Various: Destroy All Art Volume 2 12” (Rock N Roll Parasite) In case you missed the excellent first volume, here’s the basic idea behind Destroy All Art: it’s a Killed by Death compilation, but the tracks come from records released in the 90s rather than the 70s and 80s. Everything is raw, nasty, lo-fi, and bears no similarity to the overproduced skate punk and pop-punk we associate with the 90s. You know how those later Killed by Death and Bloodstains volumes can get weighed down by mediocre tracks? Destroy All Art has no such problem because the sprawling world of independently released 90s punk 7”s is virgin territory for these types of compilations. As if to illustrate this point, the compilers pack Volume 2 with just as much first-rate punk as the first volume, if not more. My favorites include the Knotts (who are raw and snotty, reminding me of the first Heart Attack single), the Arch Villains (whose injection of organ into the classic KBD punk formula gives them a unique vibe), Rust (a great, loose Cockney Rejects homage), the Babysitters Club’s (a dumbed-down take on the Donnas’ Ramones-influenced punk template), and Spin Age Blasters (who build their quirky track around Penny Rimbaud-esque marching band drumming). Doubtless you’ll have your own favorites as this record presents a bounty. If you’re a big fan of the Queers’ KBD-era material, a big grip of bands  remind me of them, and if off-color lyrics that wouldn’t fly in 2018 get you going you'll find some of that too. The only real trace of the 90s on this thing (aside from the aforementioned political incorrectness) is a slight Estrus Records / hot rod punk vibe on a few tracks (the Nailclippers and the Disasternauts), but even those tracks rip with the ferocity you expect from this type of comp. As with the first volume, this will add a few records to your want list (and other people’s lists, I’m sure, which will drive up prices), but it also provides an outstanding soundtrack to chasing them down. 

CB Radio Gorgeous: Plays CB Radio Gorgeous cassette (Not Normal) Demo cassette from yet another great punk band out of the Chicago area on Not Normal Tapes. Like a lot of those bands, CB Radio Gorgeous features members of other bands you know, but they don’t feel like a continuation or an extension of a previous project, but rather their own thing. They bear similarities to Big Zit’s Bad Brains-isms, mostly because they play so damn fast and their songs are so great. The production reminds me of the Bad Brains’ Black Dots material and the songs have smart arrangements that make room for all the band’s excellent players to bounce off one another. You’ll often hear a melodic bass line cruising past a guitar riff in a different direction or a drum fill finding its perfect home in the space left open in a riff. Whether CB Radio Gorgeous are in full-on, blistering Bad Brains mode or they’re doing one of their more mid-paced, Dangerhouse-y tracks they keep every second of this tape lively and interesting. I’ve heard a lot of interesting things out of Chicago over the past few years, but this is among the best.

Deodorant: Smells Good 12” (Not Normal) Not Normal digs into Chicago’s bowels and brings us yet another great, unique band. I can’t think of another scene that has nurtured such a diverse and ambitious group of bands over the past few years. Bless Not Normal for documenting so much of it. As for Deodorant, that they’ve laid these tracks to vinyl rather than Not Normal’s default cassette format signals they’ve put in a little more work here. The 12 tracks (well, 14 counting the intro and outro) chew up and spit out a huge range of punk styles, from Big Boys punk/funk, to Butthole Surfers-esque dirge, to Germs-esque nihilistic hardcore, to Dead Kennedys / Crucifucks-esque mockery. Stylistic uniformity has become less popular in the punk scene lately, but Deodorant push it further than most, seemingly determined never to repeat a move or an idea. And like a lot of the bands on Not Normal, they counter-balance their musical ambition with a rough, DIY production style that captures the anger, aggression, and alienation we all look for in punk music while still leaving room for moments of beauty to emerge. If you’re a fan of genre-benders like Warm Bodies or Brown Sugar, this will get you going, but anyone with a taste for left-of-center hardcore should give this a listen.

Fuckin’ Lovers: Electric Lover cassette (self-released) Demo cassette from this new band out of Philadelphia featuring most of Allergy, whom you may remember from a handful of ripping noise-punk records over the past few years. Fuckin’ Lovers played a killer set here in North Carolina a few days ago and I grabbed copies of the tape for the SSR faithful. While Fuckin’ Lovers take inspiration from the same Japanese noise-punk sounds as Allergy (e.g. Confuse, Gai, etc.), Fuckin’ Lovers also represents a subtle stylistic shift. First, instead of having a stand-alone vocalist, the bassist and guitarist share vocal duties, often engaging in memorable back-and-forth trade-offs that add an extra layer of excitement to the songs. Second, Fuckin’ Lovers inject a Swankys-esque sense of fun into their songs. While they’re not as over the top pogo-punk as, say, Sad Boys, allowing the bass to carry the melody makes these songs jump out, and the melodic quality to the bass lines makes for an intriguing contrast with the guitar’s total noise assault and the drums’ relentless pounding. Fuckin’ Lovers work within stylistic boundaries here, but they’re finding their own place within them and honing their unique take.

Stigmatism: S/T 7” (Beach Impediment) 9 songs of total United Blood worship from this New York (or is it New York / Montreal?) project. By the crushing breakdown that comes less than 20 seconds into the first track you’ll have a clear idea of what Stigmatism does and how good they are at doing it. Bands who say they’re influenced by Agnostic Front are a dime a dozen, but few make use of the stylistic tropes of the United Blood era that Stigmatism adopt: things like playing any given part about half as long as you expect them to; unexpected and non-intuitive shifts in tempo; and jagged, non-linear songwriting (see, for instance, “Your Demise,” whose parts seem to be stitched together almost at random). There are few points where they crib directly from their most important source material (“Business End” sounds quite a lot like “Last Warning”), instead reverse engineering AF’s classic tunes and building new ones using the same tools and skills. If you liked the Ammo demo we hyped a few weeks back, you’ll want to pick this up (though it’s more polished and a little less unhinged), but the bottom line is that if you’re intrigued by a band in 2018 playing a note-perfect United Blood homage, there’s no way this is going to disappoint you.

