Andy Human & the Reptoids: Psychic Sidekick 12” (Total Punk) 2nd LP from California’s Andy Human & the Reptoids and a rare long-player for the Total Punk label. While Andy Human’s singles are gut-punches of catchiness, Psychic Sidekick spreads out and emphasizes the band’s looser side. Most songs are built around steady drumbeats and bass pulses, overlaid with squelches of synth and (often heavily effected) lead guitar. The vocals and lyrics can feel like an afterthought, but that’s OK because those long, meandering synth and guitar lines are the star of the show. If your record collection has a ton of ’77-era punk records and 70s Krautrock, you’re right in the sweet spot for being bowled over by Psychic Sidekick. Interestingly, the songs on the a-side feel a little snappier and more upbeat, while the tracks on the b-side churn more slowly. That is except for “You Like Your Job,” whose propulsive, Delta 5-ish bass line makes it the record’s standout track. While Psychic Sidekick isn’t as crude or confrontational as the typical Total Punk release, if you like the more psychedelic end of the garage spectrum (Destruction Unit, Ex-Cult, that recent Timmy Vulgar LP on Mind Meld) this is well worth a listen.

Zyanose: Chaos Bender 12” (Distort Reality) Brand new 8-song, one-sided (the b-side has a rad looking etching) 12” from these Japanese noise-punk / crasher crust legends. I know that some people think crasher crust is a genre whose parameters are so narrow that every release sounds the same. I can see where people are coming from with that opinion, but I can’t deny the power of a well-done release in this style. Further, while Zyanose aren’t as innovative as, say, D-Clone, they’re far from generic. While a solid 75% of the record consists of the explosions of maximum intensity I think of as crasher crust, Zyanose’s true artistry lies in how that 75% sits against the remaining quarter of the record. Each of these eight tracks has something to make it unique—it might be an oddly pitch-shifted vocal, an unexpected rhythm, a particularly abrasive noise texture, or a dramatic tempo change—but there’s always enough to ensure that each track is memorable and not a throwaway. Further, these moments serve as a counter-point to the blaring noise-punk, preventing that feeling of monotony it’s so easy for extreme music to drift into. So, move along if you have no interest in the style, but if you’re on board, this is an excellent record.

Hyena: S/T 12” (Bloody Master) Debut vinyl from this Atlanta hardcore band featuring members of Mercenary and Bukkake Boys, and if you liked those bands, I’m sure you’ll love Hyena. The style resembles what those bands did… a certain brand of meat and potatoes hardcore free of stylistic pretense and cool guy posturing. The music is uniformly hard and heavy, but Hyena makes room for plenty of interesting little moments like the anarcho-tinged “War,” the wicked fast drumming on “Culture of Violence,” and some memorable lead guitar on tracks like “Narcissist” and “Plagued.” Really, though, after listening to this LP all the way through, you’re not left remembering those moments so much as the monolithic intensity of the whole record. I can’t imagine that Hyena will become the next hype band (though the cool artwork and limited 220-copy pressing could make this a hard to get record), but this LP will appeal to precisely the people who aren’t chasing the hot new thing.

Chow Line: Demo No. 4 cassette (Edger) Fourth tape from this Portland band and damn it smokes. Seriously, someone press this to vinyl, stat! Chow Line remind me of other Portland bands like Suck Lords and U-Nix in that they’re capable of playing very fast, but they also have a tougher Poison Idea-type element to their sound. Everything is tight and snappy, the recording is perfect, and the vocalist has a burly, Jerry A-type shout/bellow. While a lot of tape releases can seem half-baked or thrown together, this one feels like a proper EP with a deliberate and exciting build-up across the tracks. The mid-paced churn of “Hell” leads into the faster “Crisis,” which sets the stage for my favorite track on the tape, “The Train.” Usually it’s the mid-paced parts that stand out on a hardcore record, but “The Train” is the fastest track here, sounding like Pick Your King-era Poison Idea trying to match Siege’s blistering tempos. The tape ends with “False Death,” where double bass drum (the only place it appears on the tape) ratchets up the intensity one final notch. You wouldn’t expect it with an unassuming title like Demo No. 4, but this is one of the best hardcore releases I’ve heard in recent memory.

Zounds: Can’t Cheat Karma 12” (Sealed) Zounds’ five 7” releases have been repackaged numerous times over the years: a 1983 LP on Italy’s Base Records, CD collections in 1993 and 2007, and even a 7” box set on Broken Rekids in 2011. This collection on Sealed Records doesn’t add much aside from super cool new artwork and a rad poster insert, but you won’t find me complaining that some of the best anarcho punk ever is back in print. Zounds’ first single, Can’t Cheat Karma, is a top 5 Crass Records release for me. One of the most musically sophisticated and capable anarcho bands, Zounds made chart-worthy music for the punks, and the three tracks from Can’t Cheat Karma are all hits that will inspire a singalong at any gathering of spiky punks. If you haven’t heard them before the choruses will hit you immediately, but as the tracks sink in you’ll notice all kinds of subtleties, particularly in the guitars, which dance across the beat with the grace of a seasoned ska or funk player. Amazingly, Zounds got even better on their second single, Demystification. The title track is the band’s best song, brooding pop that brings in subtle organ sounds to make the track both fuller and more delicate. The b-side, “Great White Hunter,” is probably Zounds’ best song other than “Demystification,” with a big classic rock riff anchoring the track. Their final three singles don’t get as much attention from punks, but they’re full of moments of equal brilliance. The a-sides to their final two singles both had a Smiths-esque rockabilly jangle different from anything the band had done before, but equally brilliant. As you can tell, Zounds are one of my favorite anarcho bands and the thirteen tracks here are long since burned into my memory banks from repeated play. If you don’t already have these songs on a physical format, this beautiful looking and great-sounding reissue will do the trick just fine.

