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Shrinkwrap Killers: Feral Rats Have Become Our Only Pets 12” (Iron Lung) Iron Lung released a limited 7” by this one-person synth-punk project a while back, now we get the full album. In case you didn’t hear the single, Shrinkwrap Killers has a catchy and aggressive synth-punk sound lying somewhere between the Spits (particularly on tracks with programmed Ramones drumbeats) and Lost Sounds (the not-so-Ramones-y ones). It’s a nice mix, since if all the songs sounded like the former it might lean too far toward Lillingtons-esque pop-punk, while if skewed toward the latter sound it would be too arty and impenetrable. While some lyrics are a little goofy, I like how the melodic lines in the vocals are longer and more complex, which reminds me of the Buzzcocks’ more sophisticated take on melodic punk. Sorry for all the band comparisons, but if you like any of the aforementioned groups, this is well worth checking out.

Mentira: Nada Es Sagrado 12” (Iron Lung) Kansas City’s Mentira released a 7” on Thrilling Living a few years back, and now they’re back with a full-length on the mighty Iron Lung Records. The label’s description references Una Bestia Incontrolable, and I think that’s a pretty spot-on comparison given how Mentira swings back and forth between moments that are straightforwardly raging and artier and more progressive. The opening title track is a good example of their straightforward raging mode (and it rips!), but my favorite moments are when Mentira cuts loose. See “Desmotivación,” which combines a Lebenden Toten-style pogo beat with a catchier riff that wouldn’t be out of place for the Zero Boys or Career Suicide. “Viejo Mensaje” is another highlight with its unhinged guitar leads during the verses and bad-trip psychedelic breakdown. This is what you want from a release on Iron Lung; Mentira is informed by hardcore punk’s long history, but committed to moving that history forward and doing something new. And, most importantly, it rips.

The Celetoids: Optic Nerve cassette (Doom Town Records) Latest 4-song cassette EP from this Croatian band, following up their Pupal Stage 12” from 2017. If Celetoids was from the United States, they would be huge. Their sound is fresh to me, taking the pop sensibilities of the Marked Men / Dirtnap Records world, making it a little rawer, and adding a dash of techno-dystopianism. Your Spits and Jay Reatard fans will find a lot to like here, but there’s something about the grittiness of the production and delivery that reminds me of the first Dark Thoughts album and how they presented more melodic, song-oriented punk in a way that felt palatable to the hardcore underground. Highly recommended if you like a raw, catchy punk tune.

Hated: Innocent People 7" (Meat House Productions) First ever reissue for this obscure early 80s punk band from Huntington Beach, California. It's amazing there's never even been a compilation of this band's three singles, of which Innocent People is the first, having come out in 1981. The sound is of the Beach Punk ilk you know from records like Posh Boy's Beach BLVD compilation. You can expect lots of fast ride cymbal action, surf guitar licks, and disaffected-sounding yet melodic vocals. It's a similar sound to bands like the Chiefs, the Simpletones, and Agent Orange, and it's the sound the Adolescents honed to razor sharpness on their debut LP that same year. Yeah, the Hated were no Adolescents, but if you have a taste for 80s California punk, I can't imagine thinking they're an also-ran. Here's hoping Meat House continues their campaign and reissues the other Hated singles.

Funeral: Waiting for the Bomb Blast 7" (Meat House Productions) The second in a pair of crazy rare early California punk singles that Meat House Productions has dug up for us. If the Hated sound like you could slot them onto the Beach Blvd compilation, Funeral could do the same for the American Youth Report comp. Like the bands on that record, Funeral come from the harder, faster end of the early 80s California punk spectrum. I can't imagine they weren't huge fans of the Germs, as they share that band's intensity and rock swagger. However, while these songs are ripping fast, they have a pop undercurrent that reminds me of contemporaries like the Adolescents, Modern Warfare, and MIA. All three songs are cool, but the a-side, "Waiting for the Bomb Blast," is the all-time scorcher, moving from a killer intro that reminds me of Rik L Rik into a catchy punk jam that would have done TSOL proud.

Parnepar:  Dobar Dan, Izvolite cassette (Doom Town Records) Second cassette from this band out of Zagreb, Croatia. While the label's description references a lot of cool-sounding 80s Yugoslavian punk, unfortunately I don't know most of those bands so I'll have to come at this from my limited frame of reference. Parnepar sounds like music of the post-punk era, but the more arty and austere end of it. On the songs that are minimal and led by the bass (with the guitar only providing sparse rhythmic accents), they remind me of This Heat or Wire's artiest moments. When the guitar kicks in, Panepar's sound moves more toward the rhythmically quirky punk of the early Minutemen. I wouldn't come to  Dobar Dan, Izvolite looking for pop hits, but as someone who loves that quirky, arty end of the post-punk spectrum, I like this a lot.

The Cowboys: Lovers in Marble cassette (Feel It) Brand new 5-song cassette from Indiana's prolific Cowboys. I've enjoyed being on the journey with the Cowboys, watching them grow, evolve, and take chances with each new release. Lovers in Marble continues that trend with results at least as good as any other Cowboys release. At this point I'm not sure I'd call the Cowboys a punk band; they're just an underground rock band. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks of Guided by Voices when I listen to Lovers in Marble. Like GBV, the Cowboys are songsmiths at heart, anglophilic (with a particular fondness for British psychedelic pop), and they have a complicated relationship with fidelity. There are moments of pure pop bliss on Lovers in Marble that remind me of the Zombies or even My Bloody Valentine, and there are moments that don't work as well. (I was listening to this in my office and when the off-key, Kermit like vocals came in at the end of "The Bell Rings Less," I heard Dominic shout "they lost me here" from the other room.) I'm partial to bands that throw a lot at the wall to see what sticks, and I'd place the Cowboys in that category along with the Kinks and GBV. I'm sure, by this point, the Cowboys have lost a lot of punks and people with limited bandwidth for new music, but I am still very much on board.

C-Krit: S/T cassette (Stucco Label) Olympia's Stucco Label, who helped introduce the world to Electric Chair and Suck Lords, bring us more of their trademark lo-fi antagonistic punk. C-Krit dabbles in the ultra-fast tempos of the aforementioned bands (see "Am What I Am" and "The Kids Will Have Their Say Pt. II"), but they cover a lot of stylistic ground on this tape. Two of the songs remind me of Flipper and No Trend's loose and nihilistic punk, but then the closing "My Eyes Melt" is a dub-influenced minimal synth track. You'd think it would sound like a jumble, but the DIY basement production helps it hang together. I would love to see what C-Krit would do with twelve inches of vinyl.

Fugitive Bubble: self-titled cassette (Stucco Label) Another ripper from the almighty Stucco Label, and another one that's dissimilar from the ultra-fast hardcore style I know the label for. Fugitive Bubble plays catchy, song oriented punk that teeters on the edge of hardcore. "Checks & Balance" is fast and catchy a la Rhino 39 or the Middle Class, while "Contemporary Restoration" has an anthemic vocal melody that reminds me of the Avengers. The recording sounds raw and live and the band sounds tight but nowhere near slick. It's fast, it's catchy, and it's punk as hell. Recommended if you're a fan of CB Radio Gorgeous or CCTV.

Apsurd: Derealizacija/Svemu Će Doći Kraj 12” (Doom Town Records) Derealizacija/Svemu Će Doći Kraj collects two recordings from Belgrade’s Apsurd: one from 2017 that previously came out on cassette and a new recording. If you’re familiar with 80s Yugoslavian punk—in particular Tožibabe—Absurd should get you excited. The band records on an old 4 track and the sound and production are of a piece with the great Yugoslavian punk from the 80s, while the band’s style takes influences from those bands as well, particularly how Tožibabe combined fast hardcore punk with death rock and anarcho punk. Absurd isn’t just for scholars of some long-ago punk scene, though; they sound fresh and vital despite their clear nods to punk history. Another good reference point is the Soga tape that Iron Lung released on 12” in 2019. Like that release, Derealizacija/Svemu Će Doći Kraj is raw but infectious, capturing the energy and spirit of 80s punk without sounding like a copy or a rehash. I predict this is one of those records I’ll blowing people’s minds with in 5 or 10 years… I can picture myself saying, “oh you don’t know the Apsurd 12”?” and watching some young punk’s jaw hit the floor as they hear their new favorite band.