Swankys: This Is My Lifestyle 7” (Crowmaniax) The Crowmaniax label gives us another lovingly executed, detail-oriented reissue of a Japanese hardcore classic, and this time it’s the Swankys’ first EP from 1985. In case you aren’t familiar with the history (all the info is coming from the recently released Flex Japanese discography book BTW), Swankys started in 1982, then changed their name to Gai in 1983, releasing (alongside Confuse, with whom they’re almost always mentioned) some of the most brutal, wild, and exciting noise-punk ever created. Then in 1985 they changed their name back to the Swankys and shifted their style somewhat, incorporating the simple, sing-song-y melodies of bands like the Toy Dolls, the Adicts, and Asta Kask. This Is My Lifestyle finds the band right on the cusp of that second transition. They recorded two of the tracks while they still called the band Gai (they also appeared on Gai's Damnation cassette), one is a re-recording of an older Gai song, and only the title track is a new composition. Unsurprisingly this is the one that anticipates where the Swankys would go on future releases. So many bands have ripped off the Swankys’ formula that it's hard to hear them for how revolutionary their sound was, but there’s no denying this is a great EP. While the guitars aren’t as ludicrously abstract as, say, Confuse’s Indignation, no noise punker will be disappointed with this EP. Perhaps my favorite aspect of This Is My Lifestyle, though, is the vocals. The vocalist merges the growling Japanese vocal style I associate with GISM and Execute with a Johnny Rotten-esque sneer. The single greatest moment on this record is on “Fundamental,” when one of those guttural screams somehow disintegrates into a laugh. What a perfect summation of what the Swankys were all about.

Rata Negra: Justicia Cosmica 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) One of LVEUM’s flagship bands returns with their long-awaited second LP. As on their first LP, Rata Negra strike a perfect balance between the sweet and salty, delivering song after song that makes you sing along by your second listen, but continues to reveal new wrinkles even after many repeat listens (which, I assure you, this has gotten). The vocal lines are big, broad, and memorable; that’s no surprise if you’re familiar with the band’s first LP or the singer’s previous band, the underrated Juanita Y Los Feos. If you’re a fan of Masshysteri’s big singalongs, her vocals are the aspect of the band you’ll latch onto first, and I promise you’ll love them just as much. For me, though, the guitar work is where Justicia Cosmica shines. While the vocals are blunt and forceful, the guitars are cagey and chameleon-like, shifting between the melodic post-punk leads of “Sombras,” the almost jazzy “Te Elevas,” the surfy “En Su Boca El Veneno,” and the more Johnny Thunders-esque “Vergüenza.” Besides the guitarist’s stylistic flexibility keeping monotony well at bay, his leads are almost always the darker, dissonant counterpoint to to the broader, brighter vocal melodies. It’s that interplay that makes Rata Negra so great. This is music you want to sing along with on a rainy day, not a sunny one. The recording here is powerful and texturally rich, the artwork looks cool… it’s an A+ LP all around, and recommended for anyone who doesn’t mind a big dose of melody in their punk.

Geld: Soft Power 7” (Iron Lung) After the head-turning Perfect Texture LP here’s a new 4-songer from Australia’s Geld. We get three hardcore burners on the a-side and a single, longer track on the flip. As I listen to the tracks on the a-side, I keep thinking of the Impalers. Geld share some of Impalers’ stylistic tropes, like the wild, over-the-top solo in “Burning Hammer” and their general way of playing big, tough-sounding hardcore that stays in the pocket even when accelerating to impossibly fast speeds. Impalers are the gold standard for hardcore bands who can play, and when I make that comparison it’s meant to say you’re dealing with top-notch hardcore musicianship, as is the case here. Geld, however, have this whole other arty dimension that’s at least as big a part of their music as the ferocious hardcore. That pops up even on their fast songs, but it’s most evident on the record’s b-side, which they devote to the lurching “L.O.W.A.G.” This track’s apocalyptic vibe reminds me of the Birthday Party at their best. They also add a saxophone to the band’s usual lineup for this track, though the sax sits back in the mix. This isn’t just one of those “hardcore dirges” where you get a single riff repeated ad nauseam. There are plenty of wild and noisy guitar pyrotechnics to occupy your attention. It makes perfect sense that Geld have found a home on Iron Lung Records, who have always alternated servings of meat and potatoes with the latest trends in conceptual gastronomy. That Geld unite these two poles makes them perhaps the quintessential Iron Lung Records band.

Blood Pressure: Surrounded 12” (Beach Impediment) Blood Pressure’s first LP was one of those records that is so great I had trouble listening to it. The riffs were so ornate and the songs packed them together so tightly that the listener had no room to breathe. I’d often feel like I was having a panic attack by the end of the record. On that record, Blood Pressure were in full attack mode, like when a character in the Street Fighter video game launches a combo move that paralyzes your character and you're unable to do anything but hope you have enough energy to absorb the beating. Surrounded, however, is a little different. Blood Pressure back off the throttle, toning down the complexity and spending most of their time in more of a fist-pumping, in-the-pocket rhythm. Tracks like “Misanthropy” and “Exposed” feel like a new direction in that the mid-paced riffs, instead of being a counterpoint to blistering thrash, are the main course. Even faster tracks like the scorching opener “Recluse” make room for more dynamic songwriting, with that song’s big punches being one of the record’s high points. There are still moments when that dense, anxious sound bubbles to the surface, like the chaotic guitar solo that ends “Futility” or the little off-time intro to “Exposed,” but Surrounded always brings things back down to a rolling boil. If Need to Control was the sound of a machine pushing itself to its limits, nearly to the point of breakdown, Surrounded is the sound of that machine in perfect, well-lubricated working order.

