Well... i like to discourage folks from mailing me physical copies of stuff for good reason, since in most cases all this amounts to is a tremendous waste of money and natural resources while digital files are way easier to dispose of. However, these seven inches of black PVC arriving at my doorstep from a duo based not that far away from... said doorstep, has quite a bit of unexpected class - propulsive synth punk in a manner you might currently associate with the likes of Le Prince Harry, Clarko, Powerplant or R. Clown, while those english lyrics straight from the Klaus Meine bargain bin just add to its kinda cute & campy DIY charme.
A new EP by Maestro Voltaire's second most prolific project Cells. Need i say more? Seven more gems of gloriously fucked up, blown out hardcore punk joy.
Another Berlin group whose members already made some waves elsewhere in the 12XUniverse, namely in Bands like Diät, Ausmuteants or Vexx, although Diät certainly are the closest match here in terms of sound - with a somewhat more pronounced 80s death rock vibe, maybe. Also there's some similarity to a slowed down incarnation of Pretty Hurts, Criminal Code or austrian colleagues Red Gaze.
Their debut EP a year ago already was an excellent racket, but what this group from Portland (i think) pulls off on their new full length is just plain awesome, a punchy as fuck piece of noise rock/postcore bliss of the highest caliber. Regarding their sound, they're certainly rooted in the present day, reminding me of acts like Tunic, Death Panels, John (timestwo), USA Nails, Girls In Synthesis. Athough this record doesn't exactly break new ground, as a genre piece - helped by every song having an elaborate and robust composition at its core - it succeeds at every step along the way. A perfect maelstrom of propulsive rhythms, wicked bass grooves, infernal noise eruptions and - as they already showcased early on their EP - a wisely measured and thus extra effective sense of melody, well capable of elevating all that drama to the next level.
A beautiful solo EP of well-crafted, ultra-classic oldschool indie rock that's just as much a throwback to late 80's, early 90's strumming - roughly in the neighborhood of Sebadoh, early Eric's Trip and some echoes of the C86 generation - as it is reminiscent of more contemporary stuff like Rat Columns, The Molds, Omi Palone or Ovlov.
Considering the Melbourne group's previous track record, i didn't expect their third full length to be anything less than superb... and surprise: This is yet another very strong record occupying a spot of their own in this particular niche at the junction of playful smartypants garage-, post- and art punk. Worthy new premium fodder for admirers of Uranium Club, Pinch Points, Reality Group... you might also find a bit of Sauna Youth or Patti in there.
Two delicious treats of endlessly charming highest quality DIY Punk by a group from Leeds, not too far off from other Television Personalities-influenced bands of recent times like Neutrals, Suburban Homes, Freak Genes.
An stunning second solo effort by some dude who simply knows what he's doing, having so far played in noise rock and postcore groups Pale Heads, The Nation Blue as well as the more folk leaning Lee Memorial and Harmony, among others. This record strongly veers toward the louder side of his discography while still adding a few new ingredients to the mix, covering a quite impressive spectrum including malancholy Wipers-esque post punk with hints of Red Dons or Nervosas, postcore of the rather melodic variety reminiscent, to varying degrees, of Meat Wave, Bloody Gears, Hot Snakes as well as some breathless garage energy á la Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters. Tons worth of larger than life drama, the songs to pull it of and a performance powerful enough to make you believe every single note.
Covid year turns out to be quite a productive one for Cleveland garage-/post punk group Knowso who recently unleashed both a new EP and LP, their second and third releases this year alone. Sonically, this is a seamless continuation of their previous awesomeness - minimalist, abstract Post Punk bearing some similarity to Nag, Brandy, Constant Mongrel or more recent Usless Eaters. What sets them apart is the sheer efficiency of their arrangements and performance, kinda like their riffs and beats are purposefully designed to play nice with conveyor belts, be easily stackable on pallets, best moved around with a forklift.
Whoa... gotta say i wasn't prepared for the kind of storm this group from Milan, Italy lets loose on their first longplayer. On a surface level this is some variety of vaguely oldschool hardcore punk with strong anarcho influences, some traces of crust - you know, the kind of stuff we've had no shortage of in recent years. But then again, this record is characterislzed by an endless string of colorful, unconventional decisions and flourishes, making what could have been a rather cookie-cutter, decent genre effort into an ambitious, thrilling beauty to behold. Also helped by a production which strikes the perfect balance between relentless propulsion and blown out Lo-Fi scuzz. As far as contemporary hardcore goes, this shit stands completely on its own and simply hits evey single nail on its head.
