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!

Gummo A Fresh Breath on the Neck LP

Hailing from Lille, France, GUMMO sets the brutality at eleven with their latest LP. Featuring eighteen throat-punching tracks, this three-piece focuses their ire at cops, internet trolls, people ruining the scene, and capitalists, to name a few, and leaves no doubt about where they stand on social justice issues. The title track refers to the guillotine, and implies it might be time to bring it back. The first track, a pandemic manifesto called “Where Was Gondor,” features some interesting, almost melodic bass and drum work that makes GUMMO stand out from most of the powerviolence and grindcore bands these days. “You’ll Pay the Bill to the Styx” almost veers toward New York-style hardcore terroritory (SICK OF IT ALL, GORILLA BISCUITS) with chugging guitars and chanting, anthemic vocals.

Hez Guerra Interior EP

This is a real blast of mutant matter. Noisy, with pissed-off vocals full of echo and delay, dirty guitar, the bass like a constant drone, and a drum kit that invites to a crazed slam—you can almost feel at certain times that the violent inertia of the music is about to derive in absolute chaos, specifically in the subsequent disintegration of the songs, which you could argue happens in a couple of occasions. These guys from Panama deliver a short and sweet EP with an absolutely beautiful cover. After listening to legions of limited imitators, I think we finally have a band that extends the legacy of classic Mexican bands like RATAS DEL VATICANO or INSERVIBLES.

 

Illegal Leather Hate Crime / We Don’t Sleep 7″

At it’s core, this 7″ is as hardcore as hardcore can be, but there are lot of elements of industrial music, too. ILLEGAL LEATHER really strikes a good balance with just enough blasting out of their recordings to still kick a lot of ass. There are some moments where you can hear the Oi! punk influence shine bright. The vocals really do sound like they would fit well on a CRASS or DAMNED record. The industrial instrumentation sounds a lot like SPECIAL INTEREST or ZEIGENBOCK KOPF. Check this one out, it does not disappoint!

Kold Front Kold Front 12″

Lovely femme-led post-punk/coldwave album from Copenhagen’s KOLD FRONT. The duo presents six songs, only one of which is under four minutes (and just barely), giving plenty of meditative noise-space that turns into a snare-driven fantasy ride. The album’s ominous, reverb-chamber guitar and drum machine theme stands alone in “Interlude,” and despite the general allergic reaction to the instrumental, I think it works here. My favorite track is the closer, “Did You Wish to Die”—it’s dream pop vocals float over their signature, desperate sound, while being slow enough to contemplate the title, which comes as a statement, not a question. If you’re looking for something moody to chew on, look no further. Symphony of Destruction bags another keeper.

La Milagrosa Pánico LP

Maybe this has nothing to do with the album, but I need to write this to make you understand the moment. I was cleaning my apartment while I was listening to this record for the first time, and I started dancing to it, and at some point I wanted to fucking kick something in the room. I fucking hate cleaning my place, and LA MILAGROSA made that moment less annoying, so that means a lot to me. They are one of those bands that you know is gonna make people go crazy at a show, it’s fucking fire—Latino punks always making the best bands in the United States. This album is amazing, and not only because of the music, as the lyrics have a really strong meaning.

Murder Generation Strangerhood LP

The second full-length from Milwaukee’s MURDER GENERATION picks up with where 2019’s self-titled debut left off—hard-hitting, bare-bones, fist-pumping Rust Belt punk. It seems like as soon as one song ends, the steady monotony of getting beaten by a snare drum is back in your face before you can take a breath. The songs lurch between riffs in a way that is inescapably Midwestern (that’s a compliment), and this record is a notable step above the first.

Nuts Living in a Vulgar Vision cassette

Tight, punchy, and on-the-nose are all good descriptions of this tape. It really brings some visceral attitude. This is one that recording engineers might nerd out on. Recorded on an old Tascam four-track, this is a great example of what you can do with lo-fi recording. Using a lot of quirky drum machines and synths is what gives this record it’s sound. Overall, this is a lot of fun and a cool one to check out.

Oops Out of Pictures EP

Interesting record from this Osaka band. Half of the EP has short, proggy punk blasts, while the other half sounds like a slickly-produced indie rock band. The first track has a raging fast beat with screamed female vocals and guitar swells that bring to mind OTOBOKE BEAVER or maybe early BOREDOMS. Track two is a totally different sound, with thick, reverbed guitars and an extended bluesy solo that sounds like ICEAGE. Other than the vocals occasionally going in the red, it sounds like a pretty traditional rock song. The third track follows suit with a slick, melodic indie song with a pleasant refrain of “Just like the cinema / Just like the cinema.” “Tight Tight” brings back the spirit of the first song with a twenty-second MELT BANANA-esque screamer. I’m not sure what to think—I prefer the ragers, but all four songs are compelling enough for me to listen to their next release.

