Two noteworthy german-language post punk releases here. Kalte Hand hail from Augsburg though they sound a lot more like stuff from the current Berlin Scene, their dystopian post punk drenched in pitch-black sarcasm calling to mind groups like Pigeon, Glaas, early Diät and Pretty Hurts as well as other german language groups á la Die Wärme Hyäne, Maske, Die Verlierer, L'appel Du Vide… also a hint of Puff and Pisse. The latter two groups' tendencies then take center stage on the debut EP of Hamburg duo Dunkle Strassen - a straightforward post- and garage punk sound with a distinct noise rock edge thrown into the mix which might aswell some similarity to a bunch of international acts such as Arse, Ascot Stabber or Crisis Man.
At first glance i wasn't quite sure if this Nashville group's newest LP isn't gonna be just a bit too mellow for my taste but eventually, the sheer strength of their Lo-Fi indie rock songcraft wins me over once again, the whole thing having the feel of a scrappy odds-and-ends collection which might just be the case. This assessment is only being reinforced by the fact that the songs appear in alphabetical order here - the tunes themselves are pure A-grade stuff though.
The only ukranian eggpunk group that i know of so far had already piqued my interest with a batch of super solid extended plays in recent weeks and with their newest one, they're fucking killing it if you ask me. Mandatory new listening for fans of shit á la Prison Affair, Set-Top Box, Beer and Nuts!
Portland's Collate have never been a group to push the boundaries of their own genre exactly, but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of fun to be had anyways with their comparatively straightforward and simplistic mixture located somewhere inbetween the more funky end of the no wave spectrum and Gang Of Four-esqie dance-/post punk grooves. It's a record that kinda sneaks up on you with much of its strongest material hidden away in the second half.
A new Trading Wreckage release, which is always good for some vaguely no wave-informed joy, chaos and depravity. This one's a real stunner though! In this particular incarnation, The Bozo Big Shit Garbage Band appears to be a solo endeavor of Tony Shit also known as Reese McLean and whatever other monikers the guy has gone under, who has also been an integral part of the likes of Gay Cum Daddies, Eat Avery's Bones, Bukkake Moms, Flesh Narc and many others. While some cosmic background hum of no wave experimentation is still tangible here, a lack of human chaos and clutter during recording appears to have also translated into an equally less cluttered album. Although still every bit as creative and unpredictable as we came to expect from previous releases, this newest one does it all in a structured, catchy and propulsive manner previously unheard from this dude, at times reminiscent of groups on the intersection of garage-, post- and art punk like the UV Race, Soft Shoulder, Shark Toys and Parquet Courts, while in other moments, this shit might sounds like some AmRep and Touch&Go-esque 90s Noise Rock collides with mid-eighties The Fall.
Following up on their incredible 2021 demo, this Copenhagen group delivers an equally exciting debut full length. On one hand, this sounds vaguely familiar as the local legends Lower and (early) Iceage have sure left their mark on Pleaser's music - having a similar appeal of larger-than-life drama tangled up in chaotic and emotional no-holds-barred performances - in addition to lesser known Copenhagen groups like Melting Walkmen, Echo People and Spines. But then again, Pleaser totally hold their own owing to top-notch song substance and plenty of neat little surprises like some black metal flourishes in the instrumental The World Says Its Name, Morricone stylings and a Murderer-esque psychedelic cowpunk haze in Drive of Distress while Light and Fire and This Is How I Die have some distinct Poison Ruïn vibes to them. Last but not least, in The Dream, a good bit of Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty collides with some 90s Leatherface or Samiam vibes as well as somewhat younger noise pop acts á la Star Party, Times Beach, No Age, Male Bonding or Joanna Gruesome.
An unexpected new EP of the fabulous Red Dons, whose mastermind Daniel Husayn apparently has, in recent years, been mostly busy with mastering great tunes rather than playing and recording such. So now here we have the first new material in close to six years of the originally Portland-based group . It's among their most solemn, moody and quiet stuff so far and the gamble pays off just admirably thanks to their unwavering songwriting excellence, an unbending performance and that certain harmonic sensibility that is very much their own.
I totally overlooked this thing the first time around, so i'm glad that the Florida label Xtro is giving it a second spin, finally succeeding at bringing this Haarlem, Netherlands group to my attention. To make it short: This shit is some stupid, fun and shambolic oldschool garage punk delight mostly reminiscent of other euro acts like Dadar, Shitty Life, Mitraille, Moron's Morons and Itches.
A ridiculously appealing and thrilling work, the debut LP by this Los Angeles Group. Elaborate and intricate constructs of dark, song-oriented post punk with some psychedelic undercurrents, totally timeless and yet carrying the hallmarks of so much of what has kept me and this blog busy in the past decade-plus. Wire circa Chairs Missing and the '60s Pink-Floyd-isms of Paint Thinner or The Blinds come to mind in epic pieces like Blooding, Slang Word and the title track Magnetic Point while Apathy, at least in the beginning, smells a bit of Membranes, Swell Maps, early Mekons, '80s The Fall and Desperate Bicycles. Jubilee somehow evokes the combined traits of a trifecta of Atlanta groups - Nag, Predator and Wymyns Prysyn. I just can't stop namedropping shit really as i'm reminded so much more awesome stuff - think the likes of Marbled Eye, Waste Man, Public Eye, Institute, Rank/Xerox, Public Interest, Negative Gears, VR Sex, B Boys, Creative Adult, Pyrex… this is dense shit throughout!
Swedish label Push My Buttons brings us the full length debut of this swiss group, which also presents their strongest set of tunes so far and their sonic vision at its most realized. That means: a deviously catchy dopamine rush of glitzy wave-ish synth- and garage punk smashers - exquisite sugary goodness echoing the likes of Wristwatch, Digital Leather, Sex Mex, Teledrome, Powerplant, The Gobs, Shrinkwrap Killers, Stalins Of Sound and Videodrome.
