Pink Guitars – We Are Made Of The Sun

Just like its predecessor, the second EP by this band from Buffalo, NY turns out to be another highly concentrated dose of unconventional, inventive and at times strikingly melodic hardcore fun, also expanding its stylistic tentacles into places of garage-, fuzz- and KBD style punk.

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Isolation – Isolation

Basically, this Falmouth, UK band’s line up consists of local punks Internal Credit minus one dude. Compared to the latter’s rather straightforward garage punk, Isolation roll out a somewhat more rigid sound on their debut EP, expanding their solid garage foundation by a certain postcore edge, bringing to mind Hot Snakes or Youth Avoiders, as well as melodic post punk acts like Red Dons, Daylight Robbery, Anxious Living, Nervosas and maybe some tiny traces of Wipers. What’s not to like about that?

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Speed Plans – More Hardcore

Okay… this is an easy one to explain. You just put equal amounts of MC5 and Bad Brains into a blender and the result will have a taste similar to whatever this group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania does on its third not-quite-an-LP. As simple as that and every bit as electrifying as you might hope for.

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The Cowboy – The Cowboy 7"

Cleveland’s The Cowboy are back! Two years after their explosive debut album, the group featuring members of Pleasure Leftists and Homostupids haven’t lost their ability to kick ass with a sound oscillating between garage- and post punk, noise rock overtones, an abrasive surface combined with disarming catchyness. All this reminds me of bands like Plax, Ex-Cult, Shark Toys and Flat Worms. Also, in a rather unexpected turn of events, we get exposed to a laid back indierockin’ instrumental tune on the b-side.

Sallow Pillow – Wince Meat

This excellent Debut EP by Liverpool’s Sallow Pillow easily wins me over with its flavor of straight and effective, slightly surf-infused garage punk right in the vein of Black Lips, early Ty Segall or Debate Club. You can also sense a consistent Gun Club vibe as well as a certain post punk edge similar to Luxury or scandinavian acts like Holograms and RA. And to make things complete, when they roll out some americana influences like in Wear Out The Rope i can’t help but feel positively reminded of Vaguess.

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Alien Nosejob – HC45

Alien Nosejob seem to become the kind of band where Ausmuteants singer Jake Robertson only does whatever the fuck he wants to at the moment. They started out as a more or less exact copy of his more well known band, then it started to get unpredictable as they ventured into retro tearjerker power pop, among other things. Also, we had to suffer through a maxi single of ultra-cheesy synth pop. This time they make it easier for me: It’s hardcore. It rotates 45 times a minute. And it’s very good.

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Yammerer – Reality Escape Resort

Two preview tracks from this (probably) british band’s debut EP already made me kinda hungry for more of their shit and now the record’s other two songs prove we haven’t been promised too much. A soundscape of restless garage punk unfolds, transporting a feeling of widescreen spaciousness you rarely get to witness in this genre – somewhat as if recent Uranium Club met Radio Birdman and Modern Lovers, complemented by a bit of MX-80 weirdness. Also, the epic closer Seasons 13-31 seems to have taken some cues from Wipers’ Youth Of America.

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Kumusta – Kumusta #1

Exquisite shit from Rouen, France. Kumusta emerge on the scene with a fun mixture drawing a line from noise rock & -core on one end of the spectrum, some raw garage energy on the other, a shitload of post punk & postcore in between. Imagine a fusion of slowed-down Bad Breeding with Criminal Code in certain moments, or at other times, you might be reminded of Australia’s postcore powertools Batpiss and Bench Press.

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Black Button – Demo

This band from Richmond, Virginia gives us another ten minutes of pissed off and exquisite no-frills garage punk just dripping with loads of raw hardcore energy.

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Glue Eater – Home Alone Demo

Three short bursts of quite charming Lo-Fi garage punk by some dude or band from Melbourne, moving on a scale between dangerously catchy power pop melodies and determined hardcore attacks. Friends of acts like Booji Boys, Datenight, Erik Nervous or Neo Neos will certainly appreciate this.