News

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of August already; this summer has been flying by. Later this week I’ll be heading to France for a vacation, and I’m pretty pumped. I’ve never been before. We’ll be spending a few days in Paris as well as Nice and Menton. If any readers have any sort of recommendations, send em my way! I’ve been trying to shift into French mode before the trip (I’m even wearing my Deletär shirt while writing this) so I’ve been listening to all sorts of different French music. Today I’m focusing on one of my favorite earlier discoveries, Troupeau Bleu by Cortex, originally released in 1975. I remember first finding out about this album in high school cause MF DOOM sampled Huit octobre 1971 on One Beer and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I then checked out the rest of the album and fell in love with it. My favorite track on here though has always been Prélude à Go Round. The slower start and the way the vocals come in all dreamy-like has always done it for me. Top to bottom, though, it’s a great listen with some serious grooves going on throughout it. I still need to secure a copy of this myself. I’ve never come across one in person, so maybe I’ll just have to bite the bullet and consult the world wide web. Maybe I’ll get lucky and come across it in France. Hopefully I’ll have some interesting stuff to write about after this trip. Au revoir!

Hi and thanks for reading. Today I will write briefly about two different things. Before I get into the image above, I want to share this compilation a friend of mine, CLT, just showed me. I don’t think there is a physical format of this comp. CLT shared it with me from a geocities link, haha. I shared the YouTube link cos it’s easier to navigate, especially if you don’t speak Italian. CLT told me he thinks all the bands are composed of young punks. NARKAN and APOPTOSI were two names I recognized, and I know they are younger punks. We actually have the APOPTOSI 7” in stock at the moment. There are ten bands total, and I enjoy some more than others. Overall, it’s a great listen. It’s refreshing to hear some new shit from a new generation. Check it out if you aren’t familiar!

Alright, the image I used above I pulled from this lecture I just watched.

Originally the artwork, Waiting, was created in the early 1900s by Udo J. Keppler, who was an American political cartoonist. Simon Johnson delivered this lecture, “Disease Environments, the Mortality of Europeans, and the Creation of Institutions in the Colonial Era.” He won a Nobel Peace Prize recently. I don’t pay attention to that shit, and institutions are typically a farce in my opinion. I don’t know anything about this guy, but the stuff he says in this lecture is spot-on. He doesn’t use big words, and it’s fairly simple to follow what he says. I will probably have to watch it a few more times to really retain everything, though. Basically, what I took from it was how he explains how industrialization has led us to the countless terrible global issues we have today. If you have thirty minutes to spare, I’d suggest checking it out. Alright, that’s all for today. Much love.

Hello to you, and thanks for clicking on our newsletter. We can’t say it enough, how we really appreciate it. The world keeps getting more bonkers by the day. It’s hard watching the news without despairing, but burying your head in the sand and pretending things aren’t going on isn’t the answer either. We all need something to distract us from the grimness, though, and should take it wherever we can get it. Music, film, books, art, sport, food, the list goes on. Celebrate life and the good things. Obviously, for us here at Sorry State it is music, but we all enjoy other aspects of the arts and culture. Even sport with a couple of us. LoL.

This week my record listening has covered a lot of territory. I’ve been diving deeper into a lot of those reissues of music from other parts of the non-Western world that I touched on last week. I’ve been listening to obscure metal albums from bands I hadn’t heard of that we have here at the shop from a collection we recently bought. With John Scott about to jet off to Paris any day now, he’s been playing a lot of Franco playlists here at the store. Plenty of yé-yé, French girl pop goodies, which I love. Any time the song Les filles c’est fait pour faire l’amour by Charlotte Leslie comes on, I am tapping my feet and nodding my head. That one was and still is a 60s Mod floor filler.

Talking of French pop, we listened to the French cast version of Hair this morning. I recently picked up a copy on Discogs. I explained to John Scott that I have a bit of a thing for collecting different versions of the Hair soundtrack. It came out around the time I was born, and I’ve been a fan of its composer Galt MacDermot and his music for a long time. He has sadly passed away now, but the Canadian released lots of cool and interesting soundtracks and records. Mostly in a jazz-funk vein, and many on his own Kilmarnock label. Hip-hop producers have been sampling him for years and that fact, along with the quality of the music, has made many of his records expensive items should you wish to own originals. Even some reissues command top dollar.

Anyway, moving on. I wanted to give a proper shout out and plug for a record that we got in here a while ago and that has been growing on me each time I’ve given it a spin.

Ville Valavuo: Commemoration Songs. Ultraääni Records

I know that we often talk about punk and hardcore bands from Finland, but not so much the jazz and funk that comes out of the country. It’s no secret that all of us here love Finland, its people and for that matter the rest of Scandinavia. The guys have been over there more recently, but I still have fond memories of my visits years ago back in the 90s when I worked on the ships. Over the years I’ve discovered a lot of great music coming out of Finland that was in a jazz and funk vein. Most folks may have heard of Jimi Tenor, perhaps. He’s terrific and has been making interesting music for over three decades now. Sort of future jazz if you like, with electronic influences. Warp Records was a good label for him. His partner, Nicole Willis, has put out some great soul and funk records backed by the Finnish band Soul Investigators. Members of that group are behind one of my favorite record labels, Timmion Records, which has consistently released cool and interesting records. One of their releases, TR-78 by Didier’s Sound Spectrum, released in the early 00s, is one of my desert island discs. Such a good record. Funky, instrumental album that sounds like a lost soundtrack or sound library record from the 70s that was made by musicians who were time traveling back from the future. If that makes any sense?

