These New Yorkers’ latest LP is basically just an expanded version of their 2021 EP Triangulation by way of Strangulation, though i’m gonna say the addition of the four opening tracks elevates the whole thing to another level altogether, counterbalancing the kinda rigid, somewhat more late-eighties noise rock-leaning tracks of said EP with a fresh infusion of chaos that really seals the deal here, quite obviously taking cues from local no wave history – both the unstructured noisy kind and the funky James Chance-isms – as well as a bunch of other early eighties proto noise rock acts á la Flipper, Primitive Calculators and, most of all, No Trend.
This New York group is kind of a curious, zeitgeist-defying beast in this day and age, wearing their fondness of late eighties to early nineties punk, grunge and indie rock on their sleeves with the opening track even being titled Nirvana, although i’d rather liken them to early Mudhoney and the noisy, early incarnation of The Pixies, maybe a hint of U-Men, Scratch Acid and Drive Like Jehu aswell. So basically, they’re the kind of group that would’ve gotten various Pitchfork writers wet a decade-and-a-half ago, when the height of the first ’90s nostalgia wave hit. These days though, they’re kind of an obscure oddity and that makes this record all the more endearing to me.
This Sydney group brings a lot of local baggage to the table with its members having been, among other things, in groups such as Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Royal Headache, Tim and the Boys and Mundo Primitivo. But honestly, they don’t sound one bit like any of these groups. Rather, their rabid mixture of post- and hardcore reminds me a quite a bit of Atlanta wrecking crews Nag and Predator as well as other US groups like early Institute, Acrylics, Tube Alloys, Pyrex, Corker and Criminal Code or, alternately, Sydney’s very own Arse and Xilch. Add to that some ultra-raw proto-noise rock edge á la Flipper or No Trend and you’re roughly in the right ballpark. The unhinged bark of the singer, however, reminds me a lot of UK group Akne.
In recent years, i highly doubt there’s ever been such a thing as a bad week for eggpunk but this one has been especially fruitful with three notable, way above average releases. Paulo Vicious of Tel Aviv you might already be familiar with from last winter’s kickass debut EP and on this one, they seemlessly continue the depraved fun with strong echos of Prison Affair, Set-Top Box, Nubot555 and, at times, an added sheen of 8-bit chiptunes. Oslo, Norway act Dårskap then approach egg-related noises with a bit of a dungeon undertone and some ever-so-slight traces of oldschool death rock, begging the question if there’s some overlap with another Oslo group, Molbo, who’ve also been featured on here just a week ago. To round things out with what is probably the most straightforward and classic (hah!) sounding example of the bunch, Stockholm, Sweden’s very own Gurk deliver four new attacks of ultra-catchy egg-induced joy on their newest EP that might just be their strongest effort to date.
As thrilling and energizing as ever, this new digital two-track single by Schleswig, Germany viking synth punk wizard Klint. Lots of catchy treasure to be found in there if you can make it alive to the bottom of this filthy, rat-infested spike pit. And yeah, thats no exaggeration here as especially the title track takes his one-of-a-kind oddball aesthetics to a whole new level of noisy and abrasive depths while never failing to derive plenty of joyful delight out of the process!
Two notable, more or less dungeon punk-adjacent releases have landed this week. First off, there’s the debut cassette of Oslo group Molbo who, on the surface, primarily seem to draw influences from that genre complex of eighties goth, death rock and post punk that’s been so en vogue once again for the last decade or so. What sets them apart in that particular niche though is a certain whimsical eggpunk aesthetic, a sense of joy and fun not often found in an otherwise often overky self-serious genre, though admittedly this can at times have an unintentionally comical effect as well.
Ipswich, UK duo Kerozine then approach a vaguely dungeon-esque aesthetic from a more straightforward yet delightfully noisy synth-/electro punk angle that’s every bit as driving and hard-hitting as it’s catchy, the best reasonably recent comparisons i can come up with right now being the likes of Spyroids, O-D-EX, Drýsildjöfull, Channel 83, C57BL/6, Expose and Beef.
Raleigh, North Carolina hard-/postcore powerhouse Sorry State Records has two new treats in store for us. First there’s the demo cassette by Atlanta group Chaos OK. Their name suggesting some connection to oldschool british punk already, i’d indeed say the EP starts out with a somewhat UK82-ish vibe in particular, which then later morphs into a shape vaguely similar to more recent, slightly garage-infused hardcore acts á la early Electric Chair and Kaleidoscope, only to end things in the guise of timeless proto noise, postcore and -punk somewhere inbetween the worlds of, say, Crass, Flipper and Drive Like Jehu. Exciting shit!
Another oldschool-ish, although a lot more simple and primitive force of nature is the newest 7″ by Finland’s Valtatyhjiö who convince by sheer force on this one, having both some traits of ’80s continental european hardcore to them as well as – to come full circle as far as british influence is concerned – some flourishes of clearly NWOBHM-inspired (speed-)metal.
What i said about Uranium Club’s effect on garage punk a couple weeks back, similar things i can attest to this Oakland group concerning their particular (sub-)genre. Here we have a new LP by another band who, despite far from being the most prolific of acts out there, has clearly sent plenty of ripples through the post- and art punk scene of recent years. It’s been over five years since their last record and surely things have kept moving since then, as evidenced by a matured sound on display here that once again presents them on the cutting edge of their own niche, considerably advancing and developing their sound and craft while still retaining all the traits that made them so special in the first place. What’s already been forshadowed with their 2022 digital single Dirty Water comes into full bloom here – their songs and arrangements, while still being every bit as eleborate and angular constructions, have gained a lot in terms of elegance and melodic sensibility, their compositions always being grounded in careful and intricate songwriting craftsmanship. Songs like the brilliant first single See It Too kinda channel the most melodic and catchy aspects of ’70s Wire while enriching those smartypants aesthetics with tons of human warmth and sincere emotion.
Now here’s some brilliant shit i’ve been totally unprepared for, certainly having a mind of its own and being delightfully out of touch with the zeitgeist! Sure, the whole thing feels kinda old. I’m kinda old too, so i like that. Imagine the likes of Saccharine Trust, Minutemen, Swell Maps and The Pop Group partaking in an occult ritual to conjure up an ancient ’60s acid rock demon, an unholy crossbreed of psych- and math rock. This is quite terribly self-indulgent of course, but that aspect kinda comes with both of those genres, i guess. At this point i’m pretty sure you’ve already made up your mind about it and know if you’re gonna love or hate it. In my humble opinion, what the Philadelphia group hallucinates up here is pretty fucking swell and totally should be legalized!
After a somewhat mixed bag of a cassette four years ago and a string of collaboration EPs with the likes of Eyes And Flies, Science Man and Ricky Hell, the newest album and accompanying extended play cassette of Buffalo, NY group Nervous Tick and the Zipper Lips sees them returning at their most focused to date, their mix of post-, garage- and synth punk with just a slight hint of industrial coming across like a decent middle ground between, say, Droids Blood, Beef and The Spits – far from reinventing the wheel here but always energetic, catchy and effective.
