The Chisel – Fuck ‘Em
What A Fucking Nightmare releases February 9th via Pure Noise Records.
Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! – Stones
B.L.O.O.M. releases in February via To Lose La Track Records & Coypu Records.
Dead Years – Pictures of my Death
Night Thoughts releases February 2nd via Dirt Cult Records.
Happy Body – Plastic Lovers
Happy Body releases December 20th via Spared Flesh Records.
Gut Health – Runaway High
Verspannungskassette #66 (C-60)
Blood Cookie Forest Witch
Adhesive Stayin Busy
Snooper Company Car
Paranoias Soft Science
The Abdo Men It’s Been A Bad Week
No Stones Penchant (Animals)
La Llama Amor y Muerte
Speed Plans Everybody Gotta Die
Sun Children Sun Sword Of Justice
Lamictal Why Am I Like This??
Ismatic Guru Mind Fever
Busted Head Racket & Billiam Bauble Break
Midgee Paranoia
Red Herrings Red Herrings
Tyvek Going Through My Things
The Judges Who’s Your God Today?
Gremlin Null Future
Dion Lunadon Secrets
Yardboss No Casket
Noj No Room Cut To Fit
Dizzy Daze Faded
Soft Shoulder Marching Farm A
Luxury Apartments Energy
Cel Ray Schmooze Fest
Sklitakling Skitten fetter
TV Cult Crystal Cave
Bleakness Words
Grisaille Blessures
Beta Máximo. Cielo gris
Discreet Charms Mo
Sklitakling – Sklitakling
Following a thoroughly enticing debut EP last year, Bergen, Norway group Sklitakling present an even stronger first LP, retaining the strummy, quirky charm of the debut while expanding and branching out stylistically. Their songwriting has won a lot of contour since then, their idiosyncratic arrangements coming across much crisper now. Despite their norwegian origin, i can’t help but feel reminded of the danish scene of the past decade – the Copenhagen approach to post punk you might say – with the likes of Iceage, Melting Walkmen, Spines and, just recently, Pleaser coming to mind at various points as having a similar sense of melancholy and melody. In addition, there’s a distinct cowpunk vibe at play here, kinda like an LSD-soaked early Angst, Gun Club and, especially, the more recent hallucinogenic existential nightmare of Murderer.
Album-Stream →Sun Children Sun – Bizarre Feverre
The latest LP by this Tokyo group, originally released last year in Japan and now being reissued by Baltimore, Maryland label SPHC Records, kicks things off with not just one, but two maximally corny faux-orchestral intros seaguing into a cheesy faux-metal pastiche as if hellbent on one-upping any of the recent dungeon punk developments. Then, the actual fun starts in the form of equally basic but all the same unpredictable and inventive hardcore punk bursts, the aforementioned tongue-in-cheek dungeon/metal flourishes being counterbalanced by a freewheeling creative spirit reminiscent of, among other things, early Crass! There’s no use arguing with this kind of insanity, just embrace the weird and enjoy the wild ride.
Album-Stream →Soft Shoulder – It’s A Small World After
(…) as focused as they haven’t been in a long while (…) i wrote about their previous album Smile Building’s Exit. Tempe, Arizona group Soft Shoulder then be like: “Hold my beer…” and come around the corner with yet another LP, recorded around the same time as its predecessor and presenting their sound in an even more snappy and compelling light. Their unique blend consisting of both contemporary and ancient post punk magic tricks, oldschool noise rock and distinctly no wave- and ’80s The Fall-informed noise experiments has never had more catchy appeal and sparkle than on this record.
Album-Stream →Gremlin – 1-800-GREMLIN
Luxury new fodder for garage- and eggpunk aficinados by this Cincinati, Ohio group. Soft Violence and Why Fight resonate the quirky madness of groups like Prison Affair, Nuts, Beer, Cherry Cheeks and Pringue but extend that aesthetic with a distinct psychedelic feel transported mainly through the polyphonic vocals here. The latter tendencies are also leaving their mark on Null Future, which expertly treads in oldschool garage punk territory resulting in a vibe á la Mononegatives with a more purist fuzz punk edge. Closing track It Goes On, then, closely resembles the kraut-y psyched-out post punk vibes of fellow Cincinnati groups The Drin and The Serfs, suggesting some of the same folks might be at work here.
Album-Stream →