So, fast forward to this year and the Ville Valavuo album. Recorded over several sessions last year in Helsinki and mixed at the beginning of this, it’s a one-man band effort as far as I can tell. Credit for all instrumentation, programming, recording, mixing and layout go to the artist. He’s a guitarist and visual artist associated with several groups and projects, the majority of which I admit to not being familiar with. When we received copies of Commemoration Songs here at the store, Danny said to me that I might like this one. He was correct. It’s categorized as an avant-garde jazz album on Discogs, which I suppose is correct, although that tag typically makes me approach with caution. Ha, ha. I’m not actually a big free jazz lover as it goes. When things get too crazy and out there, I tend to lose interest. I prefer structure, melody and my saxophones not to sound like a gaggle of geese being strangled, if possible. Mercifully, there isn’t tortured honking going on with this one. The vibe is more laid-back and spiritual. If you have been enjoying the records made by Nala Sinephro, which incorporate electronic instrumentation to give the music a spacey, magical feel, then you’ll probably like this Ville Valavuo record.

The album consists of eight tracks, four per side that are variations on a theme that comments on the commodification of the world at the expense of human rights. A world where making money is the all-important thing. A world where our consumerism only helps keep the systems in place that hurt us. The music here is supposed to provide the listener sanctuary from all of that. Honestly, I think that has been accomplished. Like all of us, I have found the state of the world a lot to handle currently, and being able to immerse oneself into a headspace for a few minutes that takes you out of that and transports you to another place is very much welcomed. I’ve put this record on the turntable several times and have found myself flipping it a couple of times before taking it off and finding something else. You don’t have to do that. One listen at a time will still take you away for the thirty-odd minutes that the record lasted. It’s a good one to have on late at night or even early in the morning when you are reading, for instance.

At around the same time that this record came to us here at the shop, I picked up a couple of 45s that one of our distros had copies of. Two slices of more up-tempo, Mod-leaning jazz that also comes out of Finland. Both singles were released on the New Look Records label, which is an offshoot of Timmion Records, the label I mentioned previously. The music on these comes from The Jukka Eskola Soul Trio and The Sami Linna Quartet. I liked both. If you had told me both had been recorded back in the late 1960s or early 1970s instead of 2019, I would have easily believed you. Really nice soul jazz. Jukka Eskola plays trumpet, and Sami Linna is a guitarist, backed with a grooving rhythm section, nice percussion and organ. All four sides are winners. Time to discover Finnish jazz if you haven’t already. You’ll need something to act as a sorbet between courses of crushing hardcore. Right? Check them out and see what you think.

Okay, I must cut this off now. The deadline has already passed, and Daniel fines us whenever we submit late. He’s a hard taskmaster. Just kidding. He is, of course, the best boss ever.

Cheers guys. See you next time.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

A newsletter coming out on my birthday, who woulda thought? What a cause for celebration! This time last week, all I would have wished to get for my birthday would be a Shop-Vac and a boat haha. I’m so happy it’s not raining today. Not much to report on the personal front this round. I’ve got pizza to eat and margaritas to drink later, so I’ll keep this one brief:

If you remember last week, I gave some love and attention to that Ayucaba LP. I hope as a result, some of you readers gave that ripper a listen. But along with Ayucaba, we stocked several other releases on Metadona Records. The other record that really stood out to me is this 12” by Lakra. Big thanks to Lakra for wearing party hats to celebrate my birthday.

When I first saw the cover of this record, I thought maybe it was a reissue of an old band. Like, seriously. Everything about it: the way the band is dressed, the graininess of the photo, even the way the band’s logo is placed. The graphic design honestly looks like something Puke N Vomit would throw together on one of their Finnish reissues haha. Of course, I come to find out that Lakra is a new band, and this 12” is their very first release. I don’t want to assume, but based on photos I’ve seen it looks like this band might be pretty young, which is rad. Also very interesting, this band is based out of Mallorca. Now honestly, before reading about this band, I didn’t even know where the hell Mallorca was! I’ve learned now that it’s an island off the coast of Spain, southeast of Barcelona. It makes me wonder what the punk scene is like considering the isolation of playing punk in a place that’s completely waterlocked. Pretty wild.

Anyways, I’ll talk about the record. It’s actually a single-sided 12”, and only has 5 songs. So yeah, it’s basically an EP. The first song, “Desconocimiento General,” starts off with this incredibly gnarly, gritty sounding guitar tone. The band kicks in, and we’re off to the races. This first song chugs along at that sorta in-between fast tempo, almost what I call a UK82-style pace. But then right at the end, the bass rips into this all-over-the-place riff and explodes into this loose and chaotic double-time fast beat. I dunno man, my first impression hearing this band is that style of hardcore Lakra plays is just so fuckin’ mean-sounding. Like gritty, grimy, primitive and intense. Not unlike the way I described the appearance of the record, the sound of the record being so raw and immediate that Lakra also feels like an old band playing classic, super aggressive hardcore. No frills, just fury. So lively and powerful. The singer’s voice is super loud in the mix, which I’m a huge fan of. He sounds ferocious as hell, like a barking dog. It’s almost like you can hear the scraping texture of his vocal cords along with all the mucus glooping inside his throat. Then there’s backup vocals too, which sound like “non-dude” vocals to me. I don’t know what pronouns this person uses, so I won’t assume. But the contrast in their voices sounds really cool together.

