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What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has been having a nice week. Once again, I’m gonna mention how nice the weather has been here in Raleigh, especially the last three days. Lately in the morning I’ve been opening up my living room window and letting the breeze in, and I’ve been playing this record by The Upsetters, Return of the Super Ape. Dominic has introduced me to the world of dub music since we’ve been working together at the store and sometimes it just really hits the spot when nothing else can. I was pretty stoked when a copy of this record came through the store recently. It’s definitely been on heavy rotation since I picked it up. My favorite track on here would probably be Crab Yars. I love just a real deep, slow burning instrumental track. It just sounds so soothing. I also always love Lee Perry’s production and all the weird sounds and noises he adds in. I’ve really been enjoying diving into the genre recently. There’s a lot of really good mixes on youtube that compile tracks from the mid 70s - mid 80s and I’ve found a lot of great songs and artists from those, and obviously whatever Dominic recommends and plays. Next time you get some nice, warm weather wherever you live, take a long walk and listen to some dub.

Hi Sorry State readers! How is everyone? Things aren’t too bad on my end. Can’t complain.

So I’m gonna go a different route for my staff pick this week and talk about a zine. I’ve really enjoyed the latest installment of the Network of Friends (volume 5). I’m a big fan of zines. I really hope print media will make a comeback one day.

I made a zine once (literally once) in 8th grade with a friend. It was mostly music reviews, me bitching about my favorite bands selling out, passive aggressive opinion pieces aimed at classmates, and some super cringe poetry. We got one issue under our belt before my school pulled the plug on it for failure to seek permission to distribute. Who asks permission from school to circulate a zine at school?

Anyway, back to a zine that’s enjoyed more success than my 8th grade effort. Network of Friends was originally started by Steve of the long-running UK zine Ripping Thrash. The zine consists of several DIY mini-zines. The purpose of compiling parts of existing zines was to collaborate with punks across the globe, and to essentially spread the love. Volume 5 was compiled by Negative Insight, with Steve’s permission.

Some of the participating zines include but are not limited to UK’s A Blast From The Past, Initonit, and Crisispoint. Bootlegs Of Filth from Australia, Negative Insight from the US, and Brazil’s Vermynoze Putrida.

There is a hilarious review of a Discharge show in Leeds gone wrong. Let’s just say they had put out an album that wasn’t/isn’t well-received, and a certain integral member of the band did not want to play the classics. Audiences generally frown upon this approach. And some people frown more violently than others. I won’t spoil that story, but it gets infinitely better when paired right next to a copy of a letter written to MRR by another member of Discharge to explain what was happening behind the scenes during this period of time. That letter made me laugh a few times. Out loud.

There’s also a pretty lengthy interview with Jim Whiteley, who played bass on part of Napalm Death’s Scum album. You may also know him from Ripcord, Doom, and like 10 other bands. It was cool to get his insight on UK hardcore in the 80s. Now, I’m perfectly content with interviews, music and show reviews, fliers from cool shows, etc., but there was an extra bit of depth to this zine that I appreciated. Paul from the Initonit zine contributed some interesting opinion-style pieces on social and political topics. He writes from a place of personal experience and comes off really honest and relatable. There’s no elitist and pretentious bullshit in there.

Overall, Network of Friends is a cool concept and just a good reminder of how important collaboration and cross-promotion is in the underground punk world.

We only have a handful of these left, so I’d grab one if I were you. There’s loads more stuff in this zine than I mentioned, and it’s a rather small price to pay for the amount of content you get!

Thanks for reading! Until next time..

