Dollhouse's 2019 demo already was a thoroughly respectable blast of forward-thinking noise and even more so is their new EP that came out recently via Toxic State Records, thanks to a comparatively slick production putting their sound emanating from a gray area between modern hardcore, post punk and postcore in just the right light, balancing abrasive scuzz with sheer force. The whole thing calls to mind a refreshingly diverse cluster of groups like Mystic Inane, Hot Snakes, Wymyns Prysyn, Launcher, Cement Shoes or Liquid Assets.
Another tasty foursome of catchy, quirky garage- and synthpunk blasts sees this rather mysterious australian group/project continually creeping towards devofied DIY punk perfection, solidifying their ever-rising status among their genre pool's supreme present-day überdudes.
On their newest EP for Iron Lung Records, the Olympia, Washington group dials down the garage factor of its earlier efforts a few notches without sacrificing their own distinct vibe, skillfully avoiding the pitfalls of a dull oldschool purism by breaking with the tried-and-tested hardcore formulas in all the right moments, while still embracing their timeless potency where it matters.
This Melbourne group's first longplayer is a seamless continuation of what was already so lovable about their previous EPs. Sure, their style of oldschool garage punk with that undeniable Radio Birdman vibe has grown a quite long beard by now, but what a charming and glorious beard that is! To be fair, they're also trying out some new things here, at some points letting a touch of Wipers shine through, dabbling in dark post punk or trying their hands at AmRep-style sludgy noise rock. But let's not kid ourselves here; what this group does best at this moment is knocking out one straightforward yet sophisticated rocker after another with amazing confidence.
For every purchase of this nice little cassette put out by our favorite incorporated purveyors of innovative discontinuity you also get a free fake origin story. 1982 my ass, this is of course still the same dude who did this other thing a while back. Though his newest output contains a bit less weird fuckery, it makes up for that with a lot more fuzz, more melodies and negative zero production values that sound just right to my ears.
From the always excellent UK powerhouse Drunken Sailor Records we get another delicious 7" of full of raw and primitive, fuzzed-out and hyperventilating, at times hardcore-propelled garage punk bliss by a Detroit group, easily eclipsing their recent EP on Goodbye Boozy Recs which i liked a lot already.
DWP is the current solo project of Sloane Flashman who has also been playing the guitar in Seattle post punk group Nail Polish. If you're already acquainted with the latter band's no-wave inspired noise, you might already suspect this EP is gonna be a rather bumpy, adventurous ride as well and you'd be totally right. Over the course of eight abstract, droning sketches a soundscape of experimental Art Punk unfolds that appears to draw equal amounts of inspiration from Suicide, Wire and Glenn Branca, among many other things.
Their 2018 Clone Age LP sure had its moments, but this Philadelphia group's second album is just plain spectacular, their songs being so much more fleshed out, their sound having so much more grip to it and the propulsive rhythms carrying an overall vibe bringing to mind The Spits or Mind Spiders. This is some catchy oldschool garage punk perfection right here.
Another excellent EP by Rhode Island's Germ House, a solo project of Justin Hubbard who also happens to be playing in Far Corners. These three songs once again sparkle with his familiar stripped-down lo-fi charme and a sonic range that stretches from abrasive post- and art punk - which surely owes a thing or two to The Fall or Desperate Bicycles - to classic garage rock and contemporary garage punk, while also revealing a surprising catchyness, deep melancholy and a playful vibe reminiscent of The Woolen Men.
A fresh batch of fucked up lo-fi DIY garage punk jewels by some barcelona group, reminding me of so much that's good right now in the genre. Like a weird mix of R.M.F.C., Neo Neos, Erik Nervous, Alien Nosejob in hardcore mode… also, there's a striking similarity to fellow barcelonians Prison Affair. Wait, are these the same band?