The label description mentions a few more contemporary bands that Lakra sounds like. I’m pretty sure Orden Mundial is mentioned. Personally, I think Lakra sounds more classic, and I was having a difficult time thinking of older hardcore bands that sing in Spanish that Lakra kinda reminds me of. But if I had to throw out one band as reference, they kinda remind of IV Reich. IV Reich has the aggression of thrashy hardcore, but sort of the bounciness and catchiness of Oi! and UK82. And then also IV Reich is an interesting comparison because they had a woman in the band who did vocals along with the main singer dude. Pretty cool. But whatever old band Lakra may or may not sound like doesn’t really matter. They’re introducing a grimy, intense, yet anthemic take on hardcore, and it feels totally fresh and vital to my ears. Give it a listen if you’re so inclined.

That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

7 Seconds: Alt.Music.Hardcore LP (Cargo / Headhunter Records, 1995)

The other day I was rocking this collection of early 7 Seconds material while packing your orders, and it really took me back. Like many people probably, 7 Seconds was one of the first hardcore punk bands I heard. I remember this hippie girl in one of my classes in high school gave me a dubbed tape of Walk Together, Rock Together. I guess she could see that I was getting into punk and as she was going the hippie route, 7 Seconds wasn’t really for her, so she hooked me up. Of course I loved it, and Walk Together slid right into a listening diet whose backbones were Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion, and incessant playing of the Minor Threat discography CD. When I first got on eBay in 1997, one of the first things I did was search for 7 Seconds. The internet in 1997 was not the nearly unlimited font of information it is today, and I didn’t even know 7 Seconds had records besides Walk Together. I quickly found a CD of The Crew, and it totally blew my mind when it showed up. It was even better than Rock Together! The production was heavier and grittier, the songs faster… it was exactly what I wanted to hear. Then I found Alt.Music.Hardcore, which my then-girlfriend had a CD of. It blew my mind once again because I liked Alt.Music.Hardcore even better than The Crew! The songs were even shorter, rawer, and meaner… yeah, The Crew reminded me of Minor Threat, but the songs on Alt.Music.Hardcore particularly reminded me of Minor Threat’s first 7”, when the band was at their most direct and aggressive. I was smitten.

Alt.Music.Hardcore compiles 7 Seconds’ first three 7” EPs: 1982’s Skins, Brains & Guts (originally released on Alternative Tentacles), 1983’s Committed for Life (originally on Squirtdown Records), and 1985’s Blasts from the Past E.P., which (if I’m remembering correctly) was itself compiled from a scrapped recording session that was meant to be 7 Seconds’ debut album, United We Stand (it was eventually re-recorded and re-titled The Crew). There are 7 Seconds recordings from before this (demo tapes like 3 Chord Politics and Socially Fucked Up), but for me this 1982/3 era of 7 Seconds is a real sweet spot. Kevin seems to be a naturally great vocalist, but as he learned to control his instrument, I think he got a bit too smooth, especially for rough hardcore like this. On these 7”s, it feels like he intuitively understands what makes for a great vocal, but his delivery is looser, even chaotic at times. For me, that’s a best of both worlds scenario, integrating the charisma and personality of a great vocalist with the rawness and immediacy of someone who is figuring things out on the fly. And while 7 Seconds always seemed to struggle with keeping a consistent lineup, they sound great on these recordings. I’m not sure if that’s because the songs were so simple or because the band was really locked in at this stage, but everyone at least sounds like they’re on the same page, which isn’t the case with later records like New Wind, where it sounds like parts of the band are pulling in different directions.

While The Crew, Rock Together, and even New Wind have received deluxe reissues on Trust Records in the past several years, sadly these early 7 Seconds EPs have been out of print for quite some time. They were last issued In 2013, when Chicago’s Lifeline Records re-released each of the 3 7”s compiled on Alt.Music.Hardcore. Those versions seem to be relatively available on the used market for cheap-ish prices, but digital versions never made it to streaming. It would be great if the youth of today could dial these up (either individually or as a compilation) and hear these tracks easily, because it’s my favorite 7 Seconds material. In fact, the whole 7 Seconds digital discography could really use a redo. Thankfully, the Trust Records expanded editions of those first three albums are available, but aside from that, things are scattershot. There nothing pre-The Crew (besides the 7”s compiled on Alt.Music.Hardcore and the aforementioned demo tapes, there’s also the full United We Stand session that Cargo / Headhunter released in 1991 as Old School), and arguably the better records from the post-New Wind era are also missing. I always had a soft spot for Praise (which I think is the strongest of their melodic / U2 era), and the grungy Out the Shizzy is good too if you can let go of any expectations you might have for a 7 Seconds record. And I’d probably stream Live! One Plus One from time to time too, if it were available. I know all this music originally came out on a plethora of different labels and the rights issues are probably a fucking nightmare, but it would be nice if the band’s profile on streaming services reflected the general arc of their career rather than a few scattered points.