Various: Seaside Sickness 7” (Sewercide Records) I love regional punk compilations. It was one of my major life ambitions to release one, and I struck that off the bucket list in 2019, when Sorry State released the American Idylls compilation. Seaside Sickness is in that same mold, documenting the current hardcore punk scene from Canada’s remote eastern coast. Misanthropic Minds, Antibodies, Fragment, Dark Dial, Warsh, B.P.S., and Booji Boys each get one track, and I don’t think there’s a weak one in the bunch. In fact, as much as I love the Misanthropic Minds EP that just came out, their contribution to this comp (the title track, actually) is probably their best song… an out-of-control rage fest. Booji Boys, one of the most unique bands in current punk, also contribute a particularly wild and hot track. I know these compilations mean a lot when they serve as a kind of yearbook for the people involved in the scene they represent, but Seaside Sickness is a killer punk record that serves more than just a historical or anthropological purpose. If you love regional punk compilations as much as I do, I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s as well executed as they get.

Star Party: Demo 2020 cassette (Feel It) Star Party is a new group from Washington State featuring members of Gen Pop and Vexx, two bands I really like. I didn’t know that when I first checked out Star Party, and now that I know about the personnel involved, it makes sense why this would be so good. This 4-song tape contains two originals and covers of Cher and the Shop Assistants, the latter of which is a pretty bang-on comparison for Star Party’s sound. If you don’t know Shop Assistants (you should fix that!), imagine the noisy pop of the Jesus and Mary Chain with some Ramones-inspired punk energy. The songs are straightforward and vocal-oriented, but they’re kinda fast and bathed in sheets of fuzz. Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t make this a 7”, because it’s way better and more fully realized than your typical demo tape. I’ve already played this a lot, and I see that trend continuing.

Razorblades & Aspirin #11 zine Latest issue of this beautiful full-color zine. In case you haven’t checked out Razorblades & Aspirin, it started out as a photo zine and gradually came to include more written content. While there is still a heavy emphasis on photography (and all the photos in the zine are beautifully reproduced), it now includes your typical music zine mix of interviews and reviews, though there’s a lot of attention given to projects that aren’t bands. At this point, Razorblades & Aspirin is pretty much the paper of record for the scene that Sorry State focuses on. In particular, I admire Mike’s focus on the culture around punk music. I think sometimes my focus is too narrowly on records, so I can tell you that Muro rips, but Razorblades & Aspirin is where you’ll learn about Casa Rat Trap, the 40-person artist and cultural collective of which Muro is a part. Essential and inspiring reading.

Undergang:  Aldrig I Livet 12” (Me Saco Un Ojo Records) Fifth album from this Danish death metal band. We don’t typically talk about death metal bands’ fifth albums in the Sorry State newsletter, but I heard some good buzz about Undergang and I checked this record out and dug it. In case you are unaware, the metal scene is experiencing a revival of what the kids are calling OSDM, or Old School Death Metal. When people my age think of death metal, we think of Florida bands like Death and Morbid Angel, or maybe bands like Entombed or Carcass who did similar things in different parts of the world. While I’m sure these modern OSDM bands are familiar with those records, this wave of bands (in whom I’d also include Blood Incantation and Tomb Mold) seems like they take more influence from those bands’ demo eras, or from deeper cut groups like Master and Possessed, or maybe even raw Brazilian death metal. While it still has all the more mainstream death metal bands’ technical proficiency and heaviness, there’s a deliberate sense of ugliness and rawness that reminds me of the hardcore punk we love at Sorry State. If you’re looking to dip your toe in this new OSDM sound,  Aldrig I Livet is a great entry point.

Nekra: Royal Disruptor 7” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Royal Disruptor is the debut vinyl from London’s Nekra, following a demo that made the rounds a couple of years ago. I love how the artwork on this one does a perfect job of getting across what the music is all about here… mean, minimalist hardcore punk without a lot of bells and whistles and no attempt to curry the favor of any subgenre / record collector clique. The riffs are straightforward but effective, with some songs leaning toward a tougher sound and others drifting toward punky catchiness, but the commanding vocals keep it sounding of a piece. If you like hardcore that makes image and aesthetic take a back seat to the pure expression of anger, this one’s for you.

Daydream: Mystic Operative 12” (Dirt Cult Records) Portland’s Daydream had an earlier 12” on France’s Symphony of Destruction Records, and they’ve moved to domestic Dirt Cult Records for this follow-up. If you’re into dense, angular, and inventive post-hardcore, this record is a stunner. The drummer and guitarist of Daydream are impressive, weaving dense lines around one another in a way that sounds chaotic but artful. Some riffing reminds me of Drive Like Jehu in how it sounds quirky and a little technical yet very catchy. The drummer only plays a straightforward rock / punk beat maybe 20% of the time, the other 80% devoted to more complex patterns that remind me of Bad Breeding’s fusion of noise rock and anarcho punk. While the drums and guitars are engaged in this lengthy game of bob and weave, the bass and vocals push the songs forward and maintain the hardcore punk intensity. The gritty recording and killer artwork push it even further over the top. Excellent record.

Junta: Død Tid cassette (Adult Crash Records) This band from Copenhagen, Denmark has released a series of tapes over the last several years (no less than ten according to their bandcamp!), and Død Tid is the latest. I’m not sure if Junta features any ex members of bands we Americans might know about, but they have the K-Town punk sound I associate with Kick N Punch and Hjernespind Records down pat. A track like “Timeglassets Tyranni” leans toward later Poison Idea or Toxic Reasons with its fist-pumping pace and catchy vocal line, while others like “O Fim Do Mundo” have a straightforward USHC style. Like those Danish classics I mentioned above, there’s a strong sense of melody whatever the approach, yet the gritty recording and looser, organic playing mean it never sounds too slick or polished. It’s punk, and like punk it rules.

Illegal 80:  Den Endeløse Ende cassette (Adult Crash) Adult Crash reissues the 1983 demo tape from this obscure Danish hardcore punk band. I looked around for info about Illegal 80, but the only thing I could find was that (if my interpretation of Google translate is correct) they were from the same city as Electric Deads and released this cassette in 1983. If you love obscure old hardcore from this era, this will be a treat for you. Most of Illegal 80’s music reminds me of early Finnish hardcore like Appendix or Kaaos or super fast UK82 punk like Ultra Violent. Like all of those bands, they play super fast with simple but catchy riffs and snarling vocals that, despite their nastiness, still carry a hint of melody. This tape is 30 minutes long, and while most of it falls into that ripping hardcore mold, many tracks have intros and outros that bring in elements of other styles like anarcho punk and mid-paced, Pistols-esque punk. Presumably Adult Crash’s reissue replicates the original artwork (though if it’s an original design it’s “period appropriate”), and it looks and sounds great. Illegal 80 is the deepest of deep cuts, but if you’re into this era of snarling Scandinavian hardcore, you’ll love it.

Moment of Fear: Covid Sessions 2020 7” (Beach Impediment) Moment of Fear is a new project from Tony Bartek (Religious War, the Corpse, Rotten Cadaver) and their debut release, Covid Sessions 2020, is on Beach Impediment so you know it’s good. When I dropped the needle on “Asphyxiation,” the first thing that struck me was that Bartek’s vocal style reminded me of Out Cold, which is high praise from me. Like Out Cold, the music is gruff and aggressive, but with a heavy, oi!-ish groove a la Negative Approach, and a sense of catchiness that’s just enough to make the songs interesting and memorable without sounding cheesy. While the entire EP is in that vein, each song opens up to a wider sphere of influences, culminating in the metallic, nearly 5-minute “Target for Killing.” That song’s fist-pumping riff reminds me of Kill by Remote Control-era Toxic Reasons, but the double bass drumming, catchy guitar hooks, and mean sensibility mean tug the track in a bunch of different directions at the same time. As with most everything on Beach Impediment, this is my kind of hardcore: angry, smart, inventive, and ambitious.