Homeless Cadaver: Fat Skeleton 7” (Iron Lung) This two-song single from Homeless Cadaver is the second in Iron Lung’s new singles series, Systemic Surgery. Each Systemic Surgery single features beautiful, riso-printed artwork, is limited to 200 copies, and has a cool Iron Lung logo diecut on the back. Musically, Homeless Cadaver sounds like a band that would be more at home on a label like Total Punk or Neck Chop than Iron Lung. They build these two songs around big, catchy guitar riffs (a more garage-punk one on the a-side and a more hardcore one on the b-side) and big catchy choruses. However, Homeless Cadaver do weird things up a little, with both songs having wild, careening synth solos and the b-side track using a jittery, unintuitive drumbeat as a counterpoint to the song’s big riff. It’s not precisely what you expect from an Iron Lung Records release, but as they’ve proven many times this label has great taste no matter what the genre.

Clarko: Medeocre Man 7” (Iron Lung) Single #1 of 5 in Iron Lung’s new Systemic Surgery singles series. Each Systemic Surgery single features beautiful, riso-printed artwork, is limited to 200 copies, and has a cool Iron Lung logo diecut on the back. As with the Homeless Cadaver single that ILR released I know nothing about Clarko… where they’re from and who is involved with the project are mysteries to me. Also like the Homeless Cadaver single, Clarko’s music is outside Iron Lung’s usual purview. However, where Homeless Cadaver’s songs are guitar-oriented with synth solos, Clarko flips the script with a synth-based song and some occasional guitar noises. The synth lines are super catchy and the rhythms are propulsive and punk. It’s a short one, but it’s packaged beautifully and limited to only 200, so if you pass on it I’m sure there’s another eager record collector willing to take your place in line.

Deviant: Loading the Gun 7” (11PM Records) Debut 7” from this hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Deviant features members of several contemporary Richmond bands like Nosebleed and Haircut, but they base their sound more on the 00s glory days of Richmond punk, when No Way and Grave Mistake Records were at the height of their popularity. Bob Quirk recorded the record (he also recorded several classic releases from that 00s era) and the sound is a tightly wound variant of classic USHC that dials up the intricacy as high as it will go without losing the catchiness. The songs are great, with catchy riff after catchy riff and countless stops, starts, and tempo changes to keep the songs interesting. The playing is locked-in and powerful, the band both nimble and punishing. The vocals also have a ton of personality, balancing the tightness of the music with a wild and unhinged quality. Even though this is a straightforward US hardcore record, there isn’t a moment here that sounds cheesy, forced, or plagiarized… it’s a pure and articulate expression of what hardcore is supposed to be. If you love nothing more than a great 6-song hardcore EP get this… you won’t be disappointed.

Not Shit: Tour Tape cassette (No Solution Ltd.) Latest cassette release from this California hardcore band, released for their recent tour. The fact that this tape ends with a YDI cover should clue you in to what Not Shit is all about… this is mean, nihilistic and ugly hardcore in the classic US tradition. The recording is super raw, and the band’s faster and more straightforward songs sound like deep cuts from an 80s USHC comp like Party or Go Home or The Master Tape. Some might find it generic, but people like me slurp this stuff up like mom’s home cooking. My favorite song is the opener “Only Me,” which crawls along with the mid-paced, misanthropic heaviness of Fang or Sick Pleasure. Under the radar for sure, but a good listen for the deep heads.

Flower: Two Tapes cassette (Sickhead) Import release compiling two previously released cassettes from this New York band. The label bills them as anarcho / crust, but it’s not that simple. The two cassettes compiled here sound fairly different from one another though the common thread is a willingness to try different things within the realm of hardcore. The Violent Crusades tape has a rawer sound and lots of dissonant riffing a la Born Against and a charismatic vocalist. Like Born Against, the songs are fast and intense, but the guitarist always finds interesting little nooks and crannies to fill with weirdness. The tracks from the other tape have a clearer recording and are more rhythmically adventurous, with the track “Pride Is Not for Me” having an almost industrial cadence. Most hardcore I hear these days is self-conscious of how it fits within hardcore’s various subgenres, but Flower remind me of bands like Nausea and Rorschach who seemed oblivious to those kinds of boundaries.

Gasmask / Coward: Split 12” (Euro Import) Both Gasmask and Coward released EPs on the Japanese label Skeleton (in 1985 and 1986, respectively). In 2002, Crust War paired them together and compiled them on a single LP along with unreleased live tracks from each band and additional tracks from “Cowmask” and “Gasward,” which were presumably studio collaborations between the members of the two bands. I’m unclear whether this is an official or unofficial repress of that release, so we’ll call it a “European import.” Either way, this LP is packed to the brim with classic 80s Japanese hardcore. Gasmask have a rough 80s Japanese hardcore aesthetic with simple and catchy pogo beats, Fuckheads-esque riffs, and “gargling broken glass” vocals that will remind you of G.I.S.M. Coward are faster, reminding me a lot of Systematic Death with their hyper-fast drumming and tight changes. The tracks from the original records are the star of the show, but the live tracks are strong too, as are the collaborative songs. Both bands are deep cuts for sure, but you’ve got to go a lot deeper than this before 80s Japanese hardcore stops being totally killer.

