Dehidratált Fejek – Gondok

This Budapest, Hungary goup really took me by surprise with their unkempt 2022 diamond-in-the-rough debut EP. Here we get to hear the successor which manages to ever-so-subtly refine their sound without losing any of their charming, quirky edge in their strummy approach to melodic DIY punk and indie rock – a mixture that balances out a knack for catchy hooks with a sense of deliberately unresolved drama in their compositions, the latter of which reminds me most of groups like Treehouse, Kitchen’s Floor and City Yelps with somewhat weaker similarities to the likes of early Tape/Off, Monda, Pardoner and The Molds.

Album-Stream →

Winky Frown – ;(iii

Y’all haven’t been worshiping the mighty frown of wink quite hard enough! On their EP number iii, the Ottawa, Ontario group once again goes way above and beyond the efforts you’d expect to be put in your average eggpunk record. Is it their best yet? Their worst? I don’t know and i don’t care ‘cos everything tha group has delivered so far is just really, really fucking good. Another insanely creative Winky Frown record. Highly recommended for fans of: Winky Frown. And everyone else reading this dumb shit, too.

Album-Stream →

Cryptic Rot – Demo

The excellent 2-song demo by this Philadelphia group has me hooked already with Head Full Of Glue being a deliciously spiky and abrasive lump of noisy dungeon-esque, blackened hardcore punk with vague similarities to groups like Piss Wizard, Dick Hick and Jeg Hüsker, wrapped in a thick layer of white noise. The second track Stone Fruit is even better – a clearer sound lets even more weirdness bubble up to the surface in a post punk-ish tune seamlessly fusing the aesthetics of egg- and dungeon punk, which among other thinks i’m pretty sure will thrill fans of that recent Molbo comp on ETT.

Raya – Malas Noticias

This Madrid group’s third short-form artifact is their strongest one yet i’d say, delivering two explosive new charges of what you could describe as textbook eggpunk in the vein of Beta Máximo, Beer, Pringue, Prison Affair, Möney, Goblin Daycare and Hugayz, that has the aesthetics down perfectly while bringing enough substance of its own to the table to stand on its own two feet. Niebla is the true standout track here though, which dares to go just a little harder to places a little darker than we’re used to in this genre, in what amounts to a perfect miniature post punk assault.

Motorbike – Currency

Kick It Over releases March 21st via Feel It Records.

The Hell – Circling The Drain

The Hell releases March 14th via Sorry State Records (US) & Drunken Sailor Records (EU).

Isotope Soap – Diamond and Arms

The Rise of the Centaur releases soon™ via Push My Buttons.

Cheap Heat – Night Life

Blank Void releases April 28th via Brain Slash Records.

Pyrex – Coma

Body releases March 7th via Total Punk Records.

Loins – Set Like This

Afterglow releases April 11th via Reptilian Records.