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!

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.

Jonestown The Unbearable Lightness of Idiocy LP

First record I’ve heard that opened with a Trump sample (new century punks are clearly lagging), and it throws a dark shroud over the whole record before the first note—mission: accomplished. And when that first note hits, you barely have a minute to breathe until you flip sides, just jolt after jolt of maximum energy anthemic Euro D-beat. Best way to describe the overall recording is “punchy”—like it keeps punching you over and over and I swear they don’t slow down until the first side drifts away; Prague’s JONESTOWN might even be catchy if the vocals weren’t so damn threatening. This record might be a sleeper: you think you know what you’re getting into and you aren’t necessarily wrong…it’s just far better than you expected.

Leñadores 666 Leñadores 666 CD

I have to admit to not having heard a ton of Peruvian punk over the decades that I’ve been listening to punk, but I do find that much South American punk has a certain feel to it (and I like it.) It’s kind of a hardcore sound and while this record has a certain poppiness to it, that hardcore influence is always lurking, sometimes in the foreground, other times it takes a bit of a back seat, but it’s there. The cover might lead you to believe that this is a real thrasher, but this definitely has a catchiness to it. At times, it actually reminds me of DIE TOTENHOSEN. It works for me, for sure. Uno, dos, tres!

Mad Laughter Mad Laughter demo cassette

MAD LAUGHTER from NYC has a dark aura about them that is hard to describe. A dark assault of metallic hardcore punk that certainly evokes the ’80s UK bands that dabbled in metal like SACRILEGE or BROKEN BONES, but with a more primitive, furious approach. The vocals make this demo feel like a forgotten ENGLISH DOGS recording. With members of NOSFERATU, SUBDUED, TWISTED THING, and TERRORIST, these lot made an ugly, disgusting demo for the lovers of dirty music. Roachleg Records keeps delivering the goods when it comes to the raw stuff. Go get your fix!

Neon Lies Loveless Adventures LP

The energy of the minimal beat of a drum machine, the icy kiss of the keyboard, a simple and hermetic melody, the detached but at the same time romantic and confused vocal, the irrepressible desire to dance and forget for a while the misery of modern life, the infinite capacity to create personal hymns, the invitation to inhabit the night and lose yourself in it, with or without love and to join other lonely people in the repetitive movement of your feet, your body and your head. To be outside yourself for a while. That’s Loveless Adventures by NEON LIES, the minimal synth project of Goran Lautar from Zagreb, Croatia. The album is so good that it’s sold out, but I recommend buying it digitally so you can listen non-stop to the four songs that close the album, my favorites: “Loveless,” “Hands,” “Alone,” and “Light.” Brutal.

Nervous Tick and the Zipper Lips / Ricky Hell The Covid Collaborations: Vol. II cassette

Part two in NERVOUS TICK’s collaboration series, where the project teams up with another band to play an original song, cover the other band, and collaborate on a song. Cool idea with great execution. NERVOUS TICK has a synth-tinged garage punk sound with gruff vocals. RICKY HELL delivers romantic synth-pop gems like “She’s My Angel” that deserve a spot on a crush’s mix tape or a spin at your prom. “Roadmaster” is a perfect mix of the two, with nostalgic heart-string-yanking guitar and a mix of the two different vocal styles. This is a cool tape, as well as a document of friendship and creative collaboration. We need that. Keep your anger—gimme friendship any day. I’m not sure why I’m hearing this now since it came out in 2020, but Vol. III was just released and it looks good, too.

Ouzo! State of Affairs / Balloons 7″

This feels like a decidedly un-punk opinion, but I love an aperitif. Lay out a dainty spread of snacks and offer me a high ABV fancy liqueur, and I’m in heaven. Were I at all musically inclined, I’d consider writing a “Heroin”-like ode to the sensation of slowly sipping something like an ouzo on an empty stomach, the immediate warmth you feel in your gut and the way it gently spreads throughout your body. Nothing gentle about consuming OUZO!, though! This Melbourne four-piece, who’ve been at it for a couple of years now, constructs songs by layering loose, sped-up psych riffs over an extremely tight rhythm section, then smashing that up against what sounds like the UNDERTONES had they chosen to emphasize downstroke punk and bratty glam over pop melodies. The two tracks on this 7″ are immediate and mean and cool and pack quite the wallop. Apparently, the Greeks frown upon going too hard on their most famous spirit with too little to eat, a practice they call going “dry hammer.” Coincidentally, that’s what it feels like OUZO! is smacking you with…in the best possible way. Get some in ya!