Ryan Dino: Chapter One: The Final Chapter 12” (Scavenger of Death) Ryan Dino is a project from Ryan Bell, whom you may know from Atlanta bands like Bukkake Boys, Hyena, and GG King, as well as having recorded quite a few of the Atlanta punk releases that have received national attention over the past decade or more. I’m a big proponent of the Atlanta punk scene… while some people think of it as a garage-punk kind of town, my favorite bands from there are quirky and unique. It seems like, in Atlanta, it’s popular to slam together diverse influences, resulting in unique projects like GG King, Uniform, and Näg. Add in the pop sensibility that seems ingrained into Atlanta punk bands at a deep level and you have a heap of unique and memorable bands. This Ryan Dino LP feels like a product of that scene, mixing post-punk, black metal, hard rock, and hardcore while keeping the whole thing super catchy. Several tracks like the stunning opener “Ordnance Map,” “Basking in Shadow,” and “Stranger” remind me of Total Control at their best, but then there are tracks like “Black Cliffs,” which sounds like it could have been a Bukkake Boys or Hyena song, the black metal-influenced “I Don’t Believe,” and the NWOBHM parody (?) “Breakin’ the Danelaw.” The aggressive eclecticism and the subtle undercurrent of humor seem designed to bait self-serious punk and hardcore types, but I like both aspects of the record a lot. It seems very southern… our punk scenes here are smaller and less segregated by style and genre, and a lot of us carry a chip on our shoulder because our projects don’t get the same attention as what happens in the bigger metropolitan centers. What I’m getting at is that this record may be too Atlanta for some people, but if you’ve been following the bands coming out of that city (particularly the ones on Scavenger of Death), you’ll recognize this as, perhaps, the ultimate Atlanta record. 

Baus: Songs to Snake To 12” (Digital Regress) Baus is a band from Oakland who has several releases under their belt, but I believe this is the first time I’ve heard them. I see the tags “post-punk” and “no wave” associated with them in multiple places, which makes sense. Tracks like “Proud,” “Pop Song,” and “Be Cool” are bass-led songs a la Gang of Four or Delta 5, but thankfully keep their distance from the overt funkiness that makes a lot of music in this style sound corny. The more experimental and no wave elements are even more interesting. Those creep into the song-oriented material (like the noisy and chaotic guitars on “Cannonball”), but my favorite moments on the record are the more minimal, less song-oriented tracks like “Skin,” “Interlude,” and “Classics.” These tracks wander curiously from sound to sound in a way that reminds me of This Heat or even Faust. With a short running time and a lot of variation from track to track this is a quick and fun listen.

R. Clown: The Big Break 7” (Digital Regress) Debut vinyl from this synth-punk project. R. Clown sound of a piece with several recent punk bands that use drum machines… I’m thinking of S.B.F. and Race Car, though each of these projects has their own unique quirks. While R. Clown’s tough vocals might make you think of S.B.F., they separate themselves from the pack with particularly creative use of the drum machine (not just replicating standard punk beats, but using sounds and patterns a human couldn’t or wouldn’t play) and piles of memorable synth and guitar riffs. Part of the fun of this style of music is the way it bends genres, and R. Clown do it more aggressively than most. The vocals are an obvious nod to hardcore, the drum machine virtuosity reminds me of a Big Black, “Lovin’ in My Oven” has bright, new wave-y synths, and “Rodeo Stomp” even has an early 80s hip-hop vibe. If you follow labels like Neck Chop and Digital Regress, you’ll want to check this out.

Private Vices: Total Control 7” (Splattered!) Private Vices were a late 70s UK punk band composed of French expatriates. While they never released a record during their original run as a band, these two tracks were released on 1987’s Les 30 Plus Grands Succès Du Punk compilation of vintage French punk, alongside contemporaries like Metal Urbain, the Dogs, Guilty Razors, and Gasoline. Even that compilation is a collectible record nowadays, so Splattered! Records has taken the two tracks and released them as the single that should have been. The a-side, “Total Control,” is a complete ripper. Coming from the Boys / Slaughter & the Dogs school of pop-inflected pub punk, it’s notable for featuring both a top-notch vocal and guitar hook, achieving a level of quality I’d expect from a top-tier 70s UK punk band. Had they released song as a single back then I'm sure it would have been a huge seller or it would be an expensive collectible today. The b-side is in the same style, but it doesn’t have quite the same magic. The artwork also leaves me scratching my head… it looks overtly misogynistic but maybe I’m missing something. Still, “Total Control” is as great an undiscovered 70s punk tune as you’re likely to hear in this day and age.

Vaaska: Inocentes Condenados 7” (Beach Impediment) Texas’s Vaaska are back with a new 4-song EP, their first release since 2016’s Futuro Primitivo 7” on Beach Impediment. By my count this is the 7th Vaaska vinyl release, and at this point they have a bulky discography that may intimidate newcomers, but I assure you it’s all good. As with long-running bands like Motorhead or the Fall, it’s fun to listen to how the band’s sound evolves from release to release. If I had to sum up Inocentes Condenados in a few words, I’d say it’s the most Discharge-inspired Vaaska release. Vaaska are a d-beat band, so Discharge has always been an influence, but Inocentes finds them dabbling with more overt appropriation, particularly on “Atrapados,” which incorporates the riff from Discharge’s “Fight Back.” Other tracks graft Discharge’s distinctive chord progressions onto Vaaska’s well-established template, reaching a climax with the closing track, “No a la Guerra.” Notable for being one of the few Vaaska tracks without a blazing guitar solo (though there is a big swell of feedback where you expect one to come in), “No a la Guerra” is one of the rawest, noisiest, and most primal tracks that Vaaska has ever laid down. Every single Vaaska record is good. If you’ve been buying them all, then there’s no reason to stop with Inocentes Condenados, but if you’re new to the band, it’s also a fine place to start tackling their discography.

Dry Insides: S/T 7” (Knife Vision) I don’t know much about Dry Insides (though we carried a previous 7” from them back in 2014), but you could make a good guess about what they sound like based on this EP’s visual aesthetic. It’s clean, well-executed (I love the black printing inside the 7” pocket sleeve), and despite being stark and straightforward seems to reference everything from Celtic Frost to Youth Attack Records-type hardcore to cult 80s Japanese punk. The a-side, “Nothing Lives in This World,” centers on a big riff I could imagine coming from Bathory just as easily as Blazing Eye, with echo-drenched vocals and wandering, atmospheric lead guitar weaving in and out of the din. Things slow down to a Celtic Frost-esque, trudging through wet sand pace at the end, staying at a similar tempo for the entire b-side. If you like all the things I mentioned above, it’s a safe bet you’ll like Dry Insides. I’m not sure which of these things influenced them, but whatever frame of reference they’re working from they’ve put together an interesting, unique, and impeccably presented single here.