Udüsic: Long in the Tooth cassette (self-released) Latest cassette from this Chicago band whom you may remember from their two earlier 7”s on Painkiller Records. The insert notes they’re working on new material, but shared this 4-track covers cassette in the meantime. If you haven’t heard Udüsic, at first listen they seem like a typical fast hardcore band, but closer inspection reveals unexpected wrinkles. Their choice of covers and their approach to them embodies their subtly progressive approach. You get straightforward covers of classic hardcore tracks by No Thanks and Poison Idea (though the lyrics for “Castration” take on a different character with a woman on the microphone) and more ambitious reworkings of tracks by ZZ Top and Black Randy & the Metrosquad. The recording quality is raw but clear, either a rough 4-track job or a carefully mic’d room recording. While Long in the Tooth doesn’t feel as significant as Udüsic’s vinyl releases, the band sweetens the pot by making the release a benefit for Lysistrata, an organization that aids sex workers. If you buy this cassette from Sorry State, 100% of the money will go to Lysistrata, so grab this ripping little reel and make the world a better place at the same time.

Iron Cages: Indulgence 7” (Society Bleeds) Debut 7" from this DC band. Iron Cages strikes me as an oddball hardcore band that interrogates the conventions of hardcore songwriting. They have the same ingredients as a typical hardcore band—throat-shredding vocals, fast and chaotic riffs, and the occasional mosh-inducing tempo change—but the songs don’t flow like you expect them to. Rather than building from a verse into a triumphant chorus and then letting things crash into a breakdown in the expected way, Iron Cages swing between these modes in a way that feels haphazard and almost random, frequently delaying or omitting the “payoff” that we expect from pop oriented music. Beyond just the arrangements, they also have a quirky and interesting playing style. In multiple songs they do this strange rhythm I call the “slow pogo” that is infectious, like cough syrup-infused take on the standard 1-2 hardcore beat. If you have a clear idea of the formula that makes for a good hardcore record and you expect bands to stick to that formula then you won't like Iron Cages. However, if you like bands who do it their own way and defy your expectations, then this record may well do it for you.

The Gears: Let’s Go to the Beach 7” (Munster) Reissue of this California punk classic on Spain’s Munster Records. The Gears’ Rockin’ at Ground Zero is a personal favorite, but I’d only heard this 7” in passing. The two best songs on Ground Zero appear here—“Let’s Go to the Beach” and “Don’t Be Afraid to Pogo”—and I think these versions beat the ones on the LP. They’re a little rawer, with a primitive studio sound that reminds me of the 60s. It sounds similar to the way bands like the Sonics were recorded, and the raw sound puts the emphasis on the Gears’ knack for writing a great chorus hook. The one exclusive track, “Hard Rock,” doesn’t have as memorable a melody as the two classics, but what it lacks in catchiness it makes up for with speed and power. Maybe this isn’t an all-time classic punk 45, but if your interest in early US punk extends beyond the Dangerhouse catalog, this is well worth checking out.

Seditionaries: Wherewolf 7” (Meat House) Reissue of this obscure LA punk 45. I’d never even heard of it, and it’s an exciting prospect to discover some unheard early LA punk at my ripe old age. I don’t think anyone would call Wherewolf a great single, but it oozes charm. On “Wherewolf,” it sounds like the band is going for a death rock sound a la early T.S.O.L. or the punkier 45 Grave songs with its fast tempo, dramatic chord changes, and B horror lyrics. It’s tough to tell if they're being ironic because the lyrics are goofy but not overtly sarcastic, and the vocalist has a Dave Vanian-esque sense of camp. There is also no acknowledgement on the record that the band has consistently misspelled the word “werewolf.” The b-side is a cover of the Yardbirds’ tune “Shapes of Things” and it’s your typical punked-up take on a 60s song. While the songs themselves aren’t great (though they are good), my favorite thing about this single is the vibe. It sounds like a bunch of teenagers making something for themselves and their friends, like you’re overhearing a conversation between a group of friends who spend all of their time together. The recording is also perfect, raw but clear, like they recorded it in a budget studio like Mystic. This reissue isn’t for everyone, but if you go deep in the early California punk scene, spinning this will be a joy.

Various: Killed by Meth Vol 3 12” (It’s Trash) Volume 3 of this compilation series highlighting bands from North America’s rust belt. Volume 3 is a tough volume for a compilation series. The first volume is new and exciting, the second volume makes you think “whoa, they did another one,” and then by the third volume that initial excitement has worn off. Fortunately, Killed by Meth has carved out a niche highlighting great unheard garage punk from their part of the world. As usual, some names will be familiar to Sorry State’s audience. Sorry State label alumni S.L.I.P. open with a brand new track of their trademark lurching, Black Flag-style punk. You may remember Cleveland’s Knowso from their LP on Neck Chop, and if you follow the Perverts Again universe, you’ll want to hear their track. Garage rockers will recognize Obnox, who delivers one of his trademark tracks that sounds like ultra-lo-fi garage but whose melody and rhythm are deceptively funky. From there, though, it’s uncharted waters for me. If I had to characterize the whole compilation, the dominant sound is the raw and primal (but not 60s retro) garage-punk sound I associate with Maximumrocknroll in the 90s. If you like the Destroy All Art compilations, these strike me as the kinds of bands collected there. As with any compilation, some tracks stick out. My favorite is from WLMRT, whose raw and chaotic synth-punk reminds me of the Deadbeats, but wilder and with a stronger sense of melody. As a whole, the comp balances variety and similarity, so it plays like a consistent album rather than a sampler platter. If this were the 90s, I could picture a sun-bleached CD sitting on my dashboard and getting played as I drive around trying to relieve my teenage boredom. This is 2018 so I don’t know how many people will do that, but Killed By Meth Vol 3 makes you feel like you could.