While we’re talking about 7 Seconds releases on streaming services, I might as well share my thoughts on Change in My Head, which is Ian Mackaye’s remix / re-imagining of the New Wind album. When I read that this was happening, I was super excited to hear it, so I’m glad Trust threw it up on streaming rather than making me buy another (expensive) copy of New Wind to hear it. Ian’s remix basically makes 7 Seconds sound like they were from DC… Change in My Head has a similar vibe to DC bands from that time like Marginal Man and Rites of Spring. This is a good thing in my book, and I think Change In My Head is much stronger than New Wind as it originally came out. But it’s still an album that finds the band in a messy transitional stage where they didn’t quite know who they were. Ian’s remix makes the band sound more consistent, but the title tracks (both “Change In My Head” and “New Wind”) and “Still Believe” still sound like a different band compared to the more melodic tracks. Ian’s mix helps those melodic songs a lot… I really love “Tied Up in Rhythm,” for instance, which never stuck out to me on New Wind. Some will still say Change in My Head is an exercise in turd-polishing, but I kinda like it and have returned to it a few times.

Ayucaba: Operación Masacre 12" (Metadona Records) Spain’s Metadona Records brings us the debut vinyl from this band based in Barcelona, but featuring expatriates from several locales. First of all, I should say that if you are interested in this record, you should definitely consult the (very) deep dive Jeff did in his staff pick last week; he goes into a lot of detail about every aspect of Operación Masacre, and it’s a great read. Here’s my short version, though. Ayucaba plays a style of metal-informed hardcore that reminds me of records like the Exploited’s Death Before Dishonour, Broken Bones’ Bonecrusher, and English Dogs’ Forward into Battle. Like those records, Operación Masacre takes the skeleton of driving, UK82-style punk and infuses it with metal’s more complex riffing and arrangements, adding a gratifying layer of complexity without losing the energy or directness. Their biggest strength, in my book, is their vocalist, who has one of the most distinctive and interesting voices in punk. It’s this kind of hoarse demon rasp, sandpaper abrasive and mean as hell, but still carrying a tune and articulating the lyrics clearly. You might remember her from her previous band Inyeccion, and while I’m a huge fan of Inyeccion’s LP, Cromi has only grown more adept with her instrument since then. Ayucaba’s songs are complex and thoughtfully arranged, filling the album with a wealth of rhythms and melodies that keep the music exciting from moment to moment without feeling scattered. It’s so easy for more ambitious takes on hardcore punk to feel overwrought and lose that sense of directness, but Ayucaba just nails it. They’ve also incorporated a touch of the spooky and cultish vibes from the best underground worldwide 80s hardcore. While the composition, performance, and production are all thoughtful and composed (and hence don’t have the unhinged energy of, say, G.I.S.M. or early Wretched), Ayucaba makes space in their music for the mysterious ambiance that makes so many of those records great. The thoughtfulness also extends to the record’s packaging, with its beautiful screen-printed jacket, poster / lyric insert, and obi strip. Musically ambitious, thoughtfully presented, super vibey, and punk as fuck, Operación Masacre is undoubtedly one of 2025’s best hardcore punk records.

Hello fellow Sorry Staters! Thanks for making it all the way down to the bottom of the newsletter! Nothing too exciting has been happening in my world the past week other than the weather going from a hot and humid hell outside to a rainy humid hell. Let’s hope it gets cooler faster this fall. I’ve switched my focus in listening to do some deeper dives into some early 90s grunge/post hardcore bands. One of those bands I fell in love with was a band called Seaweed from Tacoma, Washington. Seaweed started in the early 90s, putting out albums mostly on Sub Pop and Hollywood Records. Their album Spanaway was released in 1995 and was their third full-length put out on Hollywood Records after their run with Sub Pop. The album, in my opinion, is the peak and highlight of their career. You can tell this from the maturity in the vocals and all the instrumentation on the album. The biggest standout to me is the drumming. During this album, they added a new drummer, Alan Cage of Quicksand. It was the perfect addition to the crunchy guitar tone and vocals that almost sound like they should be the melodic parts of an Ignite song. It was the perfect blend of 90s punk and grunge coming out at the time. As always, check them out if you haven’t, and if you have any suggestions of obscure 90s emotional hardcore/emo that you want to recommend please shoot me a message! We have been getting lots of great new releases in, and as always tons of great used stuff gets posted daily. Until next time!

Hi and thanks for reading. I have listened to one actual record since I last wrote. Instead of boring you with the Buddhist philosophy I have been reading, I will write briefly about a few records instead. First, I will take this time and space to help promote the upcoming SVAVELDIXOID / DESTRUCT split 7” coming soon on my label Prescription and Children of the Grave Records in France. This split has been in the works longer than expected. I had the artwork mailed back in May, but unfortunately USPS has lost the parcel. And then of course another obstacle: the printer I use has been shut down for over a month while they move. The new screen-printed covers should be shipped this week, and I hope to release this bad boy before the month is over. Of course you can expect to find copies via Sorry State, but I will have a variant limited to 50 copies that will be only available on the Bunker Punks webshop. DESTRUCT will have some advance copies of the split at Skullfest this weekend. If you’re attending the fest, keep your eyes peeled and you can secure a copy before the proper release date!

