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La Vida Es Un Mus has two new pre-orders for us today, and as usual we have the hook-up on the limited color vinyl versions while supplies last. See below for all the details.
Pyrex / Traumatizer split 7” and Secrecy: Winter in A&E 12” on La Vida Es Un Mus up for pre-order
Pyrex / Traumatizer: Split 7" (Out November 5, 2026)
It’s not too often that punk bands from the US are able to capture the drama and urgency of European HC punk. There’s always been a certain bleakness that bands across the pond are able to tap into and channel through their music. Which brings us to the new split 7” from New York’s PYREX, who absolutely capture that feeling, and their Dutch counterparts, TRAUMATIZER. The two bands met at Izero Fest in 2025, stayed in touch, and the result is this record, and a forthcoming European tour together this November.
Pyrex are a unique band in their ability to capture the sound of anxiety and discomfort on record. Singer Joe Hardwick delivers his vocals like a claustrophobic person trapped in a coffin, pure GET ME OUTTA HERE energy. The Brooklyn power trio have spent the past several years relentlessly playing and touring outside of NYC, cultivating a loyal fanbase along the way.
Their sound falls somewhere between RUDIMENTARY PENI and TOŽIBABE, but run through a modern hardcore punk filter that gives it more speed and drive. Their side of this split perfectly captures the tightness and power of their live performance. A pummelling rhythm section sets them apart from a lot of the moodier punk bands operating in similar territory.
If you liked PYREX’s last output, you’ll surely enjoy the new material. At this point, they’ve found their sound and honed it to a fine point.
TRAUMATIZER are no-frills and straight to the point. They play raging d-beat with metallic leads that remind me a bit of Richmond’s PUBLIC ACID. It’s catchy and rockin’ like later CIMEX or POISON IDEA , but what really stands out are the vocals. They come blaring over the mix like a low-flying plane that makes you want to duck for cover. I can’t tell if this is a lazy comparison, but the shouted delivery immediately screams Health Hazard, which is a huge compliment coming from me.
Both bands approach this kind of dark, raw hardcore from different angles, but they make perfect sense together on a split. Pyrex sound more dialed-in than ever, and TRAUMATIZER have definitely put themselves on my radar. Watch the fuck out for TRAUMATIZER.
-Mike Hillerson
Secrecy: Winter in A&E 12” (out November 13, 2026)
Where other bands seem to be hellbent on pushing an energy of exhilaration, London’s premiere grief peddler’s SECRECY seem to be more interested in reminding us all what deep shit we are in. Their debut recorded outing captures the morbid and grandiose power of their successful string of London shows, refining the message to a promising and bewildering first release. Taking compositional cues from THE EXECUTE, SOUTHERN DEATH CULT, and THE CHAMELEONS, the room filling instrumentals carry a bleak and punishing prophecy of moral turmoil and hysteria, opting to drive the notion of post punk off a cliff through force of will alone. The sound is crisp and wide without giving up the austerity necessary to carry the prophetic sense of dire urgency in the vocals, driving and marching drums and bass lines carrying almost danceable guitar parts to climax. Soaring guitars over driving drums push the corpus to blistering movement, restrained by lyrics about fucking and dying, an Eros/Thanatos act delivered with a refreshing lack of irony or sarcasm. Lyrical influences from RIMBAUD and BAUDELAIRE abound, veering from the brink of poetry back down to primitive taunts and cries.
Produced and recorded by Ski and Rob Hammerén at Ray’s Studio, London
Mixed by Stanley Gravett at Holy Mountain, London
Mastered by Nik Kozub
Artwork and layout by Volodea Biri
Photography by James Burgess
Written and performed by Secrecy