Muro: Ataque Hardcore Punk 12” (Beach Impediment) Debut LP from this hardcore punk band from Bogota, Colombia. This LP came out as a hard-to-get Norwegian pressing in 2017, but Beach Impediment have done a 500-copy run so we North Americans can get our hands on it more easily. It’s rare to see a hardcore punk record get any kind of repress these days, so you can imagine Ataque Hardcore Punk must be special. And it is! Muro brings together a bunch of different threads of hardcore punk in a way that sounds natural, fresh, and exciting. I hear elements of UK82 (particularly faster stuff like Ultra Violent), d-beat, and primal pogo-hardcore like Blazing Eye and S.H.I.T., all with a dash of Una Bestia Incontrolable’s progressive experimentation. However, despite reminding me of all of these things, Ataque Hardcore Punk also sounds like a classic hardcore punk record. Muro combines these elements organically, like they’re just a shit-hot hardcore punk band doing what feels natural rather than a bunch of record nerds or punk historians showing off their influences. The recording is raw, the songs are brimming with memorable moments, and the record’s packaging is also spot-on. The jacket is not only screen printed, but hand-assembled on paper that reminds me of old European or South American LPs. There are not one but two huge posters, and everything is packed with illustrations that are super punk yet avoid cliches. I often feel like I have to choose between purist and progressive strands of hardcore, but Muro lets me have my cake and eat it too.

Reptoides: El Marcianismo cassette (World Gone Mad) World Gone Mad brings us another release from Mexico’s Reptoides. Like the others, this one has a green color scheme and is weird as hell, but this time it’s limited to only 50 copies so you’d better jump fast if you’re a fan. Reptoides’ previous EP on WGM was quirky, but they dive off the deep end with El Marcianismo. It’s still hardcore punk, but they push the sound in weird and unexpected directions. The guitar and bass often sound out of tune with one another, the effects pedals have every knob turned to 10, and the record’s mix is odd, dominated by a blaring crash cymbal. The vocalist sounds like they’re taking inspiration from the weirdest elements of Sakevi’s vocals in G.I.S.M. There’s still a loose and wild hardcore punk record at the core of El Marcianismo, but it’s coated in a thick layer of weird and unsettling sounds.

Rashomon: Pathogen X 12" (Iron Lung) I was looking forward to this debut 12” from DC’s Rashomon, and I’m pleased to tell you it does not disappoint. Rashomon have a Japanese singer and take some obvious stylistic cues from Japanese hardcore’s history, but Pathogen X doesn’t sound like a tribute record or a genre exercise. The qualities that Rashomon share with Japanese hardcore are top-level and abstract: an emphasis on melodic lead guitar; a quasi-epic propensity to brood; metallic riffing; an overall sense of heaviness. They aren’t so gauche as to borrow riffs directly, or maybe they’re just so good at it I didn’t notice. Instead, they’ve forged their own path and, as a result, Pathogen X sounds like nothing but Rashomon. It’s hard to imagine this record appearing at any other time than the present, and consequently it feels vital and alive. The only bad thing I can say about this record is that it is frustratingly brief. I hope this isn’t the last we hear from Rashomon, because Pathogen X is one of the most exciting and stylistically innovative hardcore records in recent memory.

Mikan Mukku:  缶 b/w ちんダン 7” (Bitter Lake) Bitter Lake Recordings unearths another Japanese obscurity. This time we have Mikan Mukku and this 7” collecting the only two tracks the band released during their 1982-1987 run, each of which appeared on a different, rare flexidisc compilation. Stylistically, Mikan Mukku is very much in Bitter Lake’s wheelhouse. While I’m not super knowledgeable about this scene, from my limited perspective it seems like the lines between no wave, new wave, post-punk, minimal synth, and experimental and avant-garde music were all but non-existent in early 80s Japan. While Mikan Mukku’s singer reminds me of big-voiced post-punk musicians like Siouxsie or Bjork, the music covers a surprising amount of ground on these two tracks, from minimal synth that sounds rooted in traditional Japanese music to quirky and robotic, Devo-esque rhythms. A drum machine even does an intriguing approximation of a flamenco rhythm at one point. If you’ve followed Bitter Lake this far, there’s no reason to stop with Mikan Mukku. And if you haven’t picked up anything on the label yet, this is a good place to start.

Protester: Watch Them Fall 12” (New Absolute) Final 12” from this DC straight edge institution. While Watch Them Fall is an overtly straight edge record (nearly all the lyrics are about the topic), Protester’s music comes from the hard, fast, and mean school of hardcore… more Negative FX than Gorilla Biscuits or Bold. While there are a handful of pit-clearing breakdowns and a brooding closing track that sounds like it could have been on the Judge LP, those are the only stylistic nods to youth crew. Instead, I’m reminded a lot of Wasted Time and Out Cold, two bands that weren’t afraid to sound good or play well, but channeled those skills into sounding like a bulldozer rather than being technical or accessible. This whole record hits with the force of a wrecking ball. The militant straight edge lyrics will put off some people, but honestly this is one of the few times I’ve bothered to read the lyric sheet on a hardcore record in recent memory, so there’s that. A total beast of a record.

Timmy Vulgar’s Genetic Armageddon: S/T 12” (Mind Meld) Mind Meld is a new label from the same person who brought you Florida’s Dying and Total Punk, and while Mind Meld (at least so far) is in the same artistic waters, it distinguishes itself by focusing on solo projects rather than groups. This record from Timmy Vulgar (whom you may know from Clone Defects, Human Eye, and Timmy’s Organism) gets the label off to a great start. Stylistically, Timmy Vulgar’s Genetic Armageddon (let’s call them TVGA from here on out) is more krautrock than punk, with spacious arrangements, hypnotic rhythms, and melodies that seem improvised rather than premeditated. I hear a lot of different influences here, from Captain Beefheart to the Stooges, but the big ones seem to be German... Can’s more out there moments, Agitation Free’s raga-rock, or Ash Ra Tempel’s swooping tape manipulations. There’s also the album’s overall vibe, which is utterly unique. I can’t hit the nail on the head any better than the label’s description, which calls it “Timmy’s patented caveman via space alien filter.” I love lighting a few candles, staring at my ceiling, and zoning out to this kind of stuff, and if you’re reading this document and like to do the same I highly recommend checking this out.