Nutrition: No EP 7” (Neon Taste) This band from British Columbia had a demo in 2018, and No is their vinyl debut. I remember reading that Nutrition featured members of Bootlicker, though I’m unable to find that information now, so it could be wrong. While Nutrition still plays hardcore, the style is very different from Bootlicker. Jeff told me he liked this record and used the word “sassy” to describe it, which hits the nail on the head. The riffs are straightforward, but with a butt-shaking swing to them, and the vocals are snotty but still deep and gruff. Those elements, along with the catchy, note-y guitar parts, remind me of the Shitty Limits (one of my favorites!), while tracks like “Sore Thumb” and “City Wide” sound like Hank Wood & the Hammerheads, particularly when the singer adopts that distinctive Hank Wood cadence. Like both the Shitty Limits and the Hammerheads, Nutrition plays punk that’s stripped down and aggressive enough for the hardcore folks while bringing in enough ’77-style punk catchiness to make the songs stand out. Recommended if you like that vein of punky hardcore / hardcore-y punk.

Various: Killed by Meth #5 12” (It’s Trash Records) For the past several years, It’s Trash Records has been pumping out these Killed by Meth compilation LPs full of tracks by current garage-punk bands from the North American rust belt, a largely economically depressed area around the Great Lakes that takes in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and extends north into Ontario, Canada. While the bands that appear on the Killed by Meth compilations overlap with what I think of as the Total Punk world, the vibe that emerges is different than Total Punk’s sunnier, Floridian take on the style. Maybe this is me projecting, but it feels like bands on these comps are grittier, more stripped down, and more in touch with the gray skies and crumbling post-industrial landscapes of their part of the world. I’ve listened to every volume of Killed by Meth, and this 5th entry might be my favorite. While the earlier volumes felt more eclectic, Volume 5 feels more uniform and more of the tracks rely on pop-style songwriting (though there are exceptions, like Archaeas’s sax-laced Flipper-style dirge). Standouts include tracks by Erik Nervous (who never disappoints), Silicon Heartbeat’s Lost Sounds-esque synth-punk, Doppler Radar and the Local News’s New Bomb Turks-esque riffy garage-punk, Mononegatives’ jittery, drum machine-fueled egg punk, and the Stools’ primitive proto-hardcore. If you’re into a broad range of garage-punk styles, this, like all the other volumes of Killed by Meth, will introduce you to a few new favorites and serves as a fine listen on its own.

The Daze: I Wanna Be a Star b/w At the Seaside 7” (Reminder Records) If you love power-pop from the late 70s and early 80s, check out every release on Reminder Records. They only have a handful so far, but they have brought nothing but straight fire, digging up the best in obscure music from that golden era. Their sweet spot is bands who recorded (usually at cheap studios) during the punk era and absorbed some of punk’s brashness and its faster tempos, but whose songwriting reaches back to earlier eras of pop, glam rock, psych-pop, and bubblegum. Birmingham’s the Daze are a perfect example. They recorded this single on a 4-track in 1979, and its loud guitars and sprightly tempos sound very much of the era. However, the songwriting is poppier and more ambitious, reminding me of 60s and early 70s groups who fall into the above categories. They sound to me like the early Television Personalities and early Cock Sparrer had an unlikely but beautiful baby, inheriting the former’s psychedelic qualities, the latter’s hooky, Slade-inspired glam influences, and impressive pop songwriting chops from both sides. In a ProTools studio it might be too much, but with a gritty 4 track recording, it’s all I want to hear. Both sides are bangers, too. Get this!

Chronophage: The Pig Kiss’d 12” (Cleta-Patra Records) The Pig Kiss’d is the second LP from Austin, Texas’s Chronophage, who have been developing a buzz in the punk underground over the past few years. I liked everything I’ve heard from them, but this week The Pig Kiss’d really hit me. The first few times I played it, I had it on in the background while I was working and it wasn’t doing much for me, but once I gave it an attentive listen it clicked and I think I’ve played it 6 or 7 times in the past 24 hours. The sound on The Pig Kiss’d is a logical progression from their earlier material. Stylistically this is still rough, ramshackle, and arty pop music, but across each release (particularly since they’ve made the jump to vinyl), Chronophage has grown more refined and more eclectic. As before, I’m reminded of touchstones like the Swell Maps and the Fall, but what separates Chronophage from other bands in this vein is that they sound so American. If you look at a band like the Shifters or even early Pavement, there’s an undercurrent of anglophilia, but Chronophage sound like they’ve listened to a lot of Neil Young, Laurel Canyon singer-songwriters, and 70s album-oriented rock. Those influences (if they are influences) get chopped and screwed and come out weird, but it feels to me like they’re there, and they bump up against the artier approach I mentioned in interesting ways. The songs are cool, the production and arrangements are beautiful, and the overall approach is unique, so if this style of arty underground pop interests you, Chronophage should be on your radar.

Lockheed / Affect: Split 7” (Blown Out Media) Classic-sounding 6-song split 7” from these two raw punk bands. Lockheed is from California, we’ve raved about them before, and these three tracks don’t disappoint at all. Their sound is in that fast and brutal mode with complex riffing, and will slide comfortably into your collection if you’re into bands like Scarecrow and Public Acid. The guitar sound is blown out in a Disclose kind of way and the vocals snarl in a Poffen-influenced style. As for Sweden’s Affect, they have a looser, rawer sound in the early Disclose mold with vocals modeled on Kawakami’s. In contrast to Lockheed’s rhythmically denser style, Affect deals in cascading sheets of noise. I’m feeling the Lockheed side more at the moment, but this is a quality pickup for any raw punker.

Dave & Lee: Singles Collection 12” (Reminder Records) I’ve been listening to this podcast called A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. They’re a little over 100 episodes in, and the first 99 episodes covered the pre-Beatles era of pop and rock music. There was a heavy emphasis on Motown, girl groups, and Brill Building pop, and the podcast focuses on how each song came to be. Back then there was a heavy division of labor in the music industry, with songwriters, producers, performers all having distinct roles alongside other important people like engineers, label executives, arrangers, and countless other roles. While, on some level, these operations seem very complex and sophisticated, when you take a step back you see that everyone was just throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something would stick (in the commercial sense). Our idea of pop music these days is tied up with this Dylan / Beatles idea of the auteur creating a grand artistic statement, but in that pre-Beatles era it seems like everyone was scrambling for some kind of hook—a dance craze, a vocal melody, a lyrical idea—that would resonate with the record buying public. This long preamble is to say that the music collected on this LP from Dave & Lee reminds me of that era. Dave & Lee are Australians Dave Burnett and Lee Cutelle, and the LP collects singles from four of their projects: Dave & Lee, Beaut, Branded, and British Jets. The Dave & Lee single came out in 1969 and the British Jets in 1980, so the music here covers a pretty wide stylistic swath. The Dave & Lee single is psychedelic pop with string arrangements a la the Zombies, while British Jets sound like riffy ’77 punk with a bootboy glam edge. While the window dressing differs from track to track, the big hooks make it hang together and sound like a playlist from a very eclectic but awesome radio station. Dave & Lee don’t sound like folks noodling around and experimenting in the studio; they sound like they were trying to write a hit. While I don’t think they hit commercial pay-dirt, they got close enough to get power pop collector nerds all hot and bothered, and now there’s this compilation, which is a treat for those of us who love a pop hook and a compilation full of hot tracks by unknown artists. If you fall into any of those categories, I encourage you to investigate this LP further.

Warm Red: Decades of Breakfast 12” (State Laughter) I began hearing friends in Atlanta chatter about Warm Red a year or two ago, so I caught them live when they played in Raleigh in September 2019, and I thought they were killer. They sound like a band who has listened to a lot of my favorite bands—particularly Wire and the Fall—but doesn’t treat them like gospel texts. Their charismatic frontperson also impressed me, and their vocals and lyrics struck me as something to pay attention to even in a live set, where vocalists often get crowded out by the other instruments. Warm Red released a single and a tape in 2019, but both felt like a tease… this band could clearly put together a great full-length, and Decades of Breakfast is it. Stylistically, I guess you’d call this “post-punk,” but that term has been emptied of all meaning at this point and thus requires further explanation. While I could see someone flipping out over this if they loved the Gen Pop LP that came out this fall, Warm Red is less introverted and feel like they’re aiming a little higher. It’s not far from what Parquet Courts or Protomartyr are doing (though there’s none of the latter’s dour quality), but isn’t as commercial as either of those… it’s too dense and too smart for that. I could imagine Warm Red signing to a big indie label, doing a follow-up record that’s more commercial, and getting super big, with Decades of Breakfast remaining the one the record nerds like (if they were smart enough to pick up the original pressing). Or maybe something else happens, but whether it’s the start of something even more incredible or just an isolated blip, Decades of Breakfast should be on your radar if you’re a fan of the aforementioned bands and styles.