Prettyboys I’m Falling / I Wanna Make You! 7″ reissue

This is a reissue of the only single produced by Chicago’s PRETTYBOYS. Originally released in 1982 on their own Bow Tie label, it’s a slick slice of Midwestern/mid-tempo guitar pop fluff. This is by no means the great lost power pop single, which is to say it’s not essential, but it’s certainly competent and pleasant enough for fans of the genre. If you’re got a couple of Powerpearls or Teenline compilations knocking around in your collection, the hooks on offer here could capture your interest. If you prefer your pop a bit spikier (as I do), you may want to skip it. The B-side “I Wanna Make You!” is marginally more compelling than the A-side.

Radiation Risks Strawberry Quick LP

RADIATION RISKS’ punk rock is usually undistorted and accompanied by keyboards and sax, giving it a garage rock feel. However, they weave in different genres while keeping those trappings. That can risk sounding gimmicky or pastiche, but they make it work, mostly by finding the common musical denominator in all the styles. Occasionally, the genre jamming isn’t so smooth, though—the change from an otherwise straightforward garage track to blatant DISCHARGE riffs was so abrupt it made me laugh in surprise. The vocals are hoarse and scratchy, occasionally producing a LITTLE RICHARD-esque yelp, which sounds quite at home.

Shove Chopper EP

Killer EP from this Brisbane, Australia band. This is basement punk of the very highest order. Thick, nasty guitars power fast classic hardcore with commanding, confident vocals. Feedback bleeds into every rest, and there is unceasing tension created from how taut the rhythms are. Opening track “Chopper” is such a ripper. Vocalist Bella sounds like a born frontperson, ranting with such energy that a minute and a half is just not enough. “Eddie” has a four-note guitar line that creeps under the directives of “Sort it out / Check it out.” It’s catchy and fast and perfect. Have you ever been to a house show and thought, “What absolute legends?” This is it. SHOVE, please come strike lightning in my basement if/when you visit the States. Highly recommended.

Toe Ring Footage cassette

Up-and-coming cassette label Spared Flesh brings us four tracks from a new Philly-based recording project featuring MESH’s Sims Hardin and Leslie Burnette of JUICE and LOUIE LOUIE. Opening track “This is the End” should please anyone who came to this project as a fan of MESH—it’s pretty much the same sharp, garage-y post-punk that those guys peddle, only this track has Leslie on vocals. The remaining three tracks are more atmospheric and share a lot of the same DNA with contemporary post-punk bands the WORLD or NAKED ROOMMATE. But this duo’s take on that stripped-down dubby sound is a much lower-fi affair, and where those aforementioned acts get funky or dancy, TOE RING gets punky or weird. The backbone of tracks “Repeller” and “Collapsed Mine” is a looser version of the same driving beat you get on the opening track, but it’s accompanied by a bass that sounds like its strings are about to come completely unspooled. And the guitar is either completely absent—replaced with odd keyboard bleeps and blorps—or comes in sparingly as harsh echoic stabs, while the vocals just kind of float around in the ether. It’s all really cool stuff! But I think the most interesting track on the release is “Staring at the Sunn”. It sounds not unlike a stoner/doom metal track stripped down to just the bass and drums, but the production on the vocals and the synth-y atmospherics reminds me of trip hop. The overall vibe is still very post-punk—it’s just a neat way of getting there. Let’s hope we get more from these two!

VIOLENCIA El Odio Me Hizo Hacerlo EP

Growing up, powerviolence got me hooked like a bass to a fishing line, but soon I realized that half of the newer bands were playing fastcore and not “real” powerviolence. All the Slap-a-Ham bands that solidified the genre had a certain quality of exaggeration and drama to their music that is lacking in all the INFEST clones out there. VIOLENCIA from Tijuana is the perfect example of a band doing it right. The fast parts are blistering fast, the slow parts are doomy, the vocals are angry as can be, and the shifts in tempo just come at you like curveballs. The lyrics follow the tradition of irony that powerviolence has accustomed us to, with themes of social, political, and scene commentary. El powerviolence no esta muerto!

