New shit by the world's only viking synth punk project… and we've got another winner! The title track just sucks you right in with a throbbing beat not unlike to the recent Dance single, spiked with a hint of ancient eurotrash cheesiness. With Go Ahead we then get an effective straight-up no-frills punk smasher, while the oddly placed/titled Instrumental Interlude feels like fun hommage to classic chiptunes that will also mesh well with the ongoing dungeon synth/-punk wave.
The Minneapolis group's debut EP last year was altogether excellent stuff already, yet on their most recent output they still up their game considerably - some added punch owing to a modest increase in production values perfectly matches up to a substantially cranked-up energy level on the group's part, showcasing their quirky and playful style of garage- and synth punk from their best side yet. Don't miss out on this if shit á la Patti, Reality Group, Research Reactor Corp., Satanic Togas, Erik Nervous, Ausmuteants, Liquids or Spodee Boy means anything to you!
The debut cassingle (?) of this Seattle group delivers a way too short yet altogether exciting synth- and garage punk freakout, the A-side HTCM in Block City bursting with an energy not too distant from acts like Liquid Face, Klint, Mononegatives, Ghoulies or Slimex. As for the B-Side Jerk Squad… Is krautwave an actual genre? 'Cos that's exactly what i'd describe this stuff as.
Just like its predecessor, this new tape by Cosme from Ciudad López Mateos, Mexico is a thoroughly joyful ride. While the opening track goes all-in with its synth wave vibes and the closer dabbles in a bit of hardcore, the two middle tracks continue the first tape's approach of garage- and fuzz punk with that sugary synthesizer coating on top. All of that works out just beautifully.
A new LP by Belly Jelly aka Sean Alberts of Skull Cult, Dummy & QQQL fame (…and not of Safety Net, as i wrongly suspected at some point) always means a fresh new caffeine rush as he adds his trademark Skull Cult insanity to a breed of synth- and garage punk bearing at least some resemblance to household names of the Ausmuteants, Isotope Soap, Andy Human & The Reptoids, Research Reactor Corp., Erik Nervous or Useless Eaters variety.
Fun DIY punk shit by some dude based in Marmora, New Jersey, oscillating between the poles of electrically driven garage- /synth punk and bizarro post punk with some quirky, over-the top goth stylings. Think of a mix between S.B.F., Set-Top Box, Stalins of Sound or early Kid Chrome… fans of The Spits or Isotope Soap shouldn't miss out on this as well.
This dude from Schleswig, Germany already made an excellent first impression a couple weeks ago with his debut 7" on Goodbye Boozy. The artwork sure suggests some dungeon synth/-punk affinity, although sound-wise - lacking the latter genre's obvious black- and/or oldschool "heavy" metal elements - i'd rather compare this shit to recent developments on the intersection of garage-, synth- and electro punk and associated acts of the Mononegatives, Pow!, Liquid Face, Ghoulies or Slimex variety.
Somehow i must've overlooked this Ocean City, NJ dude so far. His long playing debut and third release altoghether hits my nerve dead-on though, with a variety of simple & stupid garage-/electro- and, occasionally, synth punk, often with a distinct 77-ish bent calling to mind old pioneers à la Screamers, MX-80, Metal Urbain/Dr. Mix & The Remix as well as a slight hint of Chrome. In Country Girls, quite fittingly, we even get a touch of Gun Club-esque americana-/cowpunk while of the more recent scene, you might draw comparisons to groups like S.B.F., Kid Chrome, Zoids or Mateo Manic.
Having already given an excellent first impression previously on a split tape with the great AJ Cortez, this West Palm Beach dude's follow-up EP maintains the high standard of his garage- and synth punk, radiating the quirky energy of groups such as Satanic Togas, Erik Nervous, Prison Affair, Mononegatives, RMFC… while also incorporating some '77-ish power pop sensibilities akin to Tommy and the Commies and towards the end, there's also an increasingly Alien Nosejob- / Ausmuteants-esque thing goin' on.
With quite a bit of delay - as has unfortunately become kind of the new normal for anything intended to be released on vinyl - we get the newest opus of sweden’s prime synth punk outfit Isotope Soap and oh boy, is this a spaced out new level of quirky and weird even for this group. As you might have noticed by now, i’m a sucker for this kind. Consisting roughly half of instrumental interludes radiating vibes not unlike a bizarro John Carpenter score, the actual Songs on this LP more than ever seem to draw inspiration from oldschool pioneers of the genre - yeah, of course there is some Devo in there but even more i’d suggest stuff like Screamers, Units and Nervous Gender, all mixed with more recent groups 'a la Set-Top Box, Digital Leater and, occasionally, i even sense a touch of grim post punk in the vein of Video or VHS.
