Reviews - MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

Form Rank Form Rank cassette

Some beefy, American-style Oi! here, if that’s the sort of thing that floats yer boat; some nice lumpen riffs and a really quite spectacularly Neanderthal “ugh” that reaches in and tickles you on the old amygdala are enjoyable enough. The vocals lurch dangerously close to Tim Armstrong-style anglophilia, which is enough to bring me out in a cold sweat. Some inexplicable saxophone dotted about, which I thought was exclusively the purview of our mates sur la continent, so hearing it here has the same disorientating effect as seeing your teacher in the supermarket on the weekend. Perfectly fine stuff here lads, keep at it.

Future of Despair Hell City cassette

The latest cassette release from Los Angeles’s FUTURE OF DESPAIR is from the G.I.S.M.-worshipping school of ’80s Japanese HC, along with ZOUO, ANTISEPTIC, BONES, etc. Perhaps the next generation of L.A. bands is continuing to carry on the DNA of the East 7th/Silenzio Statico catalogs with BLAZING EYE and ZOLOA running inside their veins. A bombardment of Randy Uchida-style noisy distorted guitars with hellish screams coming down from the struggle of daily life on the streets of L.A.

Glaas Qualm LP

Berlin, Germany’s GLAAS comes out with Qualm, their first LP after last years’ self-titled EP. Think post-punk with wild synths and jacked-up effects of a diseased hardcore. This ten-track album is fun and rowdy—the kind of thing that exemplifies the chaos and distress of the genre to the non-believer, yet is the exact thing that sounds to-the-point and refreshing to the enthusiast. With members from DAS DAS (Cosey Mueller), LACQUER (Raquel Torre), and CLOCK OF TIME (Seth Sutton), to name a few, this group comes well-informed and polished only in their form, leaving plenty of splinters to pierce through the speakers, hopefully blowing out into a lousy basement haunt. Copies are going fast!

Hayley and the Crushers Modern Adult Kicks LP

This album is delivered with such a positive spirit that it’s tough to be critical of it. It’s got a lot of catchy pop melodies, I will say. But I can’t stop hearing what sounds to me like overproduction. Maybe that’s just “production,” but I prefer my music not quite so polished. What’s wrong with a little grit? As you may have guessed, HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS are female-fronted, and I’m normally a total sucker for female-fronted pop music. And maybe in a different venue, I’d speak differently, but for me this sounds like it wants to be on mainstream radio, and that’s not what I want when I come to MRR.

Icepield AɪSPɪːLD cassette

I don’t know how to pronounce this cassette’s title, but I do know that this is late ’90s/early ’00s emo. The songs are on the sophisticated end of the genre: tense, scale-crawling guitar parts appear alongside layered power chords. The former come with occasional chugging riffs, which give it a pop punk tint. The vocals are a real SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE/BRAND NEW whine. The band mostly plays it safe musically but stretches the boundaries a few times, which kept me on my toes.

Lawsuit Models Unknown Ghosts LP

Mature pop punk? Is that a thing? Like, you can tell this band grew up listening to bands that fell under the umbrella of pop punk for sure, but there’s also some actual elements of something other than three-chord RAMONES-worship. There’s parts that kinda have that DESCENDENTS/ALL/HAGFISH vibe at times. At other times, I am catching ATARIS vibes. I don’t really know how to describe it other than a “radio-friendly” aspect. I suppose that’s not really an accurate term anymore, but I do believe it to be a fair description.

Reviewer Matt McCracken
Label Motorcycle Potluck / Snappy Little Numbers
Issue MRR #474 • November 2022

The Mickey Finn 1964/1967 LP

This is a nice collection of singles and unreleased songs from this English beat band. Their best-known song “Garden of My Mind” leads the way for a fun mod head trip. Most of the tracks are fast-paced, upbeat rockin’ ’60s numbers to get you grooving. There are a few duds in the repertoire (“God Bless The Child,” “Please Love Me”), and Jimmy Page makes some obligatory session cameos, but when the MICKEY FINN is on, they are on. Great liner notes by Mike Stax, too.

No Comply / They Live To the Max split 5″

Due to some technical difficulties, this review is late, as the format is a unique 5” I could not get to play on my turntable. Well, the wait is over, and it was worth it. NO COMPLY play bizarre-core, as if the brood of RIGOROUS INSTITUTION played more like SWING KIDS, or if MAN IS THE BASTARD teamed up with ASSHOLE PARADE. Two tracks to grease up the wheels. THEY LIVE take a much more blasting hardcore approach, and it is awesome. Think DEVOID OF FAITH, or PLUTOCRACY in terms of distortion, but a little less crusty. Straight-up powerviolence HC with palpable tension. I’m pretty sure the last song is about Animal Chin and this all has an aggressive skate vibe to it. If you see this, get it. It’s a novel 5” and it’s great.