Woodstock ’99 Woodstock ’99 cassette

This is a nice little package that includes this band’s debut EP plus a bonus tune from a future release, all on one cassette with a goofy skater pic on the cover. In case you don’t already know, WOODSTOCK ’99 is folks from Richmond, VA’s CEMENT SHOES, relocated to Cleveland to tear it up Midwest-style. If you were a fan of the previous combo, you won’t be disappointed, as this rotten apple don’t steer too far from the magnolia tree. You even get a reworked CEMENT SHOES tune here. It’s pure USHC with lovely slurry/screamy Darby-meets-Cookie Monster vocals. Maybe not the most essential release, but if you’re a lover of the plastic-spooled rectangular format, you’ll most likely be picking this up pronto.

V/A The First 100 2xLP

Ah, the glorified label sampler disguised as a compilation. Oh, how I loathe these. I mean all of these songs have been previously released, so other than different variants for the collector nerd, there’s really no reason to obtain this album. Unless…you are unfamiliar with the roster of bands and looking to discover some new-to-you bands and releases. Like every compilation, this has its hits and misses for me, although the misses outweigh the hits. That may sound a bit negative, but there are two reasons for that: I prefer more of the current releases from Triple B, and the lack of diversity in style here. I realize that Triple B is a hardcore label, it’s just that more often than not, a lot of the stuff here starts getting monotonous—with 50 tracks of hardcore that’s bound to happen. That’s not to say there isn’t some killer stuff on here, because there is, it’s just a bit much to wade through to uncover. That said, this is a tremendous undertaking to try and document 100 releases, so that in and of itself deserves a bit of praise.

100% Blood Sick and Bloody Madness cassette

100% BLOOD is primitive “troglodyte banging on a drum” hardcore punk done in a NY basement by two dudes from SUBVERSIVE RITE.  Sloppy but in a good way, in the great tradition of Finnish hardcore punk bands like TERVEET KÄDET or even primitive acts like the Spanish HARINA DE HUESOS HUMANOS. None of the nine songs that make up this cassette hit the one-minute mark, so you can feel the sense of urgency. The production just adds up to the intensity that Sick and Bloody Madness achieves, and the whole purpose is to sound like it was dug up from the ’80s.

Angered Wrecks Bennies, Booze and R&R 1981 LP

At the turn of the 1980s, ANGERED WRECKS were Fredericton, New Brunswick’s coolest shitkickers. Way up north on the east coast of Canada, these four friends lived in a big old house and set up their gear in the main room for impromptu jam sessions. But these no-goodniks weren’t diddling around on some hippie drum circle nonsense, they were covering the new classics of punk rock and its immediate antecedents. Bennies, Booze and R&R 1981 possesses one-mic-hanging-from-the-ceiling fidelity, but these burnouts make it work in their favor. There’s a couple decent originals which lean towards NWOBHM and would sound right at home on one of those Jobcentre Rejects comps. Among the giants given the WRECKS treatment are songs by SUBHUMANS, DEAD BOYS, ALICE COOPER, MC5, BLACK SABBATH, DEAD KENNEDYS, DIODES, and multiple STOOGES cuts. It’s kind of like being at a bar rock gig, except that this bar is punk as hell and the drink specials include lines of speed.

Baby Buddha Music for Teenage Sects LP

Early ’80s San Fran synthy side project from David Javelosa of LOS MICROWAVES, so expect pitter-patter primitive rhythm generators and queasy analog circuits groaning. The original songs on here are strong and strange, especially the unexpected boom-bap on “Then I Sleep,” which is so weird and funky I’m surprised it hasn’t been sampled by MADLIB or another heady producer. The album is padded by mutated takes on early rock’n’roll and country tunes like “Stand By Your Man,” “All Shook Up,” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, which take away from this being a classic must-have for me. Also, I don’t know if the change of title from Music for Teenage Sex and airbrushing out the girl from the original cover was a bit of careful revisionism by a more mature artist looking back, or the inability to secure rights for the original photo or permission from the model?

Cállate Rest in Powerviolence cassette

This cassette compiles all the material recorded by CÁLLATE, a great powerviolence band from the city of Temuco in Chile. It consists of three EPs and a demo, along with some unreleased tracks. Everything is dedicated to their guitarist Javier who passed away, and in solidarity with Gouki Tereucan and Carla. This is a band that takes classic references like SIEGE or MAN IS THE BASTARD, mixes it up with a bit of thrashcore, and creates little gems of absolute noise that temporarily liberate areas of your brain that you didn’t know needed to be liberated. And what’s more, they do it with a great sense of humor. It’s really a pity that the band can no longer continue, but they leave us a beautiful testimony that will last forever.

