Sorry state newsletter: March 31, 2025

This week we have a crushing ROTW from Boston’s Lifeless Dark, two new rippers on La Vida Es Un Mus from Kaleidoscope and Tàrrega 91, the new Fugitive Bubble and Plasma albums on Sorry State we told you about last week, a whole slew of new arrivals, a couple of think pieces from North America’s biggest Totalitär fans, and lots more.

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New Releases on La Vida Es Un Mus up for pre-order

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two new releases on Sorry State up for pre-order

Fugitive Bubble: What Will Happen If We Stop 12" (Sorry State Records) What Will Happen If We Stop is the second album from Olympia, Washington’s Fugitive Bubble. If you heard Fugitive Bubble’s first record for Sorry State, 2024’s Delusion, you won’t be surprised by the creative restlessness the band displays on their new record. While the core of Fugitive Bubble’s high-energy art punk style carries forward from Delusion, What Will Happen If We Stop expands and upgrades their sound. Harley’s vocals are recorded more clearly and delivered with even more power and authority. New drummer Typhoid Mary—whom you may know from their other band Physique—plays at even more blistering tempos, frequently laying down jaw-on-the-floor moments of percussive pyrotechnics. Fugitive Bubble’s songwriting has also grown more expansive and ambitious. On first listen, the speed and melody will floor you, but as your ear untangles these songs, you’ll notice how dense they are with ideas, each one overflowing with cool parts that flow seamlessly from one to the next. Other new wrinkles include sprinkles of acid country guitar a la Meat Puppets, the climactic CCR-ish rave-up “Ego Drip,” the two-part piano piece “Demodex in Situ,” and “Your Loyalty to the Flag Lies Beneath My Boot,” the solo guitar piece that ends the record on a meditative note. Throughout these twists and turns, Fugitive Bubble proves it’s still possible to make punk rock that’s politically relevant and musically ambitious without losing sight of the youthful energy at the genre’s core.

Plasma: Mua Et Voi Omistaa 12" (Sorry State Records) Sorry State is proud to present Mua Et Voi Omistaa, the debut vinyl from Helsinki, Finland’s Plasma, released in partnership with Nunchakapunk Records in Finland and Little Jan’s Hammer Records in Spain. Plasma carries forward the power, ferocity, and craftsmanship that has been Finnish punk’s calling card since the genre’s inception, fusing it with the bouncy energy and razor-sharp execution of modern hardcore punk. Songs like “Mata Pilvilinna,” “Satkynukke,” and “Mua Et Voi Omistaa” are full-bore, punk-as-fuck attacks, but the intensity belies how dialed-in everything is: the insanely catchy bass lines, the way the drummer perfectly balances building tension with eruptions of energy, the guitarist’s furious downpicking, and the vocalist’s ability to weave melody into a confrontational punk snarl. Meeting the high bar for musicianship set by contemporary Finnish groups like Kohti Tuhoa, Yleiset Syyt, and Foreseen, Plasma really shines on “uptempo mid-tempo” songs like “Ei Oikeutta” and “Syvemmalle Sisaan” that evoke (and will surely inspire) heaving masses of writhing, sweaty punk bodies. For what seems on the surface like a monolithic blast of punk fury, Mua Et Voi Omistaa is a varied, layered masterpiece of hardcore craftsmanship that sinks its hooks in quickly and refuses to let go.

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Record of the week: Lifeless Dark: Forces of Nature's Transformation LP

Lifeless Dark: Forces of Nature’s Transformation 12” (Side Two Records) Boston’s Lifeless Dark released a killer demo tape of Sacrilege-inspired hardcore back in 2018, then took their sweet time with their vinyl debut, waiting six long years before they sprung it on the hardcore punk faithful. While Forces of Nature’s Transformation’s long gestation period might have been frustrating for fans, if that’s what it took to create an LP this killer, then it was worth it. With over 40 minutes of music, the album dwarfs the running time of most contemporary hardcore records, yet it hardly feels redundant or bloated. Ripping metallic hardcore a la Sacrilege is still at the core of Lifeless Dark’s sound, but as you might expect given the record’s ambitious scope, you really can’t dismiss them as mere Sacrilege worship. Even when Lifeless Dark sounds the most like Sacrilege, it feels like they’ve gone deeper, pulling from the early Metallica and Discharge records that clearly influenced Sacrilege (and peers like English Dogs and Varukers) rather than directly from Sacrilege themselves (the main riff in “Cryptic Remains” bears some resemblance to Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” for instance). And then there are entire regions of Lifeless Dark’s sound that are wholly their own, in particular what I hear as a doom metal influence that runs throughout the album. Most of the time when crusty-sounding bands play slow and heavy they’re gesturing toward Amebix, but songs like “Medusa” and “Fear No Evil” have this woozy, bluesy feel that reminds me of Candlemass or even Sleep, and the way the guitarist glides melodically over the sludgy foundation is way beyond what I’d expect from most punk records. Who knows if that’s actually what Lifeless Dark is pulling from, but whatever their inspiration, their sound is unique. The vocals, much like the music, will satisfy any member of Tam’s fan club, yet carry a distinct charisma of their own, with standout moments including the huge chorus in “The Forgotten” and the chant at the end of “Radiation Sickness.” While contemporary hardcore punk is rife with very good bands, Lifeless Dark’s ambition to deliver more puts them in a class of their own.