Angela

Hello and thanks for reading! When this week first began I planned to write about ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ (PYR KATA VOULISI), but it has since sold out. If you haven’t checked out the band, I definitely would cos I think this top-notch hardcore at its finest!! I’ve never heard of them before; I don’t think they even have a demo released. When you rip this hard, why bother? They don’t really play super fast, but the riffing is non-stop. The songs are insanely catchy yet absolutely raging. They sound similar to HERÄTYS, who are one of the best bands ever. And of course, ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ and HERÄTYS both sound like they have a heavy influence from Swedish legends TOTALITÄR. Speaking of legendary Swedish bands, that leads us into my staff pick. Let me start off with the photo. This photo was taken in 1986 by Anders Holmqvist at the “Egg-mangel” gig. Anders is a long-time Sorry State customer and friend. He was a music nerd back then just as much as he is today (if not more maybe?). He’s constantly giving newer bands short, honest reviews on his Instagram account. I am so happy and honored he shared photos from this gig with me, especially cos now I can share this one with you! This gig is how I think I first heard SVART PARAD because it was recorded and released on cassette after, and then fortunately re-released in the ‘90s on vinyl by Your Own Jailer. Based on what it says inside the vinyl version, I am pretty sure Jan Jutila (YOJ) released the tape. He definitely organized the entire gig. I think SVART PARAD is kind of obscure amongst other Swedish bands. They never had a proper vinyl release in the 80s, only some cassettes, and the information about them is a bit confusing. I remember reading online that the band was influenced by MINOR THREAT, and that one really caught me off guard, haha. There have been a few SVART PARAD bootlegs over the years and F.O.A.D. did a SVART PARAD discography not too long ago. But still, to me nothing beats having a reissue that emulates the original. The packaging on this cassette is awesome, but that is a given since it is on Outsider Classics. They did amazing Swedish cassette reissues like MISSBRUKARNA and NISSES NOTTER previously, so I was filled with anticipation immediately when I saw this reissue. I would die for a DISACCORD cassette reissue… Anyway, if you aren’t familiar with SVART PARAD and enjoy raging Swedish hardcore, I would check this one out and grab a copy! Cheers and thanks to everyone (especially Anders)!!!

Greetings Sorry Staters. Thanks for tuning in. Hopefully, you are doing well. I must admit that I’ve been down in the dumps the last couple of days. That’s nothing new, ha ha, just more than usual. Those of you who follow football (soccer) and don’t support Liverpool are probably having a good laugh right now. If you read my section of the newsletter, you’ll know that I am a lifelong Red and so us getting humiliated at Anfield by Real Madrid on Tuesday on top of what has been a dreadful season already was a real gut punch. Today is Thursday, and I’ve had a couple of days to get over it and what better way than with music. Thankfully, I work in a killer record store and am surrounded by so much great stuff. Let’s pick one to listen to together shall we?

As I was receiving a recent order, Jeff pointed out a record that he thought I would like and should check out. It’s “The Uninvited” b/w “Ritual” by Lack Of Knowledge.

Originally self-released in 1982 and now reissued by No Plan Records and available in clear, white or black vinyl editions. We have a few available as I type, and you can click here to snag one. No guarantee which variant will be left; we only got a few.

The band formed in North London back in 1978 and lasted through to the mid-80s. They released a handful of singles and just the one album on the Crass Records label Corpus Christi. That album, Sirens Are Back, and the E.P., Grey, on Crass are highly desirable, as is the original of The Uninvited single. Sound wise, they are labeled post-punk and I guess that is about right. You can certainly hear elements of some of the bands they are compared to such as early Joy Division, but LOK were more about bondage pants than grey macs and it makes sense that they aligned with the anarcho-punk scene and found themselves on Crass Records.

Inside the jacket of the re-issue for The Uninvited single there are some notes from the band recalling the process of recording the tracks and getting their single sold in Small Wonder, Rough Trade etc. and then hooking up with the Crass world after hanging out at their house and playing them the record and getting the offer right there and then to record for Crass.

Also detailed in the liner notes is the session information for the three tracks, and it’s interesting to see that almost a full year passed between recording the first track and the third. When you listen, you can almost imagine it being two different bands. A year and a different studio make all the difference. I’d like to wax lyrical about the music and tell you clever things and perhaps Dr. D will be doing that elsewhere in the newsletter, but my usual response when asked what something sounds like is to say, take a listen. I encourage you to take a listen to this single and take a deep dive and check out their full length along with their other singles. It’ll be worth your time. Of note on this reissue is the inclusion of a third track, The Men, which was not included on the original release.

We’ve had a copy of that Grey E.P. on Crass here at the store before and it has been reissued recently as part of the Crass 12” series that has seen some other rarer and under the radar titles getting a nice fat 12” pressing. Hopefully we will be able to get some copies of those here for you at some point and perhaps that album will get a much needed repress too. Fingers crossed.

