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Hi Sorry State fam! How’s it going? Things are pretty tame on my end. Although I’m still suffering with air conditioning problems so I’m sweating my ass off! And I missed last week’s staff pick, so I’m a week behind in formally welcoming Danny to the Sorry State team. So a big welcome to Danny! And with that, it’s time to rewind the clock over 40 years and get excited about records!

Recently my esteemed colleagues and I were discussing our top five 7” records, whether it be singles or EPs. A daunting task indeed. And somehow, I completely forgot about one of my favorite and most important 45’s. Important not only for the music itself and its contribution to punk, but as a physical record in my collection.

It’s Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown EP. Released in 1979, the title is easily in my top 10 favorite punk tracks, and still gets me going to this day. What a song. I like that the band put only that song on the first side and the other three on the second. The track is a show stealer that you should sit with and digest for a few more seconds. And it’s also almost as long as the whole second side!

This is one of those records that is overwhelming to talk about because all the words have been said, all the adjectives have been used, and it’s more than clear how lauded and important this release was for punk. The year 1979 was a pretty big one for punk music. From the Clash to the Buzzcocks, to post-punk trailblazers like Joy Division. And on the west coast, in LA, a band called Black Flag would drop this five minute record that brought a new style and sound to the punk genre. It was a grittier, messier, and more manic breed of punk music.

Keith’s vocals play a large part in characterizing Black Flag’s unique sound on this EP. He sounds angry, sarcastic, helpless, frustrated, and completely unhinged. I’m a big fan of frantic, unpredictable vocals. It’s not all about how he sings, but the unique tone of his voice that grabs me. The title track really sets the tone for the second side and gives it a flexible foundation. They could express themselves however they wanted and it probably wouldn’t sound like too much of a departure from Nervous Breakdown.

This record as a piece of physical media has always been a little confusing but interesting to me, with the multiple different covers and jackets and labels. By the way, if I get any facts wrong, they’re probably just typos. Anyway, they started out with about 2,000 copies of the first pressing, and they quickly pressed another thousand copies, known as V2. The second version is distinguished by its blue versus the original black artwork. Version 3 (this one) is nearly identical to V2 but with a red cover. Although we don’t know for sure, they printed no more than a thousand for V3, and the remaining copies (est. at 2,000) would be used for V4. They used red artwork for V3 and V4, but starting with V4, they changed the shape of the outer cover.

The first three versions have an arc like shape at the top, said to be for easier access. Version 4 and subsequent reissues would use the standard outer cover cut straight across. It doesn’t stop there. Between 1980 and 1989, SST released six versions, each distinguished by aesthetic changes but no changes to the music or the recording. Actually, it is very easy to tell which version you have, as the Discogs notes section describes the differences very well. At the same time, this is the kind of stuff that makes record collecting exciting, and super fun to talk about.

Ok I’m gonna wrap this up and wish everyone a great week! Thanks for reading and nerding out with me. Until next time!

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! How is everyone? I’m good. This past weekend was a warm one in Raleigh. And I had an air conditioner scare! It just stopped working. If you live in a humid as hell place, you know the feeling of sheer panic. Is it ever less than a grand or two to repair your air conditioner? I swear no matter how big or small the problem is, the total cost is the same. Luckily, it kicked back on out of nowhere after a couple hours. That’s literally the only thing I can remember from the weekend! Ha! I need to get a life.

Well, it didn’t take long to figure out what I was going to write about this week. While browsing through some new arrivals, I saw a name that looked really familiar. It’s the debut LP from Itchy and the Nits called The Worst of Itchy and the Nits. I put it on and it was an immediate yes. Come to find out the reason the name sounded familiar was because we played their demo here at work almost a year ago exactly, and really liked it. This LP, brought to us by Total Punk, contains their demo released on Wartman Inc. as well as five new songs recorded by Ishka Edmeades, who you may know from Tee Vee Repairmann, Satanic Togas, and other projects. A total of 12 tracks that each hover around a minute long.

Let’s back things up a minute for some background info. The band is a three-piece from Sydney, Australia. Beth, Eva, and Cin switch off on vocal duties, which adds some cool melodies and dimension. They are a very hooky garage punk band with pop-style melodies, blunt lyrics, and simple, primitive guitar style.

To me they sound like the Donnas from their early days. They’ve also been described a punkier Nikki and the Corvettes, who I admittedly have not heard. But I thought it may be useful info to help pique your interest! In fact, I read in a fun little interview with them that they are the most inspired by both of these bands, as well as The Gizmos. They even cover a Gizmos song on the record (Tie Me Up).

Itchy and the Nits have a healthy dose of attitude, sense of humor, and silly, cheeky lyrics. The opening track, Theme Song, is one of those undeniably fun and catchy songs with lyrics like “Itchy and the Nits! Itchy and the Nits! Scratch your head and scratch your bits! Shake ya butt and shake ya tits!” And not to mention the several itch-themed song titles like Crabs, Parasites, and Fleas. They also have a song called Dreamboat that is admittedly about their shared crush. I’d really like to know who the dreamboat is.