MIT The Male Idiot Theory cassette

Limited-run tape edition of this Belgian band’s album, combining roboto drum programming and guitars full of angle and jangle. The songs are tight and hooky, the vocals distorted and shouty, and the mechanical rhythms, maniacal tempos, and often odd structures clothesline you in a way that no human drummer could. I would say that with 13 songs in 32 minutes, I got a bit of ear fatigue halfway through—there’s a few unnecessary instrumentals, but mostly I think it’s the unrelenting boom-boom-tat of the drum machine so loud in the mix and starting off every song. The best tunes on here, like “Rainy Sunday,” “Not Reliable,” and “Cancel Today” are catchy and crammed with ideas, and a more tightly edited EP would highlight those best.

Primer Regimen 1983 EP

Been waiting for this one for a while, as PRIMER REGIMEN is one of the best Colombian bands out there, and it’s a pleasure to listen to this EP in-depth. After two great EP releases (No Futuro / No Solución and Ultimo Testamento) which were straight-on UK82 pogo-inducing bangers, one might expect more of the same, and this is where PRIMER REGIMEN throws us a curveball. “Hegemonia” opens the EP with tribal-ish, tom-heavy grooves (think What’s This For…!-era KILLING JOKE) that set a more bleak tone for what’s to come, while the follow-up “Líderes” returns to their brilliant brand of passionate and aggressive UK82-influenced tupa-tupa that takes no prisoners. This succession of songs just shows the evolution of the band as they rely more on ambiance this time that on previous records, so this is an important EP for PRIMER REGIMEN, as they are silently perfecting their craft and pulling out different influences, mainly post-punk and anarcho-punk. 1983 is also a very political EP, relaying the bloody story of Colombia that still has a shadowy grip on their people today.

Rabbit Rabbit demo cassette

Love the name (which is presented symmetrically and fairly illegibly) of this band from Brooklyn. RABBIT plays DARKSIDE NYC-style blackened HC with some dooming psych elements. Four tracks of lo-fi bleak hardcore that is set-back and captivating. The guitar tones are a blanket of space warmth, the drums and bass piledrive through with early ’90s NYHC bitterness. Every musician in this band is bringing something powerful, but RABBIT is clearly not about showmanship. I’m about halfway through this listen and now feeling a specter-like sound of CRO-MAGS’ “Malfunction” mixed with NO FUNERAL tone and the OUT OF LINE demo production. Wait for the Watership breakdown (sorry, had to). Excellent demo if old school dark death-inspired NYHC is (or was) ever your thing, and you’re seeking something fresh from this atomic garden.

Raw Breed Universal Paranoia LP

Denver strikes yet again! Those guys are maniacs, they just cannot stop themselves producing quality hardcore. RAW BREED is yet another example of this, brought to us once again by Denver HC powerhouse label Convulse Records. Universal Paranoia rips all who dare to listen to it a new one. The vocals growl and scowl over a vicious instrumental ensemble. The music sounds like a mish-mash of several different HC variants, but it all works like a charm. The standout track for this reviewer is the pummelling “Damnation,” but you can’t go wrong with any of these twelve tracks.

Scary Hours Symptoms of Modern Hegemony CD

The apparent brainchild of one chap from New Jersey, SCARY HOURS are an advanced metalcore project that seems streamlined for the big stage. CAVE IN-caliber discordance and AVENGED SEVENFOLD-style emphasis on the metal end of that metalcore spectrum. It’s very (very) well-put-together, and kinda makes me wonder if these sounds exist on some other youth-driven commercial platform. Make no mistake, Symptoms of Modern Hegemony is (an) extremely good (example of the genre), though the promo version comes with a full-size “campus copy center”-style bound lyric booklet complete with descriptions of the disparate bands the artist used as an influence for specific tracks. “Sackler Street” was a “first attempt at writing something super metallic like the BLACK DAHLIA MURDER or DISEMBODIED,” while other tracks reference LEFTÖVER CRACK, PANTERA, and JETS TO BRAZIL…confused? There’s a lot to unpack here.

Skrewball Wild Cats EP

With rough and snappy charisma, SKREWBALL from Plymouth, UK pumps out four solid youth crew pounders on their debut 7”. This mostly mid-paced “street punk” stomps firmly in between classic NY and UK hardcore styles, aided by an awesome sore-throated vocalist and bursting into fits of speed at the right moments. Maybe this will arouse fans of both GORILLA BISCUITS and ANTISOCIAL?