Tipex: S/T 12” (self-released) Self-released debut from this band out of Valencia, Spain. Broadly, their sound is fast, precise, and catchy, but they cover a fair amount of stylistic ground on this record. A lot of the songs remind me of Social Circkle or Terminal State, bands who sounded like hardcore bands deliberately trying to slow things down, play deeper in the pocket, and focus on writing catchy and memorable songs. At other times they can get more melodic, reminding me a little of Rata Negra (particularly on a track like “Flores”), but they can also be more aggressive, as on the Sudor-esque “Plaza de España.” The record also closes with a striking track, “Sarna,” where they jam out and get a little psych-y, sort of like the ending to Rocket from the Crypt’s Circa Now. I haven’t heard many DIY punk/hardcore records that sound so fleshed out and ambitious while still sounding like a DIY punk/hardcore record. If you like one dimensional this probably won’t do it for you, but punkers with open ears and a predilection for catchy hooks will love this.

Vintage Crop: Company Man 7” (Drunken Sailor / Anti-Fade) We last heard from Australia’s Vintage Crop on last year’s New Age LP, and if you liked that record I’m sure you’ll be on board with this. I’m stealing this from label’s description of the first LP, but if you’re familiar enough with Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Uranium Club to imagine a 50/50 mix of the two bands’ sounds, you’re probably not far off from Vintage Crop. The back of the jacket says, in a self-aware manner, “Can Vintage Crop be a marketable band in 2019??” Is Vintage Crop hinting that they have bigger ambitions? Are they pledging allegiance to the DIY underground? A little of both? Parquet Courts, who don’t sound too far off from Vintage Crop themselves, have blazed a trail for making music that sounds vital and ambitious yet appeals to a wider audience, and I could see Vintage Crop heading down the same path. For now, though, they’re just a standout punk band with some of the catchiest tracks around. If you like the aforementioned bands, odds are you’ll really enjoy both Company Man and the previous LP, so give ‘em a listen.

Heavy Metal: Too Oz for It 7” (Total Punk) Germany’s Heavy Metal have been putting out some of the silliest, most irreverent punk music in the land for the last couple of years, and this single on Total Punk continues the string of hits. Too Oz for It might be the zaniest, most irreverent Heavy Metal release yet, and that’s saying something for a band who has covered Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” The a-side is legitimately some of the wildest, most unique-sounding punk music I’ve ever heard. There are all of these crazy, dissonant harmonies, an organ droning a single note, and vocals so ridiculous and over the top you have to hear them to believe them. The first track on the b-side is weird in a different way with its ISS-esque hip-hop cadence, while the third track is the most conventional by the band’s standards but still wild and weird as shit. You have to like zaniness to tolerate this, but if you like bands like Butthole Surfers, the Dickies, or the Cravats then you won’t have any problem. And if you crave the wildest, most out there sounds you can start here and continue to check out all of Heavy Metal’s records.

Reign of Terror: Don’t Blame Me 7” (Radio Raheem) Reissue of this SST-related giga-rarity (originals go for over a grand on Discogs) on the always-reliable Radio Raheem and the quickly-gaining-our-trust (hey, this is only their third release!) Meat House Productions. What’s the SST connection? Well, Reign of Terror’s label shared an address with SST, the bass player was in the Stains (the SST one, duh), and vocalist / guitarist Ed Danky was Chuck Dukowski’s bandmate in Würm. While I’m sure there are some SST / punk collectors out there who are interested in this record from that angle, I’m guessing a bigger part of the record’s value comes from how great of a metal record this is. With its lo-fi production and catchy yet powerful sound, Don’t Blame Me reminds me a lot of the earliest releases by Iron Maiden and Def Leppard and the legions of British bands who sounded similar to them. If this record had come out two or three years earlier, maybe Lars Ulrich wouldn’t have had to bother going to England to get his NWOBHM fix. There are three tracks, each of which sounds raw, immediate, and exciting. If you’re interested in the NWOBHM or underground early 80s metal I would strongly recommend checking this out. Or you can just wait until you get your hands on an original…

Slum Gang: Fermented 12” (YOFC) Slum Gang were a 90s punk band from Nottingham, England, notable to hardcore folks for featuring a member of Concrete Sox. Stylistically, Slum Gang remind me more of the melodic hardcore of bands like HDQ and the early records by Leatherface and Snuff. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of them before as I used to be a big fan of this sound, chasing down hard to find singles by bands like Broccoli and Hooton 3 Car on labels like Crackle! and Snuffy Smiles, and Slum Gang are very much of a piece with those bands. I don't like much 90s American melodic hardcore, but I’ve always been a sucker for the British stuff. While some of it can creep more into Lookout! Records territory, if you’re a fan of records like Leatherface’s Cherry Knowle and HDQ’s last couple of LPs you should ignore the country and western cover art and get this record.

Torso: Build and Break 7” (Revelation) I never would have thought a Sorry State Records band would release a record with Revelation Records, but with Torso’s Build and Break EP that thing has come to pass. Sure, it’s strange to see Revelation release a d-beat record, but it’s also weird that Sorry State put out a straight edge record. Which is to say Torso is still Torso and Build and Break rips. Two of the songs are rippers, while the other two cruise along at a more moderate pace. The title track reminds me of Wasted Time’s burly hardcore, while “Repulsion” is the pit-clearer and “Sick of Fighting” closes things out with a main riff that would have fit perfectly on Totalitär’s Vi Ar Eliten. Sick art, great recording, killer tracks… hardcore rules.