Like I said, all three members share vocal duties, which makes the choruses sound fresh and not repetitive. They have some moody riffs that pair well with their vocal melodies. Their overall enthusiasm is absolutely infectious.

I’m really glad that the demo songs were left as is, because they already fit so well with the five new tracks. The demo tracks sound a little more primitive than the new tracks, but altogether, the 12 songs make for a really cohesive record. My favorite tracks are Crabs, Goner, and Tie Me Up. Check it out!

Ok, I’m gonna wrap this up. I hope you all have a great week and thanks for reading! Until next time!

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! How’s it going? I’m actually writing and finishing my staff pick on the day I am supposed to be finishing it, which feels pretty good. Generally I’m not a procrastinator when it comes to assignments, but the older I get, it’s feels like life keeps getting in the way of my life. That sounds pretty nonsensical, but I think you know what I mean.

Something I’ve thought about recently is how long it feels since I’ve been to a show. Winter was pretty lame in that respect, but it feels like winter pretty much wrapped up a week or so ago in these parts. We may get one or two weird cold days, but I think we are heading into spring with full force. Anyway, I see a ton of shows are coming up in April/May, so be sure to check our stories on Instagram (we also keep a highlight reel for gig info all over the place), and of course our newsletter is always full of flyers. Lots of spring tours are gearing up to start. Look out for Deletar and Destruct on their US east coast tour. Also, Illiterates hit the PNW and a couple shows in Canada throughout May. Another fun one will be Fugitive Bubble and Woodstock ‘99, which starts the first of April on the west coast. G.U.N. is also touring! And in just a couple weeks, Scarecrow will play with Absolut and Destruct for us Raleigh folks. And this is just some of what’s going on in April and May. Ok, let’s get into the business.

I had two contenders for my staff pick this week and found them both the same day through two separate colleagues. First, I will mention the one I’m not gonna write about today because I haven’t listened to the record in full. It’s a record I admittedly and stupidly pre-judged without listening to it. It’s Brorlab’s Working Out in Heaven. Daniel was playing it last night and it sparked my interest pretty quickly. When he told me who it was, I was surprised. No more judging a book by its cover. I’ve done that a few times and have been proven wrong when the needle hit the wax. Had I known it was a La Vida Es En Mus record, I would have given it a try sooner. Anyway, one side of the record is all brand new songs and the other side are eight tracks that they brought back to life from their elusive and rather obscure debut EP. Given that I haven’t listened to the full album yet, I will just say it certainly has my interest and I can’t wait to listen to the whole thing! For now, I will just say it’s rather abrasive (but not annoying), electronic, fuzzy, gabber style punk, or maybe its punk style gabber. Either way, it’s on deck for my turntable.

On with my official staff pick, introduced to me by Jeff who correctly predicted I may like this band. It’s the single/EP from Melbourne’s Leatherman brought to us by Legless Records. What a coincidence! Last week I wrote about the new Drunk Mums record who are also from Melbourne and also on Legless Records. I guess it’s obvious I have a type. The Leatherman record sounds like a mix between power pop and garage rock, with metal infusion. They rock as hard as they pop and that’s something I’m often attracted to. Leatherman is a five-piece band with a two-guitar format that they put to very good use. Let’s do some band comparisons for reference. It’s kind of like the sound of The Runaways and The Donnas, but with heavier riffs and more guitar. If that sounds appealing to you, get you one of these Leatherman records.

So, let me tell you about the first song called Telephone. It is the poppier of the two songs and it is absolutely infectious. I love the vocals. The singer has a great range and the ability to sing in different styles depending on what the song calls for. The bridge on that track is one of those wow! moments. For me, it is the standout moment on the record. The song is pretty poppy until it’s not. There is a point where the style takes a turn toward heavy metal, and as the riffs get heavier, and the drums come crashing down harder, the vocals get more rock and roll, leading to a killer two-guitar solo and really cool guitar harmonies. Good stuff. It’s fun, it rocks, has depth, and the members really know how to play off of one another to get some great sounds.

The second track is Tryin’ 2 4get. The energy does not slow down at all coming from the first track. In fact, this track dials things up a couple notches on the aggression scale so you still get some great guitar harmonies and vocal melodies, but it sounds just different enough to showcase where else the band can go stylistically. What’s cool is you get to hear more of the singer’s range as she nails some high notes and goes big at the end of the song.

