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Another week, another pick! This week’s pick will definitely have to be The Mall’s Time Vehicle Earth. I picked this record up and played it when we got it in based solely on the artwork by Indonesian artist Ibayarifin alone. The art depicts a vast, dystopian future and what looks to be time machines coming from or flying to this planet that one can only imagine from the music is open fields that go on for miles and miles.

At moments, you can close your eyes and imagine you are in a movie set in this futuristic timeline. The Mall’s music is dark, bass heavy and minimalist electronic music. On the title track, “Time Vehicle Earth,” you can tell this album would make for a perfect soundtrack for a dystopian nightmare fueled movie. Just add in some killer fight scenes with aliens or a car chase like in Mad Max and this would track would fit perfectly.

With tracks like “Nostalgia,” you can imagine that you are in a dark and grimy Berlin nightclub. Every one in the club dancing, drenched in sweat and pounding their fist in the air to the beat. This is by far my favorite track in the album. The hard thumping bass is reminiscent of hard techno in Europe and those influences really show through in this track.

My relation and love of dance music comes from when I was first introduced to it in my years living in Greenville at its house show/underground music peak. There was house party or show almost every night of the week. One of my fondest memories of underground dance music would have to be at a very popular show/party house called the 9th Street House. This place had shows often. One in particular was when a guy named OCDJ performed. The dance floor (or if you lived there, the living room) was packed full of people dancing, drinking and having a great time. The floor was bowing in from the sheer amount of people and the constant state of it being wet from beer being spilled.

The music was so loud it felt like your brain was being rattled from the bass. People were just dancing and not giving a shit about anything or anyone around them. This is the freedom I felt through punk music and this was the same feeling I was getting through electronic music. This is when I really opened my mind to what punk really could be, and how expansive it could be.

If you want something different and really good check out this record. You will not be disappointed. Mark Plant’s work on this album is something special. It’s darkwave dance music with a punk rock ethos.

Another week, another record that I think kicks ass. Gel’s Only Constant is a punishing, angry and unforgiving record. The riffs and drumming are simple but effective and vocals are like a screeching car coming at you. I have been listening to this band since their self-titled demo came out. If you want stripped down fast and feisty, this album is for you! Favorite song - Dicey. Hardcore for the fucking freaks!

I love how we associate music to seasons or weather and how everyone’s option of what they listen to when it’s cold or hot really interests me. For me, I associate spring and summer with my teenage days playing in shitty bands with my friends and what we were listening to during that time. We would blast Screeching Weasel’s Boogadaboogadaboogada or whatever Fat Wreck or Epitaph Records band was popular that summer. Fall and winter bring out the more jazz and ambient side of me. I love playing a record like Brian Eno’s Music for Airports in the morning when it’s cold outside.

Thanks again for checking out my little blurb on this newsletter, until next week!

Hello fellow Sorry Staters! Just a quick introduction. My name is Danny and I am the new guy at Sorry State Records. Just a little bit about me: I have lived in eastern North Carolina most of my life and call Raleigh my home. I have a beautiful wife, Molly, two cats (Keeks and Chloe) and a new pug puppy named Prudence. I have played drums in a few bands when I was younger and I am learning guitar and bass. Enough about me, let’s get into what I have been listening to this past week!

I have quickly come to find out that working at a record store puts you in contact with so many bands that you would have otherwise never heard of. I have a few picks that caught my eye my first week at Sorry State. First, we have Canada’s Home Front—Games of Power. This record is a post punk listener’s wet dream. This record combines synth and post punk with some gang vocals, like on the track, “Nation,” which features The Chisel front man, Cal. Currently, you can catch Home Front on tour with the Chisel in the U.S.—Check them out!

Another band that I have started listening to this week is Prison Affair. Egg punk at its finest. This band is fast, catchy and most importantly you can shake your ass to it. I recommend jumping up and down while doing a spazzy robot while listening. Egg punk is a new genre for me and I am starting to consume all that I can in the genre.

Thanks for reading! Go outside and run in circles or play a board game inside! Who cares!