with POSSESSED, a new death metal band I got into called HAUNTER (on this album’s intro and outro), or SARCAFAGO. From Costa Rica, this record is ripping with a Central American crusty metal tone and nihilistic attitude. There are brief moments of pause to catch your breath at the surface, or a headbanging riff passage, only to be strangled back into its chaotic bile. Part BASTARD PRIEST, part Cracked Cop Skulls; you are definitely going to want to check this debut out. An echoing, horrific charred punk offering in an electrified skull chalice. The longest album title I’ve seen in a while, but for each track, a single word was needed. First listen, and I’m anticipating a top ten for the year. Fresh as guts.

Rövsvett We Are the Roadkill LP

Some smooth käng-ing here from the small town of Tranås in southern Sweden. This sprawling LP features nineteen tracks of pounding D-beats, rocking guitars, and gang vocal choruses presented with shining clean production. While not particularly inventive, the music is rather accomplished, and this would be a fitting soundtrack to any gathering of tough guys with long-ish hair in black T-shirts.

Sharizza Hot Sauce cassette

Tireless German punk Franny Franzen, a.k.a. Maracuja Zitroune, finds time between her gigs with EX-WHITE, HOT CHICKS, and probably a handful of other Leipzig-area bands to issue this collection of solo recordings. The nine tracks on this release find Franny alternating between playful garage punk and artsier experimentation. The punker tracks are great—they’re a nice mix of contemporary herky-jerk, ’90s budget rock, and even more abrasive, almost industrial sounds. It reminds me a lot of some of the stuff LILI Z was putting out in the late ’00s. The other tracks sound more like she’s just farting around while rolling tape. But they’re never too annoying and do act as nice interludes between the rockers. It’s a cool cassette!

Sirkka Viivyttely EP

You would think that with an EP entitled Viivyttely that SIRKKA would come from Finland, the only other option being that they are actually a Japanese band singing randomly in Finnish. But you would be wrong, twice. SIRKKA is from New York City—well, at least originally when they were a two-piece, since they now have included members from other parts of the East Coast of the US of A and from Leipzig. With personnel formerly or currently active in other rather unmelodious bands, I did not expect SIRKKA to be serenading me with pop punk tunes and the band, quite logically, plays mean hardcore punk with a dexterity that would have you think that they play every weekend, whereas for obvious reasons, well, they’re clearly not. The brilliantly raucous vocals from Sanja with the typical Suomi flow, patterns, and prosody are what strike first, but the music, simply put, is perfectly executed. It ticks most of the boxes you are entitled to expect from Finnish hardcore, but instead of going for a raw, primitive KAAOS-like drunk attack, the songs are more polished and less direct, keeping that classic intensity but working on the details, the (manic) drum rolls, the riffing, the catchiness, the overall songwriting, and a production that is thick and balanced. SIRKKA is not unlike a blend of early and late KOHTI TUHOA, and I was also reminded of ÄÄRITILA beside more obvious oldies like BASTARDS or RATTUS. Viivyttely is a very strong and dynamic hardcore EP that is bound to appeal to many hardcore kids (a phrase that has come to mean everyone under 50), well beyond the smelly confines of Finnish hardcore nerds. I just personally wish it hit a little harder, more brutally, with more emergency, but I can tell that was not totally what they had in mind. Another good release from Sorry State.

Staticø Il Nostro Cimitero EP

A newer hardcore band from Serbia, this is STATICØ. This five-track EP is essentially meat-and-potatoes hardcore punk, although the occasional touches of more post-hardcore-esque guitar work does help it stand out from the pack a bit. Not too much else is memorable to me though, I must admit. Not bad, but not something I would return to. Give it a listen and decide whether or not I’m full of shit.