Literally the only thing wrong with this record is that it only has two songs. I struggle to call it an EP. Even three songs would be a stretch. With that, I’m going to side with the traditions and conventions of physical media, and what makes sense to me, and think of it more as a single. Otherwise we would have to come up with a different name for singles, haha. No, but in all seriousness, there is one more thing to mention. For those of you care about the aesthetics of vinyl, this record comes on an opaque mustard yellow vinyl with a few subtle flecks of color that most likely differ from vinyl to vinyl. But the part that caught my eye was the dead wax space. It has this cool, very subtle shimmer to it that’s only in the dead wax. It’s not super noticeable, but it gives it a little pizazz. This is probably not that important to a lot of people, but I’m a sucker for little details.

Ok, time to wrap things up! Thank you so much for reading our newsletter, and for supporting Sorry State in general. We really appreciate it! Until we meet again.

Thanks,

Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! I’m writing this on Saint Patty’s Day, and I heard that someone can pinch you if you’re not wearing green. Well, I’m wearing black and I dare you. No, but seriously, Happy (belated) Saint Patrick’s Day! Moving on….

This week’s pick is kind of a weird album that leaves me a tiny bit confused, but I kind of like that. It’s the fifth album by Why Bother? brought to us by Feel It Records and titled Serenading Unwanted Ballads. You never know what to expect when you hear a new album by this band, as they are somewhat shrouded in mystery. They don’t play live, and they don’t have a signature style in my opinion. Unless you count being predictably unpredictable as a signature style. Nevertheless, they are an intriguing midwest synth punk band.

Why Bother? is a band that truly sounds like they’re making the music they want to make, and have no fear of any sort of negative reception. If you’re making music you like, you only have to worry about whether you like it, and that has to feel incredibly freeing. And you can really feel that sense of freedom and authenticity in the music.

Anyway, many of the songs on this record are getting their first vinyl appearance after popping up on various EPs and singles. I was especially intrigued by the record when I read that the song Testify was written and recorded by their friend Aaron while he was in prison serving a life sentence. I don’t know the details, but the way that bit of information was phrased sounded like the song was literally recorded in prison. Recording a song while serving a life sentence adds a pretty thick layer of mystery and darkness to the record, which is mostly, but not entirely, packed with rather gloomy ballads.

There are some really good tracks on the first side such as a dreamy, mystical ballad called Until. It is somewhere in the vein of The Jesus and Mary Chain, but sadder. I really enjoyed the first few tracks, but the first one to really get its hooks in me is called High as the Heavens. It’s a post-punk up tempo track that’s emotional but doesn’t feel heavy. I love the song’s arrangement and the infectious chorus. It sort of feels like the Why Bother? version of Just Like Heaven. It’s not as poppy and whimsical, but eerily romantic.

They really play around with different sounds and styles on these songs. I was reminded of early Cure and Lou Reed. The next track was the one that made me think of Lou Reed, and not because it happens to be called Heroin Dancer. It’s kind of psychedelic and trippy compared to the rest of the album. But even better is the song called Some Don’t Dance. It has sharper riffs and a late 70s UK post-punk sound. The melody immediately reminded me of The Cure’s Jumping Someone Else’s Train.

There is a lot of diversity in vocal styles, which becomes more noticeable in the shift between earlier tracks and Heroin Dancer. Sometimes the vocals are very prominent, more stripped down, and in the forefront, and sometimes wrapped in distortion or drowned out by synth and noise. But even the tracks that are a little more chaotic are still pretty measured and controlled versus annoying.

I really like the two faster, more punk sounding tracks on the album. One being Frothy Green, which is a live track from 2020. It leans more garage punk. It’s more stripped down and has a lot more attitude than other tracks, and the synth is more dialed down. And right after that is Feckless World, which is another energetic, and more chaotic track with a cool twist and super abrupt stop.

The song Testify is kind of how you might imagine a song written in prison to sound. I don’t even know what I mean by that, but it’s an acoustic, singer-songwriter type song that is very different from the other tracks. It has a really good main riff that feels heavy with emotion. It’s a more straightforward indie-folk sound, but it’s not run of the mill. Obviously. It was written and recorded in prison. It’s a downer, but it’s a good song.

The next and last song, Nobody Knows, is the winner of the downer award. As it should be. It would be a little tacky if they followed up the song Testify with something even the least bit lighthearted. It’s more atmospheric in terms of the music, and the lyrics are bleak as hell. It’s got lines like “I watch you shed a tear. How many lifetimes are we bound to grieve and fear? Some will stick around, others will disappear.” I really like this song and the style of these last two tracks.

The album is definitely worth checking out. It may be a little disjointed with its different styles and moods, but they aren’t a “by the book” type of band and neither is this record. Give it a listen! Thanks for reading! See you next time!

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! Hope everyone is doing well! This week has flown by, and the weekend is flying by right along with it. So by the time you're reading this, most of us are all mourning the passing of the weekend and starting all over again. But at least we're in it together. And you know, music always helps! So I'm just going to jump into it.