Crash the Superyacht St. Vitus Square Dance Apocalypse cassette

While this seems to have begun as a COVID project, CRASH THE SUPERYACHT from London, UK has remained pretty busy. After releasing four digital EPs, they now enter the world of physical releases, and it’s with a full-length cassette. Nine songs of lo-fi indie pop. Simplistic and catchy.

Disscharrrgh D-Beat Me Over the Head With a Plank cassette

Bare-bones D-beat punk doesn’t get much more bare-bones than DISSCHARRRGH. Picture the genre at its most primitive—a more than competent mid-fi presentation of sub-60 second songs that rarely (if ever) venture beyond the “no more than two riffs of no more than three chords” formula. Vocals are gruff and often struggle to keep time while the bass takes the lead in the mix—guitars are there, but they’re buried—and it gives the whole thing a scumputer punk vibe that totally works. Super shitty digital artwork and a repurposed cassette really complete the package. Choice cut: “All Over Again.”

Evinspragg Precognitive Dreams cassette

Solo new wave/post-punk project from Eric Mayer of TENEMENT. This is a solid collection of syncopated beats, woozy synths, constant zig-zag guitar lines, and spoken/sung vocals that will speak to fans of URANIUM CLUB. There are a few short tracks that sound like electronic sketches, but most of these songs are just that: fully-realized songs with quite a bit of complexity and obvious talent, some of which pass the three-minute mark. The beats and guitar constantly change rhythm, giving each song a busy, off-kilter quality that is never not interesting. For instance, “The Magnetic Kind” changes time signatures several times before ending in a mini blastbeat eruption. The lyrics are also interesting, sounding like journal musings about everything from emotional introspection to the very nature of time. “Nothing is Real” has the following killer line: “I feel lonely / All the while craving neglect / Tapping the pencil / Will only break the lead.” This was a pleasant surprise of thoughtful, angular punk and is recommended for both eggheads and rockers.

Fear of the Known Cabal EP+flexi 7″

Legit supergroup here, with members of ROSE ROSE, DISORDER, WAR//PLAGUE, and CHAOS UK teaming up for a bulldozer of modern anarcho rage. A gnarly industrial tinge and searing guitars form the foundation for a band fronted by a gruff, clenched-fist vocal assault—an apocalyptic reinterpretation of a familiar sound. Bonus flexi with versions of DISORDER’s “Life” and CHAOS UK’s “The End is Nigh” completes the line(age), making it clear that Cabal is far more than a sum of its parts—both versions are far more powerful than the originals, which is saying something. I hope that this is more than a one-off project.

Forbidden Wizards Saved by Sabrina the Teenage Vampire Slayer cassette

Spastic, kooky, TV-obsessed punk from the Netherlands. All ten songs are super short and filled with endless mathy riffs one after the next. I am sure there’s something interesting and witty going on lyrically, but I have never seen a single episode of Saved by the Bell or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and tho many have attempted to force it on me over the years, I do not understand Buffy the Vampire Slayer at all. It’s weird tho, cause I love just about every TV show. Looking at the other FORBIDDEN WIZARDS releases, they seem to all be based on mashed-up TV concepts. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the Stargate/Babylon 5/Sex and the City thematically mashed-up cassette and promise you I will pick up on every reference dropped.

Germs Cat’s Clause 2xEP+CD box set

The narrator-via-interview of the GERMS portion of The Decline of Western Civilization, Nicole Panter comes across as both calmly accustomed to the band’s rowdy antics and resigned to the custodial nature of her role as manager, regularly tasked with facilitating and then cleaning up the ramifications of the messes that Darby and co. created while onstage. Capturing the essence of those legendary messes, this collection delivers the dirt in a neat multi-media package. Spreading thirteen tracks of live GERMS recordings across two 7″’s and a CD, Cat’s Clause brings us a snapshot of the chaotic atmosphere that seemed to follow the band during its brief but well-documented tenure. In these ’79—’80 recordings, Darby’s distinct snarls can be heard decrying spitters in the audience, freestyling over a “never-ending” version of “Shut Down,” and demanding that the band be paid while refusing to perform on the five-minute non-musical track entitled “Germs Riot” that depicts some sort of incident at a spot called The Great Gatsby. The bulk of these raw performances are from the Hong Kong Cafe and the Starwood, and it finishes up with two rehearsal songs caught on tape at L.A.’s infamous Canterbury apartment building. Packaged with an arm-band patch, sticker, button, and 32-page color booklet filled with photos, lyrics, and more, this box has plenty of fun to sink your fandom into, and the CD containing all the 7″ tracks plus four more is pretty convenient as well. Anyone with nostalgia for this band or scene, whether real or imagined, is sure to find a good time in this sprawling archival set.