So Cal’s Parishioners So Cal’s Parishioners cassette

Wow, it’s incredible how aptly named this band is. Four cuts of classic hardcore, but not just any old hardcore—this is classic SoCal hardcore. It’s melodic, it’s mid-tempo, it’s heavy on a distorted guitar, and the production is lo-fi without sounding off. Some people might make a distinction between L.A. hardcore and Orange County hardcore, but when it’s got that surf vibe going on, I just think of it as L.A. hardcore (having grown up in Northern California, it’s all just Southern California anyway). In the end, it’s really nicely done, and I’m happy that kids and bands are still making cassettes; it shows a commitment to the DIY ethic. If someone can get me a copy of the actual cassette, I’ll make copies for anyone who wants one (I’m kidding).

Total Silence Total Silence demo cassette

This is a beautiful, down-tuned, thrash-y, metallic exertion of power. If the first five seconds of sludgy guitar isn’t your thing, then move on. If it is, my god, turn it the fuck up. These mid-tempo tracks let you appreciate all the riffs, belabored drums, and “I’m not going to have a voice after this tour” vocals. It reminds me a little of DROWNINGMAN in its pace and technicality (but without the harmonies), and is certainly my kind of heavy. I hope to hear more from these Toronto slayers. TOTAL SILENCE(?)—anything but.

Unit X Ontario Songs cassette

UNIT X is a self-proclaimed vegan straightedge band from London, Ontario, but, as opposed to the more metallic-style commonly associated with that term, UNIT X owes a greater debt to the classic, late ’80s youth crew bands. Ontario Songs offers some solid music and ideas and a nice ‘n’ gruff vocal approach. Unfortunately, I feel this four-track release is let down quite a bit by a pretty sterile mix. The drums also sound pretty clearly programmed, which can be a very hit-or-miss move in the land of punk/hardcore, and I feel like the move did not land here. Regardless, this is still a perfectly solid release that is worth your time if you’re into youth crew.

Wolfbrigade Anti-Tank Dogs EP

Arguably one of the most influential Swedish punk bands ever, starting out as WOLFPACK and steadily evolving into WOLFBRIGADE, with their trademark DISCHARGE meets ANTI-CIMEX meets DISSECTION sound. Many of the modern crust bands owe their careers to these Swedish crust-mongers. This new three-track EP shows a slight evolution into a more metallic and dirty territory, even more so than on their last record The Enemy: Reality. Every song is carefully crafted and sharpened into a weapon of crust destruction. WOLFBRIGADE is a central piece in the Swedish punk scene, whether you want them to be or not. So dig your paws in! The Lycanthro Punks will stop at nothing and trample everything in their path.

V/A Punks in Peoria LP

Taking a long view of the various punk and alternative bands to emerge from Peoria, Illinois throughout the ’80s and ’90s, this comp provides some cool snapshots of a small-town scene’s evolution. Starting off with goofy, KBD-worthy tunes from bands with names like CONSTANT VOMIT and BLOODY MESS & HATE, the tone of the collection progresses into some weird, later ’80s new wave/post-punk (peep the lo-fi sci-fi of DAED KCIS’s “Ghost Story Lane”) before eventually landing into a showcase of various popular ’90s styles. There’s archetypal indie pop in tracks from DOLLFACE and DISMISS, as well as what sounds like misguided NIRVANA-worship from FAST FOOD REVOLUTION, and many degrees in between. This will be a cool nostalgia trip for those who were there, and it’s likely to remind folks in various locales of bands they went to high school with.

Apex Predator Apex Predator demo cassette

Savage, angry metallic hardcore out of Seattle! I am here for it. The guitars chug along relentlessly with the crashing cymbals. The lyrics are nasty and to-the-point. This is circle pit material reminiscent of SLAPSHOT with slower, anthemic breakdowns that accelerate into breakneck mayhem. “Intruding Thoughts” stands out for reasons that are just between my therapist and I. There’s no wasted space on this demo. Nothing but five tracks of solid old school hardcore in about fifteen minutes.