That’s all I have for you this week, short but hopefully sweet. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you here next time. Cheers and up the Reds.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another busy week here at the good ol’ Sorry State HQ. Beyond all the tasks on the Sorry State front, Usman and I have spent some late nights trying to get Bunker Punks stuff put together. I’ve hand-stamped so many sleeves that I’ve lost count. I’ve got blisters on me fingaz! Those of you reading who are still waiting on an order from Bunker Punks, thanks for your patience! We’re really stoked on how these bonus Koro sleeves came out, so we think it’ll be worth the wait:)

There’s been tons of boxes of new releases piling up at the store over the last couple days. Toxic State, Iron Lung, Relapse… so much cool new stuff to check out! But I gotta say, all these new 7” reissues on No Plan Records really caught my attention. Funny enough, the Jerry’s Kidz 7” had already been on my mind recently. A friend of mine who lives a couple thousand miles away posted his 2 copies of this 7” the other day… with both different sleeve variants (mad jealous). I think I even remember thinking to myself, “Damn, how come no one has reissued that Jerry’s Kidz record yet?” I had completely forgotten that we had a batch of squeaky clean new copies already in the mail and set to arrive just a couple days later. Funny timing!

Jerry’s Kidz, spelled with a “z” and not to be confused with the other Jerry’s Kids from Boston, were from New Mexico. This 7”, titled Well Fed Society, was their only release and originally came out in 1984. In my obsessive deep dive into the history of 80s USHC, I always wonder to myself if there’s at least one good hardcore record released from each of the 50 States. For New Mexico, I think this 7” is the glowing example. This 7” was also the sole vinyl release on what I can only assume is the band’s own label called Test Site Records—surely a homegrown reference to the Manhattan Project and atom bomb testings in New Mexico. I gotta say, the artwork on this 7” is right up my alley. I mean, come on, there’s a skateboarding skeleton on the back cover! What must it have it been like to be a young hardcore punk band in Albuquerque in 1984? I imagine if you’re in the middle of the desert in New Mexico, there’s gotta be some droughted-out drainage ditches that would be killer for skating. Jerry’s Kidz sound like a bunch of skate rats. The vocals carry a tune, but the singer’s voice is pretty snotty. They sorta sound like a little blend of Rebel Truth, but with the the snotty, haphazard desert flavor of peers JFA… not to mention the skateboard connection. The opening track “Marionetts” is so killer. The lyrics are pretty rad, a metaphorical depiction of being a puppet in life whose strings are being pulled by the powers that be until death. There’s a song about drinking and driving, “DWI, drinking and driving as American as apple pie.” Genius. This record is definitely a sleeper hit of 80s hardcore and seems to be not super well known. I remember we had an original copy come through Sorry State several years ago, and I regret to this day not taking it home with me. Seems like this record is actually pretty rare, because I’ve never seen another one. But now, thanks to No Plan Records, you can get a faithful reproduction for a small fraction of the price.

Welp, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Kaaos / Cadgers: Split 7” (Lärmattacke Records 2022, original P. Tuotonto, 1981)

Like a lot of you out there, I took home a big stack of releases from the batch of Lärmattacke Records reissues we got in a few weeks back. As much as I’ve enjoyed all of them, I return to this one over and over. It’s funny, because I was on the fence about whether I needed to keep a copy. I’m not sure why… I think I had it in my head that these were less interesting, formative recordings by both bands and that I had the tracks on other compilation releases. It turns out neither of those things were true.

I don’t feel qualified to give the historical background on this record in the same newsletter that Usman, SSR’s resident scholar of Scandinavian hardcore, writes in, but I’ll do my best. Originally released in 1981, the Kaaos / Cadgers split must have been one of the earliest Finnish records in the hardcore style. In fact, it’s early even by worldwide standards, released in the same year as landmark early hardcore records like Minor Threat’s first EP, Black Flag’s Damaged, Discharge’s Why, and Dead Kennedys’ In God We Trust, Inc. Both bands were very young—teenagers, as far as I can tell… they all look like babies on the cover—and had long careers ahead of them, with Kaaos undergoing a series of lineup changes and releasing several more records, and Cadgers changing their name to Riistetyt and releasing their own impressive discography.