Haldol: UK / Ireland / Iceland Tour cassette (self-released) Brand new 5-song cassette from Philadelphia’s Haldol, and they continue to evolve and push boundaries. There are things that have remained consistent across Haldol’s releases (well, at least since they moved from Nashville to Philadelphia)—the tom-heavy drumming, melodic bass lines, and tortured vocals—but each release has had a very different vibe than the last. Their self-titled LP sounded like a cleaned-up (but still fucked-up) version of Rudimentary Peni, while The Totalitarianism of Everyday Life got dark in a way that reminded me of Joy Division’s Closer. These new songs find the band evolving yet again, laying melodic guitars over the dark and driving foundation. Barring the very different vocal style, the songs on this tape remind me of tracks like “The Queen Is Dead” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again” from the Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead, songs that have a tough, Gang of Four or Crisis-like rhythm section topped with shimmering, melodic guitar that spends most of its time on the higher-pitched strings rather than replicating the bass lines as power chords. The result is grimy yet beautiful, like an oil slick on top of a pothole that’s filled with water from the first rainstorm in a while. The songs are still sprawling and non-linear and listening can be as disorienting as navigating a house of mirrors. But for all of its difficult qualities, I keep coming back to this tape. It’s not an easy listen, but it rewards the people willing to invest the time to parse its beauty.

Suck Lords: Second Lords cassette (Edger) After an earlier cassette and a 7”, here’s a new 5-song ripper from Portland’s Suck Lords. Rightly or wrongly, I associate Suck Lords with a new crop of hardcore bands that channel the fast, raw, and wild sound of groups like Koro, the Neos, and Deep Wound. The Koro influence is palpable on the three tracks in the middle of this cassette, which nail the mile-a-minute, all-go-no-slow sound of the Koro EP. The tracks that bookend the tape feel more ambitious with more parts and some tricky-sounding riffs and changes, but there isn’t a single second here that skimps on intensity. It is a bare-bones affair; the packaging contains no lyrics, no information about the band (other than a contact email), and doesn’t even have a track listing. However, it doesn’t feel lazy or incomplete, but rather distilled down to its bare essentials, just like the music. If you get excited about new hardcore bands like Nosferatu and Alienation you should buy every Suck Lords release, this one included.

BB & the Blips: Shame Job 12” (Thrilling Living) Debut 12” from this new Australian band featuring members of Good Throb, Semi, and Housewives. I hadn’t heard BB & the Blips’ music before I listened to this record (they have an earlier demo but I missed it), yet I was already in love halfway through the first song. I don’t want to be too heavy-handed with the Good Throb comparisons because they only share one member (Bryony, Good Throb’s guitarist, sings here), but if you liked Good Throb’s sass and/or their fractured, poetic, yet very topical approach to lyrics then you should check out BB & the Blips. However, while Good Throb were stripped down and minimal, the Blips are maximalists, with a big, chaotic sound dominated by a fuzz-drenched, buzzing bass. The band touches on several different styles on this LP, from the manic pogo of “Bitcoin Baby,” to the Damned-esque proto-hardcore of “L.I.B.I.D.O.,” to grinding dirge of “The Ballad of Personal Growth,” but the bass is always at the center, holding down the groove and pushing everything else relentlessly forward. There’s always something memorable rising above the din, though, whether it’s an inventive vocal line or an angular, Buzzcocks-esque guitar lead (like on the standout track, “Cyborg”). Shame Job is a tour-de-force, and if you’re a fan of other bands on the Thrilling Living label like gSp, Warm Bodies, and Lemonade, checking out this record should be a top priority. It’s one of the best things 2018 has given us so far.

Electric Chair: Public Apology 7” (Stucco) Debut 7” from this band out of Olympia. The label highlights their Gang Green-isms in the description, but that’s only part of their style. While Electric Chair are great at fast and out of control hardcore that reminds me of early Gang Green or the Neos, they also know their way around a catchy, mid-paced punk tune a la Career Suicide or Social Circkle, though without the tightness or polish of either of those bands. The vocalist even incorporates a little bit of melody into their style, which is something you rarely hear from bands who play this fast and raw. Speaking of which, this has a nasty recording that sounds like they threw it together on a 4 track between knife hits. If you like bands like Alienation or Suck Lords but you still play your Adolescents and Zero Boys records you’ll flip for this.

Hologram: S/T 7” (Hysteria) Debut 7” from this Washington, DC band. While a lot of rather professional and polished-sounding music has come out of that city in the past few years, Hologram don't sound professional or polished. They are raw and confrontationally progressive, with a vibe more like a contemporary New York / Toxic State band than the more clean-cut sound I associate with DC. Their fast, hardcore parts are loose and wild a la Wretched or Negazione, which they accentuate with a mix that highlights a very trashy-sounding crash cymbal. If Hologram had filled a 7” with this kind of wild and out of control hardcore I would already recommend it, but they’re more than just a visceral hardcore band. “Reprieve” is a short noise piece that sounds like it could have been an outtake from the Eraserhead soundtrack, but my favorite track is “Mirroring,” which starts with an unsettling fast hardcore riff, then heads into a noisy breakdown that brings the abstract elements of “Reprieve” into the context of a hardcore song. There are plenty of bands out there with noise interludes (Geld springs to mind as a recent example), but I can’t think of another band off the top of my head who builds that sense of experimentation into their hardcore tracks as effectively as Hologram. If you like both experimental, genre-bending hardcore and the loose and wild sounds of the Italian classics I cannot recommend this record highly enough.