I came across something I really liked the other day on Bandcamp. It's the new album from Drunk Mums, appropriately called Beer Baby. I hadn't heard the band before, but immediately dug the album and thought it sounded like something that would appeal to any classic punk fans. It is newly released and our stock is on its way! So even though we don't have it yet, it is what I've been enjoying most this week, so I thought I'd share it with you. Go check it out on Bandcamp if you want, and if you like what you hear, you will be ready to grab a copy when they arrive. Drunk Mums have been laying low for the past few years, but what a return! The album has 10 tracks delivered in just over 20 minutes. Very high-energy and amped up all the way through. If you like the classics like the Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Clash, etc., I think this record will be up your alley.

Drunk Mums are from Melbourne, which was not a surprise to me when I started listening to it. It has that special Melbourne magic. I am drawn to so many Australian punk bands. What I love about so many bands that have emerged from down under in the last decade or so is that they sound really fresh and exciting. Very upbeat with a hell of a sense of humor. I've written staff picks on many Australian bands, and now that I think about it, a few of them were in my top 10 of 2023. So before I dig into the next one, shout out to some Australian bands that have won me over, like Lothario, Stiff Richards, The Chats, Cutters, Phil & the Tiles, Vanilla Poppers (to be fair, the band are sort of a Cleveland, Ohio/Melbourne mix), Amyl and the Sniffers, and Display Homes (huge favorite). I'm definitely forgetting another handful at least. Also, I'm currently listening to, and really liking, the debut album from The Judges, who are another Melbourne band! Don't be surprised to see that one in one of my (near) future staff picks.

Ok, let's get back to Beer Baby by Drunk Mums! I guess it could go in the garage punk category, but it's really just good old rock and roll classic fun punk. It's very riff based with fun, sing-a-long style choruses. When I say fun punk, I think of the Ramones, and I immediately thought of the Ramones when the second song, Slippin' Up, came on. The intro sounds very close to Beat on the Brat, so close that I thought it was going to be a cover song, but it's not. It's only that opening beat that sounds so similar. I don't know if they do this on purpose but I had another "is this a cover?" moment with the song Apocalypse. That beat in the intro sounds really similar to Dancin' With Myself, which I happen to love. But much like their second track, the style changes before the first verse and thoughts of Billy Idol dissipated. Apocalypse has a deeper sound, and that could be because the bass is more apparent on this track. Another standout track is Livin' at Night. Really, the whole album is catchy, but this one may be the catchiest. It's very Hey Ho, Let's Go! It's upbeat and hooky with an anthem style chorus. The back-up vocals also give the song more dimension and a fun, retro sound.

This is one of those albums that you put on when you want something fun that stays that way from start to finish. I'm really looking forward to getting this one in stock, so keep your eye out for it. Looks like most of their copies on Bandcamp have sold out, and for good reason! Ok time to wrap things up. Thank you for reading! Until next time...

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! As I write this I am sick as a dog, so I hope you are doing better than I am! And no, Daniel doesn’t have me chained up to my computer against my will, demanding I get my staff pick done this week. I had this week’s pick just about done anyway so I insisted. Ok let’s get into it!

Four years since Public Acid dropped the Condemnation EP, the new LP was welcomed with open and super stoked arms. Im gonna piggyback (i.e. copy) what Daniel said about Public Acid being one of the greatest things going right now in hardcore punk. There is something that’s not that easy to articulate about their unique flair. But everyone seems to get it and maybe without even realizing it. Daniel brought up their Sorry State Fest performance and I have to do the same to drive this point home. When Public Acid took the stage there was an energy shift. It wasn’t that they brought energy to an otherwise energy-free room. Thats not it at all. The whole fest was fucking killer. But they brought something different that everyone seemed to feel and react to in a similar manner. Basically, everyone went nuts for it.

So you can imagine how exciting it was to learn a new album would be dropping. I slapped it on as soon as I could, and one word came to mind. Dynamic. It is out of this world dynamic. There is nothing predictable about it. When you think they’re gonna go left, they go right. When you think they’re gonna stop, they go faster. They have perfected the art of primitive, mean and nasty vocals and chaotic yet technically tight, creative, and savvy instrumentals. It’s full of razor sharp riffs upon riffs upon riffs. And no duds.

The manner in which they execute the dual guitar format is masterful. Just listen to the songs Ignorance and End of Pain for a frame of reference. When I said the album was dynamic, the first song that came to mind was Ignorance. It has an absolutely infectious metal intro that sets the tone for the rest of the song. It lets you rock out for a little bit and then grabs you by the throat for a chaotic tempo shift. It’s gotta be my favorite track on the album. It’s full of eyebrow raising moments in the best way.

Deadly Struggle is everything hardcore punk should be and more. The recipe for this album was pulled together flawlessly. It’s furious but focused. It’s arty and innovative, but it’s true to the foundation that inspired it. The tempo and style changes are thrilling and unpredictable. Just listen to the song Deadly Struggle and you will know what I mean. Another killer track.