I have a huge weakness for young punk bands that leave it all on the table with little sense of finesse, and that’s how both bands play here. It seems like most people prefer the Kaaos side because it’s just so fucking fast. It must have been one of the most intense hardcore records released at that point, with tempos matched only by the Bad Brains and the Middle Class, but delivered with a chainsaw-wielding ferocity reminiscent of Discharge. The first track, “Kytät On Natsisikoja” (“Cops are Nazis”) became a Finnish punk anthem thanks to its infectious, shout-along chorus, but as someone who doesn’t speak Finnish, I’m just as enamored of the whiplash effect I experience when the song swings between the verses, where the drummer wails on the cymbals, to the verses where he goes to the toms. Throughout the record, the tempo seems to snap suddenly up and down, each member of the band clambering to catch up to the beat or let it catch up to them. The vocals are raw as fuck, frequently pushing into the red, but delivered with a total lack of posturing… the singer doesn’t scream or growl or bark, just yells with brute force like a total fucking psychopath.

The Cadgers side is a little different, but I play it just as much as the Kaaos side. The recordings are similar, which is interesting because they were recorded at different studios, albeit only a few weeks apart. A lot of that similarity comes from the way the vocals distort on the loudest and most intense parts, something I can never get enough of. As I mentioned above, the tempos aren’t as frantic on the Kaaos side, but my favorite track is the last one, “Kirkot Kyteen,” which is the slowest one on the record. I love how the singer lays into the last syllable of each line in the verses, stretching them out to absurd proportions to make room for more unhinged snarling. I can picture the rest of the band egging the singer on while he recorded his vocal tracks… “make it crazier!” On the choruses, the slightly off-time backing vocals add to the chaotic feel, and there’s a rad guitar lead squeezed in there too.

So, musically, the record rules. As for my assumption that I had these tracks on compilations, that was not true at all. Usman can correct me on any / all of this stuff, but from what I can tell, the Cadgers side of the split never appeared in full on any compilation release. I assumed the Kaaos side appeared on one of their several compilations, but it’s not on Höhnie’s Totaalinen Kaaos collection, which is where I had assumed it would be. The only comp it appears to have been on is Lost and Found’s 1994 CD collection, Total Chaos, though according to Discogs, that CD omits the last song from the split (even though it appears on the disc’s track listing). I don’t think I ever owned that CD anyway.

Hindsight being 20/20, it seems obvious this record would have bowled me over. It’s a classic record whose existence I had known about for years, but never checked out. It turns out there’s a reason people drop over a grand for the 200-copy first pressing, and it’s not just because of the rarity. So yeah, if you’re in the same boat as me, pick up one of these while you can. I think it deserves a place in the pantheon of great 80s hardcore records.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a nice week. I feel like I talk about the weather a lot when I’m writing my staff picks but that’s cause it really does affect what I’m listening to. We had some nice spring days here in Raleigh this past week and whenever the weather’s in the 70s, me and Dom like to crack the door open at the store and let the breeze in. Yesterday was one of the closest it’s felt to spring in a while cause a lot of the flowers are starting to bloom, so there are all kinds of spring scents in the air. I found myself playing through the first three Blondie albums and I was reminded how much I love listening to them. Debby Harry has one of my favorite voices of all time and it hits just right on a warm spring day. Sometimes it takes a while to gain an appreciation for a song even if you’ve heard it a bunch of times, not that it’s bad or anything, but sometimes a song just doesn’t really jump out at you. Yesterday while listening I gained a new appreciation for the song Rip Her to Shreds off the first album. It’s just a fun song to listen to. Also on the most recent episode of Dom’s radio show, Worldy, he played (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear and it made me realize how much I like that song too. It’s always nice to go back to an album you really enjoy and find a new reason as to why you love it. Go listen to some Blondie.

Hi Sorry State readers! Hope all is well. We’ve been busier than ever in SSR land. We were so stoked to put out the Koro reissue, so thank you to everyone who grabbed one. It’s not too late to pick one up. It sounds so sick. We’ve been extra busy filling orders, so you should have yours soon.

My pick this week is the Feral/Judy and the Jerks split called Free Violence. It’s the product of Earth Girl Tapes in good ole’ Hattiesburg Mississippi. Feral is an Atlanta hardcore punk band that I’ve recently come to know. They’re interesting. I guess I would call their sound anarcho punk. The vocalist sings/shouts with a lot of intensity, and the music has a dark, gothy feel to it. Genocide is the standout track. Not gonna lie, it’s a very lo-fi recording. It’s pretty quiet, so you’re going to have to play this side loud.