Droid’s Blood: On Trial Years Later b/w I’m Going to Die Poor 7” (Weirdly) Debut 7” from this Chicago band that is a new iteration of Sorry State favorites Broken Prayer. If you were a fan of Broken Prayer it’s hard to imagine how you wouldn’t be on board with Droid’s Blood, since they rely on a similar combination of noisy hardcore and whirring synth topped with Scott Plant’s trademark topical lyrics and distinctive vocals. The a-side is a mass of chaotic sound, but when you focus on any instrument you realize that every one of them is doing something memorable. Following the song is like tracking a great jazz track, where your ear might drift from one instrument to another, but wherever it finds itself will be enjoyable. Then on the b-side the guitar takes center stage, backed up by washes of white noise from the synth. Scott’s vocals are a little harder to discern than they were on the Broken Prayer stuff, which is a shame because his lyrics are always thought-provoking. Still, I’ve been playing this record constantly since it arrived. I hear the band has an LP in the can, so hopefully we'll hear more from them soon.

Terrorist: The State Dreams Its Enemy Into Being 7” (Toxic State) Debut 7” from this New York punk band on the Toxic State label. As I’ve noted before, it seems like an unwritten rule that every New York band from the Toxic State scene needs to find their own style and voice, and Terrorist continue that trend by firmly establishing their own aesthetic on this debut EP. While I don’t know much about the personnel (they only list first names on the sleeve), it was recorded at D4MT Labs, home of Kaleidoscope. This EP bears some of the hallmarks of that crew, like the wah-drenched guitars that remind me of Shiva from Kaleidoscope’s psychedelic explorations. However, Terrorist isn’t a pscyh band; their primitive, propulsive thump reminds me a lot of standout Exploited tracks like “Attack” or “Dead Cities” even though, as a whole, the band doesn’t have a strong UK82 vibe. The contrast between the loose and jammy guitar sound and the powerful primitivism of the rhythm section is jarring at first, but it works and makes this record both singular and powerful. And, since it’s on Toxic State, you know the design and presentation is 100% on point.

Waste Management: Tried and True 12” (Painkiller) Long-awaited debut full-length from this Boston band. You’ll recognize the personnel from many Boston-based projects over the years, but Waste Management stands on its own within that complicated family tree of bands. To me, they sound like a mash-up of classic Boston hardcore like Last Rights or SSD (or maybe more recent bands in that style like Wasted Time) and blistering fast Japanese hardcore, Gauze in particular. The nods to the former style (and its progeny, late 80s straight edge hardcore) are more obvious: the cover drawing, the back cover layout, and the big mosh parts that pepper the LP. However, the bass player is wearing a No Side shirt on the back cover, the insert collage reminds me of the the back cover of Fuck Heads, and the whiplash changes on tracks like “Face the Fire” find the band dangerously close to replicating Gauze’s trademark speed and precision. The vocals remain a love it or hate it proposition, and whether you consider them an acquired taste or a dealbreaker will probably dictate your feelings on this LP. Tried and True stands confidently alongside records by other scene defining bands like Boston Strangler and No Tolerance, so if you’ve been following the contemporary Boston hardcore scene you’ll want to hear this.

The Shifters: Have a Cunning Plan 12” (Trouble in Mind) The Shifters seemed to spring out of nowhere a year ago, and after a spate of releases on several labels they’ve found a home for their debut full-length on Trouble in Mind Records. The jump to a bigger label hasn’t changed the band though. They still sound like a mash-up of early, pre-Brix Fall and Dunedin sound bands like the Clean or the Chills. The full-length format allows the Shifters to spread out, so more repetitive, Fall-esque songs get a little more breathing room, like “Andrew Bolt,” which begins with a synth intro that reminds me of early Tangerine Dream and evolves into the kind of zoned out, Krautrock-inspired excursion that the Fall would embark upon at least one or twice per album. There’s still plenty of pop, though, with tracks like “Molasses” and “Carlisle” bringing memorable melodies to the table. While I liked the more tightly wound aesthetic of the 7”s, if you’re into taking a longer journey with the Shifters you’ll enjoy Have a Cunning Plan.

Marbled Eye: Leisure 12” (Digital Regress) Debut full-length from this Oakland band, and I think it's a step up from their already great earlier material. While Leisure is full of memorable parts, where Marbled Eye excels is in their ability to ride a groove, building it up, bringing it down, and exploring every part with a Neu!-esque sense of musical curiosity. The angular riffing and inventive interplay between the instruments (particularly the bass and two guitars) remind me of Institute, but where Institute roll around in the gutter, Marbled Eye seem to glide above it weightlessly. Like a lot of motorik classics, it can seem repetitive until you realize that repetition is the point, that it gives the listener freedom to follow whichever melodic or rhythmic line you choose without fear you’ll miss out on some particular, fleeting moment. I can’t think of another recent record that so perfectly nails this style of meditative, zone-out post-punk.

Various: Nihon No Wave 2x12” (Mecanica) Exquisitely packaged compilation of vintage Japanese no wave, post-punk, and experimental music from the late 70s and early 80s. If you’ve been following the Bitter Lake reissue label, you’ll recognize names like C. Memi, Neo Matisse, and Dendo Marionette, but even if you’re familiar with this obscure, under-documented scene you’ll undoubtedly hear something that’s new to you. When I hear the term “no wave” I think of New York bands like the Contortions, DNA, or Theoretical Girls, who made rambunctious music with an unschooled vibe. I imagine these bands liked the unconventional skronk of free jazz and did their best to approximate it with their (often limited) musical vocabulary and rock-inspired drum-bass-guitar-vocal setups. However, the bands on Nihon No Wave are sleek, minimal, and futuristic. While I don’t know for certain, it sounds like they were listening to more European experimental music—particularly spacey, synth-focused Krautrock bands like Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh—than the New York no wave groups. Consequently, what emerges here often sounds like a more avant garde version of the minimal synth scene happening in the UK, Italy, and other locales in the wake of punk. As long as you know that going in you’ll find a wealth of beautiful new music here, and the hand-stitched outer sleeve and beautiful graphic design will ensure that you’ll want to keep it around if only to look at how beautiful it is. 

