This Philadelphia group's line-up brings together generations of punks, having Chuck Meehan of hardcore dinosaurs YDI among its ranks as well as members of more recent acts like Blank Spell, Haldol and DeStructos. Their first EP explodes right into your face with eight-and-a-half bursts of unpredictable, chaotic and noise-infused hard-/post-/weirdcore roughly in the ballpark of what you might've heard in recent years from bands like Kaleidoscope, Daydream or Fugitive Bubble.
Damn, that's some top-notch quality oldschool postcore shit here, the kind capable of transporting middle-aged fucks like me into higher spheres, elaborate yet unpretentious and with a melodic sensibility that evokes the glory days of Volcano Suns, Moving Targets and Mission of Burma. The monumental opening suite, on the other hand, kinda reminds me of Dragoon, the opening behemoth of Bitch Magnet's final album Ben Hur. Otherwise, 90s Dischord influences rule supreme here with ubiquitous echoes of the likes of Autoclave, Bluetip, Hoover, Crownhate Ruin, Kerosene 454, early Jawbox… you name it! And yeah, of course there's also a bit of Fugazi going on but i'd say they're far from a primary influence here. Hungry Man are able to pull off all that without coming across like a dull ripoff and rather like a band who values its influences, yet perfectly stands on its own two feet, speaking into the present day with their own voice.
A spectacular first impression of a Copenhagen group playing a rather unconventional mix of post punk, hard- and postcore incorporating a rare sense of melody and a strong psychedelic, almost shoegaze-y undercurrent. Also, thinking of the Copenhagen scene, you can't help but register a faint echo of early Iceage and Lower.
Another Tunic record, another veritable kick in the teeth. After their recent compilation LP Exhaling, collecting their previous singles & EPs, their second "real" album pretty much continues where they left off with those, while only very cautiously expanding their sonic vocabulary. At times this can feel a bit repetitive to the point where you catch yourself wondering: "Haven't i already heard that song just a minute ago?" That's a minor nitpick though. As long as these dudes continue to wield their noisemaking powertools with such determination and raw, overwhelming force, that's more than enough for me.
This melbourne group's debut EP delivers five versatile high-energy blows, shapeshifting their way somewhere around the fringes of the extended hard-/post-/noisecore multiverse, their relentless yet sophisticated attack calling to mind the likes of Dollhouse, Cement Shoes or Vexx.
The London postcore/noise rock duo once again convinces by way of sheer force coupled with unerring precision, every single detonation on their second LP using a rather minimalistic recipe in the most focused way possible to achieve maximum damage. Don't miss this spectacle if groups like Tunic, Death Pedals, USA Nails or Metz are your thing.
In my bumbling quest to get some at least some shit done, here are three posts worth of recent hardcore punk standouts rolled into one. First there are five bursts of rather quirky, unconventional noisemaking courtesey of Chicago's Deodorant, who had already released a fun little album via Not Normal Tapes in 2018. On their newest EP, they cover a lot of ground ranging from oldschool hard-/postcore weirdos like Saccharine Trust, Beefeater, Really Red or early Minutemen, to more recent groups á la Optic Nerve and Mystic Inane, rounded out by a few subtle cowpunk vibes like in King Samo. If all of that shit's way to smartypants artsy for that tiny brain of yours to handle, you might prefer the way more straightforward ruckus of slightly garage-infused no-frills oldschool mayhem as presented by Dye of Kansas City. But then again, in case that sounds like way too much fun and you prefer a bit more death, despair and insanity in your punk rock, we've got you covered too in the form of Dallas group Urn's latest EP whose relentless attack comes off about as dark and muddy as a pot of stale burnt coffee… disgusting and vitalizing at the same same time.
Following their 2018 album Hunk, which somehow didn't really click with me, the Reno, Nevada group's newest EP manages to hit all the right spots this time while never repeating itself, covering a sonic range spanning from oldschool AmRep- and Touch & Go-style noise rock, hardcore punk reminiscent of early Die Kreuzen and in its closing track, some Drive Like Jehu-esque Postcore.
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.