The Judy and the Jerks side is a better recording. However, their style is tighter and cleaner in general, which may be biasing me a little when I say it’s a better recording. It’s definitely louder. The style of Judy and the Jerks is a good contrast to the darker and more serious tone of Feral. High-energy vocals, sharp and distorted riffs, standout bass lines. It’s just pure fun. Very short, but very satisfying. I mean, it’s Judy and the Jerks. You know what you’re getting.

I’m gonna make this one short, but thanks for reading!

Until next time.

Angela

Hello and thanks for reading! I am here today to talking about the latest, amazing release from Norwegian Leather! I love this label. I know they haven’t done much, but re-issuing How We Feel and releasing a BANNLYST discography LP is so cool to me. I can’t remember which one of those 12"s it was, but it was my introduction to Norwegian hardcore. I like the sound of Norwegian bands I know a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t really know that many. The bands I do know tend to have melodic tendencies, but the sound really stands out to me cos they still maintain a pummeling intensity regardless of how catchy the song may be. BANNLYST is probably one of my favorite Norwegian bands, but also it seems like a no-brainer cos the band has a good amount of tracks out there and they all rip. Some of the other Norwegian bands I know started to sound a little less “hardcore” as time went on, and the sound isn’t really for me. Anyway, naturally when I saw an upcoming BANNLYST 7" on this archival label I got super excited!! They shared a blog post, explaining about how this 7" came to be that I would encourage everyone to read. I think it’s so cool to be in this day and age, and there is still some killer hardcore being unearthed from the 80s and released. The B-side has a live recording from 1992 of them playing an EP song, and it fucking rules. The EP comes with a full-color foldout photo of the band with lyrics and info on the back, housed in a super thick pocket sleeve. What a beautiful release, from the sound to packaging. (And the price, that’s cheaper than some domestic releases, haha.) Get one! Before I go, another tour memory… we played at Club 37 in Oslo. This band SVART PEENG played, and they were sick as hell. SCARECROW likes to keep a couple cover songs in our back pocket, and a SVART FRAMTID (Norway) cover is one of those. Well, we joked about playing this cover when we were in Norway, but we could not decide if it was whack. There was some older guy who approached our merch table early on and bought two copies of our record and t-shirt. I thought this might be a good guy to ask. So, I asked him if it was a bad idea. Not only did he say it was a not bad, but it was a good idea and we should definitely do it. The room was already packed and crazy for SVART PEENG, so inevitably the energy would be great for us. But when we busted out that cover, I feel like the room exploded. I remember looking up (which is very rare occurrence for me) and this guy had essentially pushed Red to the side and had the mic in hand, yelling every lyric. So sick. It is a great memory for me. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!! It’s quite busy here..

Hi good friends, thanks for taking a read of our newsletter. We hope we find you well out there. This past Tuesday was St. Valentine’s Day, which had me listening to lots of love songs in preparation for Worldy, the radio show I do. Next up is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, and that has me in a New Orleans mood as I pick out potential tracks to play on next week’s show. You can bet I’ll be including something by Lee Dorsey, who I have mentioned previously in these pages, and you can also bet that there will be multiple tracks selected that have the Allen Toussaint magic sprinkled on them. Besides Dorsey, Toussaint was also behind hits by Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans. We recently received a few reissue copies of one of her records here at the store, and it’s that album, titled In Between Tears, that I would like to pick out for you this week.

Originally released in 1973 on the Fungus label, but recorded a couple of years previously with Jerry Williams, Jr.—aka Swamp Dogg—for his Canyon label. That label only lasted a short while, and its financial collapse caused the delay in the album being released. Fungus was another Swamp Dogg label, though. Irma Thomas signed to Canyon in 1970 after moving to Los Angeles the previous year to escape the devastation caused by Hurricane Camille that hit the Gulf Coast. She recorded a couple of singles in Macon, Georgia that saw release on Canyon and then was taken to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record In Between Tears. The resulting album, which features Duane Allman on some tracks, is a Southern Soul beauty that shows a much more mature and deeper soul sound more in tune with the times and work by other artists ploughing the deep soul field. Not that Irma didn’t tackle adult topics in her 1960s work, far from it, just take a listen to Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) for proof of that. Like every person who hears that song, I love it. The A-side is Time Is On My Side, which The Rolling Stones covered. Anyone Knows was championed by the late great Dave Godin, the man who coined the terms Northern Soul and Deep Soul. The series of compilations that Ace Records released on their Kent Soul label called Dave Godin’s Deep Soul Treasures are thoroughly recommended, and the Irma Thomas track was a highlight of volume one, and has subsequently been heard in movies and TV, most notably on the show Black Mirror. The original mono single is the version to hear as it has a different vocal take, which adds even more intensity. Take a listen here and have a rabbit hole dive into her other songs and look out for her performing on American Bandstand and being interviewed by Dick Clark afterwards. I had the pleasure of meeting Dick Clark years ago and he signed a copy of Life magazine that I happened to be carrying that had a photo of him from Bandstand in it. Such a nice guy, and a music lover from head to toe.

