This Seattle group has been around for quite a few years now, but it took them just as long to come up with their debut LP. Thus, it’s no real surprise this thing sounds rather mature for a debut record, with a firm grip on this particular subgenre somewhere between the garage-leaning zones of the postcore spectrum and some contemporary noise rock – right in the neighborhood of bands like early Video, Hot Snakes, Ascot Stabber, Davidians or Flowers Of Evil.
Don’t know how i didn’t ever stumble upon this San Francisco dude’s output before earlier this year, when Modern Needs released a certain killer tape called Survey of the Animal Kingdom. Well, what’s more important is that he’s got a new album out already and just as expected, it once again delivers loads of stupid fun made up of some oldschool US west coast shit, timeless garage punk and plenty of KBD-style weirdness. Of the current generation you might think of Launcher, Liquid Assets, Freakees, Fried E/M… or of older artifacts by The Mentally Ill, Noxious Fumes. Also this time, the generous use of Synths creates an undeniable Ausmuteants feel.
Baltimore’s Lip first won my attention through a split EP with Nag a while ago. While there’s definitely some similarity to said Atlanta post punk group, i’d say what they’re pulling off on their latest EP bears a much closer resemblance to groups like Sievehead, Rank Xerox or Criminal Code. At times, their sound has a more pronounced oldschool goth/death rock vibe to it though, bringing to mind Disjoy or, more recently, Clock Of Time.
Garage punk by a Melbourne group sounding somewhat like a curious mix of some straightforward rockin’ shit similar to Mini Skirt, Flat Worms, Ex-Cult just as much as the more playful approaches taken by the likes of Vintage Crop, Dumb.
Another solid EP by Melbourne’s Moth, this time coming across a bit less synth-heavy than on their last one. Once again this takes some cues from familiar garage punk acts like Useless Eaters, Ex-Cult, Ausmuteants and early Teenanger, as well as some of the Warttman Inc.-affiliated groups like Research Reactor Corp., Set-Top Box. Also, in Digital Crisis, their sound takes an unexpected turn towards dark post punk of the Exit Group, Diät, Rank/Xerox variety.
Hardcore Punk that starts out like a throwback to the early days both in terms of its uncompromising force as well as its inventiveness, unburdened by genre rules and conventions. Then things get… even more interesting with every passing minute. Often making use of uncharacteristically melodic guitar work and catchy garage-style riffing, the Nashville group’s freestyle approach to plundering their way through punk’s rich history fits in just as well with more recent developments in Hardcore and bands such as Cement Shoes, Rolex or Pink Guitars.
Two years after their promising, though at times somewhat undercooked debut LP, we get to hear a way more consistent sophomore effort by this Auckland, New Zeeland trio. Their rather abstract yet always catchy compositions somewhere on the fringes of Post Punk and Noise Rock – plus a hint of Industrial – at several points remind me of Acts like Girls In Synthesis, Haunted Horses, Ice Balloons or Tunic – with a small dose of Lightning Bolt sprinkled in for good measure.
Following a 7″ on Total Punk earlier this year, we now get a full length taste of this Louisville trio’s raw energy via another highly reputable garage label, Goner Records. Don’t expect anything clever or original about their music. Instead, expect something very familiar done exceptionally well – an undiluted blast of straight, stupid and simple, ’77-flavored, balls-to-the-walls unapologetic garage punk mayhem.
Some Los Angeles group consisting of a truly all-star garage lineup delivers a pleasantly quirky mix of garage-, post- and synth punk, sometimes coming across like a crossbreed of Nots and Pow!, or like Primitive Calculators-meet-Useless Eaters in other moments.
Yet another postcore LP by yet another UK group, this time of the more conventional yet thoroughly convincing variety. Think of a mix of old guard staples like Jawbox, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes… while of the new school, Bench Press, Stuck or USA Nails might come come to mind.