Attic Ted 13 Select Home Recordings cassette

Collection of songs from this Texas duo, recorded over a twenty(!!)-year span. I don’t know how to accurately describe this—the closest reference points would be circus or carnival music with post-punk vocals. Imagine the weirdness of the MYSTIC KNIGHTS OF THE OINGO BOINGO with the delayed and pitch-shifted vocals of vintage WEEN. Opening track “Hyperbole” is a good introduction to the organ-grinding surrealness. “Either Way” has a slight MADNESS ska beat with backing vocals, swirling noise, and bicycle bells. “Texas Trip” takes us into satirical cowpunk territory. What’s surprising is how well-composed and carefully constructed these tracks are. This is not low-effort experimentation; it is very odd and inspired creativity. True story: I fell asleep while listening to this (from my own circumstances, it’s not boring or anything), and I had strange-ass dreams. If you want to sample some unique and playful avant-garde music, click on over to their Bandcamp.

Battalion Zośka / Fatal Blow split EP

Oh good, more BATTALION ZOŚKA, this time teaming up with UK Oi! outfit FATAL BLOW on a split release. The FATAL BLOW side is perfectly serviceable, workmanlike Oi! with a firm left-wing bent as you’d expect from the OPPRESSED alumni, taking on embarrassing Fred Perry botherers the Proud Boys and the rapidly spiralling unhoused epidemic. Then comes BATTALION ZOŚKA, and I wish they wouldn’t. More dull-as-dishwater shite, and the interpolation of Millwall chant cements it.

Berthold City When Words Are Not Enough LP

I’ve been following this band since early on in their career and own both of their EPs, so I was beyond stoked when an LP was announced—as hoped, it does not disappoint. Angry, fast, no-frills, classic straightedge hardcore that will always stand the rest of time. Unlike some bands that attempt this style, BERTHOLD CITY fucking nails it. A lot of the time, bands in this style overdo it with the gang vocals, or for whatever reason get overly metal with the guitars. None of that here, though. The gang vocals are inserted in the perfect places and there’s no hint of metal guitar parts anywhere! To me this is a near perfect hardcore record that, if I did one, would certainly be near the top of my year-end top ten list. This record fucking rips. My only gripe would be that the first run of vinyl sold out before I could grab a copy.

Candy Apple World for Sale EP

More heat from Denver courtesy of Convulse Records with the latest release from CANDY APPLE. This 7″ platter is packed to the brim with heavy and dissonant riffage. World for Sale has a very noisy, very dirty sound to it without going all the way with it. It is simple and to-the-point, angry any-riffy hardcore, and that is all it needs to be! This rages—Denver does it again.

Caveman Senseless EP

Here is a list of adjectives that will try to describe what these almost eleven minutes of noise made me feel: violent, brutal, wicked, dynamic, creative, powerful, fleeting, venomous, painful, anger-filled, destructive. Indonesia’s CAVEMEN not only delivers the powerviolence goods, their sound is incredibly addictive and deserves non-stop spins.

Church Clothes Sacred Illusion EP

The cover of CHURCH CLOTHES’ debut splashed in rootsy, faded psychedelia doesn’t adequately prepare listeners for the flush and vibrant hardcore demonstration it holds inside. This NYC act weaves a tough tapestry of hardcore with inflections of both classic ’80s and grungy ’90s styles, with all four members of the group pouring all of their power into the songs. While fairly standard in structure, these tunes shine with organic fury, and a loose cannon lead guitar pulls things into a wild, psychedelic direction at times, lending a little “truth in advertising” to that trippy cover. Dig it.

Deliriant Nerve Uncontrollable Ascension cassette

Absolutely pummeling death metal/grindcore from Washington, DC. Tight riffs, relentless drumming, short songs which end as soon as you start to get a feel for them. My biggest gripe with most straight-up grindcore bands is that they seem to put the pedal to the metal and play endlessly full-speed without anything to differentiate their songs. Thankfully, you don’t get that with DELIRIANT NERVE. They slow things down often enough for a catchy breakdown or a circle-pit part, helping the album easily keep your attention. I believe this to be members of DC grindcore band NEEDLE, as well as ZTUPED who I think are absolutely top-notch. If you’re into this style, this cassette will not disappoint. This is To Live a Lie showing why they are debatably the best name in the game when it comes to extreme music labels.

Detësto Atomdöd EP

Raw and rugged hardcore punk from Brazil. This unassuming slab kicks off solid immediately, and then you realize “holy fuck, they are nailing this Scandi-beat style to a D [sic].” Crunchy, distorted, and echoing, DETËSTO scorches on this debut EP. Mid-tempo D-beat mangel, leveled in the dense Vevarsle zones. Heavy and dark with some metallic breakdown moments that serve more as intros than running throughout their classic structure (and, might I add, classic lyrical content). Yes, some things do need repeating to death! Some wild percussion effects occur that sound like glass bottles or windchimes on the crash. Think DISFEAR, WARCOLLAPSE, AVSKUM, or NUCLEAR DEATH TERROR with groove—a detonating five tracks that take no pause. Some of the sickest Sugi cover art I’ve seen as well, using way more negative space than usual. Contemporary D-beat at its finest.