Parasites Retro-Pop Remasters LP

PARASITES are a band that, for some reason, never checked all the boxes with me when it came to their brand of pop punk. Unlike so many of their more contemporaries, they just seemed to lack something. Maybe it was that they’re a bit more complex than the average “1-2-3-4 woah-oh!” RAMONES-worshiping pop punkers. Listening to the reissue of this collection, I’m now realizing that maybe I should have had a bit more of an open ear to, at the very least, this album. More in line with, say, a band like WESTON than the QUEERS, these are straight-up pretty decent hard-edged pop songs. Maybe you subscribe to the aforementioned opinion given in the first two sentences of this review. If so, perhaps go ahead and give this a second spin. I do want to go on record and let it be known that I believe “Hang Up” is one of the best songs ever written, though.

Print Head Made By Yesterday EP

PRINT HEAD appears to be on a tear these last few pandemic years, putting out limited-run tapes every six months or so. Each of the songs on this EP run about a minute, a few seconds under or over, in a hyperactive, bifurcated pop style of squawky bird guitar parts and loping basslines hopscotching over stunted drum thudding. Fans of the new CHERRY CHEEKS record or RESEARCH REACTOR CORP. would probably be attracted by the notebook margin doodles adorning the cover, but instead of the robo-jerk rhythms those bands parry in, PRINT HEAD has a danceably nervous groove underlined by the ecstatic, especially on the song “Wild Ways.” If they wanted to stretch out the songs and production beyond the 4-track basement tape style, the songs show the potential for PRINT HEAD to reach beyond the scratchy, lo-fi underrealm of post-egg-punk stylings.

Smalltown Tigers Five Things LP

Hailing from northern Italy, SMALLTOWN TIGERS bring the rough edge of garage punk. The influence of the RAMONES, MC5, and a lot of other proto-punk is pronounced across this record. The primal beats, harsh vocals, and all-around grittiness makes for a real in-the-moment presence. This is about as close as you can get to a studio-recorded live record. This is a fairly straightforward listen that has a ton of  replay value.

Socio La Defekta Kreski EP

This is really interesting. SOCIO LA DIFEKTA, from Tokyo, Japan, is a band formed by members of UNARM and MALIMPLIKI, among other bands of the big and effervescent scene of the region. This EP contains six songs of rabid and at times brutal hardcore, almost on the verge of falling apart.  The musicianship is top-notch, they have two vocalists, each with their own style, register, and tone, something that helps a lot to make the music grab you and never let go. The best thing is that they sing in Esperanto! The EP is so good that it’s sold out, but you can buy the digital version and enjoy this little work of art.

Urin Afekt EP

From Berlin, but with members from all over the place (just like Berlin itself, right?), URIN is back with a killer EP. They “upgraded” their sound a bit from the previous Incydent EP, adding layers of noise and chaos to the already frantic D-beat madness that they do so well. Their sound is unique and they were able to find their space sonically, as they sound unlike any other bands that come to mind. Maybe the best way to describe it is a modern version of GAI, but it still is not enough to get the whole picture, so just click play.

Vain Ambition Vain Ambition cassette

A nasty three-song debut from San Diego’s VAIN AMBITION. A foundation of (Y2K) West Coast powerviolence gives way to a sub-five-minute Gaudi-esque sonic abomination—fierce, blasting, dual-vocal hardcore. Primal shit, with bonus points for primal packaging and presentation.

All Beat Up / Rival Squad split cassette

Monster San Diego split here. ALL BEAT UP plays heavy steamroller political hardcore with vocals that sound like they are trying to break into your mind. RIVAL SQUAD is stripped-down, Spanish-language (mostly) raw punk with a punishing popgun snare drum. I feel like anything I might be missing from one side can be found on the other, and the whole thing is gone in less than ten minutes…so I can listen to it again.

The Bananas Don’t Go Toward the Light cassette

I don’t know what aspect of this is more shocking: that I was sent an album to review by a band called the BANANAS—that yes, it is that BANANAS, who have been around for something like 30 years now—or that it kinda rips? While long-term fans may initially be a little bummed that it doesn’t have anywhere near the lo-fi grittiness of the likes of Forbidden Fruit, there are a bunch of a-peal-ing things about this new album (yeah, I’m gonna make crummy fruit puns in a BANANAS review, let me have this one). It is plenty driving and catchy, gets wackily fast at times, and is sure to make any fan of this long-time Sacramento garage-y pop punk band smile. This was a delightful listen, the BANANAS have apparently been ripening just fine over their 30 years.

