Smooth Brain - Pissed Off Forever
Demoted releases July 13th via Just Because Records.
Kerosene Kream - Mindkiller
Buying Time releases August 30th via PNKSLM Recordings.
Erik Nervous - Euro Mofo
Electric Prawns 2 - Big Man
Fungas - Skaff
Jrdn Alexander - Hive
Media Puzzle - Garage Sale
Autobahns - First LP!
The Leipzig post-/garage punk scene never ceases to amaze, as Autobahns already did on occasion of their split EP with the also brilliant S.G.A.T.V.. Now here's their full-length debut co-released by three usual-suspect labels from around the globe and this one's a treat, folks! Right from the start there's some strong Billiam-esque energy to these songs, moderately egg-ish garage punk smashers that also call to mind stuff like Tommy Cossack, Set-Top Box and further eccentricities of the Snooper, Beer or Prison Affair kind or maybe Germany's very own Egg Idiot. Tellin' Ya transports some of the best traits of recent Vaguess records into a more distinct eggpunk context. All the while, Autobahns operate as a super-tight unit here, expertly kicking up a hell of a storm while never losing their ironclad grip on their melodic sensibilities… this is some catchy shit all the way through, reaching its peak in the undiluted noise pop ecstasy of Loss Of The Rights.
Album-Stream →Char-Man - Down On Ready
Now this group has been a complete blind spot for me so far and as such, an unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable rabbit hole to dig into. Accordingly, for a group that has been around for over two decades already, this whole thing is a pleasantly old-fashioned affair showcasing a group that doesn't have to take shit from anyone. Musically, this mostly carries the torch of predominantly australian punk royalty with the likes of Saints, Birdman, New Christs, God and Scientists looming large above these tunes. There's also some amount of Cheap Trick-like power pop melodies to be found here as well though, plus occasional flavors of Wipers, Dead Moon, New York Dolls or 13th Floor Elevators. I'm pretty sure fans of Split System are gonna get a kick out of this shit as well, just as will those who miss such last-decade groups like Brimstone Howl and Apache Dropout.
Album-Stream →Electric Prawns 2 - I Wanna Be UR Simp / TV Screen & Prawn Party
One of the best kept secrets of the contemporary australian garage punk underground demonstrates its godlike potency once more in the form of two new digital singles amounting to three tracks in total, each one of those having its very own distinct vibe. I Wanna Be UR Simp sports a strong psychedelic flourish not entirely dissimilar to the likes of Mononegatives, Zoids, Corpus Earthling and later Useless Eaters, combined with the catchy garage pop of, say, Set-Top Box, Gee Tee and the likes. Prawn Party then plunders its way through an entirely different place and era, most in line with the current wave of pre-'77 New York revivalism as exemplified by Peace de Résistance, Jean Mignon and the most recent Institute LP but you might just as well find traces of The Drin's kraut rock vibes and the catchy garage rockers of certain Alien Nosejob incarnations in there. TV Screen once again shapeshifts into the guise of both early New Zeeland Flying Nun-style jangly power pop á la The Clean and The Stones on one hand, and british DIY (post-)punk pioneers like The Mekons and Television Personalities on the other.