?Fog: 7-inch Round Black Thing 7” (Bunkerpop) Reissue of this obscurity from 1985 New Zealand. I was unfamiliar with ?Fog going in, and like a lot of records from New Zealand it sounds like the Fall’s 1982 tour of their country deeply shaped the band. While ?Fog zip along at faster tempos (which seem even faster thanks to their distinctively busy drummer), the combination of Krautrock-inspired rhythms, a quirky sound pallette, and speak-sung, poetic lyrics and vocals can sound a lot like the Fall’s Room to Live or Hex Enduction Hour. The Fall are probably my favorite band and ?Fog do the sound justice, so I like it. The insert also includes some old photos and press clippings, and the hilariously bad reviews of their gigs add the perfect ambiance. This is a deep cut for sure, but if you like scrappy post-punk, UKDIY, or early Kiwi punk this is worthy of your attention.

Physique: The Evolution of Combat 12” (Distort Reality) Olympia’s Physique follow up their noteworthy debut on Iron Lung Records with a new LP. The banner at the top says “DISBONES CRASHER,” and as they say in the UK it does what it says on the tin. While a lot of American d-beat bands go for a more organic, vintage sound, Physique remind me more of Japanese bands like D-Clone or Ferocious X (not to mention Disclose) who have a colder, more modern, and processed sound. Texturally, The Evolution of Combat is closer to industrial music than the more organic-sounding recording quality of a band like Pollen. In other words, it feels like the point here isn’t to recreate Discharge and Anti-Cimex records as precisely as possible, but rather to continue to push those bands’ ideas forward. I’ll leave it to you to decide where they land on the originality scale, but I think two of the band’s strengths are the Bones-esque guitar solos and the distinctive drumming, which is peppered with wild and out of control-sounding fills. If you’re not tired of adding d-beat records to your collection The Evolution of Combat is a top-notch one.

Sauna Youth: Deaths 12” (Upset the Rhythm) This latest 12” from the UK’s Sauna Youth came out a few months ago but we only just got copies now. However, I won’t let an opportunity to sing this band’s praises pass me by. With previous releases on both Static Shock and Upset the Rhythm (among several others), Sauna Youth have always seemed to have one foot in the world of DIY punk and another foot in something bigger and more ambitious. Their curious decision to use a groaner of a pun for their band name also contributes to the slipperiness of their identity… are they punks, freaks, hipsters, or artists? While no one wants to claim the word “hipster,” I’ll admit that I sit near the center of that Venn diagram, if a little further toward the punk side. Which is all to say I like what Sauna Youth do. I particularly like the way they do it on Deaths. In a (hyphenated) word, Deaths is art-punk, music married to punk’s hyperactive aggression but always pushing/pulling toward something bigger and broader. Sometimes they write a catchy punk tune, while sometimes they intone free verse over a This Heat-esque backing track. Yet, as on Wire’s Pink Flag, it all feels like part of the same journey. I love this band.

Zodd: Operationally Ready Dead 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Debut vinyl from this new band out of Singapore, a country which has brought us a noteworthy number of killer hardcore bands over the past few years. The thing that amazes me about a lot of these bands from Singapore is that they seem so “on trend” for the styles that are popular in America. Asia seems like such a distant place, and the fact that the music that comes from there sounds a little alien is part of the appeal of tracking down these records. It takes me away from my mundane reality and reminds me we live in a huge world. However, Zodd could be from Los Angeles or London or Toronto just as easily as Singapore. There’s some kind of vestigial colonial impulse to say Zodd is influenced by western bands like Blazing Eye, S.H.I.T., and Bib, but Operationally Ready Dead doesn’t sound like a copy of those bands, but rather an extension of the same conversation. If that’s a conversation you’re following then you’ll have no problem noodle moshing to this one in your bedroom.

Parsnip: Feeling Small 7” (Anti-Fade) Second EP from this Australian band. With a minimally distorted guitar sound and broad melodies that remind me of children’s music, Parsnip are on the edge of being twee, but their music has enough heft and grit to hold your interest even if you typically stay within punk’s boundaries. The a-side is cheery and melodic while the b-side is for the punkers with its faster tempo and big crashing chords that remind me of the Boys or the Damned, though not as heavy. The mastering on this 7” is also loud and hot, which contributes to the aforementioned grit. If you like catchy, jangly punk like the Shop Assistants or the Vaselines I’d encourage you to check out Parsnip.

Kronstadt Uprising: The Unknown Revolution 7” (Antitodo) Reissue of this UK band’s 1983 EP, which originally came out on the Spiderleg label. While the computer-generated type on the cover gives this the look of early 90s European crust, Kronstadt Uprising obviously took a lot of influence from Crass. The snare-heavy drumming, bubbly bass, and snarling, confrontational vocals are all on point, and you’ll love them if you’re the type of person who has listened to Stations of the Crass more than once in your life. The two tracks on the b-side add spice to the mix, with “Xenophobia” using a fast, Ultra Violent-style oompah beat while the closer “End of Part One” slows things down, injecting some Amebix-style gloom without straying too far from the core sound. This EP rips. Antitodo has more Kronstadt Uprising reissues coming, so watch out for those too.

Red Delicious: S/T 7” (Slugsalt) Debut 7” from this Chicago-area band. The sound here is rough and loose early 80s-style hardcore with fuzzy, vintage-style production. The label’s description references YDI, which I hear in Red Delicious’s ferocity, but something about this EP reminds me of Finnish hardcore, particularly Rattus. It’s not a soundalike record, though, as Red Delicious incorporate moves from throughout hardcore’s history, including SSD-esque breakdowns on “Conquista” and “Luta Fraca,” mid-paced, Discharge-style (think “A Look at Tomorrow”) riffing on “Sumida” and “Garganta Quente” and some ripping fast Neos-style thrash on “Homen Amarrado.” If you like the scrappy midwestern hardcore that comes out on labels like Lengua Armada and Not Normal I recommend giving this one a listen.