Landline: S/T 12” (Digital Regress) Debut release from this new project featuring members of Wonder Bread and Toyota. While Landline shares characteristics with the recent crop of drum machine punk bands, to my ears Landline is on another level. Most of those bands have a rough and unschooled quality, but Landline make sophisticated pop music. Their songs are a lot more complex, with a sense of forward movement and rising and falling action to them, and this LP also sounds a lot better than most releases in a similar vein, with both stronger fidelity and a more professional, even-handed mix. Thus, when describing them I want to reach for comparisons to professional pop acts like Gary Numan or Missing Persons. Still, if you’re into bands like BB Eye this sounds like a more polished, professional take on that sound. With 12 songs the LP is longer than I’m used to for this style of music (where a slacker ethos is the norm), so the tracks that stand out are the ones where the group takes a different approach. The most memorable of these is “Stop It,” a slower, darkwave-type song that reminds me of something that might have appeared on a later Siouxsie & the Banshees album like Hyaena or even a slower, more meditative Boy Harsher song. As I noted, though, this moment merely stands out in an album packed with great songs. It wouldn't surprise me to see Landline move on to bigger and better things from here, so pick this up and get in on the ground floor.

IV: S/T 7” (Total Punk) Debut release from this band out of Minneapolis featuring members of Joust, Citric Dummies, and Color TV. I listened to this 7” before I knew they were from Minneapolis, and after that first listen I would have bet money they were from Atlanta. Not only do they have that fast, Dave Rahn-style drumming that every Atlanta bands seems to have, but also their way of writing a dark, haunting garage-punk song is very similar to Predator or Näg. Like the Atlanta bands there’s an unpretentious quality to this. It doesn’t scream “we are redefining music,” but rather offers four more high-quality garage-punk tunes to the earth’s musical stores. Consequently, if you’re not into the style, you’re probably fine skipping this one over, but if you can’t get enough of that sound you’ll get plenty of spins out of this.

Ammo: demo cassette (Headcount) Demo cassette from this New York / New Jersey combo and it’s one of the most authentically raging NYHC homages I’ve ever heard. Antidote, early Agnostic Front and the Abused are the obvious reference points, and while most bands that go for this style sound too modern and tame, Ammo sound as raw and wild as the classics. While the sound quality is “bad” by conventional standards, the energy is there, and either Ammo got very lucky or they realize that’s what separates a memorable hardcore record from a forgettable one. Another thing that Ammo gets right that so many other bands get wrong is their combination of musical sophistication and don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. The playing is loose and there’s the occasional choice that strikes me as unconventional, like the lengthy guitar solo on the first track, “Nausea Nightmare,” that stands out even more because there isn’t a rhythm guitar track underneath it. But on the other hand Ammo can be quite musical, with tempo changes and tricky transitions that are way harder to pull off than they seem, much like the tracks on United Blood. The vocals also follow this pattern. PJ, Night Birds’ guitarist, is Ammo’s singer, and his musical ability shows through in the inventive vocal patterns he composes. But on the other hand his actual performance is fucking unhinged, like a prolonged convulsive fit that’s always just on the verge of losing its tether to the music. This is the real deal. Ammo haven’t just reenacted New York hardcore on this tape; they’ve embodied it.

Rubble: S/T 12” (Distort Reality) Much anticipated debut 12” from this Portland punk band. Their previous single on Distort Reality was one of my favorites of 2017 and I was eager to see if they could keep the magic going on a big slab of vinyl. Well, I think they have! That last single hinted that Rubble are more than your typical UK82 homage, and the 12” confirms it. The style here ranges from amped-up pogo punk a la Sad Boys to bruising, Partisans-esque UK82 to anthemic oi! to dark, atmospheric anarcho punk. Rubble excel at all of these styles (particularly the fast UK82 stuff… “Blue Lives” and “U.N.I.C.O.R.” are up there with Savageheads for top-notch Partisans worship), but it’s the weirder and/or more melodic parts I love the most. If you liked “Gaslighting” from the previous 7”, then “Eat the Rich” will be a highlight. “Missing Stair” (my favorite track) shows that the guitarist can throw out leads just as catchy as any of the vocal melodies, and the haunting, anarcho-style spoken-word breakdown is a great way to end the side. Like I said, the more mid-paced and melodic tracks are my favorite, but Rubble’s strong sense of song craft and arrangement are on point throughout. Rubble have a new bass player on this record, and his nimble playing is one of the record’s highlights. I also want to mention the lyrics, which are very strong. They’re blunt, avoiding metaphor and tackling contemporary topics like abusers in the scene, “blue lives matter,” and wealth inequality. That might sound like a list of trending Twitter topics, but Rubble’s lyrics neither toe the punk party line nor parrot information from other media. The lyrics strike me as one person’s honest, impassioned response to what’s happening in the world right now. Indeed, Rubble is a punk band for right now, and while they’re steeped in the past they don’t seem interested in rehashing it. 

Zymotic: 8 Tracks cassette (Desolate) Demo cassette from this new band out of Montreal. This is raw, with a biting, Disclose-esque guitar sound that dominates the mix. However, Zymotic’s playing and songwriting remind me more of Framtid’s hard driving sound, with meaty, metallic riffs and a drummer who plays deep in the pocket. The production style of crasher crust can serve as a crutch for weak bands to hide behind, but that’s not the case here. Even with a crummy drum sound you can hear how burly this band is. I’m sure this tape will still turn plenty of heads, but I’m curious to hear what they sound like with a bigger, clearer sound.