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Featured Releases: March 31, 2025

Puñal: Buscando La Muerte 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) I was just writing about how Lifeless Dark’s debut vinyl arrived so long after their demo, but Mallorca’s Puñal took even longer, waiting seven years between their tape and their first wax. However, I imagine most of you, like me, will hear Puñal for the first time on Buscando La Muerte (“Searching for Death”). What you’ll find is a stripped-down punk record with a lean, vicious approach and a crystalline recording that hits with maximum impact. I’m reminded of the mid-period records from higher-profile bands like G.B.H. and the Exploited who, as they grew in popularity, developed as players and saw their studio budgets rise, yet never wavered from their desire to make punk rock that’s as simple and direct as possible. Certainly if you love records like Troops of Tomorrow and Let’s Start a War, then tracks like “J****o Personaje” and “Carrera Criminal” are going to be right in your sweet spot. While most of Buscando La Muerte is in this vein, Puñal spreads out a little on the two tracks that bookend the record, with opener “Odio” bringing a more anthemic sound that has shades of Eskorbuto, while the closer “Jipis” incorporates some hard rock riffage and a longer, slow-burn intro. I should also mention Puñal’s vocalist is super charismatic, his tone an evil-sounding snarl with a side of Johnny Rotten sneer. There’s no reinventing the wheel here, but there’s more than enough power and passion here to elevate Puñal well above the also-rans.

Grand Scheme: EP 7” (11PM Records) 11PM brings us the second 7” from this DC band with a strong NYHC influence. Grand Scheme is adept at playing several different styles within the NYHC / straight edge milieu, with “Think Twice” kicking off the record with a blistering thrill ride of Straight Ahead-style rippage, “Counter Culture” and “Click Buy Consume” sounding like outtakes from the New Breed compilation, “Outlook” leaning toward more melodic youth crew a la In My Eyes, and “Marketing Budget” wrapping up the EP with a heavier take on youth crew a la Floorpunch. Grand Scheme also reminds me of their hometown heroes 86 Mentality on “Black Blox,” which has a driving beat and a chorus where the vocals lock in with the drums playing big, dramatic punches, which I’m always a sucker for. While all these styles are a little different, Grand Scheme is adept at all of them and makes them sound cohesive, aided by an excellent recording that’s clear but with the perfect amount of grit. A total ripper, and pretty much exactly what you want from a retro-style 7-song hardcore EP.

ROGO: In Un Mundo Senza Violenza 12” (Symphony of Destruction Records) ROGO is from Rome, Italy, features former members of Iron Lung Records band Sect Mark, and plays a dark and nightmare-ish style of hardcore punk. The songs are built around propulsive pogo beats and catchy, off-kilter riffing that reminds me of Hoax, but with a kind of overloaded mainframe / Bladerunner-type production full of digital distortion that reminds me of A.I.D.S. and L.O.T.I.O.N. (both of whom, like ROGO, spell their names in all capitals). The label’s blurb mentions Mecht Mensch and United Mutation as points of reference, and while I don’t think ROGO sounds particularly like either of them, they share a similar quality of ominous darkness that can turn twisted and psychedelic. The production on In Un Mundo Senza Violenza is both in the red and in your face, and it really doesn’t let up in intensity for the entire record, with both slower, stomper tempo tracks like “Salvador Blanco” and Give Notice of Nightmare-style blazers like “La Tua Condanna” operating at full intensity. If you’re looking to get pummeled, this will definitely do the trick.

Dumbells: Up Late with Dumbells 12” (Mind Meld Records) Total Punk Records offshoot Mind Meld brings us the debut vinyl from Sydney, Australia’s Dumbells. I gotta say, Up Late with Dumbells feels like a pretty special record, even for someone like me to doesn’t listen to a lot of melodic indie rock-type stuff in this vein. When I first listened to the record, it reminded me of the handful of 90s indie rock touchstones I really love, like Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted, Guided by Voices’ Alien Lanes, and Sebadoh’s Bakesale. As with those bands, Dumbells make a melodic jangle that sounds like the Byrds and Big Star filtered through REM and sprinkled with a pinch of classic rock absorbed from a childhood spent riding around in the back of mom and dad’s minivan. The hooks are uniformly big, whether the song has a stripped-back punky rhythm a la the Number Ones (see “Seeds” and “Bubbles”) or something gentler and/or more complex. Up Late with Dumbells sounds fucking great too, with crisp tones assembled into an imposing wall of sound that gives these songs a psychedelic depth… bands used to need a recording budget in the tens of thousands of dollars to sound this good. While Up Late with the Dumbells is meaty enough for a track-by-track analysis, I’ll keep it short and just say that if you’re looking for an ambitious, multi-faceted indie rock record with punk energy and concision, I strongly recommend checking this out.