Kieltolaki: Elämänvalhe EP 7” (Kick Rock) This one is a pleasant surprise. We hadn’t heard from Finland’s Kieltolaki since their 2015 12” on Feral Ward, so I’m pleased to see they’ve released some new music, and even more pleased to tell you it rips just as hard as the old stuff. Elämänvalhe has a beefy but raw sound that captures Kieltolaki’s trademark intensity. You get four tracks, two of which (the first and last) have a touch of Japanese hardcore’s grandiose quality. I wouldn't say they sound like Death Side, but the riffs are a little bigger and broader. The remaining two tracks are go-for-the-throat rippers that remind me of their countrymen Lama. It’s a short one, but it’s perfectly executed and off-the-charts ferocious. Highly recommended.

Mueco: Controlled Information 7” (Brain Solvent Propaganda) New 4-song EP from this Montreal d-beat band. Controlled Information is as well-executed an homage to Disclose’s Disbones era is you’re likely to find. Mueco drench the recording in distortion and fuzz, bark out the vocals like a rabid dog, and dress up their classic, Discharge-inspired riffs with light touches of additional complexity and some fast, Broken Bones-esque palm muting. There’s a fine line between sounding generic and sounding timeless, and I think Mueco are on the right side of that line. I’m not sure this will convince any d-beat haters, but Controlled Information is top-notch stuff for people who follow the genre.

Public Service: I’m Gonna Kill that Man 7” (Anxious Music) Debut 7” from this Scottish band, released on a new label connected to the band Anxiety (the one on La Vida Es Un Mus, not the Boston one). I’m a big skeptic regarding modern bands influenced by the post-punk classics, but there’s no denying Public Service’s power on this EP. While a lot of bands dress up boring punk songs with a chorus pedal and a disco beat, Public Service bring together the melodic flourishes of prime-era Siouxsie and the Banshees with the dark quirkiness of Christian Death. The atmosphere is more creepy than gloomy, and the main things that stick out on the first few listens are the chiming, John McGeoch-esque guitar playing and quivering, creepy-sounding vocals that sound a lot like Rozz Williams. More importantly, though, the songwriting is spot-on. For me, there are legions of post-punk soundalikes and there are bands like Pleasure Leftists or Savages (well, on their first album at least) that have as much substance as style. Based on this EP, I’m inclined to let Public Service into that club. I’ve been playing the heck out of this EP, and I hope that one day I get to hear what this band does with a full-length.

Brower: Buzzsaws 12” (Dig!) After an earlier cassette release here’s the debut vinyl from Brower, a one-man band featuring Nat Brower, whom you may remember from great power-pop projects like Nancy and Patsy’s Rats. I love both of those bands and I’m head over heels for Buzzsaws. While obviously indebted to 70s glam rock like T Rex, David Bowie, and the Sweet, these 10 songs are so catchy and energetic that I don’t pay attention to the stylistic trappings so much as the songs themselves. These are great pop songs, building you up through the intro and verse and giving you that feeling of sweet release in the chorus as you sing along. There isn’t a dud here but I do want to single out “My Father’s Name Was Cat” and “You May Know Me as the Kind of Guy Who” for high praise. Those also happen to be the two longest song titles on the record, which is an insignificant detail I have inserted here for no particular reason. Here's another detail: the record includes two different songs about saws, which I find a little weird. Besides 8 great originals, you also get two covers by the 70s African Zamrock band Amanaz, though they’re made to fit Brower’s formula, albeit with a little more hard rock influence than the other tracks. Plenty of people will find Brower saccharine, but if you’re a fan of Nancy, Dangus Tarkus, and Jeez Louise this is a no-brainer. Get your sugar rush.

Chronophage: Prolog for Tomorrow 12” (Cleta-Patra) After several cassette releases (which the band compiled on a cassette compilation I wrote about a few weeks back) here’s the debut vinyl from Texas’s Chronophage. While Chronophage has cleaned up their sound from those earlier tapes, they still play rough-hewn and loose pop music. Their recordings have a handmade quality that sounds like people playing together in a room, which stands in stark contrast to most punk rock I hear, which takes advantage of recording technology to sound as full and as a tight as possible. While Chronophage don’t sound retro, that quality forces me to go back further for good reference points for their sound, whether it’s to UK groups like Swell Maps, Television Personalities, and O Level, or American stuff like Pavement’s earliest material. While the whole thing is an enjoyable listen, my ears perk up when unexpected sounds crop into the mix, like the gurgles of electronic noise that pepper between-track transitions, the trumpet on “Racing,” or the double-tracked chorus of “Double Suicide.” Recommended if you want to hear smart people making loose, raw, and earnest music.

Annex: Melu 12” (Adelante Discos) Second 12” from this now-veteran Texas post-punk band. The band’s logo rips off Xmal Deutschland, and that nod indicates where Annex is coming from. The songs are dark and sparse in the manner of early goth, with lots of empty space in the production a la Cure records like Seventeen Seconds or Pornography. While Annex’s take on the style is straightforward, there are a couple of things I like about Melu. First, there’s a sense of expansiveness. Punk and hardcore songs tend to be densely packed with information, and particularly when you combine that songwriting style with a drummer who plays slightly ahead of the beat things can sound frantic and overwhelming. Annex take a very different approach, hanging on parts for a long time and spreading out across these songs like they’re a cozy living room. Some songs are instrumentals, though these songs don’t sound substantially different from the others; it’s like the singer just never bothers to start. The other thing I like about Melu is the guitarist’s strong melodic sensibility. The Chameleons are probably the most on-point comparison, but moments even approach Johnny Marr’s trademark melodicism.

