NJ/NY Label State Champion Records has yet another quite awesome tape for us and this time it's by a group from Helsinki, Finland who deliver a fully realized sound taking cues from so much of what's good in recent years, i don't really know where to start… The EP starts out with propulsive post punk that feels like a fusion of darker sounding groups in the Rank/Xerox or Pigeon vein with artsy post- and garage punk groups like Patti, Lithics, Reality Group, Vintage Crop or Yammerer. The middle two songs then introduce a more relaxed, slightly indie rock leaning vibe á la Gotobeds, Sleepies, Tape/Off or B-Boys, with the closing track Plastic Marine feeling like the perfect symbiosis of both tendencies.
The Sydney group's latest EP seamlessly builds upon the awesomeness of their 2019 debut, setting off a perfect storm of post punk/-core that appears to draw just as much inspiration from the more odd corners of the 80's scene like Saccharine Trust, Really Red or Man Sized Action as it does from the folk- and cowpunk of Angst, with some undeniable Hot Snakes momentum on top.
Phew… this thing must've been mixed/mastered by a deaf person. I'm pretty much used to all kinds of sonic extremes by now but this must be the first time ever that i can't bear listening to a thing without at least applying some heavy EQ. Maybe the actual cassette release is less painful to listen to though…
Otherwise this thing kicks butt with unerring precision. Don't know how i managed to overlook this so far but somehow stupid me needed another reminder in the form of a (digital only?) reissue on Goodbye Boozy to finally notice its qualities. These texans play some pretty wild and unpredictable amalgamation of post- and garage punk, noise rock and postcore which you might, at different points, compare to groups like Patti, Cutie, Rolex, Mystic Inane or Brandy.
Another kickass EP by this Philadelphia group. This time they crank up the garage factor considerably while maintaining their taste for oldschool proto-noise rock and -sludge. Think of a curious mix between NY's Cutie and aussie garage groups like Mini Skirt, Pist Idiots on a collision course with old-timey noisemakers of the U-Men, Scientists, X (Sydney, not L.A.) variety plus a slight touch of Mudhoney.
Roughly four years after their last sign of life we quite unexpectedly get another fine EP from this Vancouver group, who pulled off a flawless first EP in 2016/17, followed by a somewhat disappointing, slightly undercooked second effort. On this one, however, they're back in their zone and alternate between two excellent in-your-face rippers and another pair of slower, more melancholic songs demanding a bit more patience from the listener but culminating in a worthy payoff. As before, they remind me a lot of a more melancholic, subdued and melodic incarnation of Rank Xerox, Sarcasm or Sievehead.
Berlin group Skeleton Glove have already put out a bunch of demos, all of which suffered to a varying extent from their Lo-Fi production values, so it's nice to finally hear them in a sound that does their sheer sonic force justice. The result is every bit as good as i could've hoped for, their ultra-primal brand of post- and hardcore punk with flourishes of death rock and garage never failing to hit where it hurts the most.
This EP by Kyoto group LLRR is a real treat! Post punk that's simultaneously catchy and abrasive, often danceable, sometimes leaning towards math rock structures and oldschool no-wave-funky in other places. A rock-solid rhythm section creates the ideal space for guitarist Yuzuru Sano's unruly yet often quite melodic eruptions of noise to unfold as well as the hypnotic chants by vocalist Minami Yokota, the latter being interwoven into the rhythmic foundation to a degree seldem heard from contemporary groups.
Whoa, what an excellent debut EP by a Memphis, Tennessee group! The opener plays out kinda like Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes in creative overdrive mode, also being somewhat reminiscent of contemporary bands like Meat Wave, Mystic Inane, Tunic or Wymyns Prysyn. Next they change gear entirely and come up with a mid-tempo post punk tune in which a pulsing beat collides with some serious Flying Nun-style psychedelia and a certain Sauna Youth vibe. The latter also permeates the subsequent two garage punk smashers with echoes of Ex-Cult, early Teenanger or Dumb Punts, gradually shapeshifting into more of a post punk and indie rock style not unlike Gotobeds, Sleepies or B-Boys, which in the closing track once again morphs into kind of a Swervedriver-esque slow jam. There's not a single weak spot to be found on this record!
Chunklet Industries is killing it again with this debut 7" by a noise rock/post punk supergroup, kind of an unholy trinity made up of members of Wilful Boys, Spray Paint and Brandy whose sound incorporates familiar elements of all three aforementioned groups yet eschews predictability - with the A-Side giving off that distinct Spray Paint vibe and the other track veering a bit stronger towards the other two bands' sonic hallmarks. To make things even better, we're also promised a full length sometime this fall!
With the Berlin group's 2018 self-titled full length being their most varied, playful record and the subsequent Bug EP their loudest, most uncompromising one, their second long player recently released via adagio830 certainly showcases their most concise, effective and elaborate bundle of songs so far. Once again i'm reminded of pretty much any great post punk act of recent years both in- and outside Berlin. Think Negative Space, Pretty Hurts, Rank/Xerox, Diät, Public Eye, Exit Group, Nag… the list could go on and on. In other words: First rate shit!