Empire Expensive Sound LP reissue

When commercial success and artistic integrity presented a fork in the road, drummer Mark Laff and guitarist Bob Derwood Andrews left the then (from the label’s point of view) doddering ranks of GENERATION X to form the more alternative-flavored EMPIRE. This LP is a reissue of their debut from 1981, and while the band never saw the chart-ranking success of the Billy Idol-fronted GEN X, they made a hell of a record here. Allegedly inspired by JOY DIVISION, this group wanders a line between late ’70s garage punk with catchy hooks and poppy lyrics like the VIBRATORS, to sparse, guitar-heavy tracks that have the ambience of JOY DIVISION, but sound more like predecessors to FUGAZI or SONIC YOUTH with screaming feedback, pinch harmonics, and heavy drums. Just take the instrumental opener “Empire” that is a long, beautifully sad guitar riff, followed by “Hot Seat” (originally off their self-titled 7” from the same year) that is all jangly “clap the tambourine” power pop. That said, the lyrics on “Hot Seat” are divorced from the songs’ otherwise pop styling; they sing “Sitting here in my armchair / Sitting here without a care / All I have to do is stare / I wonder how long will I live,” an inherently punk apathy. While a lot of this sounds like any UK outfit of its time, the integral nature of Andrews’ guitar really makes this album worth a listen.

Flash Flash LP

High-energy punk blasts from Basque Country. FLASH sounds like the classic American HC of ZERO BOYS and ARTICLES OF FAITH mixed with blown-out production and raspy, sore-throat vocals. There are leads on leads with string-bending solos that dial up the melodicism and live, electric feelings of these songs to very high levels. “Bihotz Gorrak” (Basque for “Deaf Hearts”) is a classic sub-two-minute anthem full of riffs, gang choruses, and fist-pumping melodies. Instant classic, and I don’t even have the lyrics. “Harri Hau” (“This Stone”) is another winner that sounds timeless and brand new at the same time. I listened to final track “Querrido Punk” (“Dear Punk”) several times in a row. It’s a perfect blend of pounding snare, fuzzed-out riffs, and passionate vocals. Great ending to a great record.

The Fuzztones Encore CD

A compilation of unreleased tracks from this long-running garage rock band, with seven covers and one original song, although judging by the original “Barking Up The Wrong Tree,” the band should stick to covers. Hearing a 70-year-old man announce in song that he is not gay is pretty pathetic. The lyrics, including “My backyard, babe / Is a no bone zone” and “I’m founding father of the paisley pussy posse” are cringeworthy at best. Time to leave the songwriting to others. The covers, including songs by MARBLE HALL, the BEVIS FROND, and the PRETTY THINGS, are obscure enough to make them interesting. There are guest appearances by Wally Waller of the PRETTY THINGS, STOOGES’ saxophonist Steve Mackay, and the GRASS ROOTS, too. The CD features two bonus tracks not on the 12”.

Gunn / People’s Temple East Coast Tour 2022 split cassette

The GUNN/PEOPLE’S TEMPLE split tape is yet another example of a classic, decades-old musical conflict: West Coast vs. East Coast. Orange County’s GUNN represents the West with four brand new absolute ragers on their side—already with a stellar discography on their back, these tunes may in fact be their best offerings yet. Representing the East is New York City’s PEOPLE’S TEMPLE, who are absolutely no slouches themselves. Their early POISON IDEA-styled approach works incredibly well in their favour, with a total of six tunes on their side of the cassette—some new stuff, some re-recordings of material from their demo, and even a cover of “Rampton Song” by Brits DISORDER. So which coast takes the prize this time? That, loyal MRR readers, is for you to decide…blast it loud and choose wisely!

