Hello and welcome to another edition of the Sorry State Records newsletter! I’m pretty sure I was exhausted last week and hoping things would get better this week, but they haven’t. I’m still working my butt off for y’all. Fortunately, this week we got on top of our massive queue of online orders to fill. Most of you expect your order from Sorry State to ship within a day or so, but with the rush of orders we’ve gotten that turned into four or five days for a while . We’re caught up for now, but I’m sure a lot of you will grab Record Store Day exclusive releases from us when they go online Sunday morning (see below for more info on that). Don’t worry though, we’re ready for you this time!

Straw Man Army: SOS 12” (D4MT Labs) I love so much music that I rarely have a definitive album of the year, but Straw Man Army’s first LP, Age of Exile, was that for 2020. That album sounded so fresh, its impact intensified by landing during one of the scariest parts of the pandemic, when everything suddenly seemed so real and terrifying. Punk has such a long, complex, and exciting history and many of us are so immersed in it that contemporary bands can seem strangled by context. Maybe it’s the way the bands present themselves or maybe it’s just the way I listen to them, but thinking too much about how a band fits into punk’s history or where their allegiances lie within today’s complex scene politics can get in the way of actual communication, of an artist sending an important idea to their listeners through this potentially magical medium. Somehow Straw Man Army got around all that on Age of Exile, making music that sounded important and relevant, like someone whispering something into your ear that you know is going to change your life forever. And they keep that magic going on their second album, SOS. Things are a little different this time, though. We know Straw Man Army a little better (we also got the Her Majesty’s Ship OST in 2021, which showed the band at their most daring and experimental), and they reveal even more sides of themselves on SOS, most potently on the climactic track “Beware,” which finds their urgent and confrontational anarcho punk drifting toward gentle and melodic pop. Their lyrics feel as real and as important as ever too, a portrait of a planet and a species in turmoil, unable to push back against their histories’ relentless momentum. This is why we’re here folks, for records like this.

We teased our latest release last week. Now it’s time for the full reveal! Lukko is up for sale on our site right now and streaming on our Bandcamp page. Gitchu some!

Sorry State is proud to present a US pressing of Lukko, the debut cassette from Joensuu, Finland’s Valtatyhjiö, who caught our ear here at Sorry State with their wild and original sound. While Valtatyhjiö’s vocals have the trademark snarl we love to hear in Finnish hardcore, their songs (on the first three tracks, at least) are rooted in Swedish mängel, with insanely fast tempos and a wild, careening sense of rhythm that makes their take on this classic sound truly exciting. The drumming, however, might be the star of the show. Double bass drumming is taboo in many hardcore circles, but Valtatyhjiö proves it can work, integrating crazy, Dave Lombardo-style kick drum rolls into a frantic explosion of hardcore percussion whose only point of reference might be Jerry’s Kids’ Is This My World?. After three tracks with the pedal to the floor, Valtatyhjiö close out Lukko with “Pahat hahmot,” an anthemic mid-paced track that wouldn’t be out of place on a classic record by Kaaos or Lama.

This edition is 150 professionally duplicated cassettes with pro-printed j-cards and paper labels.

This Saturday is Record Store Day! We’ve always participated in Record Store Day here at Sorry State and we’re glad to do so again this year. Record Store Day can have a bad reputation among the hardcore record nerds we love the most, but there are always some cool releases. Case in point, see below for what some of SSR’s staff is buying this year.

Click here for more info on Record Store Day 2022 at Sorry State and a full list of items we’ll be carrying. If you’re in the Raleigh area, we open at noon on Saturday. Our remaining stock of Record Store Day exclusive releases will go online at 8AM Eastern US time on Sunday morning. If you want to be extra prepared, bookmark this page, where the vinyl you covet will appear at the appointed time.

I always end up taking home a big stack of vinyl on Record Store Day, and this one is no different. Here’s what I’m buying this year: the Speed, Glue, & Shinki LP (my second favorite 70s Japanese rock LP... this will replace my gray market bootleg-y copy), the first official vinyl release for Wire’s EMI demos, and Voivod’s hard to find 6th LP Angel Rat.

While I most likely won’t be lining up to secure my copy of the Taylor Swift 7”, there always ends up being some release for Record Store Day that makes me go “Ooooh I want that!” For RSD 2022, I had to look no further than the Ramones: The Sire Albums 1981-1989 box set. I’m not a Ramones apologist per se, but I am one of those people that thinks that there is no bad Ramones album. Even with the later 80s records having cheesy production and tons of gated reverb on the drums, there are always at least a few excellent tracks on each record. The band’s albums from this era are also difficult to find nowadays! For my money, Animal Boy from 1986 in particular is an unsung gem with bangers like “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg,” and also tracks where the Ramones crank the tempo and dip their toes into a bit of 80s hardcore influence. I even have a soft spot for tracks like “Pet Semetary” off of 1989’s Brain Drain. There’s also a bonus 12” with B-sides and rarities! Do yourself a favor and cough up the dough for this badass collection of LPs!