The Thingz In the Age of Giant Moths LP

Maybe it’s me. Maybe looking for something fresh in the crowded space of garage bands is a fool’s errand, and I should just get over myself and try to have fun. But we’ve been at this stuff for decades now: the Tiki kitsch, the organ without any bite, the fuzzy but compressed-to-all-hell guitar. On their ninth LP (and yes that is impressive), this band presents something squeaky clean and calls it trash. It just doesn’t sell for me. Bands were obsessed with all these same things in the ’90s, cryptids and aliens and cocktail lounge decor. I’m sure this Long Beach act has a blast doing this after all these years, but for me it’s just another band harkening back to some made up alternate history of American rock’n’roll and doing nothing novel to tweak the formula.

Unsanitary Napkin All Billionaires Are Bastards LP

Raging political hardcore from Te Whanganui-a-Tara in New Zealand. Very few bands accurately pull off the sonic expression of pure anger and frustration with the injustices of our society, which UNSANITARY NAPKIN does in a vicious manner, with tracks in support of figures like Josie Butler, who threw a dildo at Steven Joyce in protest of signing the TPP, and a track criticizing conservative billionaire Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel. All Billionaires Are Bastards is a great, direct representation of the ills of our society.

Adrenochrome In Memoriam LP

ADRENOCHROME from Oakland just released their first full-length, and it’s a burning gothic pyre from the opening howl to the closing chord. Downtuned, darkened songs that draw the listener in with aggressive riffs and catchy lyrical delivery. The powerful punchiness of punk rock rhythm fused with flanging, cold guitar work creates a deathrock album that is sonically interesting. There’s quite a bit of pop sensibilities at work on this album as well: Gina Marie has a vocal delivery that utilizes a vast range without drifting into full-on screaming and shouting. This album seems to move from strength to strength as it progresses through each song, gaining momentum and indignation with each pass of the needle. The final song “Celebration” wraps the album up like a ritual.

Appaloosa Western Glow cassette

Five songs on cassette, previously released as singles by Seattle, WA’s APPALOOSA.  Femme-led pop punk with a strong backbone of garage rock. Shamble-y guitars tear into solos, light vocals turn sassy and harsh, occasional keys provide texture, while bass and drums keep a pretty steady rock’n’roll groove. The earliest contribution to this release, the RATS cover “Thoughts By Now” (from 2020), is my favorite, with contrasted clear-as-a-bell vocals against lo-fi and super rough-sounding guitars; that said, the polish on “Western Glow” shows a nice maturing of their sound. I get the vibe of the COURETTES with rougher edges. Hope we have an LP to look forward to!

Black Dog Demo II cassette

Whenever you spot a release from Roachleg, you are sure to get the rawest of the raw, and I’m saying this in the best of ways. Only a few months after their first demo, Nova Scotia’s BLACK DOG angrily bites back with Demo II. It sounds just like the first one, which is basically what you would want. When it comes to raw punk, the more basic, the better. BLACK DOG follows the trash-filled route of the UK greats like DOOM (nice wink on “Life is a Lock”) or ENT, without innovation or changes to the style, just good old-fashioned crusty punk. “Life is like a lock on my mind. Is death the only key?”

Blue Ricky (BR) LP

Pop punk stuff that has a bit more grime to it than others of this genre. If you’re a fan of ANGRY SAMOANS or the more punk, less bubblegum QUEERS stuff, this would be right up your alley. The cover art GERMS homage is cool, but it could be a potential deterrent for those who are quick to judge a book by its cover. Which would be a shame, because this is a pretty good record.

Call the Cops Manifesto (For the Rebirth of the Worldwide Punk Scene) LP

Well, this is interesting. This is the second record I’m reviewing this weekend that has a distinct industrial rhythm; this is a compliment. In a sense, it’s similar to the way SADIST does it, but this is more like RESTARTS or RANCID meets MALIGNANT TUMOUR. Tone is sort of street punk though, with more death metal crust vocals. CALL THE COPS from Italy play breakdown hardcore with a pogoing street punk stance. I have no idea why you would ever even hint at CALL(-ing) THE COPS, but perhaps there is something not translating for me. Other jams swing with an Italian Oi! flavor and melodic bounce. CALL THE COPS can sing. There are a lot of samples throughout, and they are all interesting and unique political statements—I’m not talking ’90s movie quotes, more like interviews. CALL THE COPS have a lot going on, from the melancholy intros to downright grizzly street crust. There is a traditional old European folk sound to their album that is sincere and not overly sentimental. Sixteen tracks of malicious mohawked hardcore punk. A powerful fourth outing from CALL THE COPS.