Public Acid sees each and every song through from start to finish. No such thing as a lazy outro on this record. They just keep getting better and better. Mature but not buttoned up. It’s truly impressive. There is no denying how good everyone in the band is at their craft. But the hard part, and the part they have mastered, is the special energy they have as a band. If you’ve seen them play live, you know that the special energy is magnified ten-fold.

Do yourself a huge favor and pick up the new Public Acid record. No hardcore collection is complete without it. And once again, thanks for reading! Until next time.

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! How is everyone doing? Good, good. Things are pretty chill on my end. I’m just out for a walk on this gloomy, kind of chilly day. I’m stalling because I have a shit load of cleaning I need to do! But at least I have some new records to listen to! Such as my staff pick!

It’s Pura Manía’s new EP called Extraños Casos de La Vida Real. That’s a mouthful. Right when I slapped this on the turntable it kicked my ass and woke me right up! “Oh I’m gonna like this”, I said to myself. To be honest I probably said it out loud. I talk to myself a lot. Probably an abnormal amount. Anyway, I’ve packed several orders with this record so it seems to be popular!

These guys have been silent for a while after putting out their last LP in 2017 (Cerebros Punk). The band has members from Canada and Mexico, which likely presents some challenges, but that’s just a wild guess. What matters is this EP right here. A symbol of global punk unity, this is a three way split release by Japan’s Discos Peligrosos, NYC’s Roachleg Records, and Mexico’s CV Recs.

In a word, this record is electric. It’s the equivalent to the “boom” emoji. You know the one. The orange pointy cartoonish symbol in comic books with words like boom! bang! zing! zang! Don’t mind me, I drank a Celsius a minute ago. Shout out to the limited edition flavor, Mandarin Marshmellow. It’s my favorite.

Back to the record. It’s four songs, hovering around 13 minutes or so. A lotta bang for your buck! It’s a really catchy, high-energy, sing-a-long type of record. You’ll get the point about 10 seconds in with the opener, El Viaje al Interior del Cuerpo. That song is about as anthemic as it gets. I love me some woah-oh-oh moments as I find them to be really unifying and positive. With that said, I don’t speak Spanish, so for all I know they’re singing about kicking babies, and here I am calling it feel good music. But regardless, I feel good when I hear it.

Seriously though, the band has fearlessly mastered a more musical style of oi! punk on this EP, with some really standout guitar and bass parts. The guitar parts make me think of Blitz. Particularly on their cover of the Screamers song, 122 Hours of Fear (i.e 100 Horas de Miedo). Admittedly, I’ve never heard the original, but the cover is a ripper! I think the band has a late 70’s California punk sound, combining elements of different sub-genres of punk. It’s eclectic but it feels fresh and exciting.

This is a really likable record so I’m confident that anyone who likes high-energy anthemic punk will dig it. Thanks for reading and until next time!

-Angela

Hi Sorry State friends! Hope everyone is doing well! I’m doing ok. I just had a very weird 24 hour type flu that I slept through most of and woke up feeling completely normal. Unfortunately, something is going around because almost everyone I see on a somewhat daily basis has been or is currently sick. Hope ya’ll are staying healthy! So in last week’s newsletter I was talking about a record I bought that I was super excited about, and it just came! So I’m gonna talk about it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have another giant bag of chips costume to throw on while holding this Minor Threat record like I did with my last Minor Threat score! But I finally landed a 1981 copy of the first Minor Threat EP! It’s the third pressing and I’ve had my eye on it forever. I’ve done daily Minor Threat checks on Discogs to see if anyone has listed a second or third pressing, even though a first pressing is currently listed at the reasonable price of over $4,000. Ha!

Anyway, I made an offer to a seller a couple months ago and he politely declined, but noted my offer was indeed fair. But wouldn’t you know, he just re-posted it at $100 less! It probably would’ve sold had Jeff not alerted me in time. I asked a couple questions, mulled it over for about 90 seconds, and sealed the deal. I had been nervously anticipating its arrival, hoping it arrived in the expected condition and had zero issues that would affect play. And it did not disappoint! So I played it about 10 more times full blast with glee.

It felt good to move this record from my want list to my collection. I always keep an eye on the other pressings, but I am very content. This record is my favorite hardcore record of all time. It has most of my favorite Minor Threat tracks on it. Nothing does it for me quite like the bridge in Screaming at a Wall. If I had to pick favorites, that’s my favorite on the record. Followed by Filler, Minor Threat, I Don’t Wanna Hear It, Small Man, Big Mouth. Honestly, every single song is about as good as the one before or after it.

I feel like I am kind of repeating the sentiments I expressed when I wrote about the In My Eyes EP, but both EPs make me so happy. There are a lot of old bands I love but don’t play that much because I don’t feel like being transported to the time in my life I first heard the music. But I never feel like that with Minor Threat. It always feels like the right time to put it on a Minor Threat record.