If anyone knows me to any degree, they probably know I am a super-fan of DESTRUCT. I would even say I am their biggest fan, haha. Bands that can steamroll you like this live are few and far between. They are easily one of the best bands I have ever seen. I have been a fan of SVAVELDIXOID since I first heard them ages ago, and I am honored to be releasing some material from them. I feel like each release I hear from them just gets better and better. They seem to have a slight touch of like death metal or something, and I mean extremely slight—but I am all here for it. Their roots stand firmly in traditional Swedish käng, like that of BOMBANFALL. If, for some reason, you aren’t familiar with this band I would suggest you check em out right away! I don’t think any bands of the time had this type of intensity. A lot of bands had abandoned this straightforward style by the late ‘80s, but instead BOMBANFALL amplified the traditional Swedish hardcore sound with a much heavier and darker approach and made an absolutely perfect record.

Alright, moving onto some stuff we have in stock at Sorry State. AYUCABA instantly caught my ears and eyes. Not only is the packaging extremely cool, but their songwriting style is also just as cool. This 12” is my introduction to the band. I know they had a demo in 2023, but I haven’t heard it. In this album’s description, they mention they have a new vocalist since their debut, and I love the vocal style. The songwriting is on the metallic side, but it’s certainly still just hardcore punk. Some elements remind me a bit of ENGLISH DOGS, but it really reminds of the EXECUTE at times as well. I feel like pulling off metallic hardcore punk without sounding too polished or cheesy is no easy task. This record was super refreshing to hear, and I have been anticipating our copies to arrive since I heard them on bandcamp. Check it out, and I imagine you might enjoy it as much as I do.

Metadona Records released the AYUCABA 12” alongside this debut LAKRA 12” that I really dig. It’s only five songs, so I was apprehensive about buying a copy, but after listening a few times I decided that definitely needed a copy for myself. LAKRA’s sound is not particularly unique, but they execute this classic sound very well with some hints of a more contemporary style. I can’t get enough of the guitar tone. The drums definitely sound modern, but that guitar sound they got sounds 80s as hell to me. They are from Mallorca, which unfortunately my ignorant ass has never heard of, haha. This is an island that technically belongs to Spain. As I mentioned, I don’t know anything about this island, so please forgive me if associating it with Spain is offensive. I would suggest you check this one out as well, and you might enjoy it as much as I do. OK, that’s all for this week. Thank you for reading, thanks for your support, and much love to my friends out there.

Hey there everyone. Thanks for clicking on our newsletter this week. Hopefully you all have had a good week. That’s something that living in America is becoming increasingly difficult to do under the current regime, who seem hell-bent on enriching and protecting themselves and making America NOT great again. Fuck ‘em. Their day will come.

It’s hard to believe that the summer is just about over here, but the constant rain and the imminent beginning of the football season are reminders. Congratulations to Crystal Palace, who bookended their F.A. Cup win from last season with a Community Shield win to begin this season. A victory over my Liverpool no less.

My personal summer dentist chair surfing continues this week with a thrilling root canal. Sounds like great fun. I’ll be out of action for the day, but have some old movies lined up on the DVR and there’s always a stack of to be played records leaning up against the hi-fi. After barely recovering from the last procedure, I’ll be back on the liquid and soft food diet again. I am looking forward to having this all behind me. Along with the expense.

This week in the store we restocked our international section with one or two cool compilations and reissues of hard to find and expensive albums, and I’d like to draw your attention to some of these. Although I haven’t been able to do my radio show Worldy much these past few weeks due to my mouth being out of operation and my partner Matt being away (he’s currently in Brazil and hopefully bringing back some cool records for the show), several of these releases I wanted because they would be great for our show.

Mulatu Astatke: New York - Addis – London. Strut Records

I mentioned the king of Ethiopian music the other week when talking about one of his contemporaries, Hailu Mergia and the musicians he played with. Well, now we have a great compilation on the master himself. Whether as an introduction to his music or to fill in gaps in your collection, this compilation is terrific. Spanning a decade from 1965-1975 and arguably his most productive period, the comp pulls from a variety of releases that would be tough to find as originals, and not all have been reissued. Curated by Miles Cleret, the founder of Soundway Records, for Strut Records. Both label names should be recognized by those of you buying cool vintage Afro and Latin music as for over twenty years they have been one of the best reissue labels in the market for this type of music. Anything that you see on either of these labels is guaranteed to be good music and presented in good sound quality and with informative liner notes. Buy with confidence.

Experience Unlimited: Free Yourself. Strut Records

So, Strut again with a nice reissue of an album that originally came out in 1977. This is a cool soul and funk record out of Washington D.C. that was released on the jazz label Black Fire, the same label that released the great records from Oneness Of Juju from Virginia. Original copies have always gone for decent money, but there have been reissues over the years. The US label Now And Again did a repress a few years back, and there was a Scorpio version too. Now And Again do a great job with their reissues, like Strut. Now And Again’s comes with a nice booklet, and Strut’s comes with a new essay from bandleader Gregory Elliott, known as Sugar Bear, and sports repros of the Black Fire labels on their pressing. I believe both come from the same remastered plates done by Bernie Grundman, so either will sound good. This record has become popular again recently after a New Balance commercial featured the song Hey You.