Decorticate Conditioned By Violence cassette

Danish powerviolence with a hint of Ray Cappo thrown into the batter, sounding like BETTER THAN A THOUSAND merging with CAPITALIST CASUALTIES and other similar Slap-a-Ham-adjacent bands. Tightly mixed without being too over-produced. The drums are killer and direct traffic throughout, as is the case with most bands like this. Dueling vocalists channeling both youth crew and death metal energies. They’re not reinventing the wheel, but the nuanced singing styles make the album feel fresh, relentless, and unwavering. I am absolutely amazed that this is a trio. The sound is huge and intense as all hell. Well worth a spin if you love it fast and loud, which, if you’re reading this, I’d assume was the case.

División Autista Hijo Marginal 87​–88 LP

Credited for their role in introducing straightedge to Latin America, DIVISIÓN AUTISTA were major players in the Argentinian punk scene of the late ’80s. The two songs they contributed to the extraordinary Invasion 88 compilation are among the very best, and stand out as being contemporaneous rather than peddling in nostalgia. Hijo Marginal 87–88 contains the two aforementioned tracks, an additional song from the same studio session, demo recordings, and eight live cuts. While the band was short-lived, they had an outsized impact on the scene in Buenos Aires and beyond. DIVISIÓN AUTISTA’s brand of fast, melodic hardcore punk is fully realized on songs like “Straight Edge” and “Hijo Marginal,” where the vocals are propulsive and the guitar work feels particularly innovative. The sound quality on some of the live songs is unsurprisingly on the low side, but the energy they exude makes up for the drop in fidelity. This has loads of charm, excellent vocals, and some wicked guitar lines. Absolutely worth checking out.

The Eurosuite Sorry LP

It’s not an easy feat to create music that is both shimmeringly beautiful and unnervingly chaotic, but the EUROSUITE does just that on Sorry. Culling from post-punk, post-hardcore, glitched-out electronics, and noise rock, these ten tracks never linger in one moment too long, carefully layering a collage out of punk’s fringes. Opener “I Thought Your Hand Was a Cup of Water” begins with feedback, disembodied vocals, and synth, then charges into DIÄT-style Berliner ice-punk two minutes in. “B.O.D.Y.” turns snare rolls into electro-glitch malfunctions with screamed vocals placed on top—think SWING KIDS meets early LIARS meets MOUSE ON MARS. Most impressive are the gorgeous swirls of distortion that couple with punishing noise rock on songs like “Pull Back.” Thick, vacuum cleaner guitar churns against sputtered and shrieked vocals like Kevin Shields playing with MCLUSKY. If you hear a beat, it will eventually syncopate, a note will stretch and compound into a synth flutter, bass will decay into uneasy synth squelches. Such is the nature of Sorry, a punk record that experiments and frequently finds greatness in its meticulous chaos.

Fate Ananke 2xLP

The labels that are meticulously combing the early stages of Polish DIY punk and presenting the recordings to new ears are simply invaluable. I’m talking about Warsaw Pact, Pasażer, and specifically Nikt Nic Nie Wie, who are responsible for this beautiful reissue of FATE’s 1994 recording Ananke. Classic Polish punk mingling with folk, psychedelia, and reggae…it’s incredible to hear bands coming into and developing their own sounds on the same record. Fans of ARMIA, DEUTER, and BRYGADA KRYZYS will be lured in by tracks like “Do Mięsożerców,” while the quieter experimental tracks are the glue that will make it stick. Incredible and invaluable recording, presented by Nikt Nic Nie Wie with love and respect (as it should be). Highest recommendation.

