An insanely fun debut EP by this St. Louis, Missouri group that sounds like... no one group in particular really, which in our heavily genre-codified times may be among the best compliments you can make. Rather, this is some freewheeling choose-your-own-adventure-style shit mixing-and-matching an abundance of synth-enhanced garage punk influences with varying degrees of egg-ishness into a super catchy, coherent whole that at different points may call to mind the likes of Skull Cult, Print Head, Warm Bodies, Rearranged Face, Snooper or Wax Minds.
Can't ever go wrong with a Sorry State / Drunken Sailor co-release. Cleveland's The Hell create some insanely rippin' hardcore that at first glance sounds like a fairly generically oldschool brand, combining the siginifiers of both the early '80s east- and westcoast scenes. But at closer inspection, these tunes go way above and beyond your standard retro hardcore fare, being densely packed with catchy hooks and unexpected twists and turns culminating in the five minute closing track Dirt Nap which at first appears to abandon the propulsive energy for more of a sludge-y, Flipper-esque proto-noise rock crawl, but when it abruptly kicks into gear around the 2-mintue mak mark, the payoff is freakin' epic.
This group from Bordeaux, France at first glance appears pretty much in line with that omnipresent background hiss of french groups playing rather basic, mildly Oi!- and Post Punk-infused catchy punk hymns but damn, do these folks just hit the bullseye with their debut EP, getting pretty much the optimum bang out of a subgenre as restricted und ubiquitous as this. Friends of such groups as Telecult, Litovsk, Bleakness or Nightwatchers absolutely shouldn't miss this one!
It's been a fucking insane couple of weeks since the last mixtape (and outside of music too, sadly...) so there's simply no way around this drastic measure: Another double-dipping set of tapes for those crazy times when a C-90 simply doesn't suffice. And holy cow, the coming weeks show no real signs of slowing down! But for now, sink your teeth into these 64 tracks 'cos the next installment, if my release radar ain't terribly off, should drop pretty fucking soon.
Tracklist
Doom III Outside Dogs American Muscle Smokin Hot TY Stuck Bermuda Squares Asphyxia Lost Legion Gone Rough Francis Summer Sun Conspire Compromised Punter Ask The Community Pyrex Digits Irritant Točka Pucanja Amargao Amargao Estoy Benzin Immer Noch The Martha's Vineyard Ferries Context Piss Wizard Walls Fugitive Bubble E.F.T.I.O. Caustic Phone Baby Secret Perk Won't Work Society Scum Therapeutic Violence End State Unencumbered Weapon Nourishment A Shrine Silent
Tracklist
Butter Swamp Mclovin Beer Johnny Cakes Cryptic Rot Stone Fruit Raya Niebla Garbanzo Racecar Billiam Wesfarmers Song Gurk Reel Steel Spoonful Robot Hell Shrudd Stagnant Amor, Muerte Y Leonora No Love No Love Dümmel Nothing There's Motionless Strawberry Moon Easy Target Juicin Can't Kick It Taker Work Transistors Consolation Prize Yuasa-Exide Monologue
Tracklist
Delta Van Del New Set Of Rules Silicon Heartbeat Mutations Piggy Bank Unknown Head T.A.C.K. Truck Brother Tyvek I’ve Got TV Ugly Sounds I'm Not Like You Neo Neos Altoona Beach - See/Saw Game Set Match Hang Out With You CPC Gangbangs Rock'n'Roll Enemy No. 1 Wesley & The Boys Spy Baghed Throw The Babies in The Fire Cult Crime Suburban Violence Public House Death Van Meow Meow and the Smackouts Bubonic Babe Pat and the Pissers Progress
Tracklist
Polyglots Transmission Radio Silencieuse Joaco Van Vidas Pasadas Dehidratált Fejek Szolidaritós Dal Marathon '77 Artifact Street Sweeper Just Don't Work Robbie Thunder Only Tonite TFA No Discman Deebeat Ramone Idonwunnadi3 Winky Frown I Stimmed Into My Weight Loss Goal The Roxies Lost Control Glitter On The Mattress Because I'm Nice AutoCenter So Long The Men Charm
Speaking of Pyrex... This record is pretty close to what i'd originally have expected their new album to sound like - moderately angular post punk pretty much in line with the genre's last two decades' traditions and groups like early Marbled Eye, Rank Xerox, Institute, Bruised, Negative Gears, Tube Alloys, Public Interest, Corker, Sarcasm or, most recently, NRG - so yeah, this sure ain't breaking any new ground here yet this LP is perfectly succeeding as a rock-solid genre entry in its own right with super-robust, soundly constructed song foundations and a decent amount of variety - most notably the electronically inclined middle section and the comparatively raw and high-energy final stretch hammering home what you might describe as one of the most effortlessly functional albums of recent times.
In a musical niche where your typical expectation of a post punk group is to get ever more sophisticated with every new release, NYC group Pyrex mark a notable exception by taking the complete opposite route for their second LP, going all-in on the rawest, most primitive sounding tunes they've done so far - decent production values notwithstanding - and the best comparison i can think of right now would be the filthy noise attacks of early Nag. This LP's winning formula is based on sheer overwhelming force and desperate energy, sustaining itself on a bare minimum of musical substance and what can i say, this shit just works!
Toronto group Cult Crime have already made an excellent impression with thier first Demo and 7" in 2023/'24 respectively. Their full length debut now doesn't attempt to fix what ain't broken and delivers nine no-frills straightforward garage punk smashers strongly rooted equally in the sonic parameters of '77-era groups and early Hardcore Punk which i'm pretty sure will, among others, please admirers of such acts like early Sick Thoughts, Bart and The Brats, Jean Mignon or Hood Rats.