Lovers of great soul music have always held Irma Thomas in high regard. Her 60s recordings for the Minit and Imperial labels are essential listening. Most of those 45s can be tracked down, but several like the Time Is On my Side single are going to be expensive. What have always been hard to find and expensive are her two albums for Imperial from 1964 and 1966. Those you rarely see. Less so was the In Between Tears album, but in recent years with an increased interest in the work of Jerry Williams/Swamp Dogg, that record became scarce and pricey. Luckily for those who want a copy there have been reissues. Charly R&B, Alive Records, BASF in Japan and now Trading Places based in Europe have all pressed versions. You can click here to view details of the pressing we have currently.

I’m still looking for her three singles that came out on Chess Records that were cut with producer Rick Hall. They aren’t too expensive, and I always hope to find them in the wild as opposed to buying on Discogs, but I may have to one of these days soon. Something that I do have is a grey area compilation that gathers up some key material. I have two versions of this that have different track listings, but both are cool. One is on Bandy Records and the other on Change/Mississippi Records. Those you can still pick up, although the price is creeping up a little bit. Obviously, on the digital front you have more options. Stateside did a nice CD collection a few years back of her Minit/Imperial years and there is another collection of the Chess recordings that were cut at Muscle Shoals. All essential stuff, so dig in and enjoy.

Here’s a link to listen to In Between Tears.

Have a great Mardi Gras next week, enjoy your beignets or pancakes and listen to some Irma Thomas along with some of the other fabulous artists from New Orleans. Until next time, Cheers - Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s still unseasonably warm around here. What the fuck? The aftermath of Koro pre-orders has kept us busy over at Sorry State HQ. Also, I don’t know if you readers saw our little announcement the other day, but Scarecrow’s 2nd EP Crisis is back in print and now Sorry State has copies in stock! Speaking of which, as I’m writing this, Scarecrow is playing a gig later on tonight with Future Terror and new local band Rovagug. I don’t feel as if I’ll be able to eloquently piece together any other details about my personal life, so here’s some of my usual record blabbing:

So, I will admit, this new Sick Thoughts record came out and I really didn’t pay it any mind. I had several friends pick up Heaven Is No Fun here at the shop, and I guess I just kinda avoided checking it out. One buddy was like, “Dude… Jeff, you should really listen to it.” I FINALLY I got around to it… and goddammit, not only is it good, but it’s reeeeeally good. I love it. Honestly, some of Sick Thoughts’ earlier records I didn’t really care for too much. I lumped them in with a lot of “lo-fi garage punk” that is usually pretty hit or miss for me. And I don’t know if the greasy cover photo of Drew with his hair grown out, his shirt’s top few buttons undone and chest hair exposed is any indication, but I think his style’s evolved.

I don’t know if “produced” is the right word, but this record impressed me because it feels like the band put in a lot of effort from a songwriting and production standpoint. It’s a badass rock’n’roll record. Like homeboy is still snarling, but in-key with lush background vocals. There’s absolutely killer guitar stuff on here. While at its core, this record could still fit in the Goner Records camp, it also feels like there’s some heavy glam influence. Like there’s an injection of Marc Bolan swagger and Mick Ronson-esque guitar flourishes. That said, this still feels like a punk record. I can hear the best moments of the Carbonas. A pinch of Jay Reatard quirkiness. And then lyrically, humor is the predominant force, along with a dash of sneering attitude. “Mother, I love Satan.” “We hit the desert middle of the day, devil on my shoulder leading the way.” And honestly, the high-pitched call and response “yeah yeahs” on the opening track “I Hate You” totally reminds me of the catchiest songs on the first GG Allin record. Hate GG or not, that first record is basically just a power pop record. Then a song like “Someone I Can Talk To” is like the one moment of vulnerability on the record and almost lands in love song territory. There are fucking organ solos. I’m here for it. The record is snappy, doesn’t overstay its welcome. Every song is good. There’s ups and downs, but the songs always feel energetic and fun. It feels like a real album. A killer record front to back. I feel like I need to bust out a paisley button up, throw on some aviator sunglasses, grab a fifth of Jack Daniels, and hit the road while blasting this ripper.