Gel Only Constant LP

It’s likely you’ve already read a handful of reviews of Only Constant, the excellent debut LP from New Jersey hardcore band GEL that is currently making waves, so I’ll keep it brief. Only Constant is a very angry and very catchy record, but it’s also wildly accessible. It’s easy to see why GEL is having the same sort of moment as SCOWL and TURNSTILE before them. GEL’s songwriting is razor-sharp and full of attitude, and on songs like “Attainable,” “Dicey,” and “The Way Out,” they make the sound of wanting to smash a chair over someone’s head surprisingly danceable. Each song barrels forward relentlessly with the exception of “Calling Card,” a jarring but fitting break in the middle of the album. It’s a sharp U-turn featuring a lo-fi guitar played along to voicemails left by fans who vent about a number of issues, including but not limited to misogyny, shitty coworkers, and their thoughts on the hardcore scene. It’s a clever way for GEL to connect to their fanbase and another example of this album’s surprisingly charming nature. Highly recommended.

Grandine Discography LP

From Trento and active from 2000 to 2004, this now-defunct band offers the world a compilation of their material in LP format. This is Italian hardcore that proved to be highly influential since everyone in their scene wanted to sound like them. They go from fast-paced thrashing parts to more melodic and groovy hardcore. A great piece of modern Italian hardcore history

Hotza Demo EP

Once again I find myself researching the mineral content of the water supply in Euskara, because this region has once again produced a near-instant classic. Eight minutes of heat over four blistering tracks from Bilbao with this release, which doesn’t let up for the entire time. Scratching that traditional French Oi! itch you didn’t think you had, ticking the same boxes that RIXE and IENA did, this is just the tonic for those tired of milquetoast, by-the-numbers Euro bollocks. Rumbling bass that sounds like tank warfare, over tight and taught guitar lines giving you that brickwall sound that is sorely lacking these days. A suitably raucous 4 SKINS cover rounds it off, and back on repeat it goes. Excellent stuff.

IZM IZM demo cassette

IZM, a four-piece out of Los Angeles, does the whole “punk band plus a synth” thing that I tend to rail against here in my reviews. To reiterate, my position is not that punk bands can’t have synths, it’s that if you have one, it’s way too easy to fuck things up, so to be safe, it’s best to avoid them altogether. The most common mistakes with these outfits are that they opt for some squiggly-ass timbre, making the act sound too jokey, or they put the synth too far forward in the mix, drowning out the rest of the band—often it’s both. But I’m happy to report that IZM commits neither crime. These fellas play grimy, knife-fight hardcore punk—not generally where you’d expect to encounter a synth! Thankfully, it’s buried in the mix, really playing more of a supporting role, and the cheap (but not too cheap!) haunted-house tone they use actually adds some menace to the record. I think I still would have dug these tracks had they been synth-free, but I’m pretty sure they would have been less memorable. Solid work!

Kolpeka Amorruz Beteta flexi EP

KOLPEKA’s debut tape is refreshingly bleak in all the right ways. Playing rugged and dark punk with ominous overtones, these teenagers from Spain offer a caustic, punchy take on early NYHC styles. There’s also a bit of devilishness to the melee that reminds me of G.I.S.M., and I like how the three songs on this tape become increasingly more deliberate and hostile as it progresses. The members were only between sixteen to nineteen years old at the time of this recording, so let’s hope they’ve got plenty of juice left in ‘em to keep pumping out cool and inventive music.

Loosey Winter Promo ’23 cassette

Finally, an excuse to dust off the platform boots and denim overalls! New York City’s LOOSEY is here with their Winter Promo ’23 cassette. LOOSEY’s sound falls somewhere between the Australian Sharpie scene where pub-rock bands like COLOURED BALLS and ROSE TATTOO reigned supreme, and the Bovver scene from England which preferred the glammier side of rock’n’roll (checkout the comp Bootboy Discotheque to get down). After the right-on intro “Enter Planet Dust,” LOOSEY treats listeners to three earworms that stomp, shimmy, and howl (thanks to the gloriously gruff vocals of lead singer Fizzy of NEW YORK HOUNDS fame). Check out “There You Were (Alligator Song)” to hear LOOSEY at full-force; beginning with a glam stomp before bulldozing their way into Exile on Main Street-era ROLLING STONES and even BIG STAR territory, it’s pure bar-room boogie for lovers and fighters alike. This is the dawning of LOOSEY music, get into it!

