Funny what a few years of eggpunk-related insanity do to your brain. When Channel 83's previous EP dropped in 2019, i considered this shit to be pretty far out there and totally bonkers while in '23, i can't help but think they fit right in with the current wave of quirky synthpunk acts. I don't consider that a bad thing at all though. These new songs rip!
A whole barrage of digital singles in recent weeks already appeared to foreshadow a new record by the London, Ontario group and indeed here it is, their second LP in all its glory, carrying an excellent new batch of their quite distinct, catchy as hell, always slightly off-kilter and quirky genre mixture containing elements of garage-, post- and synth punk, space- and psychedelic rock. You might compare some bits and pieces here to such groups as Pow!, Useless Eaters and of course the recent collaboration Telegenic Pleasures which also features some of the band members at work here - at this point though, i'd say they're pretty much carved out their own, instantly recognizable little niche.
I think this is the same band i've been yapping about many moons ago.. Their 2016 EP appears to have been completely wiped from the face of the earth and the web though, which is a fucking shame really 'cos this was good stuff already. But admittedly, this shit is so much better… Melodic punk and garage vibes rule supreme here with more than a little hint of Dickies and some distinct '77 and power pop flavors that would already make for a perfectly solid EP. What propells this one from good to plain out-of-the-ballpark spectacular though are the advanced songwriting chops on display here, running circles around 99% of all other current punk groups playing simple, straightforward pop tunes. This is truly transcendent, next-level shit, i mean it!
It's been a whopping five years since we last heard of this Los Angeles group. Their first LP (duh!) is a bit heavier on the hardcore- and garage punk side of things after their older shit had been leaning stronger into its synth-/electro punk tendencies. Those relentlessly brutal electric beats are still front and center here though, giving especially the epic opening shot Open World kind of an industrial-tinged, cursed Ausmuteants-meet-Big Black vibe… with additional overtones of Crisis Man maybe?
In a somewhat unexpected but, all things considered, perfectly sensible move, the Philadelphia group on the cutting edge of the still kinda vaguely defined and developing dungeon punk genre release their first full length effort on the well established, rather metal-leaning label Relapse Records. Thankfully this has precious little influence on their sound, aesthetics and production values, with their newest batch of songs even presenting the group at their grittiest and most Lo-Fi so far, their still absolutely singular, elaborate sonic constructs made up of post- and garage punk, noise rock, postcore, a very slight hint of Oi! and only the most ancient ingredients of proto- and old-oldschool metal remaining obscured by in a thick layer of tape hiss all the time. Yeah, the whole thing sounds glorious i gotta say!
Crawling out of the same brown puddle that previously spat out the wonders of Scab Breath we get two more raw and delightful clumps of garage punk, this time with more of an hardcore edge to it and a slight note of KBD muck. An attack on the senses just as straightforward as it's crude and shambolic - traits you might also find in recent acts á la Modern Needs, Liquids or Fried E/m.
Over the course of the past year or two, San Antonio, Texas group Sex Mex have proven to be a reliable bet with their knack for catchy garage-/synth punk and fuzz pop tunes. Their newest batch doesn't disappoint either, delivering a pop goodness highly indebted, among other things, to the more melodic end of the Reatard-related universe, Lost Sounds being the most obvious comparison here but also newer shit á la The Gobs, Witch Piss or Ghoulies wouldn't be too far off.
Along the way in eggpunk's unstoppable crawl towards world domination Istanbul, Turkey is the newest place to join the revolution! Goblin Daycare are dropping their own three cents in the basket with this exquisite batch of catchy as fuck garage- and synth punk smashers in a vein not entirely dissimilar to - and every bit as good as - powerhouse acts such as Nuts, Set-Top Box, Ghoulies or Slimex.
A simple as fuck garage punk attack by a swedish group delivering their septic showers with that certain added flavor of KBD-style scuzz. Another nice puddle of dirt for fans of the likes of early Sick Thoughts, Buck Biloxi, Bart and The Brats, Giorgio Murderer or Freakees to wallow in.
It's a new single by Melbourne supergroup Split System and i guess you all know what to expect by now - this thing delivers another two oldschool garage smashers with that decidedly australian kind of flavor to them, the kind that ain't fucking around much and cuts straight to the chase instead, in an equally simple and explosive fashion.