I almost didn’t get a copy of this record for myself. I thought it was sold out, but I think might’ve snagged our last copy. Is it out of print from Total Punk already? If so, maybe it’ll get a repress before too long. It would definitely be worth it. This is probably retro-actively in my best of 2022 now.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Rat Nip: My Pillow 7” (Songbook Records, 2023)

Rat Nip’s previous 7”, Comfortable Chair, was Record of the Week when it came out in September 2020, and My Pillow would have been Record of the Week this week if it hadn’t already sold out. I knew this record was limited and that it would be really good, so I got what I thought would be enough copies to last us a minute. However, they arrived at the same time as the Koro repress, and we got a massive flood of orders. Over the past week, I’ve picked a lot of orders that had both Koro and Rat Nip 7”s, and with good reason. I try to reserve the Record of the Week honor for things we can sell to you, so fuck it… I’ll make Rat Nip my staff pick.

For those of you who didn’t catch Rat Nip’s demo tape or first EP, at their core, Rat Nip is a dark and heavy hardcore band in the tradition of Black Flag’s Damaged. While Rat Nip doesn’t imitate Black Flag’s musical quirks in the manner of Annihilation Time or someone like that, the desperate vibes are similar. Like Rollins on Damaged, Rat Nip’s vocalist sounds like they’re mustering all their strength for a last spasm of anguish after soaking up years of abuse. While Rat Nip’s singer never goes fully unhinged a la “Damaged I,” the comparison I hear is based on all the pain mixed in with the power and aggression. Rat Nip’s vocals don’t feel like posturing; they feel like they come from somewhere deep and real.

Rat Nip’s rhythm section is rock solid, executing these tracks with the workmanlike precision and power one expects from a band from Pittsburgh, where the bar for hardcore punk is so high. The rhythm section rarely calls attention to itself, but if you are listening, there are moments of finesse like the blink-and-miss-‘em bass breaks in “Too Late” that betray just how deft and intricate these performances are.

The star of My Pillow, though, is the guitar. It’s one thing to find a workable guitar tone and use it for the entire record (something way too many bands cannot do), but it’s something else to use the tone and texture of the guitar in an interesting, artistic way. The riffs on My Pillow could stand on their own, but they’re enhanced by the way Rat Nip sculpts the sound. Much of the record uses a Public Acid-type approach of one guitar track with a crunchy tone and another one that’s totally fucked (or at least fucked from a different direction), but it’s far from a formula. Just check out my favorite track, “Too Late,” whose slow part features a crystal clear guitar chiming on the skinny strings before it descends into a black metal-ish, reverb-drenched spooky lead. Another favorite moment is in “Old Sky,” where you’re bopping along to a fist-pumping verse and then when the chorus kicks in this super chunky, Celtic Frost-sounding guitar track touches down in the mix for just that part. So sick.

Rat Nip’s attention to tone and texture also extends to the non-hardcore passages on My Pillow. There are several brief moments of haunting static and feedback, and a short sound collage between “Hurt People” and “Old Sky” that is genuinely fucking creepy. I would be interested to hear more stuff like that, but I’m sure Rat Nip doesn’t want to become fucking Neurosis or something.

If you’re wondering about my photo for this piece, here’s the story. A few weeks before My Pillow came out, a promo package arrived at Sorry State from Songbook Records containing a poster for My Pillow (currently hanging in Sorry State’s window) and the baggie I’m holding. It’s labeled “prop for the new insert,” and, without the actual insert, I was puzzled why they sent me a bag of Fritos and dried fruit. While the image on the insert isn’t easy to parse, I take it that the baggie contains actual “rat nip” that, like the body of the punk who just offed himself in the photo, will provide a tasty treat for our rodent friends.

Like I said above, unfortunately My Pillow is sold out at Sorry State and from Song Book Records. Song Book says they won’t repress the record, so if you see a copy floating around a distro or shop, grab it while you have the chance.