Hellshock Hellshock LP

Like many soap-dodging, crust-loving punks of my generation, HELLSHOCK is a band that has had a massive influence on me (especially as far as my crust-pants wearing habits go), and the ’00s stenchcore revival that followed in their wake was brilliant and probably the first meaningful wave I felt a part of—let’s not count the sloppy CASUALTIES cosplay of the late ’90s. I still play the early records regularly, and while time was not so kind to some of the ’00s metal crust bands, HELLSHOCK still sounds genuinely brilliant. The world left them at They Wait For You Still in 2009, an album infused with Japanese hardcore which I have always been quite undecided about. It was not a bad piece of work, but I could not relate to it that much, and in the end did not care much about it. When this brand new album recently came out, I was very curious like everyone I suppose, but did not expect too much. And sadly, I cannot say I care about this one either. This time, HELLSHOCK are full-on old school death metal and, apart from the odd crust overtone, the band of yore is definitely gone. I am sure they still sound like a freight train live, but this LP leaves me a bit cold, like death metal does in general. One can safely assume that death metal fans would be well into it. I do think the artwork looks brilliant, though.

Illegal Corpse Riding Another Toxic Wave LP

Hard, tight crossover leaning more on the hardcore than the thrash side of the scale. The cover art, songs about beer, and sick riffs all spell “thrash,” but the aggressive breakdowns and brutal attitude will have you throwing elbows and picking up change in the pit. “Let It Beer” absolutely rips and particularly showcases the insane drumming with double-kicks flying, rolls and fills, and hi-hats crashing all over the place. There’s no fat or filler in any of these thirteen tracks. Impossibly fast and in-your-face like all the best crossover should be. Fans of MUNICIPAL WASTE and GOATWHORE, take note.

Reviewer Ed Hammerbeck
Label Abnegat / Acide Folik / Crapoulet / Crustatombe / Deviance / Drinkin' Beer in Bandana / Emergency / Hecatombe / Impeto / Masked Raccoon / Mass Productions / Moulin Crew
Issue MRR #473 • October 2022

The Ire What Dreams May Come LP

Philadelphia’s the IRE has released What Dreams May Come as their first proper full-length. Building on their 2019 demo and 2021 cassette, the IRE opens this album with a short dirge and then ascends into a series of powerful, gothic anthems of hope and perseverance in dark times. The rhythm section of danceable bass guitar and precision drumming assist in creating a tight production, while moments of accurate guitar stabs are delivered quickly and deadly. Vocals reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux serenade with lyrics of light and dark imagery in a balance of refined poetry—”The Chariot” and “Ketu: The Severed” are my current album highlights. What Dreams May Come leaves me dreaming of what the IRE will become with future efforts, as this album showcases excellent musicianship and a refined palate of particular taste.

Maxxpower / Sidetracked split EP

Second straight batch with new SIDETRACKED cuts, so I start with the flip so I can keep myself hungry. Wise choice, it turns out—Montreal’s MAXXPOWER are a ruthless wall of speed-picking fastcore, and all I want is more fukkn fast after I hear their five tracks. Thick, meaty, and subtly metallic bursts that hover around the half-minute mark, they’re my introduction to the band and they are absolute killers. Half-a-minute is like a rock opera to SIDETRACKED though; each of the tracks on their side barely top the twenty-second mark. More nasty start/stop powerviolence manipulations from these Washington stalwarts, overall slightly dirtier-sounding than you might be used to (especially the bass), but their digitally-enhanced breaks that make them sound like fastcore robots are on full display. You might think you know, but no one sounds like SIDETRACKED—they’ve taken the formula and manipulated it beyond recognition…this is truly theirs now.

No Brains Certified Mullet EP

This is a charmingly dumb record. The songs have an early hardcore style. They are trashy while being a bit poppy. The drums plod along while the bass thuds with them. The guitar is barely discernible. The silly lyrics are spit out between breaths. Throw it all together and you a get a fun record that pretends it’s still 1982.

偏執症者 (Paranoid) Tatari 7″

Japanese-obsessed Swedish maniacs PARANOID always go full-out on their releases, constantly putting out fresh stuff without losing quality. With just two tracks here, they solidify the direction that they are going in: heavy me(n)tal punk! Tatari is a companion 7″ to their digitally-released album Cursed, and pressed as a gift to whomever bought it through Bandcamp. The two songs are well balanced and make for great headbanging music for punks and metalheads alike. The leads get stuck in your head like any great heavy metal band’s licks would, and the steady beat reminds you that this is still a punk band in essence. Metal or punk? Who cares? You can see punk in VENOM as much as you can see metal in ANTI-CIMEX.

Peach Blush Disqko cassette

From a quiet and dreamy shoegazing intro to a solid, chunky, four-on-the-floor guitar-heavy slog…and that’s just the teaser track. Throw adolescent(s) vocal delivery in the mix and this Arkansas trio delivers an exceptionally mature debut with Disqko—a scant four tracks (plus the aforementioned intro) from a band who are relying on songwriting instead of blind riffing; the power is in the presentation instead of the tonnage. Sounds rooted in ’90s alt (which this undoubtedly is) are definitely not typically my “thing,” but good is good. PEACH BLUSH lingers, PEACH BLUSH focuses, and they are damn good at it.