Mere Mortal: Tartarus 12” (Quality Control) Debut 12” from this new UK metal band that draws their membership from the NWOBHC scene. While the band’s logo references Napalm Death, the sound is more thrash than grind (no blast beats), though it’s thrash of the heavier variety that edges toward early death metal. I’m reminded of Kreator’s heavier moments, but someone better versed in 80s metal could find more appropriate reference points. The vocals, however, aren't high-pitched wails, but instead are scary and demonic (but not guttural), giving Mere Mortal a cult metal vibe that keeps them well outside the zone of Power Trip’s more commercial thrash/hardcore hybrid. Speaking of hardcore, you can hear the members’ background in that genre in the huge, Cro-Mags-esque breakdowns that pepper these songs. “Scarecrow” in particular has a massive breakdown that will surely inspire spin kicks. Despite these nods, Tartarus feels like a pure metal record, and even if comparisons to records like Best Wishes or Humanity Is the Devil wouldn’t be out of place, this is still a step further toward metal than either of those. The riffs are there, though, the songwriting is great, and the production is gritty yet powerful. If you are interested in this style, I would highly recommended checking this out.

Natural Man & the Flamin’ Hot Band: S/T 7” (Neck Chop) Debut vinyl from this well-established project conducted by the Natural Man himself, Ian Teeple, whom you may know from his other gig playing guitar for Warm Bodies. While Warm Bodies displays Ian’s virtuosity, on this 7” at least Natural Man & the Flamin’ Hot Band feels like a party band. I’m not talking about a boneheaded frat party, but rather a hip party at an underground art gallery in a loft space on the Lower East Side in 1980. The music is energetic and celebratory, but an occasionally skronky saxophone or a choppy rhythm is always there as a sour accent to balance the sweet. While it’s similar to what the Contortions / James Chance were doing during the tail end of the No Wave era (or what the Cravats were doing in the UK around the same time), it feels like its own thing, like they arrived at this sound organically rather than by mining the past for influences. This won’t be for everyone, but I recommend it if you like your punk weird, quirky, and artsy. 

Baby’s Blood: S/T 7” (Neck Chop) Baby’s Blood are ostensibly from Finland, but Drew Owen’s hands are so all over this project it fits much more comfortably in the Sick Thoughts / DD Owen universe of projects than anything Finnish I’m aware of. If you’re a fan of Drew’s other work, this has everything you expect: nihilistic lyrics; big choruses that sound dumb at first, but after they’re repeated a few times seem strangely profound (see: “Everybody Looks Like a Fucking Idiot”); meaty, garage-punk-meets-HC riffs; and blistering fast tempos that never let up. This guy has this sound and style down to a science, so pick this up if you want to hear more of it… it’ll scratch your itch.

Decomp / Gaasp: Split 7” (Rust and Machine) Split 7” from these two Portland crust bands. Decomp has a sound that lives in the fuzzy area where hardcore punk meets crust and d-beat. With metallic, Japanese HC-inspired riffing and a noisy d-beat production style, they sound like a crustier version of what New York’s Headsplitters are doing. As for Gaasp, they also start with a d-beat foundation but spice their mix with some Motorcharged riffing and big build-ups a la D.S.B. I don’t think this will convert any d-beat haters, but it’s a solid fist-pounder for the crusties. 

Neo Neos: Kill Someone You Hate 12” (Neck Chop) Latest release, and the first on 12”, from this project. Neo Neos are punk maximalists with minimal production values, pounding out track after track of loose and cacophonous racket. Kill Someone You Hatefeatures a whopping 22 tracks, and it’s a total information overload in much the same way that the second Liquids LP (Hot Liqs Revenge, also on Neck Chop) was. As I’m listening, there’s plenty to get excited about in the gurgling cauldron of noise and feedback, but by the time I’ve played both sides of Kill Someone You Hate I feel like I’ve just binge-watched an entire season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia… my reference points are skewed and my world is no longer my own. I realize I haven’t given you any impression what this record sounds like, but it’s less about the sound and more about the experience, so if you aren’t willing to go on the whole epic journey with Neo Neos it’s probably best you stay home.

Suburban Homes: EP3 7” (Neck Chop) So, when you saw the title of this record you probably thought to yourself “wait, I’m sure I have more than two other Suburban Homes records in my collection.” You’re right. EP3 is Suburban Homes fifth release to hit the shelves. In the Red was supposed to release the EP, but several years of production delays and a switch to a new label put everything out of whack. The sound here is what we expect from Suburban Homes. They sound a lot like Desperate Bicycles with their deadpan vocals and gloomy, late-70s-Britain atmosphere, but their lyrics address the brutal mundanities of 2010s life. Their sound (like late 70s Britain) can be monochromatic, so my favorite moments in Suburban Homes songs come when you get a sudden burst of color, which comes in forms like a chiming, Billy Childish-style guitar solo (like in “Magazine Version” and “City Life”) or an unexpected overdub of noise guitar (“Corporate Hijack”). Suburban Homes’ flash factor hovers around zero, but I’ve always loved punk rock that has this unpretentious, workmanlike quality. Each new Suburban Homes record is a pleasure, and EP3 is no different.

Chronophage: demo cassette (self-released) This tape isn’t actually a demo, but rather a compilation of four different recordings: three small-run demo releases and a recording of a live show. Austin’s Chronophage sounds like a bedroom project in the best way possible, like a few weirdos with some hand-me-down musical equipment and obsolete recording gear muddling their way through making their own music. While Chronophage doesn’t sound like an homage at all, they remind me of Swell Maps and Cleaners from Venus in their rickety, homemade approach to making pop music. Like those bands, the Velvet Underground seems to be a key influence on Chronophage, particularly the way their sound slides between rock, pop, and out-there experimentation; there’s even an interesting cover of “I’ll Be Your Mirror” buried somewhere on this lengthy release. If you’re a fan of sprawling collections like the Swell Maps’ International Rescue or the compilations of Cabaret Voltaire’s early, home-recorded material I don’t know of a closer modern equivalent to those releases than this cassette.