Various: Perú Selvático. Analog Africa

German reissue label Analog Africa has been making obscure but quality music available to the greater music-buying public for close to twenty years. They began concentrating on music from the African continent, but in recent years have branched out to other corners of the world. All their releases are of the highest quality sound and packaging wise, and you can buy any of their records blind. This set focuses on the cumbia music scene of the Peruvian Amazon between 1972 and 1986. It comes with a fabulous, annotated booklet full of record information and great color photos. The music itself is great, and if you have fallen for the magical and unique sound of cumbia music from other South American countries, then you’ll surely love this compilation. Highly recommended.

Rob: Make It Fast, Make It Slow. Soundway Records.

Soundway label again with the second album cut originally in the late 1970s by a Ghanaian artist known simply as Rob, full name Rob “Roy” Raindorf. I might have talked in these pages before about Rob’s first self-titled album from 1977 on the Essiebons label; this is the follow-up from the following year. Both albums would cost you a packet as originals, if you could even find them, so we owe thanks to Soundway for making these gems readily available. If you like Afrobeat funk with a touch of gospel, then this is the record for you and possibly my pick of the bunch out of these reissues. It was certainly the one I was most excited about getting a copy of. I’d encourage you to go take a listen and potentially add this one to your collection. The band backing him sounds great; the horn section kills it. The songs have humor, politics and a touch of religion on the more gospel-sounding tunes. Rob has a terrific delivery, and if you dig artists such as Fela Kuti, then this should be a no-brainer purchase.

Various: Nigeria Special Volume 3. Soundway Records

Various: Roots Rocking Zimbabwe. Analog Africa

Two more killer compilations from the aforementioned labels. The first follows on from two previous excellent volumes of mostly 1970s Nigerian Afrobeat and Highlife, with this one going into the 1980s and highlighting the use of synths and more modern methods of music making. The second concentrates on music made in the Zimbabwe townships during the latter half of the 1970s. The music styles here take in Afrobeat, Latin, Highlife and traditional African sounds.

I’ve only given these a couple of spins so far, but have been digging what I have heard. The quality level is on par with all the other compilations the respective labels have released. Remember, I said you could pretty much buy any of these going in blind. For lovers of retro Afro sounds, you can’t really go wrong.

Various: Ayo Ke Disco. Soundway Records

On this collection, we move to the South China Seas, and to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for funky, disco and soul influenced music made in the late 1970s and early 1980s. As with all the previous collections, you’d be hard pressed to come across any of these records as originals, making these types of sets essential and great value for money. This one is curated by label manager Alice Whittington, who does a fab job on the selections, and the label as always presents the music with great sounding mastering. Matt played a track from this one on Worldy recently and it got a good response. Another one to give the thumbs up to.

You’ll have to excuse me for not giving you any detailed artist information on any of these, but honestly most of them were new to me. I trust the judgement of the compilers and the quality control of the labels though. I have many of their releases in my collection and can firmly vouch for their respective worthiness. Again, buy with confidence. Okay, that’s it for now. Go check out our website or pop into the store to see more of these types of things and to get more information. We didn’t order a ton of these, but will restock asap any that sell out. Don’t forget that you can add your email to any sold out product and receive a notification when we restock it.

Cheers folks. See you next time.

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Is it the end of days? Seems like many people I know are currently dealing with difficulty in their personal lives, even beyond the horrifying news of the world. I’m only kind of joking, but the weather lately seems like a symptom of the universe. I seem to remember that I was talking about rain in the previous newsletter as well. This time, it’s no longer cute. With the way it’s been storming in Raleigh the last few days, the amount of water has amassed to biblical proportions. My apartment flooded. Luckily, no damage, but I will probably need a dinghy soon. A friend told me on the phone last night that Mercury’s not in Gatorade anymore, so hopefully we’ll see everything and everyone feel better soon.

How’s that for an opening? Let’s move on, shall we? Here’s my staff pick, which is a record I’m particularly excited about.

The debut vinyl release Operación Masacre by Ayucaba really snuck up on me. Released on Metadona Records, I was stoked that we could get a stack of copies for Sorry State. Before I get into the nitty-gritty and describe this record for all you fine readers, let me preface by saying that I feel certain this LP will be one of my favorite records of the year. What’s funny is that even before I knew a whole lot about this band, I randomly encountered most of the people in the band in my travels with Public Acid earlier this summer. A few of them were in Sheffield for Noise Annoys. Several of them were in Copenhagen for K-town Hardcore Fest. When we played in Barcelona, I went to an after-gig party at a bar where the bass player was DJing killer punk and dance tunes. But I still hadn’t heard this band yet. Pretty funny.

Here’s my underqualified, truncated band bio: For those that are unfamiliar, Ayucaba is based out of Barcelona. And while it may be corny to use this term, they’re kind of a supergroup of sorts. While they are based out of Barcelona and I’m sure all the members currently live there, a few people in the band relocated from South America. The singer Cromi I believe is from Argentina, and I remember her from previous bands like Inyeccion and Farmaco. One of the guitar players, Juan, relocated from Colombia, and I met him at Noise Annoys because he still plays as one of the two guitarists in Muro. The bass player Mateo is also from Colombia, but most of you readers will probably mainly know him from his artwork. He’s done the artwork for tons of record covers you might recognize over the years, including, more recently, the front cover artwork for the Plasma LP released on Sorry State. Funny how the punk world just seems smaller and smaller.

