Few groups have exemplified the Berlin post punk vibe boiled down to such a pure and defining form as Aus, of whom we're getting the first new tunes in almost four years on this new 7". On this one, the previous two records' rather purist, suffocating bleakness gets opened up just a bit by way of a newfound sense of groove, a much needed propellant and change of pace revealing a plausible way forward for a group that could, at times, feel a bit averse to change.
When Brussels group Warm Exit toured Germany last year few of us, myself included, had anticipated the kind of surprise we'd gonna be in for, although their 2022 TV / Ultra Violence single already hinted at their sound morphing into more of a classic post punk direction. On stage though, it immediately became clear what a radical transformation this group had gone through with barely a speck to be found of their initial sound more in line the current generation of quirky garage-/synth-/eggpunk acts, now replaced by an intense and pitch-black abyss of atmospheric post punk, which is now also reflected on their full length debut, calling to mind a illustrous and diverse array of groups like Rank Xerox, Criminal Code, Diät, Girls In Synthesis, Sievehead or Negative Space.
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Cleveland's Knowso for sure have been among the most idiosyncratic and memorable groups of the past couple years. Their newest full length shows them at the height of their strength once again, their amalgamation of post punk, noise- and math rock still coming across just as quirky and whimsical as it is tight, rigid and angular all the same, combining a seemingly procedural and efficient, mathematical approach with an amount of fun and catchyness you wouldn't really expect inside these rough parameters. At this point, their sound is pretty much their own thing but if you absoiutely must compare them to other groups, you might find some similarities to stuff such as Brandy, Landowner, Big Bopper or maybe Nag in their more approachable moments.
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Already having a couple EPs under his belt, this Whittier, California dude's first full length cassette, also his first release following over five years of radio silence, immediatley clicks with me. That shit is right up my alley with its endearingly crude, moderately psychedelic mix of garage-, post- and synth punk carrying the traits of so many household names, among them the likes of Mononegatives, Useless Eaters, Die TV, Electric Prawns 2, Beef, early Powerplant, Pow!, Freak Genes and Lost Packages.
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Always an occasion of pure, unmitigated joy, new songs by Schleswig, Germany solo viking synth punk warrior Klint. The self-released new Stark EP delivers six-and-a-half excellent new blows of the equally rough and noisy, weird and catchy as fuck synth punk action we all know and love. His Should be Honey / Sherbet 7" released simultaneously via italian garage punk institution Goodbye Boozy then goes on a thrilling experimental side quest involving heavy use of ancient brass and vocal samples pulled from 1920s swing records. This is something… kinda random, baffling and unexpected for sure. Sick shit!
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An excellent second tape by this Leipzig group dabbling in pretty much exactly the catchy and playful kind of blend inbetween the worlds of garage- and post punk you've come to expect coming out of that local scene which ain't a bad thing at all - it's all quality shit and friends of fellow Leipzig groups á la Exwhite, Laff Box, Lassie and Onyon will surely have a ball with this one too!
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Following a thoroughly enticing debut EP last year, Bergen, Norway group Sklitakling present an even stronger first LP, retaining the strummy, quirky charm of the debut while expanding and branching out stylistically. Their songwriting has won a lot of contour since then, their idiosyncratic arrangements coming across much crisper now. Despite their norwegian origin, i can't help but feel reminded of the danish scene of the past decade - the Copenhagen approach to post punk you might say - with the likes of Iceage, Melting Walkmen, Spines and, just recently, Pleaser coming to mind at various points as having a similar sense of melancholy and melody. In addition, there's a distinct cowpunk vibe at play here, kinda like an LSD-soaked early Angst, Gun Club and, especially, the more recent hallucinogenic existential nightmare of Murderer.
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The latest LP by this Tokyo group, originally released last year in Japan and now being reissued by Baltimore, Maryland label SPHC Records, kicks things off with not just one, but two maximally corny faux-orchestral intros seaguing into a cheesy faux-metal pastiche as if hellbent on one-upping any of the recent dungeon punk developments. Then, the actual fun starts in the form of equally basic but all the same unpredictable and inventive hardcore punk bursts, the aforementioned tongue-in-cheek dungeon/metal flourishes being counterbalanced by a freewheeling creative spirit reminiscent of, among other things, early Crass! There's no use arguing with this kind of insanity, just embrace the weird and enjoy the wild ride.
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(…) as focused as they haven't been in a long while (…) i wrote about their previous album Smile Building's Exit. Tempe, Arizona group Soft Shoulder then be like: "Hold my beer…" and come around the corner with yet another LP, recorded around the same time as its predecessor and presenting their sound in an even more snappy and compelling light. Their unique blend consisting of both contemporary and ancient post punk magic tricks, oldschool noise rock and distinctly no wave- and '80s The Fall-informed noise experiments has never had more catchy appeal and sparkle than on this record.
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Luxury new fodder for garage- and eggpunk aficinados by this Cincinati, Ohio group. Soft Violence and Why Fight resonate the quirky madness of groups like Prison Affair, Nuts, Beer, Cherry Cheeks and Pringue but extend that aesthetic with a distinct psychedelic feel transported mainly through the polyphonic vocals here. The latter tendencies are also leaving their mark on Null Future, which expertly treads in oldschool garage punk territory resulting in a vibe á la Mononegatives with a more purist fuzz punk edge. Closing track It Goes On, then, closely resembles the kraut-y psyched-out post punk vibes of fellow Cincinnati groups The Drin and The Serfs, suggesting some of the same folks might be at work here.
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