The Prize Wrong Side of Town EP

Wow. This is a damn fine EP. This is straightforward, driven power pop that features blended male/female vocals. It just hums along at a nice pace and will keep your head bouncing non-stop. With three guitarists, I was a little worried there’d be some extracurricular guitar work, but I was pleasantly surprised. The harmonies are really nicely done, and the production is full and crisp without sounding at all overdone. Really an excellent record, and from Australia if that’s the sort of thing you keep track of. You should find this.

Satanic Togas / Zoids split EP

SATANIC TOGAS charge through this split with all the grit, dirt, and swag. The Sydney three-piece has the sound and feel of dusty, bluesy garage, all while being screamed through a telephone. I get PUSSY GALORE by way of Detroit. Great stuff from what I would expect of a Goodbye Boozy band, both songs carry the weight in under three minutes of ripping. ZOIDS are a tough one to nail down, I can’t find any info on them for the life of me. On the split, they start where SATANIC TOGAS left off, but without any solid footing. There is nothing in their two songs that sync up, and at times I feel like I am listening through the walls of two different bands’ rehearsals. Rough.

The Sick Rose Shaking Street LP reissue

This record, originally coming at the tail end of the ’80s revival of garage (you know, before the ’90s and then ’00s revivals, etc.) doesn’t necessarily live up to the billing of this quintet as one of Italy’s “most devastating” garage bands. I won’t fault these songs for a flaw in marketing though, because it does hit my sweet tooth for jangly guitar rock with some echoes of the ’60s freakout bands and an undeniably ’80s pop finish. Not quite the Paisley Underground, not quite America’s scum rock take on garage, and not quite the sparkling crystalline sound of New Zealand, this stands on its own rare ground and merits. A tune like “A Kiss is Not Enough” drives along like 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS premiered on college radio between a REPLACEMENTS song and R.E.M. Normally I wouldn’t throw so many bands together to describe someone’s sound, but it does flip a switch I wasn’t expecting. Then the band goes full time machine with the tambourine-accented and nicely-druggy “Don’t Keep Me Out.” It’s a great synthesis of eras and styles that mostly hit, even while not necessarily tapping the raw aggression other garage revivalists. This is fairly buttoned-up with hooks aplenty. European cool, I guess they call that.

Spit! Spit! cassette

Taipei’s SPIT’s new release sounds like an aural hell of fastcore/grindcore chaos—a thrashy-sounding HC approach with screamed vocals, furious blastbeats, and tough breakdown parts for two-stepping. Somewhat reminiscent of SENSELESS APOCALYPSE releases without the grit, and with a more modern hardcore touch to it than the AGATHOCLES school of grindcore. For fans of PUNCH, TRASH TALK, WEEKEND NACHOS, and DROPDEAD/SIEGE at times.

Systema Muerte EP

Total powerhouse. The Colombian scene is on fire, and if releases like this keep coming, then that flame will not be short-lived. SYSTEMA already crawled up to the top league of current hardcore with their previous LP, and this 7” only solidifies their place. Through variously-paced songs, they can keep a huge intensity and confidently blend a modernist sound with a chaotic urgency—the whole single is just a tasteful summary of what is great in hardcore, including introducing a sort of originalty. Creating a dark and violent atmosphere that reflects the current state of the world, but unlike in reality, here punx do dominate the situation and dictate what is happening. Therefore, the record is both desperate and motivating, not only pumping energy into the listener but also setting a good example of how to create something great from a lot of terrible shit. This is raw and raging, get it!

Tuxedo Cats Out the Bag EP

The poindexters over at Reminder HQ have decided to momentarily shelve their obscure acetates, hang up their tweed jackets, and emerge from their hermetically sealed library to get out in the real world and experience some now-sounds. Of course, it’s been a minute since contemporary tunes have graced their ears, so it’s not surprising their first non-archival release bears a striking resemblance to the same music of yesteryear they’re accustomed to peddling. TUXEDO CATS, an excellently named five-piece out of Brooklyn composed of folks who once made up bands APACHE, TOUGH SHITS, and DANCER, play a catchy mix of all the typical Remider genres—power pop, glam, and punk. Out the Bag is their debut EP and features four tracks of snotty, hook-filled, dolled-up tough-guy scuzz rock. It’s all worth your time, but “Play it to Win”—a solid HEARTBREAKERS rip—has been bouncing around in my head non-stop since I first heard it about a month back. Pick this thing up!