Neutrals: Personal Computing 7” (Slumberland) We last heard from Neutrals when they released their excellent Rent / Your House EP earlier this year, and if you liked that one, add Personal Computing to your pile. These two tracks are in the same vein, but strike me as less punky than the previous EP. Both tracks give me strong Television Personalities vibes. Like the TVPs, Neutrals have sharp pop sensibilities, heavy accents, and a retro kitsch aesthetic. However, whereas the TVPs romanticized the 60s psychedelic era, Neutrals hearken back to the 80s UKDIY scene. The key is that, like the TVPs, it feels like Neutrals is carrying forward a tradition rather than copying. Why do I think that? Maybe just because I like their songs. There are two great ones on this record, and if you like this style of minimalist, smart, but ramshackle pop music, I think you’ll agree.

The Toms: 1979 Sessions 12” (Feel It) The Toms are well known among power-pop cognoscenti for their 1979 self-titled album, recorded in a single weekend by Tommy Marolda. The story goes that the Smithereens had booked studio time with Marolda but canceled last-minute, and he used that time to record these tracks with himself playing all the instruments. It’s amazing enough that Marolda recorded an entire album in one weekend, but it turns out he recorded much more than that and 1979 Sessions compiles that additional material. When I listen to the Toms, I can’t help but think of Big Star; like Big Star, the Toms sound like Paul McCartney’s songwriting sensibility filtered through the aesthetic of 70s album-oriented rock. While a track like “Love at First Sight” can lean more toward the Wings / ELO end of that spectrum, “Call the Surgeon, Pt. 2” and “Til the End of the Day” (not a Kinks cover BTW) are perfect Beatlesque pop confections. Fans of Big Star should check this out, but this will be right in your wheelhouse if you like that fuzzy space where new wave, power-pop, and the early 80s Paisley Underground scene meet.

LSG: S/T cassette (Open Palm Tapes) Demo tape from this new hardcore band out of Chicago. The style is fast and chaotic, taking inspiration from cult classics like the early Meat Puppets, Neos, and Negazione, and sounding not unlike Sorry State’s own Das Drip here and there, particularly when the guitarist hits the skinny strings hard. I’m a sucker for hardcore that’s fast as shit, but sidesteps the heaviness and macho vibes that frequently come along with the blazing tempos. The basement quality recording is great, with all the instruments coming through loud and clear despite the fuzziness and grit coating everything. LSG blasts out 7 songs in about 6 minutes and gets the fuck out. Right now my version of heaven would be no more plague and this band ripping it up in a Raleigh basement while the place explodes. Hopefully that happens one day, but in the meantime thank the lord for cassettes.

Motorhead: On Parole 12” (Parlophone) This Black Friday Record Store Day saw a nice reissue of Motorhead’s kinda-sorta first album, On Parole, and since we still have a few copies left, I thought I’d give you a quick spiel about it. In case you aren’t familiar, here’s the historical background. Lemmy formed Motorhead after he got kicked out of his previous band, Hawkwind, and Motorhead’s original lineup was a three-piece featuring Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. The group started with a set featuring songs from their previous bands along with some choice covers, and they quickly signed to United Artists Records. As the recording for their debut album was being finished, drummer Lucas Fox got edged out of the band in favor of Phil Taylor, who overdubbed new drum tracks over most of Fox’s work. This is the version of the band captured on On Parole. So it’s Motorhead in this weird in-between state, before they had settled on their classic lineup and their trademark sound, when there was still a lot of Hawkwind and Pink Fairies in their sound, but the band was playing this material as hard and as fast as possible. If you like bands like Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies (I love them!), you’ll love this material. If you’re coming to this expecting Motorhead’s classic sound, though, it might disappoint you. For me, though, Motorhead’s sound and aesthetic was so airtight later on (particularly on their classic three-album run of Bomber, Overkill, and Ace of Spades) that it's hard to listen to those records with fresh ears. Consequently, I’m just as likely if not more to throw on On Parole rather than those classic records, even if it is, in many respects, a formative and inferior version of the band. So, my take is that if you’re a Motorhead die-hard, you’ll find this material interesting for its historical context. If you’re a fan of the tradition of heavy 70s rock that Motorhead grew out of, you’ll just flat-out love this album for what it is. This reissue is top-notch as well, with great sound, an entire LP of bonus tracks (mostly alternate takes), informative liner notes from drummer Lucas Fox, and artwork restored from the Liberty Records pressing of the album (On Parole doesn’t have a definitive album cover, and this version is the best of several not-great options).

A Culture of Killing: The Feast of Vultures 12” (Drunken Sailor) The Feast of Vultures is the second LP from this Italian band. Their first record had Crass Records-inspired cover art and a sound reminiscent of Zounds or the first Cure album, Three Imaginary Boys, with a strong melodic / pop element but a punky delivery. This time around the visual aesthetic has changed, and the music is a little different too, widening in scope and incorporating influences from a broader spectrum of 80s pop. Fans of the first LP will love “Promised World” and “Bridges,” but “The Toast of Despair” has a gloomier sound a la the Cure records after Three Imaginary Boys and the album-closer “Futuro?” has a New Romantic vibe. For me, though, the highlight of The Feast of Vultures is “All Will Be Fine,” a bright and poppy song that reminds me of Modern English’s “I’ll Melt with You” and is just as charming and repeatable. If you liked A Culture of Killing’s first album (and I know a lot of you did), I don’t see any reason not to take the journey’s next step.

Solvent: Demo 2020 (self-released) Demo cassette from this furious band out of Seattle. I guess you would call this d-beat, but it’s not of the polished stadium crust variety. Rather than most modern d-beat bands, Solvent reminds me of Deathreat… they just sound like a fast, pissed, and noisy hardcore band steeped in the international classics. In certain parts I hear Bastard vibes off in the distance, but this is go for the throat stuff in the Shitlickers / Cimex mold, but not as stylized as most modern bands who go for that style. A ripper for sure.

Septic Yanks: S/T cassette (Stucco Label) Short demo from this band presumably out of Olympia Washington. At least that’s where the label, Stucco, is based. Stucco earned our attention by introducing us to Electric Chair and Suck Lords, and Septic Yanks appeals to a similar sensibility. However, whereas those two bands are all about speed, Septic Yanks are more primitive and more approachable. The playing is loose, but the grittiness balances out the Circle Jerks-y catchiness of the riffing. Nasty production wrapping around a nihilistic attitude and straightforward but effective songwriting makes me think of the best bands on an old Mystic Compilation, so if you researched every band on Party or Go Home or Copulation, you’re going to like Septic Yanks.

タイフーン (Taifun): Demo 2020 cassette (Desolate) Taifun comes from Germany and released this demo in 2020, but if you played it for me blind, I don’t think I could pick it out of a lineup of Japanese bands released on Blood Sucker or HG Fact in the late 90s or 00s. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Taifun has at least one member of Burial (who did a pretty great Burning Spirits take of their own back in the aughts), they have this sound on lock. While the galloping beats and glass-gargling vocals that we all love in Japanese hardcore are very much in effect here, the sound is more rocked out and slicker than, say, Bastard or Death Side, instead reminding me of Paintbox, Forward’s first few records, or Rocky and the Sweden’s early stuff. I feel like this sound is out of fashion nowadays as people want stuff that’s more raging, but if you liked the Detractors tape that Desolate released a while back, this is a total no-brainer. And for those of us who still ride for this 90s iteration of the Japanese hardcore sound, this is as comforting as a sherpa blanket. Also of note, while the tape’s A side is all hardcore, side B is a 10-minute noise piece, and as 10-minute noise pieces go I thought it was pretty interesting.