Apparently, an earlier incarnation of Ayucaba had similar members, but it was a different lineup. Mateo was originally the lead vocalist and Cromi played bass. They basically switched places. The band even released a demo cassette with Mateo singing a couple years back. I’m not sure exactly what the reason was for the two members switching their roles in the band, but to me, the current arrangement seems pretty damn cool the way it is.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, I gotta say when I first heard this record it was on a YouTube upload, and it kinda blew me away. Firstly, I love the tone of the recording. It’s raw and organic, but not really noisy. It still sounds super thick and punchy, but the guitars have this grittiness and texture you can almost feel tingling your ears. It looks like someone from Rat Trap in Bogotá mixed and mastered the record as well, which makes sense because the sonic textures remind me of the Muro records. Ayucaba incorporates elements into their sound that are a bit metallic, but without sounding blatantly “metal.” The description of this LP from the label draws many comparisons to other bands that Ayucaba maybe kinda sounds like. I suppose I could hear the band drawing influence from heavier Japanese hardcore like mid-80s Execute or the motörized pace of G-Zet. Still, it’s difficult for me to pinpoint any particular vibe they’re specifically trying to imitate. I don’t think their goal is to capture or rip off any particular band’s style; it just feels like a genuine and powerful amalgamation of sound.

The first track on the record, “Sistema = Siniestro,” slowly fades in with this thunderous tom roll pattern on the drums, then the other instruments come chugging with an almost call-to-arms marching type rhythm. Then, ATTACK! The song erupts into this mid-paced crunchy riffing. Cromi has true character in her voice, sounding totally vicious. Seems like she’d be a magnetic and imposing front person. The song launches into a revved up, but groovy fast beat, and when I hear the vocals in a ghostly whisper chant “Sistema Siniestro,” it sends chills down my spine. I don’t think Ayucaba is scared to incorporate elements of experimentation or the bizarre, but this still doesn’t take away from the driving force and aggression.

This might sound weird, but Operación Masacre really feels like a proper album. Like, not just a random batch of killer riffs thrown together. Rather, a well-executed, thoughtfully structured, song-based punk-metal full-length which showcases all the band’s strengths. The structures of the songs ride a fine line between elegance and power. On a song like “Cocaina,” the intro reaches a moment where most of the instruments drop out. The drummer rolls on the hi-hat like steamroller, and the bass builds tension barreling on this killer riff. Then a long snare roll with rhythmically pulsing, hi-pitched guitar feedback grows even more intensity before it all explodes. But then, just when you think the speedy pace of the song will continue, they cleverly and unexpectedly break down into this slow beat with a repetitious melodic guitar lick over top. The lead guitar work is a primary feature of the band’s sound, often prominently loud in the mix. Somewhere between the acrobatic Maiden-esque melodicism versus overwhelming swirls of delayed-out psychedelia. Then sometimes downright gunslinging wah-wah rippage a la later-era English Dogs.

The band doesn’t shy away from sweeping, extravagant song arrangements. But also, nothing feels forced or jagged. Using the word “epic” feels a bit silly, but it feels like Ayucaba makes songs that are supposed to move the listener. It comes across as cathartic and powerful. Fists raised triumphantly in the air type shit. The title track on the record, “Operación Masacre,” is actually an instrumental. The track has this sinister, dark ritual kind of atmosphere, the drums just pounding on a plodding, entrancingly repeating groove with guitars chugging overtop before the guitar plays this circular riff and summons a sacrament of evil… Or I dunno, something like that. I got carried away there. Blacked out for a second. But it really sets a tone of tension and beckons anticipation for opening the B-side of the record.

Last but not least, the packaging on this record looks beautiful. Not unlike the Muro records, the sleeves look totally DIY with screen-printed artwork that looks super crisp. It comes with a huge foldout poster that includes the lyrics. Then finally, there’s also a striking red obi, all of which are hand-numbered out of 300 copies. You know nerds like me love that shit. Funny enough, the skull on the obi layout looks very similar to the Chaos Produzioni label logo. Maybe it’s no coincidence that I thought about drawing comparisons to later Wretched records like La Tua Morte Non Aspetta or the In Controluce 7”. Ayucaba is definitely not as bombastic or chaotic as Wretched, but I hear it in the melodic and powerful riffs.

Fuck man, even after drafting that lengthy, verbose description, I still feel like I have way more to say about this Ayucaba record. For me, it’s hitting all the marks. It looks badass. It sounds badass. And it feels like it was made with grace and intention by true DIY punks who are lifers in the community. As of the day this newsletter is coming out, I think we’ve still got a good number of copies left. Do yourself a favor and gitchu one. That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Those of you who have been punk record nerds for at least a decade might remember when Ugly Pop Records reissued two records by Sweden’s P.F. Commando in the mid-2010’s: 1979’s album Manipulerade Mongon and their 1980 single Nu Ska Vi Ha Kul!. According to Ugly Pop, some people consider Manipulerade Mongon the first Swedish punk album, but that’s a conversation for someone with a deep knowledge of 1970s Swedish record release dates, and I am not that person. What I can tell you is that P.F. Commando rips, and I’ve continued to revisit those two records since Ugly Pop reissued them. Manipulerade Mongon is as definitive a first-wave European punk album as you’ll find. It always reminded me of the Dead Boys’ Young, Loud, and Snotty. The records are similar in that you feel you’re hearing punk rock being invented in real time. I’m sure P.F. Commando and the Dead Boys were working from a similar set of high-energy rock and roll influences, and both bands seemed to think to themselves, “what if we twist the anger and aggression knobs until they break?” Both records are snarling, menacing, and malignant. They also both bear an audible debt to the Stooges’ Raw Power with their hard-charging rhythms, piercing guitar sounds, and dramatically clashing chord changes. It’s the good shit.