Private Lives: Salt of the Earth 12” (Feel It Records) Feel It Records brings us the second album from Montreal’s Private Lives, whose energetic and melodic sound could be classified either as punky power-pop or power-pop-y punk. Private Lives’ vocalist sounds a lot like Kathleen Hannah to me, with a sneering delivery that can take a sturdy melody and imbue it with enough charisma to make it leap out of the mix. And while the music’s presentation is lean and energetic, there’s a studied quality to the songwriting and arrangement, with the band building and releasing tension skilfully. They have a habit of starting songs with simple, four-on-the-floor drumbeats and building toward more density and complexity in the chorus, and when the central hooks arrive on “Feel Like Anything” or “Dealer’s Choice” the feeling is exhilarating. Private Lives’ guitarist gets in just as many good shots as the vocalist, too, whether it’s with more delicate-sounding riffs like the Tom Petty-ish “Wrong Again” or chunky blocks of power chords (see “Disconnected,” which reminds me of the Elastica track of the same name, which of course famously ripped off Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba”). This adept fusion of pop hooks and garage rock grit makes Salt of the Earth tough to dislike.

Prison Affair: Demo IV 7” (Under the Gun Records) It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with Barcelona’s Prison Affair, but not much has changed on Demo IV, which features the same warped, Coneheads-inspired egg punk I remember from their previous records. Prison Affair has become a hugely popular band, and we sell their records by the bucketful here at Sorry State. I find this interesting because, while most bands that reach Prison Affair’s level of popularity have charismatic and singalong-ready vocals, Prison Affair’s sound is murky and the vocals are usually bathed in effects and buried at the bottom of a dense and chaotic mix. That’s still the case with Demo IV, but god damn those riffs sure are catchy. Actually, while listening to Demo IV, I had the revelation that these are basically rockabilly songs, centered on shuffle beats and twangy guitar hooks, but wrapped in that distinctive egg punk-style production that makes you feel like you’re trapped in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. The production style is clearly based on the Coneheads template, but the songwriting here is totally different and very much Prison Affair’s own thing. I know a lot of people totally write off this style of music, but I’m a firm believer in the wisdom of the crowd, and the numbers don’t lie… Prison Affair has something here, and it’s apparent on Demo IV.

Three new releases on La Vida Es Un Mus up for pre-order

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The Hell's self-titled 7" out now

The Hell: S/T 7" (Sorry State Records/ Drunken Sailor Records) Sorry State Records (US) and Drunken Sailor Records (UK) present a new self-titled 5-song EP from Cleveland’s the Hell. The four to-the-point rippers on the a-side pick up where the Hell’s 2023 album left off, fusing big riffs (see: “Liabilities” and “Circling the Drain”) with agile rhythmic shifts (“Cut the Chord”) and executing all of it at hardcore tempos. While these tracks have a similar energy to nihilistic punk-on-the-edge-of-hardcore like the Lewd or the Zero Boys, “Dirt Nap,” which occupies the entire b-side, takes the Hell’s sound to new places, soaking in eerie tension for several minutes before erupting into a brilliant, Buzzcocks-esque chiming chorus. Atop it all, the Hell’s vocalist sneers like a weary, middle-aged Darby Crash whose woes have only compounded as life has unfurled. The Hell speaks to the dismay and cynicism we all feel as part of a species in decline, but they also deliver the jolt of energy we need to face another day.

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subculture's unreleased 1986 EP Fred out now

Sorry State Records is proud to present Fred, the unreleased 1986 EP from Winston-Salem, North Carolina’s Subculture. Recorded the year after their 1985 debut, I Heard a Scream, the six tracks that comprise Fred were left uncompleted and shelved when the band broke up later that year. While a rough mix has circulated among tape traders, Fred presents these songs in their finished form for the first time, remixed from the original multi-track tapes by John Pfiffner and mastered by Brent Lambert at the Kitchen. Compared to I Heard a Scream, the version of Subculture we hear on Fred features a fleshed-out lineup with nearly two years of additional musical (though not necessarily social) maturity. Subculture spent the time between IHAS and Fred rehearsing and gigging obsessively, and consequently Fred is a more ambitious and musically accomplished set of songs. Fred also reflects the influence of the crossover scene blossoming at the time with D.R.I. and (especially) hometown heroes and mentors Corrosion of Conformity. Fans of C.O.C.’s Animosity will flip for Fred’s lurching and lunging rhythms, and while “Bad Desperation” finds Subculture at their fastest and most vicious, the closing “KC Comes to Town” exhibits the sense of humor that made Subculture perfect touring companions for NOFX in the 80s.

Read more

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Sorry State Records has the best selection of DIY punk and hardcore vinyl in the world, with well over 2,500 unique titles currently in stock. We're a great music discovery tool, with blogs and other features to help you discover great new music you'll love. We have the fastest, most professional mail order service in punk, with most orders shipping within 24 hours. We're also a great brick-and-mortar record shop based in Raleigh, NC, specializing in collectible and hard to find titles in all genres.

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