I actually found Minor Threat after Fugazi. And I actually found Fugazi through Kurt Cobain’s tennis shoes. He had purposely misspelled the name Fugazi on the toe of his Converse to make fun of another artist. And so it began. I became so intrigued by Ian MacKaye and everything Ian MacKaye-adjacent. I learned about the whole idea of DIY punk and punk for no profit. Crazy stories like how he rode his bike to some nice restaurant to meet with an Atlantic Executive and turned down a 10 million dollar deal presented to him. He set the DIY bar so fucking high, but it goes way beyond that.

I imagine that when you don’t indulge in any vices or money, you have a giant surplus of energy and passion to put into music. And subsequently, that music will be fire. I could go on and on and on, but suffice it to say I was well-primed to be blown away by Minor Threat, and I was. I still am.

I’m stoked and broke, my friends. And well worth it. Do yourself a favor if you don’t own any Minor Threat, and just grab the whole catalogue. You can probably get through it in an hour!

Thanks for reading! Until we met again.

-Angela

Hey hey Sorry State fam! How are you? I’m doing ok! Ever buy something extremely expensive off your Discogs want list at like 12 or 1 in the morning? And then wake up and you don’t remember that for at least 2 or 3 hours? That happened to me today. A mixture of excitement and panic washed over me as I was chugging an iced caramel latte. But I think I made the right choice. I made an offer to the same seller on the same record a couple months ago at least, and was denied. Fast forward to last night, and Jeff notified me (thanks again dude!) it was on IG (same seller). But for a price that ended up being the same as my original offer. So after we ironed out some kinks, that baby was all mine. I don’t want to jinx it, so I will share the mystery piece with ya’ll soon. So let’s talk about a record that didn’t take me on an emotional rollercoaster.

The new album by Australian band Bad Dreems (stylized as Bad//Dreems) called Hoo Ha! is my pick this week. The cover intrigues me every time I pull one to pack for an order, so this time I went a step further and checked out the lyric insert. A lot of words. Couldn’t be a hardcore record. Anyway, I tossed it on and right away I liked it.

The album belongs somewhere under the broad umbrella of alternative rock. Does anyone say alternative rock anymore? I know the band doesn’t like the pub rock description they’ve been given in the past, but sorry, pub rock does come to mind by the second song. Politically-based, with art rock and punk influences, it’s snotty, has a sense of humor, and something I don’t normally listen to.

But like it or not, there are songs on this album that remind me so much of the Idles album, Ultra Mono. Especially the second song on the record, Mansfield 6.0. Holy Idles. But so very catchy. The first side of the record is like Idles and Stiff Richards had a snotty kid who Midnight Oil babysits sometimes. It’s their song No Island that’s giving Midnight Oil for me. Not just in their delivery, but the heavier lyrics.

The closing track on the first side, Southern Heat, is one of my favorites. Black Monday and See You Tomorrow (the latter reminds me of Amyl and the Sniffers and Public Image Limited) are also standout tracks for me. All super catchy, fast tempo songs. There are a lot of tempo shifts and style changes on this record.

Speaking of style changes, the song Collapse is a departure from their other tracks. The melody in the first half of the song drove me crazy because it reminded me so strongly of an 80s pop or new wave song I couldn’t pinpoint. So I’ve just settled on the Police song, Don’t Stand So Close to Me (if the Police wrote it in the late 60s). And then it drifts off to something else. Bear with me here. This album takes you everywhere, but I will say the first side is a bit more streamlined and the second side is more experimental and arty. They’re able to pull off different styles pretty well. Parts of their songs have reminded me of at least six different bands.

I’m not crazy about their ballad (Godless). Mostly because I like to keep the energy going and if something is doing the trick, I don’t want to switch gears. And no one ever says “yeah that was cool, but you know what’s missing? More slow songs.” But the song also surprised me by how much it sounded like Jesus Don’t Want me for a Sunbeam (minus the vocals), so it has redeeming qualities.

When I looked up this band, I found a music review of one of their earlier records that said the band can go from sounding like AC/DC to Nirvana, making the point that the band seemed to have widened their musical influences, which were originally Joy Division and all the big art rock bands (e.g. Wipers, Television, Wire). So I felt more validated in my difficulty with describing what the record is like, haha.

Overall, I like many of the songs on this record and I’m glad I gave it a spin. I didn’t know what to expect, but it has depth and some really catchy songs. Give it a try! Thank you for reading and until we meet again..

-Angela

Hi Sorry State readers! I hope you are all doing well! I was at a point last week where I wasn’t feeling all that inspired by anything I was listening to, old or new. Which is kinda weird for me. Then literally about 10 minutes after I said that to Daniel, I came across a record that instantly and surprisingly became staff pick worthy. I’ve listened to it several times, and it’s just a really great listen. It’s weird when you aren’t in the mood for anything and then you see something bright green to your left, throw it on, and really like it. Now that I think about it, the same thing happened to me last week with my Grazia staff pick! Something about me and bright green jackets, I guess.