Heartthrob Demo ’21 cassette

OK, so follow me here. Dan Yemin joins the ERGS! and writes a new KID DYNAMITE record. That’s pretty much what we’ve got going on here, and it doesn’t come off as hokey or contrived. Are there some songs that could have been left at practice? Sure, but what demo doesn’t have those? All in all, this is a solid effort from a band with a good idea of where they wanna go musically. There’s a DESCENDENTS cover and an ERGS! cover too, and both are pretty top-notch. Not sure what’s next from this band, but I’m up for it.

Home Front Think of the Lie 12″

Hammering out a dance beat from the cold plains of central Canada, HOME FRONT breaks frozen ground with their debut EP. Think of the Lie offers all the trappings of new wave sheen—rambling synth and bass, drum-machined angst, and vox and guitar drowning in reverb. The angst comes through with clarity on “Seagulls,” but is well balanced by softer tracks around it. The first track “Flaw in the Design” and the last track “Kill the Time” make nice social commentary bookends, grounding the fun overtones of the album.

My Dad Is Dead …And He’s Not Gonna Take It Anymore 2xLP reissue

Expanded reissue of the 1986 debut LP from Cleveland post-punk “band” MY DAD IS DEAD, in reality the solo work of Mark Edwards, who crafted a stark, brittle bedrock of guitar, bass, and drums (when not opting for the cold drone of a rhythm machine) to accompany his pitch-black lyrical ruminations on the wounds of personal trauma (the project’s name was no joke) and the psychic doldrums of living in the shadow of Cleveland’s post-industrial decay. The dour, monochromatic palette of the UK’s JOY DIVISION/CHAMELEONS bloc was a natural aesthetic touchstone for Edwards’s tales of bleak Rust Belt reality, evident in the haunting guitar jangle and dryly narrative, slightly Ian Curtis-echoing baritone vocals on tracks like “Black Cloud” and “The Quiet Man,” but executed here with an self-effacing Midwesterness that was so much more raw and direct than anything produced by those peacoated Brits—the whole of Closer could only aspire to be as quietly devastating as “Statistic” manages to be in the span of just under four minutes. The second LP includes all of the material from MY DAD IS DEAD’s 1985 demo tape, including a number of even more vulnerable and stripped-down takes on songs that later resurfaced on …And He’s Not Gonna Take It Anymore, some influence from homegrown Clevo art-punk (think PERE UBU, et al.) cropping up in “The Entrepreneur,” and a BIG BLACK-ish mechanized beat driving the particularly intense instrumental “Rut.” Chillier than a lake-effect winter; real beauty in suffering.

Nag Observer LP

NAG is very close to the tip-top of the best punk bands in—at least—the United States. Ever since their 2016 demo, I’ve been all ears for anything this combo puts out into the world. Observer is the second NAG full-length, and it keeps the streak writhingly alive. These cats are all in other great Atlanta bands, but NAG crams all the influences into such a deadly and efficient package. NAG is the assassin at the party. Sometimes they sound like A FRAMES doing ADOLESCENTS covers and I’ve got plenty of time for that, but more often than not they are stalking the fringes, biding time until they can explode like on the astral plane murder punk noir of “Sweeping Observer.” “The Drum Demands Order” and “Present Time” have a lockstep dystopian bent, Philip K. Dick guest-ghost-writing lyrics for DIE KREUZEN. Lovecraft gets a reference on a slammer of a cut, but I’m more into the dust-in-the-eyes Rowland S. Howard sweep of “The Darkest Veil.” They even pull out “Identify” from the demo, an eerie and defiant hardcore ripper that raises the same neck-hairs as SPIKE IN VAIN. “Dead Air” and “Vomit” are beach-punk-as-black-metal, something I just invented but actually NAG did. Thanks, NAG.

Numbskull Action More Action cassette

This is gritty lo-fi taken to the extreme. The thumping waves of distortion don’t let up for even a second, and as a result, the record as a whole can feel a little one-note, but on their own, these tracks tear shit up. NUMBSKULL ACTION proves that you can disregard any notion of audio fidelity and still churn out something top-notch.  There are elements of garage rock, hardcore, and punk fused together all across this record, but at it’s core this is some seriously fun rock’n’roll.

