The debut EP by this Denver, Colorado group executes a strikingly simple formula made up of fairly melodic (and at times quite literal) standard ramones riffs, drowned in layers upon layers of fuzz and distortion and a vocal performance that sounds detached and agitated simultaneously. There’s not a lot that could go wrong here and guess what… nothing does. It’s a kind of fuzzed-out garage minimalism that reminds me of recent artifacts by the likes of Robbie Thunder, Boogie Board and Corpus Earthling and Zoids.
Yup, it’s yet another Gobs EP doing exactly what a Gobs EP is supposed to do. Quirky garage-, fuzz- and synth punk bliss obscured by a thick veil of buzz, noise and perfect Lo-Fi production values, never lacking in terms of catchy hooks and melodies. As i said, it’s the fucking Gobs alright.
I gotta say it’s been an exceptionally fun and joyful ride so far tracking Billiam’s progress gradually morphing from a scrappy-yet-charming eggpunk also-ran into the mighty garage-/synth punk force we know him as today, as he’s only been growing and evolving his sound with every new release, a trend that continues with his newest LP. Not only is this arguably the most densely packed with catchy hooks of all his releases so far, but also the tightest he’s ever sounded with his tunes and arrangements having reached a whole new level of sophistication, elegance and stylistic variety in a relentless nonstop onslaught of viciously contagious earworms.
On his debut LP, Ryan Kidd of Memphis, Tennessee does exactly one thing and he’s getting it absolutely right. That thing is simple and straightforward oldschool garage punk fare smelling strongly of The Spits, Buck Biloxi and early Sick Thoughts, cycling through just enough of the genre’s tropes and iterations to keep things interesting and an undeniable knack for churning out catchy, compact tunes is certainly helping here!
The two preceding digital Singles TV DVD and Frontier Days sure did a great job at making me eager to finally hear the debut EP by this group from… somewhere and it turns out these tracks aren’t even the strongest this record has to offer! Granted, the egg-ish post punk of the former and the psychedelic garage stylings of the latter still very much hold their own but are certainly just a slight notch below the fluffy power-/fuzz pop of Time To Spare, the catchy garage punk propulsion of Funny Feeling and the sparkling, melancholy Lost Sounds-isms of the closing tune Suggestions. Yup, every song on this is a fucking hit.
It’s been a while since we’ve registered any vital signs regarding the canadian garage punk powerhouse from Halifax, Nova Scotia whose previous LP Tube Reducer is already five years in the past. Now Booji Boys never were a band afraid of shaking up their sound at least a little with every new release and this new demo thingy is no exception in that regard, most notable addition here being the distinct use of polyphonic vocals spicing up their trademark mix of garage- and fuzz punk, noise- and power pop which at times imbues these new tunes with some psychedelic sparkle and an almost british invasion-esque aura that comes into full bloom in the crowning achievement of a closing track that is Hotline. Damn, i hope there’s more of that shit coming our way soon!
Following last year’s aptly named titled knockout blow Zen and the Arcade of Beating Your Ass, the newest EP of Minneapolis’ prime generators of sleazy-ass oldschool (garage-) punk detonations that never fail to hit their mark by way of sheer force and solid song foundations sees them dial down die predominant hardcore-era Dü-vs-Raygun energy of that record in exchange for a good measure of Detroit-style proto punk energy and i have absolutely no complaints here ‘cos that shit just works!
This Rome group or project already has a whole bunch of notable EPs and split releases under their belt, all of them quite good and falling easily under the contemporary eggpunk umbrella. This time though, they go for a way rougher, minimalist shade of Lo-Fi aesthetics in these three new bursts of absolutely filthy fuzz punk which seamlessly transport their proven power pop sensibilities into a new direction that echoes the likes of early Wavves and No Age combined with plenty of raw Detroit-style garage artifacts of all eras.
The follow-up LP to the unwieldy two hours, 69 tracks long 2023 opus Prawn Static For Porn Addicts by Moffat Beach, Australia group Electric Prawns 2 is yet again a quite generous affair in the context of the current garage-/eggpunk-adjacent wave, spanning 15 kinda eclectic, genre-hopping tunes that once again prove the impossible-to-contain, wildly creative drive of this group. The opening track Reaction sparkles with that vaguely familiar vibe of neon-glow psychedelia you might expect of a Mononegatives or Pow! record, plus a hint of Isotope Soap, maybe? What follows then is a nonstop fireworks of all-killer-no-filler tunes showcasing a great stylistic variety and, at one point or another, reminding me of a bunch of like-minded groups á la Ghoulies, Billiam, Nick Normal, Alien Nosejob, Erik Nervous or Busted Head Racket, to name just a few. The most incredible thing about this record comes right at the end though, in the form of the closing track Who I Am in which a sense of widescreen drama akin to The Wipers’ Youth Of America or God’s garage one hit wonderMy Pal gets condensed into an ultra-compact hook-fest á la Split System. Holy fuck, what just happened there?!
Here’s yet another little treat of fine egg-related fun by an Ottawa, Ontario act, sounding kinda simple and by-the-numbers at first glance but revealing a great deal of substance under the hood once you listen a little more closely. This shit strikes me a bit as if the smartass quirky post punk pieces of Landowner got crossbred with the no-frills punk attack of that Zhoop/Nightman/Brundle/RONi/etc. dude and subsequently genetically adapted to survive and thrive by the twisted rules of a badly eggpunk-infested environment.