BRNDA Do You Like Salt? LP

This DC quartet is virtually indistinguishable from similar dance punk units such as BODEGA and GAUCHE and PILL, except that those bands are better and they also don’t have complicated relationships with vowels like a large segment of the indie scene of the last ten-plus years. (They’re just letters, guys, no need to be so frightened!) The title “Year of the Hot Dog by Burger Gang” suggests some kinda excoriating dissection of the garage rock scene and all of its sexual predator-enabling, but alas, it’s just a goofy half-song with about ten seconds of musique concrète overdubbing trying in vain to rescue it from its fate as yet another yawn-worthy entry on this pointless album. Do I like salt? I fucking love it! How about you throw some in the closest wound and write a song about it! “The Avocado” almost sounds like it’s having fun, but, again, this track is way past its sell-by date and even someone like me—who is quite fond of this style—has to return this mushy product to the proprietor from which it was purchased. Hey man, got any poppers?

Carambolage Carambolage LP / Eilzustellung-Exprès LP reissues

The French word “carambolage“ basically translates to “collision” or “crash,” an etymology that suited the purposely disjointed sound of these early ’80s Neue Deutsche Welle practitioners exceedingly well. Their self-titled LP from 1980 bears a number of very of-the-era German post-punk hallmarks—unsettling synth flourishes; highly dramatic vocals (cf. NINA HAGEN) that are squealed, shouted, chanted and spit; stilted, choppy rhythms with forays into tangled no wave noise—and at their bleakest, like on “Tu Doch Nicht So,” there’s an early industrial-meets-deathrock vibe in the clattering, hypnotic drum patterns and general atmosphere of unease that’s dead-on West Berlin despite the band actually hailing from rural Fresenhagen. But CARAMBOLAGE wasn’t content to stay in one place for too long, as they careen from the the SLITS-like feral feminine energy of “Rampenlicht” with its insistent bass pulse and breathless girl-gang backing vocals, to organ-driven, carnivalesque (nightmarish?) kitsch in “Das Männlein,” to the see-sawing, KLEENEX-but-darker art-punk delirium of “Was Hat Das Für Einen Sinn.” The group then expanded from a trio to a quartet for 1982’s Eilzustellung-Exprès, a tighter and (at times, at least) more conventionally pop-minded, new wave-ready effort than their debut, but that’s all relative. The opening pairing of “Vollgeturnt” and “Eingeschneit” translates the GO-GO’S into German with girl-group-influenced harmonies and effervescent power pop jangle (a few years before LES CALAMITÉS would do much the same en français), and the English-sung “Take Me” is a slice of proto-DELMONAS swinging ’60s-via-’80s mod-pop, but there’s still plenty of lipstick traces left behind from the preceding record—the blurts of sax and stark rhythmic tumble in “Die Zeit,” the hyper-expressive vocals over the asymmetrical lurch of “Widerlich,” etc. CARAMBOLAGE hasn’t had the same sort of reverberant reach that made their contemporaries like MALARIA! and ABWÄRTS bootleg punk shirt staples in the present day, but hopefully these first-time reissues of their two proper LPs will do something to help turn that around.

Cherry Cheeks Cherry Cheeks cassette

Another pandemic solo “band” and I’m not complaining. Total NW Indiana feels with a freak show keyboard that pops in when it wants. Bass drives this one, guided by rock solid jerk punk drums and freak show riffs—it’s weird as hell and more addictive than it should be. I feel like the syrup from CHERRY CHEEKS is gonna clog your earholes, because it gets sticky as hell on tracks like “Two Bugs” (“We’re just two bugs on a strawberry / We’re just two bugs on a blackberry”) and you’ll never get these hits off of your fingers. Fans of LIQUIDS, BLURT, SPITS and the like need to dig into these sounds pronto.