Offside Reidars Fuck Off! cassette

Finnish trio of punk veterans playing hardcore punk in a vicious fashion. Fuck Off! is their second album, and it is a great mantra to have in current times. This self-released, limited edition cassette has seven hard-hitting songs of good old hardcore punk with an emphasis on vocal delivery, which brings an anthemic quality to the music. All songs are really catchy, and if you are looking for that, this is where to start.

The Path / Psychic Weight Fight Death split CD

First up is the PATH. They have a straightforward punk/hardcore sound, screamed vocals, and the parts with gang vocals add an element of chaos, but in a good, fun, energetic type of way. Lots of soundbites within their songs and lyrics touching on subjects like trans rights, fucking the government, etc., and a WARZONE cover to boot. I don’t know why but, every time the gang vocals hit, I picture a massive dogpile and it makes me smile. PSYCHIC WEIGHT is a bit slower and more on the metal end of the spectrum, although that’s not to say they’re a metal band by any stretch. I mean, I’m pretty sure I heard some slide guitar in the first song. The lyrics paint a picture of a dark and dismal view of humanity. I probably could have done without the instrumental/soundbite clip in the middle of their offering, but that’s nitpicking. All in all, this split hits all the marks and does what a good split is supposed to: give you two bands that are not at all the same, but have enough in common that it’s not weird.

Pi Fire Under the Roses CD

Erratic technical prog/punk/metal from Tennessee—something like LORDS OF LIGHT and PRIMUS in a blender, but on a different plane than either. On their own plane entirely, in fact. The straightahead burners will suck you in (“Tragic City” is like Police-era FUCKED UP covered by a rockabilly band), then PI FIRE will just confuse you with drawn-out weirdness like “Planet of Exultant Scum.” I respect a band bold enough to create (and release) music that requires serious concentration to even listen, and these freaks have gone far further than that. 

Rik & the Pigs The Last Laugh LP

Olympia’s RIK & THE PIGS were absolutely one of the best bands to ever do it. And that 2015—2018 stretch of releases they put out was so flawless and so potent that there hasn’t ever really been a point where I haven’t had one of their records in my current rotation. It hadn’t even dawned on me that it had been nearly four years since we’d last heard from them until Lumpy announced that this LP was coming out. Crazy! Apparently, the act fell apart back in 2018, but not before they got together for a couple of recording sessions out in California. And that’s what you’re getting here. Side A is a four-song session with Mike Kriebel, who did all those Beat Session cassettes. Side B, which has more of a rough-and-tumble live vibe,  is five songs they did with Tony Santos (presumably in the titular garage from the COWBOYS’ 2017 Live at Tony’s Garage EP). You’re getting some new takes on some old classics (the two revved-up versions of “Off/On” are particularly fantastic), but you’re also getting some brand new tracks. In either case, you’re getting a version of the band that was firing on all cylinders. It’s among the best stuff they’ve put out.

The Sensitive Lips / Weekend Fan! split 7″

This split of fun power pop from Japan takes me back to the early days of MTV with guitar-forward, uptempo earnestness. WEEKEND FAN! kicks off the party with “I’m a Failure,” which reminds me of the JAM or FALL OUT BOY with a bouncy rock feel, yet with a foot still firmly in the garage. On the B-side, SENSITIVE LIPS blow the doors off with a ripper, “Nervous,” that outpaces the other song in tempo but matches it with listenable bubblegum sweetness. Much more pop punk than pop, “Nervous” actually has a more new wave quality like early ADAM AND THE ANTS. Think “Dirk Wears White Sox,” but faster. Both songs share harmonized “oohs” in their bridges and guitar solos that have an edge but not too much bite. Each band turns in a tight performance, and the recording is clean as the parachute pants your mom just bought you.

Spike and the Penetrators History With a Beat, Music With a Purpose cassette

This is a reissue of a 1984 cassette. It is a collection of the singles and some new at the time stuff that have not yet been reissued. If you’re like me you know most of these songs by heart. Fun, rockin’ early punk from Syracuse, NY with the perfect amount of attitude and fun. As the cassette states “History with a beat. Music with a purpose.” Oh yeah.

Tizzi Tizzi demo cassette

Another North Carolina bomber, this awesome demo from TIZZI has six songs with loads of variety and depth, mixing a UK82-like style with a vicious sardonic darkness. The singer has a similar energy as Ash of COLD MEAT, which is high praise, and she sounds awesome on top of these brazen elemental D-beats. The infectious “Brain Storm” is the hit here for me, but there’s a lot of cool moments, like that sneaky little spiraling backup guitar on “Bird Song,” the epic closer. Watch out for TIZZI.