Maldita Existencia Demo 2022 cassette

Two songs from Chilean synth-punkers MALDITA EXISTENCIA. Knowing this comes from Cintas Taciturnas, this demo sounds like it’s paying homage to EXRAÑA MISIÓN’s Ensayos 1988 which the label re-released last year, and they do a great job. Big, reverbed synth with matching high-octave bass, like you’d find in a JOY DIVISION intro, with jumpy drums and a clean, wandering guitar line. The vocals stay steady, almost spoken, and don’t achieve a huge range, but combined with the instrumentation, this really works.

Perplex Perplex cassette

There have been hundreds of raw hardcore punk bands in the past ten years, so it is has become hard, if not near impossible, to keep up with everything—sometimes you are just too late to the party and you’re being told that the band you just came across and are excited about split up ages ago (meaning six months in 2023), but the members already formed two brand new bands that you are still clueless about but you nod. PERPLEX from Phoenix, Arizona is one of the bands that I should not have missed but still did. On the one hand, they clearly belong to that modern school of raw, old-school hardcore punk with reverbed vocals, but on the other, they somewhat stand out from the crowd (and it has grown into a big one) because they are heavily influenced by WRETCHED and manage to build on that influence with efficiency and emergency. With the opening of the first song being a massive nod to WRETCHED, you pretty much know what you are in for—furious, primal hardcore punk with obsessive riffs and demented leads. But PERPLEX doesn’t lose sight of what really matters: relentless energy. Käng from the ’80s is also very present in the songwriting, and bands like CRUDITY or SOD definitely got invites, too. No wheel is being reinvented here, but I love this demo. This release is a bit particular since the tape was initially released in 2019 but quickly sold out, and the Oxford-based Richter Scale (a great tape label that specializes in rather obscure hardcore acts) decided to reissue it. The drummer of the band, Mal (he also played in SLIMY MEMBER, among other projects), tragically died that same year, and the tape is dedicated to him. The two remaining members went on to do the fine MEMORY WARD, who I recommend you check out, too.

Rollsportgruppe Denkfabrik CD

ROLLSPORTGRUPPE have a nice bounce to their pretty trad rock. Or maybe it’s mod? The guitars have a dash of distortion and, with the drums, create some driving but uniquely restrained rock’n’roll. The vocals are pleasing yet hoarse and urgent. Don’t get me wrong, this is no snooze-fest, my foot was tapping the whole time. But the band holds back and lets the rhythms, stops, and starts do the work. The whole thing has a soft, almost whimsical tone.

Sepsis The Divide EP

Reviewing a record feels a little like dissecting a body at times—well, without the nasty smells and the graceless medical gown you tragically cannot sew patches onto. You first have to gently lay the record on the table and, before proceeding to the actual listening, you have to check and analyze, with medical precision, the visible clues of a given punk subgenre and its signifiers. This particular band is called SEPSIS, a nasty word for infection. They use a hairy font and the EP’s cover displays a gloomy Lovecraftian humanoid creature, drawn in an old-school death metal style, holding in its tentacled paw what looks like an agonizing human head. So yeah, not a skacore band. SEPSIS is from Melbourne/Naarm, and The Divide was released on Hardcore Victim, a brilliant label dealing in quality crasher hardcore noise crust punk. With such scientific observations in mind, I can claim, before even putting the record on the turntable that, congratulations, it is a crust record! And I love a good old-school crust record—no, I crave good old-school metallic crust records, and this band precisely belongs to that school of thought. SEPSIS is an all-female band that works on the classic “DOOM revisiting ANTI-CIMEX in a cave” template, with a revival stenchcore toolbox borrowed from AFTER THE BOMBS and a vibe not dissimilar to that of ARMISTICE. The recording could do with a bit more power, but it is dark, aggressive, and groovy enough to reach a solid level on the international scale of crustness. The shouted vocals are angry but comprehensible (to an extent, we’re not dealing with pop punk here) with an ’00s feel maybe, the guitar has that perfect crunch, and even the creature on the cover feels like a mate after these four songs. Now give us an LP. Ace.