Ok without further ado, the record I’m talking about is Public Interest’s Spiritual Pollution LP. This is the second album from the Oakland band, who seems to be the solo project of Chris Natividad (of the band Marbled Eye, most notably). The music is kind of dark, synthy, post-punk with really standout guitar lines. In fact, the guitar is probably the most memorable part of the music. The vocals are deep and kinda dark, but not as dark as an Ian Curtis, Peter Murphy, or Dave Gahan. But in a similar vein. But there’s a track or two where the vocals are dialed down, softer, dreamier, and even approaching shoegaze territory. For example, the song Burden of Time, which is one of my favorites on the record.

Anyway, this is an interesting album partially because of the length. Eight songs that total about 27-28 minutes long. I think this was a wise choice. If the record were any longer, it may have overstayed its welcome. At least for this particular style of music. Several times I had to “rewind” a song because I was being reminded of something I’ve heard before. I never pinpointed it, but I’m gonna go with parts of The Cure’s Head on the Door. A time in Cure history where the band poked their heads up out of the ground a little further, brightened things up, dialed down the weirdness, and made some poppier tracks with big exciting intros. I’m not saying this is that, but there are moments on this record where I’m reminded of that Cure era.

A great example of this sound, and my favorite song on the record, is Falling Ash. It has some really warm guitar tones with some poppier parts. The sound combines moody guitar riffs and bright, boppy, and melodic bass lines. It’s really easy to get lost in the masterful guitar lines. Falling Ash is just a damn sexy song. I don’t want to oversell it, so I feel the need to qualify some of my opinions, which is stupid. There’s no right or wrong here.

I think if it weren’t for the well-timed brighter tones peppered into the music, the songs would fall a little flat. And yeah, it’s a little synthy, and there are some random weird noises in the background, but the takeaway from this record for me is definitely the guitar lines. When I read somewhere that the record was “dark synthy post-punk”, I was expecting it to sound something like Poison Ruin (who I really like) or Powerplant (who I also really like). But this Public Interest record has a more accessible sound, and it’s catchier in a more straightforward way. Simply put, it’s not very weird.

I think if you like any of the bands I’ve mentioned, you would like this record. Or if you like Straw Man Army, and maybe even Home Front. Public Interest doesn’t have the anthemic, gang-style vocals that Homefront has, but the common denominator is that all of these vocalists sing in that statement-making style.

Maybe give it a shot? It’s a really easy listen. Ok well, I’m gonna wrap things up. As always, thank you for reading! Until next time!

-Angela

Hi Sorry State fam! How is everyone doing? Hope you had a great weekend! It was brutally cold here, which means it was in the mid 20s and sunny till late morning. For some of you, that’s nothing, I know. I still tried to get outside and go for walks in the late mornings, but hot damn my fingers were about to fall off. You know how they make gloves that still allow you to type on your cell phone? Those never freakin’ work. I’ve tried three different pairs and I give up. I actually use the time when I’m taking a walk to do some of my administrative life responsibilities, and I find this is such a good time to do stuff like that because you’re getting the dopamine hits to kick start motivation, and usually you’re getting the sunlight to signal to your brain that it needs to be in productive mode. Oh, and the whole Vitamin D thing. For me, this works and I get shit done. So when I don’t go (like today, because I ate way too much last night and woke up feeling like shit), I not only feel less energetic throughout the day, but I am also less productive. I guess the moral of the story is, even if it’s cold, or you don’t feel like it, just force yourself to take a walk. I promise it helps make the day suck like at least 50% less. And it’s a great time to write a staff pick!

Anyway, the debut EP from the London band Grazia caught my eye and my ears this week! The EP is called In Poor Taste and is brought to us by Feel It Records. I was packing orders and came across a few of these colorful sleeves, which inspired me to take one for a spin. I guess you can file this EP under power pop and garage pop. I learned a new punk/post-punk sub-genre today, called trash pop. It’s one of the hashtags on Grazia’s bandcamp, so I thought I’d mention it. I don’t know what bands are considered trash pop or what you have to do sonically different to be called trash pop, but it sounds like a cool genre that I would like.