 

Verbal Assault ON/Exit LP

For some reason, VERBAL ASSAULT is one of those bands that has eluded my ears for years. In fact, it wasn’t until very recently that I’d even seen one of their records with my own eyes, and of course, I immediately purchased said record (the Learn EP, to be exact). So to see these two releases be reissued is phenomenal. Now to be perfectly clear, this is not the straight-up hardcore that was prevelant on the afformentioned record. These songs were originally released as two separate EPs in 1989 and 1991 respectively. With that, the face of hardcore had or was changing drastically at that point, and these songs, while still hardcore songs, have a bit more depth. There are times when I can hear the elements that likely influenced bands like INTO ANOTHER, etc., like phaser pedals and such, but it’s not overdone and adds layers to the cake. A solid reissue of some essential material here.

Alvilda Négatif EP

ALVILDA plays garage rock wonderfully. ’60s girl group vocal harmonies backed by a tough punk-y guitar sound with pop flourishes. The songs are so catchy, you start to sing along on the first listen. The French accents lend an extra air of coolness. Great stuff.

Anti-Cimex The 7″ EPs Collection 4×7″ box set

A sharp set re-presenting a few of the best Swedish raw hardcore records, the ANTI-CIMEX 7” EPs Collection box set contains the band’s legendary first three EPs as well as the 1992 Fucked in Finland live 7″. Each of the reissues included in the set is presented with keen attention to detail, staying faithful to the original artwork and packaging styles. With an A-side that’s more driven by thumping guttural bass lines than the band’s signature drum style, and a more pronounced primitive D-beat pounding on the flip, this press of the band’s debut Anarkist Attack EP has a crisp, crackly crunch to it that’s more satisfying than the entire Lay’s catalog combined. Translating the lyrics into English to discover that the songs, while savage on the surface, are actually violent demands for peace, adds another appealing layer to it. The much-revered second record is where the band establishes their trademark “wall of noise” sound, marking the switch to English lyrics and giving us the debut of Jonsson moving up from bass to vocals, as well as the iconic “War Machine.” Their third release, Victims of a Bombraid, is peak CIMEX for me, and pretty much a perfect punk record in my opinion. It’s a hard act to follow, but the live ’90s-era EP performed in Finland sustains the energy surprisingly well. The records are accompanied by a 24-page booklet of photos and interviews spanning all phases of the band’s history, from the beginnings to postmortem. Here you can find the band revealing how they took their name, recalling near-death experiences, and confessing their appreciation for BLONDIE and BILLY IDOL, but my favorite exchange might be this one: “Q: Do you want anarchy? A: Yes.” These powerful discs paired with the book make for a pretty immersive experience. To follow it up properly, you’re going to need the Demos ’81—’85 LP, and a few hours to burn on the archive at shit-fi.com and the Victims of a Bombraid blog.

Blinding Glow Unconditional Surrender cassette

With a logo inspired by Apocalypse Now, BLINDING GLOW sets things off with a magnitude of napalm-charged, chamber-echoing D-beat slaughter. This sounds like it was recorded in a castle’s dungeon, and I like it. With aspects of, well, war, LIFE CHAIN, KARBONITE, DETONATE, CRIMEX, VITTNA—this has all the making of a sought-after demo among their contemporaries of Dis-wave bands. Nothing too surprising going on here, but what they lack in shocking freshness, they make up for with speed and non-stop power. Every member excels on Dis, and proves even more so as the demo progresses. The more I listen, the more I’m reminded of some form of TOXIC WASTE or CRUCIFIX meets AKKA or UNARM. Favorite track: the title cut “Unconditional Surrender.” A bouncing wallop of soulful, raw Dis-beat. And in a BLINDING GLOW, it’s all over.

Credit Bureau Credit Bureau cassette

Four tracks of lo-fi, drum machine punk in about four minutes from this Los Angeles band. They sound like NWI-inspired nerdcore pointed in the direction of the DEVO lodestar, especially apparent on “The Man You Want,” which lifts the vocal melody and paraphrases the hook of that band’s “Girl U Want.” “I Don’t Want It” glitches the drum patterns and vocals in a few spots to add a little extra chaos to what is already a shambolic fun time. “Double Wide” sounds like ERIK NERVOUS singing over a nice, fat distorted bass line. Cool tape if you like this kind of stuff. Also, let’s talk about Deluxe Bias—a tape label out of Wyoming? How rad is that?