Drogato / Forclose Tomorrow? split cassette

FORCLOSE plays metallic Dis-punk with highly distorted vocals on the higher register, to the tune of DISCLOSE or FINAL BOMBS meets NIHLIST or the riff style and bone-snapping hits of REPULSION. This is sizzling deathbeat-to-death with blazing solos and maniacal vocals. Great side. DROGATO follows up those three tracks of depression and anxiety with two hammers of solid lo-fi, monstrous dual-vocal crust delivery. Focus very strongly on the early DISRUPT EPs, DESTROY!, DISSENSION, and CONSUME, then add a bit more organization and rhythm change-ups that are a bit wilder and seemingly come out of nowhere Á  la MASSGRAV or SCUMBRIGADE. This entire split is Dis-crust for you fukker.

End Result Hellfire EP

Within a miasma of metaphysical chaos, you can hear screams, a grotesque guitar tone, a dirty bass, and brutalist drums. All these elements come together to create nine songs that represent the best soundtrack for moments of extreme personal nihilism. The people responsible are END RESULT, they are from Los Angeles and call themselves “Crasher Crusters.” Frantic raw punk, brutal D-beat, take-no-prisoners crust, call it what you want, I loved it. 

The Fall Slates LP

Every winter, I return to the FALL. Their music has a rhythmic turn n’ churn and cynical sneer that sticks to your ribs and gets you through the cold months. This winter, I’ve been diving deep, in the midst of casually reading the FALL tome Excavate! and the chapbook Language Scraps 02, both of which are written by massive FALL-heads and have given me a broader scope to their wonderful, frightening, grotesque, unutterable world. It was perfect timing then that I got assigned this to review, since I’ve had them on my mind. The Slates EP was originally released on the inscrutable 10″ format in 1981, making it ineligible for the singles or album charts in Britain at the time. Mark E. Smith called it one of his favorite FALL releases, and the format choice seems to be a perfect symbol for his refusal to let the FALL fit in and make nice with the music industry, independent or not. Perhaps Slates was a clearinghouse for the band between moments: too many songs for a single, but not enough to fill out an album. For such a short release, Slates has a number of my favorite FALL tracks, from the white-heat gallop of “Prole Art Threat,” with the guitar spraying sparks as the rhythm section attempts to pull the brakes, to the mutated rockabilly licks and skiffle boogie of “Fit and Working Again,” and the Manchester motorik that closes out “Leave the Capitol.” But it’s the opening song “Middle Mass” and its seasick sway that’s stuck with me lately. Mark E. Smith’s penknife of critique jabbed at me from the timeslip with the line “The evil is not in extremes / It’s in the aftermath / The middle mass.” I can’t help but hear that and not relate it to the pandemic-strained, climate-collapsing police state we’re in, where corporate fascists and the ruling rich are continually given more power by the moderate moo-ers who vote with a sports team mentality out of apathy, comfort, or fear than for the betterment of their fellow people.

Fumes Fumes cassette

Yes!! Words cannot express how excited I was to see that this band has a cassette out! FUMES are a new-ish band from the current mecca of punk, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Last time I was down that way, I did a kooky recording project to which FUMES actually contributed two songs. It was the first recording the singer ever did, and he absolutely killed it right off the bat. This tape does not disappoint. Seven songs of driving, nasty, youthful hardcore punk, filled to the point of making an absolute mess with piss and vinegar. It’s unstoppable! Consider FUMES high atop my list of new bands that I am dying to see perform live.

Genetica Genetica demo cassette

Just four short and ripping tracks of Midwestern hardcore, this tape brings enough energy to get you slamdancing alone in your room. There are flashes of SURFBORT and ALIEN NOSEJOB in the lo-fi sound of this tape. It seriously hisses with attitude. If you want some absolutely ballistic, bombastic, off-the-wall hardcore tracks, then this tape is what you need.

Germ House Record the Mistakes / Manage the Line 7″

Justin Hubbard’s solo project GERM HOUSE strikes a balance between earnest, lo-fi songwriting and bizarro erudite post-punk, in league with other homegrown pop structure experimenters like LAVENDER FLU or even SLEEPING BAG. This single exemplifies these dual aspects well, with the songs being both tuneful and strange in their almost-mechanical execution. The bass and drums, in particular, lock into a clockwork rhythm that still somehow feels loose. It’s a sort of magic trick and the technicality of it might be lost on a first listen. But there’s some really strong writing here backed by immaculate performance. The more you focus on any one element of the music, it shifts shape in front of you, beckoning you closer. Not to get too abstract about it all, but to put it simply: Hubbard continues to write really smart hard-to-pin-down outsider pop that requires your attention.