Hekátē: Μέρες Οργής (Days of Wrath) 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Μέρες Οργής is the debut 12” from this band from Greece. While the keyboards and dark vibes will put them in the post-punk category for many people, to me they have more in common with the Damned or TSOL. In other words, Hekátē writes high-energy punk songs with a strong sense of melody and a dramatic flair, and as you might expect given that this is on La Vida Es Un Mus, they’re great at it. Hekátē bookends Μέρες Οργής with two atmospheric tracks without vocals, placing the more conventional songs in the middle. “Soapbox” has an anarcho brood, but its shouted vocals and early Fall-esque keyboards keep it well away from being on the nose. “Ψυχαναγκασμός,” the fastest and punkiest song on the record, is my hot track. While the core is a solid three-chord rock song that could have gone in many directions, the bright, new-wave synth line makes it a total earworm. Μέρες Οργής is compact but full of variety, a record you play repeatedly because you can’t get enough.

Pitbul: Demo 2020 cassette (self-released) Another ripping demo out of the Seattle area. While Solvent has a gritty, d-beat influenced style, Pitbul plays tight, start-and-stop hardcore with a heavy Negative Approach influence. It’s not totally retro 80s though. I hear a little of straight edge hardcore in the riffing style, which makes me think of bands like Dead Stop, Punch in the Face, Violent Minds, etc., who sounded like the logical product of the 20 years of hardcore that preceded them. If you’re into bands that fall into that space, I can’t recommend this one enough. 7 tracks, about 5 minutes, and zero bullshit.

Death Sentence: Death and Pure Destruction 7” (Bomb-All Records) The German label Bomb-All Records brings this underrated UK82 ripper back into print. There isn’t much in the way of frills for Death Sentence… their riffs are of the simple 3 chord variety, their drummer only knows how to do dunka dunka 1-2 beats, and the singer sounds like he’s auditioning for the Exploited. The two tracks on the a-side are rippers, lightning-fast UK82 punk in the vein of Ultra Violent or the better Exploited songs. The b-side slows things down for “Victims of War” and the record finishes with “Death Sentence,” whose endearingly sloppy playing and screaming guitar solo leave a strong impression. While it isn’t on the level of Ultra Violent or the Partisans, Death and Pure Destruction is a ripper that any fan of this style will love.

Mower: Grand Punk 7” (Audacious Madness Records) We last heard from Pittsburgh’s Mower when they released an LP on Splattered! Records, which was the perfect home for their Motorhead-inspired punk-and-roll. The first thing that stood out about Grand Punk was the artwork, a conceit so perfect I wonder why I haven’t seen it before. It looks awesome, though! And the Grand Funk reference is perfect for a band that plays dirty rock and roll. Unlike Overdose’s straightforward Motorhead worship, Mower has more of a party punk vibe a la Annihilation Time or Midnight, with classic rock riffs sped up and played with a loose, last-call swagger. And even though this a 7”, the four fully developed tracks will leave your ears pleasantly full.

Sudden Impact: Freaked Out 7” (Supreme Echo) Supreme Echo Records gives us another killer Canadian punk reissue, this time from Toronto’s Sudden Impact. I knew the band from their 1986 LP, No Rest from the Wicked, which is a record that never grabbed me. I skimmed through it after hearing Freaked Out and my opinion is still the same. No Rest from the Wicked is cool… it’s fast and I like the wild guitar solos, but the crossover feel is further from my wheelhouse and the songs never grabbed me. Freaked Out, though, is a different story. While it’s a little metallic, I wouldn’t call it crossover at all. It’s just ripping, early 80s USHC with great riffs, fast drumming, and snotty vocals. This recording reminds me of Direct Control, and by extension bands like DRI and Attitude Adjustment that had a similar tight, metallic punk sound. The recording is perfectly vintage—clear but miles away from overproduced—and with 10 tracks it feels longer than a lot of 12” EPs I’ve heard. As usual, Supreme Echo does it up on the packaging, including a 7”x7” booklet containing loads of pictures, flyers, ephemera, and a new interview with the band. Highly recommended for fans of vintage 80s North American hardcore.

Smarts: Who Needs Smarts Anyway? 12” (Feel It) Smarts is a new Melbourne band featuring a bunch of familiar faces from other bands, and while their sound isn’t miles away from some of other bands (particularly Ausmuteants, whose singer / keyboardist Jake Roberts plays drums here), there’s something fresh and exciting about them. The label’s description drops the term “egg punk”—which, in 2020, is somewhere between a backhanded compliment and outright insult—but the tag makes sense given that Smarts’ angular rhythms, high-pitched vocals, and quirky sensibility sound like the Coneheads. However, the reference point I keep coming back to is Freedom of Choice era Devo, because that quirkiness and angularity is subservient to a great pop sensibility. Basically, these are great songs played fast and quirky. But that’s not the complete story with Smarts. There’s also the unique instrumentation, the way the saxophone, synth, guitar, and bass work together. The sax playing isn’t skronky or jazzy, but locked in with the guitar licks, doubling the same angular melodic lines. The way those instruments work together sounds natural, but also like nothing else I’ve heard before. I feel like my description isn’t coming together as well as Smarts’ music, which melds these disparate qualities into a seamless and original whole.

Vex: Sanctuary 12” (Bomb-All Records) This is a reissue of the 1984 12” EP by this London band. Even if you’re not a deep anarcho punk head, you might recognize the band’s name or this release because Sacred Bones did their own reissue of Sanctuary a few years back. Sacred Bones’ version (which is out of print and sells for collector prices) added a few compilation tracks (and hence had the title Sanctuary (The Complete Discography)), but this version from Bomb-All is a straight reissue of the original 4-song 12”. While Vex gets described as an anarcho band, Killing Joke is the clearest influence on their sound. In fact, their song “It’s No Crime” bears more than a passing resemblance to Killing Joke’s “The Wait.” Whereas Amebix took Killing Joke’s mechanistic post-punk and made it heavier and meaner, Vex play things straight on Sanctuary, and if you’re a fan of Killing Joke’s first couple of records, it’s pretty certain you’ll like this EP. If you’re also a fan of the grittier sounds coming out of the underground at that same time, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll flip out over this record.

Patois Counselors: The Optimal Seat 12” (Ever/Never Records) Charlotte North Carolina’s Patois Counselors, one of the most buzzed-about bands in our state’s underground, are back with a second album! To paraphrase an apt quotation, this time around things are the same, but different. I remember my description of their first album on Ever/Never was one of the most out-there descriptions I’ve written for Sorry State. At the time I was reading this book that Gilles Deleuze wrote about the painter Francis Bacon (thanks Danny!), and Deleuze’s analysis of Bacon’s approach to painting reminded me of the ornate density of Patois Counselors’ music. That sensibility carries through to The Optimal Seat; like Proper Release, The Optimal Seat is musically and lyrically dense. I’m glad that Patois Counselors has found a home on Ever/Never Records, because that label specializes in music that exercises your brain muscles. As for what’s different, despite the density—or maybe complexity is a better word—there’s something that feels more elegant and confident about The Optimal Seat, like the band knows who they are and are leaning way into it. Even after just a week of listening, I’m confident this is a record that will share more of its rewards with you the longer it sits on your turntable. The Optimal Seat may be loud and bombastic like punk, but it expects more of you as a listener than most any other record you’d apply that term to.

Deseos Primitivos: S/T 12” (Going Underground) After a demo and a 7”, Going Underground Records brings us the debut LP from this California punk band. Deseos Primitivos’s sound is fast and tough, but also sophisticated and melodic. They sound like a California punk band through and through, from their surf-infected guitar licks to their anthemic choruses and great songcraft to the bubbly bass to the cool confidence of their playing. The production is lean and direct (I don’t even think the guitar is double-tracked), and if their songs were bad, there would be nowhere to hide… thankfully they are killer. I can name a ton of bands this record reminds me of—the Adolescents, the Avengers, the Brat, the Bags—but Deseos Primitivos isn’t trying to sound like those bands. They’re just playing no-frills, classic-sounding punk songs that all but force you to pogo and sing along.