Geisterfahrer: Sehr Entgegenkommend 12" (Bandscheiben) Archival release from this German band. They recorded these tracks as a demo in 1979, and (according to Discogs), made 3-5 copies for radio stations and record labels. Geisterfahrer are a long-running band with several full-length records and releases well into the 00s, but this is the first I’m hearing them so I can’t comment on how this release fits into their larger discography. What I can tell you is that, broadly speaking, the style of this recording is minimal, experimental punk that reminds me of Métal Urbain. While Geisterfahrer had four members, they did not have a full-time live drummer, and on most tracks they generate electronic rhythms with primitive synths and drum machines (some very cheesy and dated-sounding, a la the Fall’s "The Man Whose Head Expanded"). They fill out the lineup with a few layers of synthesizers and vocals, augmented with undistorted guitar, some live drums, and on the memorable Velvet Underground homage "Öl Auf Der Strasse," an additional vocalist with a Nico-esque baritone. The vibe is very art school, which will turn off some people, but if you like minimal, experimental groups from the late 70s you’ll enjoy this, particularly since there’s quite a lot of music here. Also note that this record plays backward, from the center out. Don’t be an idiot like me and spend 10 minutes trying to figure out what’s wrong with your turntable. 

Hyäne: Demontage Und Zerfall 12" (Static Age Musik) After an earlier 7”, here’s the debut 12” from Germany’s Hyäne. Stylistically, I’d put Hyäne in that fuzzy place between goth and punk: are they a goth-y punk band, or are they a punk-y goth band? It’s hard to say, but if you split the difference between Warsaw / early Joy Division and Crisis, you’re in the ballpark. To my ears, the band’s biggest strength is their guitarist, who packs this record with a wealth of memorable lead riffs, like on my favorite track, the Crisis-esque “Regress/Exzess.” The vocals sit back far in the mix, so the most exciting parts of the record are when Hyäne deviates from their normal approach, like on the intro to “Aquarium,” which substitutes a synth for the normal bass track and hints at something a little fresher and more exciting than the typical punk band setup. Like I said, those catchy lead guitar riffs are the main attraction, and if you’re a fan of Colin from Davidians / Voight-Kampf’s playing (which sounds similar) you’ll enjoy this a lot.

Mülltüte: S/T (2nd) 12” (self-released) Second 12” from this cryptic German band who has, since the early 2010s, self-released several records with similar covers, each of which features a background texture, an insect, and the band’s name hand-stamped in a different color. We’ve loved them all here at Sorry State, and this one is no different. In fact, it might be the best of the bunch, as it finds the band bringing in a few guest musicians and expanding their sound. Basically, Mülltüte work in two modes here. About half of the record is raging, stripped-down hardcore. They’ve always reminded me of Denmark’s Amdi Petersen’s Armé, and that remains the case here, so if you like that brand of meat and potatoes those tracks will hit their mark for you. The performances are tight and the production is clear and warm without sounding self-consciously retro. However, there’s another side of Mülltüte where they trade blistering fast hardcore for that sped-up garage-punk beat you know from the Carbonas and other Atlanta punk bands. While the cymbals are still pinging at record speed, this beat opens the sound up and allows room for more experimentation, which Mülltüte takes full advantage of here. Like Lost Sounds or Predator, there’s an ominous quality to these tracks, with a paranoid buzz enveloping the punk band at the core. Throw in a few wacky no wave-type rhythms here and there for some extra spice and you have a very distinctive sound. The record is short and jam-packed with ideas, so it’ll take a few listens for your ears to make sense of it, but I’m finding the process of untangling that knot to be very enjoyable.

Chiller: S/T 7” (self-released) Debut 7” from this band out of Pittsburgh, who I am assuming are unrelated to the Canadian band Chiller that recently released an LP on Dirt Cult Records. In case you couldn’t tell from the stark artwork, this is a straight up hardcore record with 6 bruising tracks, a loose and rough playing style, and warm, organic production that sounds like they could have done it on a vintage 4-track. The 3 songs on the a-side appear in order of tempo, starting with the slowest and getting faster over the course of the side. The lead track’s bouncy rhythm might remind you of S.H.I.T., but once the singer pipes up I can’t stop thinking of Fucked Up, as the vocalist reminds me of Damian and the catchy, mid-paced hardcore with slight oi! edge isn’t too far away from Fucked Up’s early singles. The second track turns up the Poison Idea knob while the third track is so fast that it reminds me of Heresy. The b-side continues in a similar vein, starting with a catchy, mid-paced track and gradually ratcheting the tempo to hyper-speed. The music is good, but what cements the experience is the self-released, homemade vibe, which gives the impression that Chiller is just expressing themselves rather than trying to engineer something to the scene’s tastes.

Dumb Punts: The Big One 12” (Pissfart) Debut LP from this band out of Melbourne, Australia. One thing I like about contemporary Australian punk is that a lot of it seems to exist outside the scene dynamics that keep comparable American groups boxed into their respective subgenres. At least in my experience, there’s a strong separation between punk and indie rock in the current US scene, and bands tend to fall on one side of that line or the other. Indie bands focus on melody and rarely sound tough or powerful while many punk rock groups fear letting melody into their sound at all. However, a band like Dumb Punts can sound breathy and gentle one second (like the beginning of “Heating Up”) and like a bunch of heavy-handed, drunken oafs the next. They remind me of their countrymen Deaf Wish in that their sound pulls from 80s American indie/college rock, muscular Australian garage (think Cosmic Psychos), and the best 70s pub rock (Slaughter & the Dogs, the Stranglers) in equal measure. Those influences don’t sound like they’d be compatible on paper, but they work here, and keep The Big One sounding fresh and exciting from track to track. It’s a shame that the one-two punch of an unfavorable exchange rate and high postage costs makes this LP an expensive proposition for Americans, but if you’re following the latest and greatest from down under you’re already used to that.