Shitty Life Limits to Growth EP

Parma, Italy won’t stop surprising us with their garage punk releases, like their fellow residents DADAR (more egg-punk, but still on the same wavelength). On this occasion, we have SHITTY LIFE delivering a frantic, fast-paced garage punk seven-track EP, full of energy, histrionic high-pitched guitars, and consonant screaming vocals very much singing along with the band’s overall rhythm. Reverb and tone changes are on-point, with a good non-stop drumming. Tune your chitarrino for this one. Favorite track: “In the Corner,” the one instrumental song, as it gives me a new wave feeling somehow related to skating and roaming the streets with friends; solid good.

Sial Sangkar EP

Since 2017 or so, SIAL has put out great record after great record, each one summoning more rage mixed through burning, buzzing psychedelic noise. The Singaporean band’s recent EP Sangkar brings more groove and swagger than I have noticed on their past releases. Case in point: the ripping opener “Tali” that is a can of deep bass drums, long, delayed reverb and…what is that? A tambourine? This record continues on with aural infectiousness. The track “Sia Sia” is ripping end to end with a hand-clapping break in the middle of the song. Perfect and just off the D-beaten path enough to bring a different perspective. 

Tee Vee Repairmann What’s on TV? LP

The Aussie one-man, Drew Owen-like multi-band force returns with his egg-punk power pop project TEE VEE REPAIRMANN. In case you’re ignorant or just don’t care about supportive plastic footwear, this is Ishka Edmeades, who does the genre-crossing neo-garage-meets-hardcore projects RESEARCH REACTOR CORPORATION and GEE TEE, among other popular combos. It’s pretty damn catchy, and old spiky punks might find themselves nodding along as they grumble. Besides the contemporary Mark Cone-ish correlation, this could be juxtaposed as a DEVO meets MIRRORS (CLE) meets the ONLY ONES being played in the mall scene in Valley Girl. “Time To Kill,” “Drowning,” and “Get Outta Here” are tops. It’s selling out as we speak, so don’t be a geek or embrace your inner one. Snag a copy today.

Yfory Chwaer Pwy? EP

The four members of YFORY converged in Berlin from disparate corners of the world (and from a veritable A-list of hot-shot contemporary punk groups like GOOD THROB, DIÄT, BARCELONA, etc. etc.), with various ’78–’83 Rough Trade singles and the collective works of DATBLYGU serving as the lingua franca for their debut EP. Bryony’s vocals (delivered primarily in Welsh, with occasional lapses into English) skip from KLEENEX’d trills and shrieks to deadpan talky monologues, guitar parts are economical and almost more jangly than jabbing, and the drums and bass wind around in calculated, unhurried concentric circle rhythms—the result is a quartet of smart, spiky post-punk/whiplash pop bops right in step with post-millennial heirs to the ELASTICA throne like PRIMETIME or CHILD’S POSE, and it’s a real delight.

Area 51 51 Fight! demo cassette reissue

Punks of a certain age, have you ever wondered what it would sound like if the vocalist from FILTH and members of ANTI-PRODUCT and AUS-ROTTEN met as teenagers and recorded a demo in their parents’ basement? Well, 51 Fight! has provided you with the answer. I’m not sure how much this fast-paced, grimy re-release adds to the annals of crust punk outrage but, for this reviewer, it was a trip to simpler, easier times.

Arrogänt / Visions of War split LP

Cool to see VISIONS OF WAR are still around—I was organizing my records this weekend and put on their split with OLHO DE GATO. I haven’t heard anything from them in a decade! Anyway, they retain a guttural crust vocal delivery with clean rhythmic D-beat hardcore à la later ANTI-CIMEX. Chords are bright and the tones are dense and dark, which creates balance and contrast that is aggressive and smoothly irreverent. Vevarsle at its finest; dirgelike, heavy, metallic, and crust as ever. This side totally rages. ARROGÄNT follows with an even heavier death-beat, with echoing vocals and an industrial punk pace. Percussion palpitates and bitterness seethes. Dual vocals complement one another, similar to FLEAS AND LICE meets MEATHOOK SEED. This looser and more raw and chaotic side suits the split so both sides are unique but equally sinister. I want it!