So this Grazia record has four songs that are all fairly equally enjoyable and make for a nice and cohesive EP. If you liked that Wet Leg LP from 2022, which was really hot and heavy for a few months, you will like this. If you liked the last Divorcer EP (unfortunately out of stock at the moment, and also one of my top 10 new releases of 2023), you will like this. If you like Abi Ooze, you will probably like this. Grazia does not sound as produced or as crisp as Wet Leg, nor are they as loosely structured as Divorcer, and they don’t have as much attitude as Abi Ooze. But none of these things make the music less enjoyable. And I may be reaching a little bit with the next comparison, but there is something about the second side (particularly the song Thistle) that reminds me a little bit of the Raincoats, but not as artsy. Grazia’s vocals remind me of some of the prettier, breathier sounds of Lush (e.g. the songs 500, Single Girl). So although they bring their own flavor, they are in excellent company. I love making comparisons. I can’t help it. It’s the first thing my brain wants to do when I hear something new. I am not sure why I need to do that, but maybe on some level I need to make it make sense to myself that I like it. I’m probably reading to much into it, but I can say will full confidence that the more I hear this record, the more I really like it.

Something else that made me take notice of this band is their video for the song Cheap. Check it out on YouTube. It’s very low budget (fitting for the song title) and low brow, with a Rocky Horror artistic quality to it, but in a much more colorful, new wave, 80s way. Picture a colorful character with sloppily applied bright pink or red lipstick that also ends up on their teeth. Someone like Iona’s character in Pretty in Pink. The music sounds like that visual, to me at least. Campy and poppy, retro, with a flair for the dramatic.

Good news, we have a handful of these left. We received the copies with the neon green and the neon pink sleeves. But apparently they also made some bright yellow. We mostly have the green left, which they only made 100 copies of compared to 300 of the pink. To my knowledge we didn’t get any of the yellow. To clarify, they are all on black vinyl. OK, I’m gonna make this one short and sweet for today. I hope you have a splendid week, and thank you so much for reading! Until next time..

-Angela

Hello Sorry State friends! Hope you are all doing well! And I hope you enjoyed our year-end beast of a newsletter. I always have fun reading the picks of my esteemed colleagues, and they did not disappoint! If I'm remembering correctly, there was a little more overlap between our top new releases from the year prior, but I like that we all had the new Personal Damage on our lists. Just to let you in on some hot internal gossip, another one of our staff had this record in his 2023 top picks but forgot to include it in his picture, and being the detail-oriented person he is, he wanted to maintain consistency. Coincidentally, the record was in my top 10 list but not in my photo, and we couldn't just borrow one from the store for the shot because it sold out the day prior! Oh well. Missing from our pictures, but not from our hearts.

My staff pick for this week was among my favorite reissues in our year-end newsletter! It's the 2023 reissue of the Dark Thoughts single, Do You Dream? It was originally released in 2019 ahead of their full-length album, Must be Nice. It includes an alternate 7” only mix of Do you Dream? And an exclusive to this single b-side called It's Too late. The original record was released in 2019 on black, with a small amount on opaque pink wax. This time around, we got two super cool variants: a pink with black splatter (100 copies) and coke bottle green (150 copies). In my photo for the last newsletter, the color of my coke bottle green looked really off. But you can see the true color in our website listing. It's one of my favorite wax colors.

I didn't see this record when it first came through, so it had already been shelved by the time I saw it. I squealed with delight when Jeff came around the corner with it in his hand. He either asked me if I got it yet, or if I’d seen it yet, which I don't remember because I was too locked in on the words Do You Dream? in big pink letters. I was actually late to the game on Dark Thoughts and am grateful to Sorry State for making the band accessible to me, as they quickly became one of my favorite bands of the last couple years.

Directly inspired by the Ramones, these Philly punks do Ramones-style punk better than everyone else, after the Ramones. I just can't imagine anyone not liking them, unless they just don't like cool music. If you don't already know this band, they are massive Ramones fans and they wanted to form a band to play Ramones-inspired music. So they did. They even choose their color schemes for each LP to mirror the main colors used for Ramones LP's, and in the same order. So, their third album, Must be Nice (the album from which this single comes from) uses pink and black to align with the colorway of the Ramones’ third album, Rocket to Russia.

Do You Dream? clocks in at almost a minute and a half. And what a minute and a half it is. Fast and fun, melodic, catchy power pop style o' punk that you'll want to play back to back to back. I love the b-side, It’s Too Late. The guitar is louder and more dominant than the first song, with more aggressive vocals and lots of "WOAH OAH OAH's." Jim Shomo’s flowmo is so damn catchy as he belts out the lines “…bite my tongue and take my time… gonna hold my breath and take what’s mine… gonna quit this town.. take my place.. pack my bags and leave this place.” I mean, every punk band that's worth its salt has an “I’m gettin’ outta this town!” song, and Too Late checks that box.

Hey, I just looked and we have only three or four (there may be one going out as we speak) copies of this single left, so you better hop on it if you want it! You'll either get the pink and black splatter or the coke bottle green. I don't know how many are left of each one, but you will be happy either way! I hope they aren't gone by the time Daniel posts this. I can say with 100% confidence that if you like the Ramones, or just fun and catchy punk, you won't be disappointed. Ok, I'm gonna call it a day. Thank you for reading, and until we meet again....

-Angela