Destiny Bond 2021 Demo cassette

Six-song debut demo cassette from Denver, CO. DESTINY BOND plays fast, spastic, riffy hardcore punk which teeters on the edge of fastcore at times, but rather than going into that realm, DESTINY BOND instead occasionally kicks into shredding metal solos or a heavy breakdown. It’s a good mix and you never get bored through the whole demo. Granted, that’s only like seven minutes, but still, I dig it!

Double Job Ohne Tanzen Planen LP

Stupendous post-punk agitation from this group, some of whom are in other excellent bands like MARAUDEUR. Nothing here sounds radically different from the currently abundant, similar-minded European outfits, but it’s as good as anything the new crop has produced thus far. Much ground is covered in a short span of time, and all sorts of sharp-angled tactics are deployed. Recalling bands like THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282, DEERHOOF, and CRACK UND ULTRA ECZEMA, DOUBLE JOB certainly earns its keep. “Aujourd’hui” throws dance punk and a toaster into the bath together, while “Decouverte” sounds like off-kilter ’90s noise rock, that kind that retains the hooks, like LAURELS or an ultra-scrappy 18TH DYE. “Nous Courrons” nails a fucked-up stutter-dub groove that could’ve gone on for three more minutes, but I appreciate the brevity. “Yes” is a late entry into best-in-album contention, rocking some kinda weird early MEKONS groove, an addictive ramble/wrangle with slathers of digital scrum. “Empfangsspiele” makes it seem like this scene looks at HANS-A-PLAST like Yanks look at SUBURBAN LAWNS, and that might be the best news I’ve heard in years.

Es War Mord In Der Miesosuppe EP

The 4 Track Mind series from Tomatenplatten delivers once again with a stunning slab from ES WAR MORD. The purity of approach might be what sets this record apart—the drums are like getting punched in the face by a metronome and the vocals are snarled with passion, while the band delivers forceful mid-tempo punk rock that is deceptively complex. Short starts and odd riff maneuvering give way to precise leads all in the context of a ridiculously tight attack. I’m trying to imagine HOAX playing a set of EA80 covers…but with skate punk solos. Everything this label does is worth your attention, and this record is no exception.

Finale 25 O.P.M EP

Coming from Valencia, Spain, FINALE brings a chaotic mix of off-kilter post-punk grooves and smashing hardcore chroruses. Instrumentally, these tracks are absolutely fantastic. They’re sharp and clean, somewhere between JOY DIVISION and DEAD KENNEDYS. The vocals are a little hard to get over. The high-pitched goofiness of the delivery comes off like sped-up WEEN vocals. It meanders back and forth from annoying to funny in a darkly absurd way. If you can look past that aspect, there is a lot to love here.

Flea Collar A Hole is a Hole cassette

The guitarist from BROWN SUGAR and some of BAD NOIDS and SPIKE PIT get all riled up for a garage trash sloppy sex pile in “the city of rock’n’roll,” Cleveland, OH. It’s just as noisy and disgusting as you’d imagine. Completely devoid of morals and a blemish on decent society. Like SICK THINGS and EASTER MONKEYS but way more fucked. It’s great. Die.

The Gizmos The Gizmos in New York 1980–81 cassette

In the spring of 1980, the GIZMOS (at the time, Dale Lawrence, Billy Nightshade, and Tim Carroll) left their hometown of Bloomington, IN to make a go of it in the Big Apple—someone’s gotta teach those New Yorkers how to rock and roll! It was a brief sojourn, though—they would split up and go their separate ways by Summer of 1981. But it ended up being a pretty productive period for the group, and it even birthed one of their best known songs, the Red Snerts standout “The Midwest Can Be Allright.” This cassette compiles the complete recordings from that time period, including a lot of tracks that are getting their official debut. “Now I Wanna Go Fast” and “Pig Nose”—two revved-up punkers—are maybe the best of the bunch. I’d probably prefer to have this on LP, but any release in any format from the GIZMOS is going to be essential, and this is no exception.

Hearts Apart Number One to No One cassette

While both the band and their label’s internet presence refer to HEARTS APART as being a “punk rock” or “punk rock’n’roll” band, they really come off as more of a blues-infused, indie/alt-rock band. I think one would be hard-pressed to make the argument that this falls anywhere within the punk umbrella, except maybe in the modern usage of “pop punk” as a sort of catch-all genre for any sort of guitar-based poppy music. This isn’t meant to be disparaging, the band is perfectly fine, the songs are super catchy, it just sounds in a closer vein to the HOLD STEADY or something like that rather than the ERGS!, with whom the label makes a point of comparing them.