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What’s up Sorry Staters?
Yet another week has breezed right past me. What even happened? Oh, I guess I went to Hopscotch here in Raleigh this past weekend. I was lucky that Daniel got hooked up with a few extra wristbands for the festival. So, I thought, why would I not go see Dinosaur Jr. for free? I thought they sounded really great. J Mascis at one point at the end of their set said, “Anything you guys want us to play?” I yelled out, “Lou’s Anxiety Song!” I don’t think they thought it was very funny haha. For some reason, I also went to see Cro-Mags at Slim’s, a tiny little dive bar here in Raleigh. Paranoid Maniac totally RIPPED, and besides that, I don’t really have much positive to say about my experience that night.
In other news, we have announced the finalized lineup for the Sorry State 10th Anniversary Weekend! As well as all the venues where the 4 shows will take place. I’m so excited. By the time this newsletter goes out, I’m pretty sure the pre-sale tickets for individual shows will be up for sale on our webstore. GET YOUR TICKETS NOW. It’s a no-brainer. Let’s rage.
Alright, staff pick time. So, we just got in a stack of these Tiikeri 7”s. How appropriate that I decided to wear the one pale yellow shirt I own when talking about this pale yellow 7” sleeve. As some of you know, I first discovered Tiikeri with their LP Punk Rock Pamaus!!! that came out earlier this year. I already wrote about them in my staff pick from a few months ago. But am I gonna talk about them again? OF COURSE. Sorry, not sorry. This 3-song single originally came out in 2021 and was self-released by the band. But thankfully, the always impeccable Tom over at General Speech just released a beautiful reissue. Aaaand… he’s already sold out too! But Sorry State still has copies! I guess it just goes to show you, there’s something about Tiikeri that’s connecting with all of us punks out there. What can I say, dude? This band is just too infectious. Maybe it’s because we’re all living in a world that happens to be in a particularly bleak state of affairs, and instead of having a stark black & white cover and just being “heavy”, a light-hearted, melodic, and (dare I say?) “fun” punk record coming out is a well-deserved breath of fresh air.
I’m pretty sure all 3 of the songs on this 7” are also on the LP from a few months back. But again, this single first came out in 2021 and I’m almost certain it’s a different recording session. And even though I love the LP, I think I prefer the sound of this single. Even as bubblegum poppy as the songwriting is, the sound is just a bit more raw and gritty. The title track “Punk On Rakkaus” which means “punk is love” (aaaww) is the A-side—and when I say this is a “single,” you should see this thing! On the A-side, the actual grooves for the song are so small, and there’s so much dead wax after the track ends that it’s comical. Almost like they took those LA punk 12” singles I always joke about, and then shrunk it down to miniature size. It’s awesome. Tiikeri’s music, to my ears and as described by General Speech, is like a love letter to late 70s Finnish KBD-style punk and classic punk in general. I feel like Tiikeri’s connecting with that idea resonated with me more after experiencing the band’s presentation on the 7” format. The sleeve is a folded in such a way that instantly reminds of me of old Finnish punk EPs that I’ve literally held in my hands. The band has such a strength for replicating a vintage punk feeling with authenticity.
Okay, but now we’ve gotta talk about the artwork. I can’t help it. As a record nerd, the packaging grabs my attention. On the original pressing, it looks like the band hand-drew the layout for center labels over blank white labels. It’s a big-hole 7”, and Tom took that design and beautifully replicated the hand-drawn aesthetic as a printed label. It looks so great. The word “tiikeri” in Finnish translates to “tiger” in English. And they have a fuckin’ mascot. A little cartoon punk tiger with a studded bracelet. I mean “punk is love”? The layout is smattered with anarchy “A’s” inside of hearts. This record also includes a 16-page booklet, and every page is loaded with goofy and rad cut’n’paste/photocopy eye candy. There’s this one page inside the booklet that’s like a game: There’s a crude drawing of Sid Vicious in his underwear, and there’s and outfit that’s made to look like it’s taped to the page, but you can cut out the clothes and dress him. Let’s see, what else? We’ve got cartoon mice with safety pins through their ears, politicians with vampire fangs, punk crossword puzzles… I really wish I could read Finnish, because so much of the content of the booklet is handwritten text. Maybe I’ll venture to translate it one day. The advertisement for this record on the promo poster says “do you suffer from pogo-less leg syndrome?”, implying that this record will be the remedy you need. I mean, these Finnish dudes are just having a laugh really. And yet, you get this feeling that it’s also a labor of love—so where does the joke end and the passion project begin? It’s a fine line.
Punk is love, baby. Get you some Tiikeri in your life. It’ll brighten your day, I’m sure of it.
Is that all I’ve got? I guess so. As always, thanks for reading.
‘Til next week,
-Jeff