Molchat Doma: Monument 12” (Sacred Bones) I imagine most people know the broad contours of Molchat Doma’s backstory by now, but in case you don’t, here’s the quick version. In 2018, their second album, Etazhi, blew up on YouTube, going viral and getting millions of plays, catapulting this group from Belarus to international renown. If you used YouTube to listen to any minimal synth or darkwave in 2018 or 2019, there’s a good chance YouTube played a Molchat Doma track when your video finished. I think our friend Carly—who did a month-long fill-in stint at Sorry State—was the first person to play Molchat Doma for me, and I liked it so much I ordered 30 copies of the LP from their German label, Detriti Records. They sold out immediately. I knew punks were talking about this band, but when I saw someone I didn’t know wearing their t-shirt at a goth night in Raleigh, I knew their reach was wider. Next thing I know they’re signed to Sacred Bones and planning a US tour, which they had to cancel because of COVID. Now Sacred Bones has released their follow-up album to sky-high expectations. I liked Etazhi, and I tried to approach Monument with as little baggage or expectation as possible. After listening to it 4 or 5 times, I think it’s awesome. The record starts with a track that sounds like Etazhi, and while the song was good, it worried me this would be a retread. However, Monument is a clear progression. The synth-heavy tracks lean more on the rhythmic pulses of dance music, reminding me of Boy Harsher. But at least half of the album doesn’t have this sound at all, instead using guitar as the main melodic instrument and highlighting melancholy vocal melodies. These songs sound like the Smiths, particularly tracks like “Still Ill” and “Hand in Glove” that are propulsive yet dark and melodic. Not only is Molchat Doma great at this style but also it serves as a great counterpoint to the more dance-oriented tracks while sounding natural alongside them. And, in case you thought they were going to sound too clean or pro, everything is still bathed in the same warm tape saturation as Etazhi. As a fan, you want a follow-up album to build upon the things you loved about the previous record without abandoning its strengths, and that’s what Molchat Doma has done with Monument.

Portray Heads: S/T 12” (Bitter Lake) While Bitter Lake has released a couple of punk records, this awesome compilation from Portray Heads returns to the label’s original focus on the Japanese electronic / post-punk underground. It’s also telling that this is a split label release with Minimal Wave, into whose discography this also fits very well. While they made these recordings in 1985 and 1986, it sounds like Portray Heads was experimenting with the same kinds of gadgets that groups like the Human League, D.A.F., Grauzone, and New Order were using a few years earlier. There are a few things that separate Portray Heads from the pack, though. The first is that their songs tend to be upbeat and fast-tempo, which along with the gritty sound, gives them a punkiness many synth groups lack. The second is the group’s unique sense of melody. It sounds like they use a lot of middle eastern scales, and if you have a taste for “Eastern” sounding new wave (like that killer Yugoslavian post-punk mix we carried a few weeks ago) or even Anatolian rock, give this a listen. I’ve liked everything Bitter Lake has released so far, but this one is noteworthy. Highly recommended.

The Mentally Ill: Gacy’s Place: Complete Starbeat Sessions 12” (Almost Ready Records) The Mentally Ill’s “Gacy’s Place” is one of the all-time great Killed by Death tracks, and by extension one of the all-time classic punk songs; in fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if some people call it the ultimate KBD track. This LP expands the original 3-song EP to 8 tracks, bringing together all the tracks from the recording session. “Gacy’s Place” kicks things off, and it sounds as great as ever. It’s where everything that makes KBD punk comes together perfectly: anti-social lyrics (“they’re fucking your kids!”), primitive production, punk swagger, and a dash of Residents-esque esoteric weirdness. Wrap all that up in one of the greatest bass lines ever, and you have a song that everyone should know. Alternative Tentacles had already released the other tracks on this LP back in 2004 on a collection called Gacy’s Place: The Undiscovered Corpses (along with two other studio sessions), but I wasn’t very familiar with them. While there’s nothing as perfect as “Gacy’s Place,” those elements I mentioned above all feature in different mixtures on those other tracks, and I wouldn’t call any of them weak. While this isn’t necessary if you have the Alternative Tentacles release, it’s a great pickup for any KBD fan, from the dabbler to the full-on fanatic.

Geza X: Practicing Mice / Me No Wanna Be 7” (No Matrix) Those of you who have dug deep into LA punk should be familiar with Geza X. While, as a performer, he never achieved the fame of the Germs or the Dead Kennedys, he was a key player in the scene who played in a ton of the classic LA punk bands and produced a huge portion of that scene’s studio recordings. In fact, he produced early recordings by both of the aforementioned bands. I remember I picked up Geza X’s LP, You Goddamn Kids!, in the late 90s because it looked interesting and punk, but it confounded by teenage brain that was looking for more stuff that sounded like the Adolescents and the Circle Jerks. While Geza X’s music has a lot of punk’s energy (which is unsurprising given how talented he was at capturing that energy on tape), there are also elements of silliness and satire. The titles of the two tracks on this single, “Practicing Mice” and “Me No Wanna Be,” say quite a lot. While some people might not like the “wacky” elements like the lyrics and Geza’s high-pitched voice, if you’re a fan of the weirder, Zappa / Residents-informed end of the KBD spectrum, this will be right up your alley. The production is also interesting, with a very processed sound to the guitar. Geza X’s other production jobs are straightforward; I wonder if he felt more daring with this home-recorded material. Besides the music, you also get some interesting liner notes from Geza himself in which he recounts several wild and hilarious stories from the Masque days.

Speed Plans: Field of Vision cassette (Kill Enemy Records) Latest cassette from this Pittsburgh hardcore band, and to me it sounds like a throwback to the late 2000s and early 2010s when No Way Records ruled the scene. In particular, Speed Plans reminds me of bands like Cardiac Arrest, Wasted Time, Citizens Patrol, and Reprobates. Like those bands, Speed Plans foregrounds their early 80s USHC influences, but aren’t afraid to bring in catchy mid-paced parts or slightly melodic lead guitar licks. I would imagine they like the Adolescents just as much as they like the Negative Approach EP or Victim in Pain, even if the latter two influences are more prominent in their music. I think what makes this sound like “No Way era” hardcore to me is the lack of d-beat influence. The tradition of Discharge-inspired bands permeated the hardcore of the 2010s, but you won’t find any of it here. Thus, what was old is now new again, and it sounds as great as it always did.

Necro Heads: demo cassette (Kill Enemy Records) This debut tape from Pittsburgh’s Necro Heads came out alongside the latest Speed Plans tape, and the two of them together are quite the pair of rippers. Where Speed Plans bring in a little of that west coast catchiness to their USHC sound, Necro Heads is looser, more aggro, and more brutal. While it’s appropriate to cite the same USHC touchstones, the grittiness and ugliness pulls this more toward dark shit like Siege and Septic Death. You get six short and fast rippers, then the last track, “Opt Out,” descends into your classic hardcore dirge with noisy, feedback-drenched improvisational guitar wailing as the band dissolves into a writhing mess a la “Damaged I.” Good shit.

Milk: Bricks 7” (Hysteria Records) Bricks is the first US release from this hardcore band out of Nagoya, Japan. I first heard about Milk when they played Damaged City Fest. Suddenly everyone was talking about this band from Japan that sounded like Minor Threat and had an impossible to find LP. I checked them out and their LP was super rad, but not being able to find a physical copy meant that it never sunk in that hard. However, I’ve been listening to Bricks a ton and loving it. The first thing you’ll see mentioned when someone is talking about Milk is the guitar sound… it’s not distorted at all; it’s thin and scratchy and (on Bricks even more so than the LP) it has a claustrophobic, direct-in-the-board sound. Amde Petersen’s Arme is another band I see compared to Milk, and that’s a pretty spot on comparison. The riffs are simple but catchy, and the playing has a looseness that makes Bricks sound explosive and alive. If your tastes tend toward classic, punky-sounding US hardcore, it’s hard to see why this wouldn’t do it for you. Killer.

Second Layer: World of Rubber 12” (Radiation) World of Rubber is the lone album from this short-lived UK minimal synth / cold wave duo whose members, Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey, were the guitarist / vocalist and bassist for the great post-punk band the Sound. The Sound grew more polished and pop-oriented over the course of their run (their later records are good, but have a U2 style of polish), so as you might expect Second Layer is even rawer than the earliest material by the Sound. While Borland’s voice is instantly recognizable, World of Rubber has little of the dramatic rock flair that’s a big part of the Sound’s Jeopardy. While I’m sure some fans of the Sound will miss the big riffs and big choruses, I think Borland’s songwriting is just as powerful in this context. Instead of anthems, Second Layer has a brooding, monochromatic style that reminds me of the Cure circa Faith or Seventeen Seconds or Closer-era Joy Division, that quality accentuated by a rather primitive-sounding drum machine. If you’re a fan of minimal synth groups like Solid Space or the Units, this has a very similar aesthetic, but its power is amplified by a world-class singer and songwriter. A very cool obscurity for deep post-punk heads.