The Ugly Pop reissues are where my knowledge of P.F. Commando began and ended until this summer, when I came across a copy of P.F. Commando’s second album while I was in Sweden:

P.F. Commando: Jag En Duva LP (Mamma, 1980)

This was a total blind buy for me… I did not know P.F. Commando had other records or whether they were any good. The copyright date on Jag En Duva is 1980 and the cover art is interesting (minimal and punk-looking, just like Manipulerade Mongon, though the back cover looks kind of like a vintage wedding invitation), so I figured that, unless the band took a major stylistic left turn, I’d probably hear at least something I like.

It turns out that I needn’t have worried… Jag En Duva totally rules! That being said, it’s a very different record than Manipulerade Mongon. That sense of menace is largely gone, and the band has grown tighter and more confident. The songs are still high-energy and rooted in the same rock and roll tradition as, say, the Raw Records bands in the UK, but there’s more of a sheen on it this time, with chiming guitars bringing a lot to the table, adding another layer of depth and textural richness to the songs. Jag En Duva reminds me of the early records by the Boys, high-energy and rocking, but embracing melody and letting go of some of punk’s default toughness. Maybe some hardcore folks will think they’re watering things down, but I think they gain more than they lose here.

Interestingly, while the band has expanded its horizons, the singer really hasn’t. There isn’t as much grit and rasp in his vocals on Jag En Duva, but they’re still mostly shouted and mostly out of tune. I wonder what the band thought about that at the time? They were clearly working toward something more composed and approachable, yet the singer still seems hell-bent on just howling. I actually think it really works, though, even if the contrast is striking at some points. There’s annoyingly out of tune and charmingly out of tune, and this falls decidedly in the latter camp for me. Unlike Manipulerade Mongon, though, the lyrics on Jag En Duva are entirely in Swedish, so I don’t know if they’re still as provocative as first-album cuts like “Auschwitz,” “Failed Abortion,” and the classic “Get Fucked.” One can only hope.

One track from the single Ugly Pop reissued, the title track from Nu Ska Vi Ha Kul!, appears on Jag En Duva. That song is kind of an oddball for the band with its ska rhythm, but otherwise it’s a pretty good indicator of how Jag En Duva smooths out the first album’s rough edges. If you have that Ugly Pop single, you can revisit that track for a sense of where things went on Jag En Duva (the cut “Rough Sound” from that single, though, is much more like the first album). It might be easier, though, to just dial Jag En Duva up on your favorite streaming service… even though the record has never been reissued in any physical version, it’s available (along with the first album and Nu Ska Vi Ha Kul! single) everywhere.

Now that I’ve heard the main part of P.F. Commando’s discography, I’m interested in checking out what else is out there. There’s a 1979 cassette-only release called In a Pose that contains over 45 minutes of music. It’s on YouTube and dipping my toe in makes me want to grab a copy of the vinyl reissue, which came out in 1997 (I don’t see an original cassette copy falling in my lap). There’s also P.F. Commando’s first release, 1978’s Svenne Pop EP, which Ken Rock reissued in 2012. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Sorry State carried that when it came out, though I can’t remember at the moment). Despite the title, it sounds (and looks!) pretty fucking punk to me. They even, like their peers in the Rude Kids, have a song about Raggare. It looks like I’ll be hunting for a reissue of this one too, as it looks like originals sell in the $500 range.

Steröid: Chainmail Commandos 12” (Crypt of the Wizard) I wrote about Steröid’s Chainmail Commandos, easily the most charming and infectious punk record of 2025, as my staff pick a few months ago, back when vinyl copies were impossible to come by. Now that the repress is in and the record is in stock at Sorry State, it’s time to revisit this gem and remind y’all how great it is. Here are the facts: Steröid comes from the fertile Sydney, Australia punk scene and features members of well-known bands like Gee Tee, R.M.F.C., and the dungeon synth project Quest Master. Their songs are built on the hooky, energetic riffing and anthemic choruses of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but production-wise they’re put through the “egg punk” filter with pitch-shifted vocals, Devo-inspired mechanical rhythms, and lo-fi, 4-track-style production. It’s an odd combination of influences, but if that puts you off or confuses you, don’t worry about it… just listen to the songs. I’m sure some percentage of you will still listen to five seconds and think, “I’m too cool for this shit,” but those people are missing out. Chainmail Commandos is as close to a shot of pure adrenaline as I can get from a record, never failing to make me smile, shimmy around in my seat, and sing along as soon as it comes on. I can’t think of another record as charming and good-vibe-producing since the Coneheads album lo those many years ago. Chainmail Commandos also maintained its ability to inspire those feelings through months of relentless listening. There isn’t a dud on the album, and I think it gets better with every listen. Just the other day I was playing it for probably the 50th time and just noticing how great the bass playing is… details like that will continue to reveal themselves for a long time. If you listen and find yourself susceptible to Steröid’s charms, though, I’d advise you to pick up a copy posthaste, as this small pressing from UK black metal label Crypt of the Wizard doesn’t seem long for this world.