Featured Releases: March 18, 2024

Dente Canino: demo cassette (Roachleg Records) Roachleg Records offers no clues as to the whereabouts or membership of this new group on their demo release. Like almost everything on Roachleg, it has a raw and blown-out recording, but Dente Canino’s songs don’t fit easily in one lane. Some parts lean into a Wretched-esque chaotic delivery, which makes sense as the lyrics are in Italian, but the metallic yet subtly melodic riffing style also reminds me of Final Conflict. That’s a tough line to walk—making your songs sound chaotic and crazy, but coherent enough that the hooks shine through—but the fact that Dente Canino can unite those two poles gives them a unique sound. I also hear similarities to neo-Italian hardcore bands like Psico Galera and Idiota Civilizatto, and if you like those bands, this is a no-brainer.

Andy Place and The Coolheads: Feels Like A Dream 7" (Black Water Records) Black Water Records brings us a new three-song single from this Portland garage-punk band. While there’s plenty of poppy stuff in Black Water’s discography, the a-side here, “Just Like a Dream,” feels like a long way from the hardcore and crust the label is better known for. I mean, it’s loud and brash, but it’s also earnest and pretty, with a kind of mushroom-afterglow affect that is the audio equivalent to film shot in golden light. I don’t listen to much music in the Ty Segall / neo-garage mold, but I’d be surprised if much of it is better than this track. Following up that monster song, “Contrarian” is noisier and punkier, with guitars pulling ahead of the vocals for a Damned / Adverts-inspired sound, and “Black Water Commercial” is just what it says on the tin. In and out, pop banger with two short stabs to follow it up, classic punk single style.

Putrid Boys: Tape #1 cassette (self-released) Fast, dark, and psychedelic hardcore from this Richmond band on their first tape, whose seven tracks (in eight minutes) could probably pass as an unheard United Mutation recording. The vocals are similar—a proto-death metal throaty gurgle—as is the way the music darts in unexpected directions. Putrid Boys also remind me of creepy 80s Japanese hardcore like the Execute, Zouo, Mobs, etc. The recording is warm and live, lo-fi in a way that helps you imagine this is a lost 80s artifact. As those comparisons might lead you to believe, it’s killer. It’s very limited too, so don’t sleep.

The Follies: Permanent Present Tense 12” (Feel It Records) There are members of a bunch of New York City punk bands in this new group the Follies, but even a cursory listen would have told me that Evan Radigan from Vanity was at the helm. The guy is a great songwriter with an instantly identifiable voice, and the Follies carry forward Vanity’s sound (on their later records) while putting their own spin on Evan’s tunes. The Stones-y swagger carries over from Vanity, but the Follies also have these really incredible neoclassical lead guitars wailing all the time, which makes it sound like Television in places. The songs sound of a piece, but varied in tempo, groove, key, etc., the mark of songwriters and players with a strong sense of their own voice. There is also a co-vocalist who provides great backups throughout and takes the lead on “Bad Habits,” a country-tinged rocker that makes me feel like the Follies are going for a Fleetwood Mac dynamic. I imagine there were plenty of people in the 70s yelling about how the Flamin’ Groovies and the Nerves were a million times better than the Knack or the Romantics, and in 2024 those same people should be up in arms that the Follies starve while the Strokes lounge atop piles of cash.

Consensus Madness: 2023 demo cassette (Open Palm Tapes) New 6-song cassette, following up this Chicago band’s previous 7” on Iron Lung Records. If you didn’t catch the earlier EP (lucky for you it’s still in stock), Consensus Madness plays fast, jittery punk in the Dangerhouse school, not so much the Avengers’ Pistols-isms, but the slightly angular, punk-on-the-edge-of-hardcore vibe of the Dils, the Eyes, and the Bags. The drummer’s manic 16th notes keep you pogoing, and the songs are well written, with compelling riffs that build toward exciting climaxes. I love the way “Spooky” develops, for instance, milking its excellent main riff just long enough before segueing into a series of dramatic crescendos. The lyrics are excellent too, continuing the first EP’s M.O. of examining the absurdities and ironies of contemporary (middle-aged? middle-class?) American existence.

Die Öwan: Öwannibalism 12” (General Speech Records) Much like the Deef reissues General Speech released at the same time, these two LPs compile little-heard material from an obscure but vital-sounding early Japanese punk band. I encourage you to read General Speech’s blurb for its excellent contextualization, which is full of wow moments and connections. As for what I hear in the music, as Tom from General Speech writes, it’s “sonically punk at its core” in that it’s upbeat, hooky, and raw. There’s also a healthy experimental streak, with primitive drum machines pushed to their limits and the occasional dada-ist gesture like the ringing phone that interrupts the music periodically. There’s also an interesting attitude toward appropriation, with a handful of covers (or are they?) that loosely interpret classic tunes from the UK ’77 songbook. Öwannibalism reminds me of contemporary egg punk too… it’s homemade quality; an appreciation of Ralph Records-style absurdity; the jittery drum machine rhythms; big melodies delivered through a haze of distortion. My wife left the room when I was playing this the other night, telling me it was “obnoxious,” but this presses so many of my nerd buttons I can’t help but love it.