Disfear: Soul Scars 12” (Havoc Records) Havoc Records reissues a record that is perfect for them, Disfear’s 1995 full-length Soul Scars. Truth be told, I haven’t spent much time with Disfear. By the time I was digging into international crust and d-beat in the 2000s, Disfear was putting out records like Misanthropic Generation and Live the Storm, and the computer-generated graphics and the fact that those records were on Relapse turned me off… I mean, who can blame me for passing over Disfear when I was just hearing bands like Shitlickers and Disarm for the first time? I bet even the members of Disfear themselves would acknowledge that I took the right path. I did see Disfear live once, in Philadelphia with Warhead and Forward. I’ve seen both Japanese bands many times, but this set was the best I ever saw either of them… which may have something to do with the enormous amount of speed my friends gifted the bands before the gig. Disfear was good that night, but you can’t beat two legends of Japanese hardcore in a chemically enhanced state. So, it’s 2020 now and my good friend Usman rides hard for Disfear, so I checked out Soul Scars and it turns out that it rips! While too many bands over the years have taken this bulldozer crust sound into directions that are too polished and/or metallic for my tastes, Soul Scars is a hardcore record through and through… if you fuck with Totalitär and don’t like “The Ultimate Disaster” or “The Price of Ignorance” you might need to consult your ear doctor. It’s too bad I wasn’t cool enough to be into this the first time around, but it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf.

Various: Yugoslavian Post-punk/New Wave mixtape cassette (World Gone Mad)  Yugoslavian Post-punk/New Wave mixtape is the latest in a series of incredible international mix tapes that Aaron from World Gone Mad Records has been releasing over the past few years. If you’ve gotten any of the other genres, then you already know the deal: 90 minutes of obscure tracks you’ve never heard, professionally duplicated with strong sound. I had heard of one band on this compilation, which I’m proud of because usually it’s zero. If you’re fanatical about hearing obscure international music in this vein, this is an easy decision. However, even if you aren’t looking up every single band on here to find more material, this is a great tape that you can throw on and just let it run, like you should be able to do with any great mix tape. The compilers construe the terms “new wave” and “post-punk” broadly here, encompassing everything from minimal synth and straight up punk to music that sounds like mainstream 80s pop from the US and UK. One of my favorite things about these mixes is how these groups integrate their own musical heritage with what’s happening in the Anglophone world, and there are countless different approaches to that across these 90 minutes. Like I said, these tapes have been awesome, and this one is no exception.

Vicio: S/T 7” (Emma Navajas) This is a vinyl reissue of a demo tape from Texas’s Vicio, originally released in the year 2000. While clueless white people like myself were freaking out over “Y2K thrash” and chasing down Tear It Up pressing variants, these Texans were channeling the unhinged spirit of early Italian hardcore, blasting out these eight tracks of primitive punk. Sometimes the drummer drifts away from the beat and the bass and guitar are out of tune with one another, but the riffs are killer and the band is playing like it’s the last time they’ll ever touch instruments in their lives. I don’t know if the members of Vicio were familiar with bands like Wretched and Negazione, but they captured something on tape that evokes the same feeling as those bands. Major props to the folks who brought this recording back into circulation… you’ve done the world a service.

Second Attack: Lies and Myths 7” (Puke N Vomit) Puke N Vomit digs up this total punk obscurity. According to the liner notes, these two songs originally came out in a tiny, self-released edition of 250, but almost all of those copies were thrown away after the record failed to find distribution. I think Second Attack had a few things working against them. The first was that they were a one-person project. While the insert has a flyer showing Second Attack as support on some Conflict gigs, I can’t imagine it was easy for a project like this to get noticed in the pre-internet era. The second issue is that they recorded this in 1989 and the record presumably came out shortly thereafter, meaning this was WAY late to the party. This record sounds like a long lost treasure from the No Future Records catalog, but it’s being released at the same time as Nirvana’s Bleach. Thankfully, today’s punks can hear it because this is a solid single. The sound is primitive punk a la Red Alert or the 4 Skins, nothing more and nothing less. You could slip these tracks onto a new pressing of the Oi! compilations and I guarantee no one would bat an eye, so if that’s your style, don’t let the date on this one deter you.

Clock of Time: Pestilent Planet 12” (Static Shock) Clock of Time is a new band out of Berlin, and while they may seem to have come out of nowhere (Pestilent Planet is their first release, a mere 8 months after playing their first gig), the speed at which they move is unsurprising given the musicians’ veteran status. Clock of Time features people from Diät, Vexx, and Useless Eaters, but it’s Diät fans in particular who should get excited, because Clock of Time draws most heavily on that band’s sound. That being said, while the vocals have the same gloomy, melodic quality as Diät and I could imagine “Companion” or “Rotten Master” appearing on one of their records, there are some differences. “Funny Farm” is a death rock dirge a la Part 1 whose grinding, mechanical rhythm builds tension past the point at which you feel you can’t take it anymore, approaching a kind of auditory S&M. That sense of gloom (which, admittedly, was a big part of Diät too) permeates Pestilent Planet, making it feel more like a death rock record rather than a dark pop record a la the Chameleons… a subtle difference for sure, but one worth noting. If you like Diät (I love them), this is essential and you’ll love it, but even if you never checked out that band, it’s a great time to get in on the ground floor with Clock of Time.

Cry Out: More Echoes of a Question Never Answered… Why? 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Cry Out is a solo project from Rosie Davis, a Canadian musician who passed away earlier this summer. More Echoes… was a work in progress when she passed, and from what I understand, La Vida Es Un Mus had already planned on releasing it, and helped coordinate the record’s completion so it could get an official release. It’s an outstanding record, and I’m happy to have it, though sad to know that we won’t get to hear more. Cry Out takes a lot of inspiration from classic anarcho punk (the cover art and the track “Fucked Silly” both reference Crass’s Penis Envy album, for instance), but its sound spans that genre’s eclectic breath, even traveling outside it a bit for “Garden Song,” which (as LVEUM’s description notes), recalls Sad Lovers and Giants’ gloomy and melodic post-punk. “Your Shame Not Mine” has all of Crass’s punk experimentalism, “War Aesthetic” is a catchier punk track in the Crisis / Zounds mode, and “Fucked Silly” is a jittery, upbeat song a la Crass’s early records. While these are reference points, More Echoes doesn’t feel like an imitation, but an attempt to summon the same muses, and the primitive recording and drum machines also give it a unique flair. There’s a lot packed into these 11 minutes.

Gen Pop: PPM66 12” (Post Present Medium) Gen Pop’s first EP appeared back in 2017, but we’ve had to wait until 2020 for their debut full-length. I’ve been wondering what a Gen Pop full-length would sound like ever since I first heard them. Their 7”s were eclectic, and the beautiful graphic design complimented their balance of tunefulness with an experimental / progressive flair. I’m glad Gen Pop took their time putting together a full-length, because PPM66 brings those elements together as brilliantly as I would have expected. Whenever I listen to PPM66 I think of Wire’s Pink Flag. While they’ve never made it explicit, I’ve always suspected early Wire was a big influence on Gen Pop, and on PPM66 they combine jittery punk like “Hanging Drum” and “Personal Fantasy” with great melodic pop like “Bright Light People” (which has a cool video) and “Concrete” and atmospheric tracks like “Jilted and Blitzed,” achieving a delicate balance very akin to Pink Flag. However, to be a Wire disciple, you can’t imitate Wire; that would miss one of the big takeaways of their aesthetic, that moments of transcendence come from pushing forward, experimenting, and exploring. I often cite Pink Flag as my favorite album of all time, and I value the idea that music should be both intellectually gratifying and viscerally exciting. If you share that belief, you’ll love PPM66 too.