Tyran / Wolftrap 13 split EP

Poland’s WOLFTRAP 13 offers a metallic churning version of Swedish D-beat with excessive double bass—they morph into their own on “Firewalker,” and I feel like I want to know what they would do with a full release of their own. Countrymen TYRAN waste nothing with their two tracks—clenched-fist juggernauts of gnarled metallic hardcore. Two bands I’d like to hear more from.

Urn Urn cassette

A charge of hypnotic hardcore out of Dallas, the second full-length from URN is a unique beast. On one hand, it sounds like something their Austin neighbors GLUE might make after binging LSD to the point of paranoid delirium. These pounding tracks carry a sort of refined menace to them, and you pick up on the band’s psychedelic lean through both the tense, often spiraling and flanged-out riffage, and the lyrics (“Ride the wave / Now you see everything.”) That is, when they’re not just dropping straight gangster rap lyrics. There’s also a hip-hop influence to the record that’s most bluntly demonstrated by the TRAE THA TRUTH sample on “Grey Cassette,” but also pretty clear in the words to songs like “Stash Pot” (“Playing with my money makes my glock go pop / You think I’m fucking playing til I run up to your block.”) Themes go back and forth between reality-bending mind expansion and the realest of talk, and the whole thing rips. Recommended.

Vanilla Muffins The Drug is Football LP reissue

VANILLA MUFFINS refer to their brand of upbeat punk as “Sugar Oi!,” drawing from SHAM 69 and the RAMONES in equal measure. On Puke N Vomit’s reissue of their beloved 2003 LP The Drug is Football, you can nearly taste the sweetness. Opener “Brigade Loco” is a love letter to punks in Spain with a catchy sing-along chorus and guitars à la COCK SPARRER, “Pride of the North” is three minutes of perfect pop punk probably worth the price of admission alone, and “Viva El Fulham” is all BUZZCOCKS and the JAM riffs. By the time they reach their take on WALL OF VOODOO’s “Mexican Radio,” they have covered just about every ’70s punk benchmark I can think of. Great, catchy football-worship for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Warboy Futile Living EP

A 7” reissue of a demo by this one-and-done Portland hardcore band from 1983. Not a lot of info on ‘em, besides their lineup featuring members of LOCKJAW and SADO-NATION. Eleven songs of classic American hardcore, unrefined, fast and furious. Big blocky barre chords over oompa drums (the cymbals as prominent in the mix as the guitar), blubbaduh blubbaduh bass and bored yelling about cops, injustice, war, and snickering at anarchists. A choice disc for Portland ‘core completists.

V/A Instant This / Instant That: NY NY 1978–1985 2xLP

A survey of female-forward downtown New York sounds centered on twin sisters Ellen and Lynda Kahn, who skewered material pop culture as the video art/no wave duo TWINART, along with contributions from a handful of like-minded local peers who were also blurring the distinctions between the city’s visual art and underground music scenes in the ’70s and ’80s. Instant This / Instant That starts with (and takes its title from) a one-off recording by the Kahn sisters’ first band TASTE TEST, from a flexi that came with a 1979 issue of the Chicago-based zine Praxis—it’s a delirious collision of busted synth squiggle, primitive Whac-A-Mole beats, and breathless call-and-response chants about polyester, microwaves, and “shiny shit” as they romp through the detritus of the modern convenience lifestyle. As TWINART, the Kahns would venture even further into exploring the possibilities of electronic textures and manipulations, from art-damaged minimal wave (there’s echoes of ALGEBRA SUICIDE in the stark layering of handclaps and spoken word in “Hands On Hands Off”), to skeletal bass/drum machine art-punk clatter (“Trashy Fashions”), while keeping TASTE TEST’s B-52’S-level fixation with consumerist kitsch in place. The snapshot of the TWINART inner circle is fleshed out with the DANCE, who lend the unreleased demo “Dream On” (showcasing them at their most straight new wave) and the 1982 breakneck mutant art-funk B-side “You Got to Know,” with heads of DANCE Eugenie Diserio and Steve Alexander joining TWINART for the retrofuturist synth-wave sleaze of “Double Shot of Love,” plus three tracks from performance artist JILL KROESEN (including her PATTI SMITH-gone-no wave 1980 single “I Really Want to Bomb You”), and two offerings from multimedia artist JULIA HEYWARD (the rhythmic, almost BUSH TETRAS-esque “Gassum,” and the electronic sound poetry drone of “Keep Moving Buddy”). Weird, wild, and wonderful.