Midnite: Snaxxx: Let Me Do What I Want 7” (Bachelor) Sorry State has been recommending that you buy Midnite Snaxxx records as long as the band has been putting them out, and this latest single won't break that streak. The a-side, “Let Me Do What I Want,” will scratch your itch for more Midnite Snaxxx material with its Ramones-inspired chord changes and memorable vocal melody. However, the b-side is the real gem here, taking the Snaxxx’s sound further into power-pop territory than they’ve been since their “A Guy Like That” single. With a more melodic chord progression, killer guitar leads that recall power-pop greats like Paul Collins or Elvis Costello, and an earworm chorus, “Faded Pictures” is a gem. I love the band’s more Ramones-based material, but since those songs comprise the biggest part of their catalog, it makes the more melodic moments like “Faded Pictures” stand out even more. Like most great singles it’s shorter than you want it to be, but Midnite Snaxxx are so great I’ll gladly chase down every second of music they release.

Stimulators: Loud Fast Rules 7” (Frontier) Much-needed reissue of this NYC punk gem from 1980. I remember wondering about Loud Fast Rules for years because Jack Rabid wrote about the Stimulators so much in The Big Takeover, but for a long time this was a record that was difficult to hear. Like the Bad Brains (with whom the Stimulators played often), the Stimulators had a cassette on ROIR that later got reissued on vinyl, but I always heard this single was where the action was at. The dodgy vinyl rips I could find online did not confirm that fact, but this well-done official reissue seems to capture the record’s charms much better. Hearing it now, the record sounds more Anglophilic than most any US punk that springs to mind, particularly in 1980. One thing that makes this record sound so British is that, on the one hand, it’s nakedly commercial (“Loud Fast Rules!” is about as straightforward as a pop song gets), but it’s also raw and handmade. It reminds me of Good Vibrations Records bands like the Outcasts and Protex, bands that tried to make pop music, but were limited by the materials at hand and their still-developing skill sets. Even though a 13-year-old Harley Flanagan plays drums (and appears on the cover), there’s nothing hardcore about this record. The bonus track is good, but the liner notes (from Henry Rollins and Jack Rabid) aren’t especially informative and the bubblegum pink vinyl feels a little cheesy. However, I’m happy to have this one in my collection despite those minor quibbles.

Judy & the Jerks: Roll on Summer Holidays cassette (Earth Girl) Latest cassette from this band out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. With a pile of cassette releases (no vinyl to date!) and hailing from a town few people have ever heard of, Judy & the Jerks aren’t on the path to worldwide fame, but you should check them out because they are so fucking great. That’s particularly true if you’re a fan of Warm Bodies, because Judy & the Jerks remind me of them in a few different respects: 1. they’re great players 2. their frontpeople have similar vocal styles and ranges and 3. they’re a hardcore band that plays with the flexibility and inventiveness of a seasoned jazz group… or maybe vice versa? Actually, Judy & the Jerks are definitely a hardcore band, a fact they signal both in their own songs (even the least straightforward track here, “Goblin Reprise,” has some blistering Angry Samoans-style fast parts) and their choice of covers (Gorilla Biscuits on this one, but they’ve also covered Negative Approach and Floorpunch (!!!) on past releases). I love the energy and power of hardcore, but I get frustrated by bands that let the genre’s unwritten rules paint them into a corner. I have shelves full of hardcore records and I don’t need another one that sounds just like a bunch of records I’ve already heard. Judy & the Jerks don’t sound like anyone, and it’s exciting to listen to them because they sound free… even if you know there will be plenty of ripping fast punk on their releases, you have no idea what the next track will sound like. If you’re in a similar position, i.e. you love classic punk and hardcore but you expect new bands to add something to the conversation rather than just reciting the same script, check this band out.

Public Acid: Easy Weapons 12” (self-released) Debut 12” from this North Carolina band, combining blistering 80s hardcore with the chaotic sounds of wild Japanese punk and a tinge of primitive black metal. While Easy Weapons is Public Acid’s debut release, the lineup’s core has been together for well over 5 years, with several releases under the name Holder’s Scar (including one titled Public Acid). I’m glad they changed the name, first because Public Acid is a great name and second because with Easy Weapons they’ve found their own sound and figured out how to execute it. Like the later Holder’s Scar stuff, Public Acid has a lot of in-the-pocket mid-paced parts that make me think of Glue, but on Easy Weapons they balance them with fast parts that sound wild and out of control. The guitar sound and the intricacy of the riffing make me think of G.I.S.M., but Public Acid is heavier and more brutal, even recalling primitive first-wave black metal records like the debut EPs from Sodom or Sarcofago. They anchor the sound with straightforward, muscular drumming a la Poison Idea’s Record Collectors EP. Like that record, Easy Weapons seems to pull in two different directions, the rhythm section’s mechanistic power contrasting with the wild nihilism of the guitars and vocals. I always like when great hardcore bands get weird, and my favorite moments on this record are the ones that feel the most “out there,” like the noisy, Randy Uchida-esque guitar solo on “Incapacitate” (my favorite track) or the subtle tape loops during the closing “1000 Insane.” The beautiful, hand-screened jackets (designed and printed by Thomas Sara) make this feel like a cult Japanese hardcore record from the 80s, which perfectly matches the music’s vibe. Far more than just a standout record from a strong local scene, Easy Weapons matches the power of recent releases by top-shelf hardcore bands like Impalers, Glue, and Concealed Blade, so if you follow those bands you should snatch this up before its 300-copy self-released pressing disappears.