Gag Still Laughing 12” (Iron Lung) Olympia’s Gag were the toast of the early 2010s; I remember watching them play an explosive set at the final Chaos in Tejas back in 2013, they released a series of killer EPs that led up to 2015’s America’s Greatest Hits LP, and that’s the last we heard from them. I’d assumed they’d dissolved, but a promo tape surfaced last year and now we have a new full-length. Thankfully, not much has changed in the intervening five years. One thing that set Gag apart from the beginning was their catchy, mid-paced riffing style. While a lot of hardcore bands have the ambition of playing as fast as possible and others play with dynamic tempo changes, Gag had this way of locking into a heavy, fist-pumping groove that made dance floors explode. That’s the m.o. for Still Laughing… mosh for weirdos, music made for you and your friends to crash into each other in a sweaty basement. Another thing that carries over from Gag’s earlier releases is a quirky, artsy aesthetic, which comes out in the band’s strange artwork (Still Laughing is a doozy), but also surfaces in their music, like on the minimal synth outro, “Scorpion Sequence.” Five years can be an eternity in hardcore, but Still Laughing proves that Gag’s approach hasn’t aged a bit.

Larzon: S/T 7” (Ken Rock) Sweden’s Ken Rock Records digs up this gem from Larzon, an early 80s Swedish punk band who never managed a release during their original lifespan. I’m not sure if these tracks circulated among tape traders or what, but to my ears it’s a real gem that deserves to be out in the world. While Larzon is from the 80s, their sound is rooted in 70s punk, particularly of the tougher variety. The songs with simple, major-key chord progressions remind me of UK oi!, but mostly this is grimy, overdriven rock-and-roll a la Brian James-era Damned, but maybe a little less manic. I feel certain the members of this band must have had Rude Kids records in their collection as well (and if you don’t know Rude Kids, dial up either of their first two singles or the great, underrated Safe Society LP). Lovers of obscure KBD and Europunk take note… this one is hyper obscure, but worth hearing.

Sonic’s Rendezvous Band: Detroit Tango 12” (Svart Records) Detroit Tango takes the expansive 6-CD Sonic’s Rendezvous Band box set that came out in 2006 and whittles it down to a double LP with no repeated songs. If you aren’t familiar with SRV, they’re a Detroit band who existed from 1974 to 1980 and only released one single during that time. However, that single is a track called “City Slang” that is one of the most exhilarating pieces of Detroit rock-and-roll you’ll find. The “Sonic” in the band’s name refers to Fred “Sonic” Smith, who played guitar in the MC5, and SRV’s drummer was Scott Asheton from the Stooges, so they’re Detroit royalty. To me, their music is more streamlined than either the MC5 or the Stooges, downplaying those two bands’ soul/R&B and avant/jazz influences (respectively) and focusing on hard-edged, riff-driven hard rock. SRV, despite featuring these first-wave Detroit players, reminds me more of bands like Radio Birdman who took what those first-wavers did and took it into the punk era. While Sonic’s name is on the marquee, for me it’s Scott Asheton who makes this band. I can’t even imagine what he would sound like playing on something that sucked, and whenever his drums kick in here (and even on the live recordings the kick drum always hits you like a gut punch) it kicks everything up several notches. Detroit Tango does an admirable job of being the SRV album they never made. While it peters out a little on side four with a few weaker tracks, the bulk of this is a bonanza of riffs and rhythms, as pure an expression of rock-and-roll as you’ll find anywhere. My only complaint is that “City Slang” doesn’t appear on the record, but all that means is that you need two SRV records in your collection rather than just this one.

Fuzzy Duck: S/T 12” (Be With Records) I first came across Fuzzy Duck a few years ago when deep diving into early hard rock and psychedelia. When you’re scrolling past album after album on sites like rateyourmusic.com, Discogs, or Prog Archives, you can’t help but notice that artwork… it’s so gloriously WTF that you just have to hear what kind of music would fit that artwork. However, while the artwork might draw you in, it’s the music that will keep you coming back. Fuzzy Duck’s membership features musicians from a heap of second and third-rate psych and rock groups (Five Day Week Straw People, The Killing Floor, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), but aside from the classic Arthur Brown track “Fire,” I like this better than anything I’ve heard from those groups. Part of that might be where it falls in the intertwined history of freakbeat, psych, prog, and blues rock. On this album I hear freakbeat’s tough, danceable rhythms, the textures of psych, the musical intricacy of prog, and the heaviness of blues rock in a balance that no one else achieved. If you like the jammed-out sounds of anything from early Cream to the Pink Fairies or Hawkwind, you should check this out. I know this isn’t the normal Sorry State fare, but I can’t take this one off the turntable.

Nu-Kle-Er Blast Suntan: 2019 demo 12” (self-released) Nu-Kle-Er Blast Suntan started in Augusta, George in the 00s, and at some point they resurfaced in Portland, where they’re still based. When they were in the southeast, I got to see them a few times and I always thought they were an underrated band. I’ve always had a taste for hardcore punk with progressive elements, and Nu-Kle-Er Blast Suntan has stuck with that basic idea through years of punk trends. This latest release is a one-sided 12” that features one long track. According to the band, they were writing a new album when COVID forced them to pause, so they let this piece out into the world. The track is killer. The basic foundation is crusty hardcore punk, but throughout the track gets spiced up with unexpected vocalizations, countless rhythmic changes, and interesting lead guitar work filtered through what must be an impressive collection of effects pedals. Despite the track’s length and scope, it never feels pretentious or “epic.” Like the Subhumans’ “From the Cradle to the Grave,” it hardcore punk with a lot of thought put into how the short bursts of power and speed fit together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. If you dig on groups like Crow, Grave New World, and Lebenden Toten, I urge you to help rescue this band from the “underrated” category.

The Generics: Cost Cutter 7” (Feel It) You can check Feel It’s description for a more fleshed-out version of the story, but the Generics were a teen (really, TWEEN!) punk band from the small town of Cross Lanes, West Virginia. They made a single in 1983, most of which they distributed to classmates at their JUNIOR high school. A few years ago, record collectors got hip to the Generics and word got out. Now Feel It has put together this official reissue that compiles that two-song single along with two outtakes from the same session. It’s funny that the Generics were so young, because to me they have little of the innocent playfulness I associate with very young punk bands like the ones that appeared on the No Puberty compilation we carried a few years ago. Instead, the Generics’ hard rock riffing and drawled vocals remind me more of sleazy bar-punk bands from the KBD era like La Peste, the Suicide Commandos, or the Zeros. All four tracks here are excellent, and as always with Feel It Records, the packaging leaves nothing to desire.

The Zits: Back in Blackhead 12” (Feel It) Alongside the Generics reissue, Feel It has also reissued another slice of killer KBD-era teen punk, this time from Virginia’s the Zits. Like the Generics, the Zits released a two-song single during their time as a band, to which Feel It has added several worthy outtakes to make this excellent LP. Musically the Zits couldn’t be more different from the Generics. Whereas the Generics seemed weary beyond their years, the Zits (unsurprisingly, given their name) were all about juvenile humor. The a-side of their single is about puking on people, while the b-side revels in the cartoon violence you see in Looney Tunes cartoons, the Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat,” and GG Allin’s “Beat Beat Beat.” While the lyrics are silly, the music is top-notch, with great songs and melodic lead guitar indebted to the Undertones (whose “Get Over You” the Zits cover here). If you love obscure punk from the KBD era, you shouldn’t waste any time picking up both new Feel It Records releases.

Humant Blod:  Flykten Från Verkligheten 7” (Desolate Records) This week’s second Atlantic Ocean-spanning band is Humant Blod, whose members are spread across New York City and Sweden. Jeff covered the background info when he chose  Flykten Från Verkligheten as his staff pick back in August, but the short version is that Jesse and Mike from Extended Hell hooked up with Joe B from Fairtytale and Condominium, cooked up a batch of the ferocious d-beat hardcore they have perfected, and Poffen from Totalitar and Mattis from Dissekerad flew over to New York for a weekend to add vocals and guitar. You’d be right to have sky-high expectations given this group of musicians, but  Flykten Från Verkligheten does not disappoint. This is one of the most blistering, crushing, and uncompromising records since… well, the Extended Hell LP! It’s what you want it to be in every way, a relentless onslaught of crushing heaviness. This record’s first press sold out instantly, which isn’t surprising because if you’re a hardcore fanatic you’ll need this in your collection the second you hear it. Fortunately, Desolate and Havoc are keeping it in print for those of you who are slower on the uptake.