Brian Bennett: Voyage (A Journey Into Discoid Funk). LP⁠

For those music lovers and record collectors of a certain age, the name Brian Bennett may be familiar. He was the drummer in The Shadows, the UK group who backed singer Cliff Richard in the early sixties. During the late sixties and seventies, he worked tirelessly as a session musician and appears on countless music library albums for labels such as KPM, Bruton and Themes. In addition, he released records under his own name, Voyage being one that came out in 1978 on the DJM label. Juicy, funky, spacey music of the highest order. DJ’s and hip-hop producers have made this a sought-after gem and rightfully so. Sports an awesome spaceship cover too.⁠

Johnny Marr: Spirit, Power & Soul (Vince Clarke Remix). 12” ⁠

The coolest man on the planet doesn’t need any introductions. This RSD release takes two tracks from his most recent album Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4. Spirit, Power & Soul has been given a remix by Vince Clarke, another name that should be familiar to 80s music fans. Raleigh missed out on seeing Johnny play here on his last tour due to band member visa troubles, which was a bummer, but he is touring here in the US this coming autumn. Witnessing him play a guitar in person is one of life’s great delights and I highly recommend it. Having his records in your collection, also highly recommended.⁠

Next up for featured items for Record Store Day at Sorry State is The Uneventful Vacation by Commander Venus. To commemorate its 25th anniversary, this is the first time the vinyl has been reissued! If you don’t know this already, the rather short-lived band included Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Tim Kasher (Cursive), and Todd Fink and Matt Bowen (The Faint). I guess you could, retrospectively, call Commander Venus an indie supergroup. If you’re a Bright Eyes fan in particular, it’s a must have.

I was a big fan of Spread Joy’s first album for Feel It Records, and this week we’ve launched a pre-order for their second album. I gotta say, having heard the whole thing, II is even better than Spread Joy’s first. We have both coke bottle clear and black vinyl options available on the Sorry State site, and hopefully these will ship well before the official release date of May 13, 2022.

Spread Joy may as well be their own musical genre. An immediate flavor and mercurial ‘Qu’est-ce que c’est?’ begin their second album with the 45 second opener “Ow”. Coincidentally, the album spins at 45, just like Spread Joy’s self-titled 2021 debut. The Chicago group came out of nowhere, mid-pandemic, with a stunning ten track LP on Feel It. Returning to the warm analog environment at Jamdek Recording Co., Spread Joy have truly honed their craft across these 17 minutes and 17 seconds. This is the kind of punk-forward music that is made to be heard and felt, far from the distorted mirror of the web. A group living free, moving at their own speed, and making music that will be remembered - that’s Spread Joy, folks!

Speaking of upcoming Sorry State releases, the vinyl just showed up for Sorry State’s next three LP releases! We’re still waiting for the print so these won’t be for sale for a minute, but look forward to new releases from Invalid, Hüstler, and Woodstock 99! As you can see, we made limited color versions of each and they make a nice set.

It’s a Peel Sessions matchup on this week’s edition of Hardcore Knockouts. I’ve been on a bit of an E.N.T. kick, yet I have to admit I’ve never listened to their Peel Sessions, so I had to abstain from this one. Doom’s Peel Sessions slap though, no question. Speaking of which, we still have copies of Doom’s Peel Sessions LP in stock!

Cast your vote in the next edition of Hardcore Knockouts on our Instagram stories next Tuesday!

My pick from Sorry State’s Discogs listings this week is the Petroleum Man 7” by Civic Progress. While Civic Progress doesn’t get the attention of Government Warning or Career Suicide, for me they were one of the strongest bands of what we call the “No Way era” around here. CP vocalist Scott Plant, of course, has gone on to projects like Broken Prayer, Droid’s Blood, and now solo recordings under his own name. This copy of Petroleum Man is super cheap even though it comes with a limited sleeve numbered out of 100 copies.

Remember, you can always combine your order from Sorry State’s Discogs site with your order from our webstore and save on shipping!

1. Straw Man Army: SOS 12” (D4MT Labs)
2. Rutto: Ilmastoitu Painajainen 7” (Final Doomsday Records)
3. Rutto: Ei Paluuta 7” (Final Doomsday Records)
4. Peace de Résistance: Bits and Pieces 12” (Peace de Records)
5. White Stains: Blood on the Beach 7” (Neon Taste Records)
6. Invertebrates: demo cassette (Sorry State Records)
7. Varaus: Tuomittu Elämään 7” (Larmattacke Records)
8. Erupt: Left to Rot 7” (Static Shock Records)
9. Torso: Sono Pronto A Morire 12” (Sorry State Records)
10. Klonns: Crow 7” (Iron Lung Records)

Here are the top 10 seller at Sorry State for the past 30 days! Not a bad one in the bunch. Congrats to all of you on your good taste.

We have two new ones on the almighty Total Punk Records this week, including the new LP from the Retail Simps and the new Inkstains Across Atlanta compilation featuring a bunch of Total Punk singles from Atlanta bands along with some cool bonus material. We also restocked recent Total Punk releases from Predator and Smirk, so grab those if you missed them the first time.

Years ago, we carried an interesting demo of out there hardcore from Canada’s Surveillance (amazingly, we still have copies in stock!), and now they’re back with a cassette album full of wild sounds.

One of the Melvins’ most loved records, their Eggnog EP, has been reissued as a 12” on Boner Records (the original was a 10”), and we have it in stock now.

In case you missed Jeff’s staff pick above, we also have the Various: Back Up: Mexican Tecno Pop 1980-1989 12” compilation on Dark Entries Records.