After their more power pop-leaning debut EP, the first full length of this Cleveland group featuring Nervosas' Mickey Marie on guitar and vocals, while not a exactly departure from their previous record, expands their color palette quite a bit. Overall the vibe here is more grim and melancholy, steering closer to moody yet melodic post punk territory with a distinct Wipers influence while once again proving their stunning ability at crafting catchy and unique hooks. Of more recent bands, you might consider them in a loosely related Orbit to groups like The Estranged and Daylight Robbery.
These Nashville garage punks' latest EP continues the strong cowpunk vibes that took center stage roughly since their Rides Again EP, this time making a much stronger case for their vision though, thanks to a much improved song substance and a super tight performance, which ain't all that surprising once you learn that at least in their current incarnation, these appear to be the exact same dudes otherwise known as Safety Net. The two middle tracks Barn Burner and The Plan then again have a bit of a Flat Worms or - quite fittingly - The Cowboy feel to them.
A new LP by Belly Jelly aka Sean Alberts of Skull Cult, Dummy & QQQL fame (…and not of Safety Net, as i wrongly suspected at some point) always means a fresh new caffeine rush as he adds his trademark Skull Cult insanity to a breed of synth- and garage punk bearing at least some resemblance to household names of the Ausmuteants, Isotope Soap, Andy Human & The Reptoids, Research Reactor Corp., Erik Nervous or Useless Eaters variety.
While this canadian dude's previous EP was plenty of fun already, his newest one is even better. Eccentric and at times rather kinky garage punk this is, kinda like a more laid-back Erik Nervous or Liquids with some Modern Lovers-esque proto punk vibes or a more energetic variant of the recent Peace De Résistance album. Then again, Who? comes across as kind of a goth/dark wave/dance punk hybrid, which he also manages to pull off smoothly.
Fun DIY punk shit by some dude based in Marmora, New Jersey, oscillating between the poles of electrically driven garage- /synth punk and bizarro post punk with some quirky, over-the top goth stylings. Think of a mix between S.B.F., Set-Top Box, Stalins of Sound or early Kid Chrome… fans of The Spits or Isotope Soap shouldn't miss out on this as well.
This San Francisco group just delivered a stunningly confident debut LP made up of smart post punk and postcore, bursting with elaborate, dramaturgically dense song structures, tightly interlocking grooves and arrangements. In the contemporary landscape you might compare bits and pieces of this record to an expansive cluster of groups like Batpiss, Meat Wave, Bloody Gears, Stuck, Bench Press, Noughts, Lithics or Tunic. Going a bit further back in time, you might aswell recognize the obligatory bit of Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi or Jawbox, even find some Wire-esque flourishes in there if you just listen closely enough.
Dungeon punk's chief ambassadors bestow upon us the gift of three new battle cries and oh boy, are they getting more epic, determined, elaborate and ridiculous with each release… and i'm all down for it!
The Belgian garage punks' first full length release is hands down their strongest effort so far, a bottomless well of demented fun somewhere inbetween more straightforward garage fare á la Sick Thoughts, Shitty Life, Dadar and the ever-so-slightly more eleborate/artsy Ex-Cult, Tyvek or Shark Toys variety.
An excellent dispatch from the Chemnitz post punk scene mostly evoking comparisons to Berlin based acts á la Diät, Pigeon or Pretty Hurts, although you might also find some semblance of Stuttgart's Karies in there. The clear highlights on here are the almost balladesque songs Delirium and Das Programm, reaching melodic heights akin to the very best of Sievehead, Puritans or the most recent Criminal Code LP.
Spanish garage poppers Beta Máximo already left a rather positive impression on me with their couple of fairly recent EPs but with this one, they're finally nailing it if you ask me, striking a perfect balance between snappy garage punk and surf-infused power pop - kinda like a somewhat less eggy, less lo-fi incarnation of Barcelona group Prison Affair.
