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.
Well, dungeon punk’s supreme overlords Poison Ruïn need no introduction at this point i guess. On their newest EP you can clearly sense an effort at expanding upon their sonic palette and pushing the boundaries of their very own subgenre, resulting in a somewhat more muted record, trading in some of the anthemic battle hymns for more of a melancholy post punk vibe in tracks such as Attrition and Sanctuary, making this a record less densely packed with obvious hits. Nonetheless, rippers like Execute and the title track Confrere are sure to turn into undeniable fan favorites and high-octane staples for the years to come and anyway, don’t get too concerned now ‘cos it’s all great and classy shit just as we’ve come to expect from this group and these new songs will grow on just the same.
A kickass new EP by this Sydney group delivers the goods of rough-ass rowdy punk rock weaving elements of Wipers-esque post punk, fuzzed-out garage punk, some Hot Snakes-infused rocket-powered postcore and just a little hint of first-gen aussie punk into an overall pattern that reminds me of a whole bunch of female fronted punk greats of the past decade-plus, among whom range such wild and deranged creative forces as Vexx, Fugitive Bubble, Warp, Dots, Gen Pop, Warm Bodies and Skin Tags.
Another kickass EP by this suspiciously Berlin-sounding Augsburg group delivers four perfectly balanced, elaborately constructed bursts of post punk that knows to spice up the genre-typical darkness and despair with plenty of an Estranged-esque sense of melody, exquisitely exploiting oldschool post punk’s established tropes, conventions and possibilities while applying firm pressure towards the genre’s boundaries and limitations all the same. As with their previous EP, there’s really no way around comparing them to a number of Berlin-based groups á la Pigeon, Glaas, early Diät and Pretty Hurts, german-language acts such as Die Wärme, Hyäne, Maske, Die Verlierer and L’appel Du Vide as well as international genre powerhouses like Rank/Xerox, Criminal Code, Sievehead and, as i’ve already mentioned, The Estranged.
An incredible debut by some NYC group, oscillating somewhere around the rough parameters of hardcore, fuzz-, art- and post punk. Not least because of these psychedelic synth stylings i can’t help but think of the hallucinogenic cowpunk nightmares of another awesome New York City act, Murderer, while in their mellower and catchier moments this surely has a similar quality to past-decade fuzz punk greats á la Feature or Slowcoaches.
Having already made a bit of a splash with last year’s quite promising debut EP, this group based in Madrid, Spain follows up with an even stronger 4-track EP, starting out with a pair of simple and undiluted punk attacks in some kind of hardcore-meets-post-punk mode followed by the melodic punk rock of Quiero Ser Olvidado and the crowning closing track La Luz, a perfect example of propulsive post punk operating roughly in the oldschool Criminal Code and Sievehead mould. More of this shit, please!
This spectacular new split LP finally brings us new material of two Los Angeles Groups – both of ’em stubbornly refusing to conform to the established rules and conventions of hardcore punk – after a couple years lacking any “proper” release from both groups.
Rolex come across as powerful as ever in their unpredictable and inventive-as-fuck postcore attacks which on one hand contain echoes of a couple of fairly recent acts like Mystic Inane, Big Bopper, Brandy, Launcher and early Patti, while also being moderately indebted to the likes of Minutemen, Dicks and early Saccharine Trust (whose first LP Surviving You, Always is in desperate need for a reissue goddammit… a criminally overlooked classic of early postcore, years ahead of the curve if you ask me). Add to that occasional flashes of cowpunk, infused with some Lumpy & The Dumpers-style mayhem channeled into an off-the-rails vocal performance and the result is pure weirdcore bliss, leaving no doubt they remain the rightful rulers of their particular subgenre for now.
Grimly Forming’s side then mounts a way rougher, yet no less smart and unconventional attack on the senses, counterbalancing unrelenting force with plenty of elaborate structures to build on and a healthy dose of garage-y undercurrent to keep things going smooth and fun all the way through.
File under: Poison Ruïn and their aftermath… Unsheather from Bellingham, Washington tackle the aesthetics of endless struggle facilitated by heavy armor and weaponry from much more of a raw hardcore angle – less epic and way more primitive and unpolished, which is probably a good strategic starting point anyway in this still kinda early phase of the ongoing dungeon punk saga as the eleborate atmospheric epics of genre’s supreme overlords will sure take a good while to find a worthy challenger. Until then, i’m glad to savor any bit of grim, medieval-themed axe-wielding fun along the way and Unsheather are an excellent choice for that!
This Los Angeles group confidently kicks up an absolutely respectable fuzz utilizing rather modest means. These five rippers sound a bit like what i’d imagine it would be like if you infused a more dumbed-down variant of the earthy and noisy post-/garage punk hybrids of The Cowboy or Flat Worms with a good deal of Gun Club- and Feedtime-esque blues- and cowpunk. The result, as you might’ve figured already, doesn’t add anything new to the mix but still manages the hit the sweet spot every single time.
It took them over five years to follow up on their excellent debut EP from 2019, but at long last here it is, the first LP by Sydney’s Negative Gears, on which they present an even more pitch-black, stone-cold vision than before, funneled into significantly matured and refined compositions and arrangements. Comparisons to US groups like early Institute, Rank/Xerox, Criminal Code and Nag still apply, kind of… but also i can sense some kinship with the widescreen drama of berlin-based duo Dead Finks and its sort-of precursor group, New Zeeland’s Trust Punks. Then again, songs like the opening track Negative Gear and Pills carry some of the hallmarks of british post punk powerhouses like Girls In Synthesis and Sievehead while in calmer moments like Ants and Zoned, a melancholia and elegance reminiscent of recent Marbled Eye or Tube Alloys shines through.