Barricaded Suspects Terminal Growth LP

First LP from Nashville, Tennessee’s BARRICADED SUSPECTS. All five songs from Winning, their 2020 EP, are scattered throughout this twenty-one-song album of relentless hardcore. The songs are fast and quick (only one track hits the two-minute mark), but they flow together so you barely stop nodding along from one to the next. This would be the kind of thing you’d hear at your local all-ages venue, giving a new generation of minors their first ringing ears. It’s grating but never droning, and you can pick out most of the lyrics over blisteringly fast drums and guitars; nobody gets a break here. I really like the humor in “Something You Already Know”: “The grass is green / The sky is blue / Don’t eat yellow snow.” But more and more we need common sense reminders these days…impressive set of work from this group.

Body Cam Promo cassette

Hot new tape from BODY CAM. Their flexi from a couple years ago was pretty great, and here they’re grimier and sharper than before. It’s three songs of whipping hardcore with rocking riffs and a dirty, distorted sound. The warped groove of “R.T.S.” is the winner for me here, but the whole thing rips. I’ll be looking out for more of this.

Brain Bent Boilerplate 7″

Rhodehouse record brings us the vinyl debut from this Calgary quartet. These folks primarily play a mix of scratchy (nearly twee) clean-guitar punk and drum-forward, bombastic synth rock (think of the less surfy moments from Touch and Go-era MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?). They also manage to slip in some straight-up ’70s hard rock digressions from time to time, which may sound like an odd choice, but it kinda works. Musically, I think this record is cool. Lyrically, I have some notes. The two tracks on this 7” take aim at the corporate office world—a subject certainly worthy of derision—but the observations they’re making don’t feel very fresh. Like, a lot of what they’re complaining about isn’t that far off from the kinds of things covered in Office Space nearly a quarter of a century ago. I mean, a lot of that commentary still applies, but the corporate world has grown much more ghoulish in many respects, opening up new hells of worker alienation that I wish they were able to tap into instead. I think if these lyrics were harder to decipher, I wouldn’t have minded it so much. But they seem to be going for a bit of a URANIUM CLUB clever-rock vibe, so they’re right there front and center. I think URANIUM CLUB manages to skirt being annoying by keeping things abstract, but since BRAIN BENT is clearly trying to say something, they don’t have that luxury.

Chorus Pedal Typo Landscape cassette

Noisy, angular, effects-laden art rock. This falls on the indie side of post-punk, with jangly guitars and overdriven vocals layered between blankets of swirling phasers, tape loop echoes, and (I presume) emissions from the eponymous chorus pedal. This is the sound of knobs being turned. There is an undercurrent of no wave influence, so if you don’t find a band like DNA annoying, then CHORUS PEDAL will almost certainly pique your interest. The songs are fairly repetitive by design and contain sensible hooks and enough charisma to prevent them from being totally inaccessible. Not dissimilar to the INTELLIGENCE or the COOL GREENHOUSE.

Dan Melchior Band Welcome to Redacted City LP

Instantly likable collection of post-punk-seasoned indie rock tunes from UK-born, TX-based DAN MELCHIOR. Songs like “Going Outside” and “Watching TV” conjure the carefully-written but loose energy of PARQUET COURTS or TERRY with strummed guitars, PIXIES-style surf licks (like on “The Right Influencer”), and the occasional warbly synth note. The only issue is that the pleasant music and wry, clever lyrics can fade into background music if you are looking for something more energetic. The whole affair is pretty low-key and relaxed, but that could be your perfect Sunday morning jam. Twenty-one songs is a lot though, and with some of them nearly crossing the seven-minute mark, like the repetitive “Incel Country,” the same effect could have been achieved in half the time. Maybe listen to one side at a time, but recommended for smarty-pants indie rockers.