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Lately I’ve been listening to some French Yé-yé music. If you’re uninitiated, Yé-yé is a style of pop music that came from Europe (mostly France) in the early 60s. It tends to be sunny and melodic, taking the skeleton of beat music and adding orchestration that seems perfect for sipping a cappuccino outside a café on a warm afternoon. I’ve been aware of Yé-yé music for years, but it’s clicked for me lately. One thing I like about it is that it’s pop music, but it has such a strong vibe. It’s great music to put on around the house, because if my attention drifts toward it, the strong melodies and dense orchestration hold my attention. However, if it’s serving as background music while I’m washing dishes or reading or tidying up, it gives me light, airy energy that propels me through the day.
French Swinging Mademoiselle, which compiles several singles by Clothilde, is the record that hooked me. “Fallait pas écraser la queue du chat” is the undeniable hit with its big melody, energetic rhythm, and best of all the zany, psychedelic organ riff that punctuates the song. However, the entire album is great, with an energetic, driving sound that strikes me as a little punky. Maybe that’s why it grabbed me?
Intrigued by Clothilde, I took home one of the France Gall reissues that just came out on Third Man Records. On Dominic’s recommendation I went with 1968, which I had my eye on anyway thanks to its cool, colorful artwork. The artwork captures the vibe of the music well. While I wouldn’t call it psychedelic in any meaningful sense of the world, it’s full of signifiers of the psychedelic sound like sitars and organs, and even has a song about LSD. Like the Clothilde record, there isn’t a bum track here.
Dominic has already played me a few things, but if anyone has more Yé-yé recommendations feels free to hit me up. I’m officially intrigued!
Sial: Tari Pemusnah Kuasa 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) When Sial toured the US a while back, everyone I spoke to raved about what a great live band they were. I was already bummed I couldn't make their shows, but Tari Pemusnah Kuasa makes it sting even more. Like D-Clone or Zyanose at their best, Sial takes a blown-out, Disclose-influenced guitar sound and wrenches high drama from its monochromatic hiss. They can move from a low mosh inducing quicksand groove to a hyper-speed d-beat in a hair’s breadth, the transition giving the listener the same sense of weightlessness you get at the peak of your ascent on a vert ramp. Like the guitar sound, the vocals might seem one-dimensional at first, but I find myself yelling nonsense along at the key moments, showing those yells and screams punctuate the rhythm just as deftly as a talented jazz drummer attacks their crash cymbal. The riffs and instrumental arrangements are just as powerful, doling out the intensity in perfectly timed doses that keep the energy level in the red for the record’s entire duration. If you follow the hardcore we hype here at Sorry State, check this one out. It’s a real masterpiece.
Powerplant: A Spine / Evidence 7” (Static Shock) London’s Powerplant follows up their much-loved People in the Sun album with this noteworthy five-track EP. While Powerplant has expanded from a recording project to a full live lineup, this 7” shows no dilution of the singular voice that made People in the Sun stand out. If anything, A Spine / Evidence is even more singular, with the band locking into a voice utterly their own. Each track seems like its own universe, with the sound ranging from the dance-y “A Spine” (which reminds me of Freedom of Choice era Devo in the best way) to the dense, hardcore-ish closer “Hurtwood.” Powerplant combines a post-punk band’s sense of restraint with punk band’s energy level, a feat that’s difficult to achieve. Further, they wrap their sound in top-notch songwriting jammed with memorable moments. I think A Spine / Evidence is even better than People in the Sun, and it’s worth checking if you’re into anything from Diat’s catchy post-punk to the glass-smashing anthems on Total Punk Records.
False Brother: Uncanny Valley 12” (Iron Lung) Kansas City’s False Brother weren’t on my radar before Iron Lung dropped this 12”, but it’s a great fit with the post-punk oriented bands on that label, particularly Diat and Total Control. While not as anthemic as either of those bands, False Brother has a sound that splits the difference between minimal synth and classic post-punk, reminding me of the early Human League tracks or moments of Joy Division’s Closer that seemed to foreshadow New Order’s later moves. The drum machine kicks with the power of dance music, but the rhythms stick to a slower, brooding tempo, with bass lines and synth noises traipsing across the abyss like mischievous ghosts. If you’re a fan of the aforementioned groups (or similar ones like Low Life or Constant Mongrel), this lodges its hooks in much the same way.
C.H.E.W.: In Due Time 7” (Iron Lung) Chicago’s C.H.E.W. drops five more songs on the hardcore faithful, and if you’re a fan of the style, this EP is essential. Like Raleigh’s great Vittna, C.H.E.W. is at equally at home with crushing, d-beat-inspired hardcore as they are with Die Kreuzen / Part 1-inspired creepy crawlers, and In Due Time achieves the band’s best balance of those two sounds yet. When I saw C.H.E.W. live, the first thing I noticed is that they have one of the best drummers in the current hardcore scene. While that didn’t come across as clearly on their previous records, In Due Time captures his heavyweight boxer-style balance of power and agility. The songs themselves are complex and dramatic, intricate mazes of stops and starts and clever transitions where a sasquatch might leap around a corner and deck you at any second. The EP reaches its climax with the closing track, Noise Square, where they dial back the heaviness and the sinister, Die Kreuzen-inspired guitar takes center stage. If you’ve liked C.H.E.W.’s previous releases, In Due Time is a no-brainer.
Arts: Graveside Summoning: Flaming Dagger 7” (Youth Attack) Graveside Summoning is the latest EP from Mark McCoy’s long-running black metal project, Arts. I’m not sure if I’ve ever checked out Arts before, but I like these four tracks. While several bands on the Youth Attack label dabble with different recipes with hardcore and black metal as ingredients, Arts’ scales tip way toward the metal side. The howling vocals, tinny recording, and melodic, single-string lead guitar melodies are pages torn straight from the Darkthrone playbook. However, I hear a distinct hardcore element coming through Graveside Summoning, particularly in the big, dramatic chord changes that punctuate every track. While a lot of black metal is blurry and stretched out, pulling the listener’s attention away from small details and toward a song’s (or a record’s) holistic atmosphere, Arts peppers their songs with moments that remind me of Youth of Today’s finger-pointing climaxes. I’m not sure what the truly kvlt would think about this, but if you’re down with the bm vibes sprinkled throughout Youth Attack’s catalog, odds are you’ll enjoy Graveside Summoning. 
Cosmic Sand Dollars: Requiem for King Dick 12” (Cold Vomit) We carried a previous LP from the Cosmic Sand Dollars a few years ago, but either I didn’t listen to it enough or I wasn’t in the right headspace for it. However, Requiem for King Dick is hitting me in the sweet spot. Cosmic Sand Dollars doesn’t sound like any music I’ve heard before. As befitting their name, they combine noise music and power electronics with traditional surf songs, and when you first hear them it sounds like a silly novelty, like someone putting ketchup on a toaster strudel and thinking they’re clever even though eating it would be gross. However, as you orient yourself, you realize the combination works great, especially since Cosmic Sand Dollars isn’t a one-trick pony. They devote very little of the LP to the obvious combination of surf songs with bleeps, bloops, and squeals on top. Instead, the genres are in a deeper dialog. Sometimes it’s contentious, like when they take a straightforward surf instrumental and subject it to violent tape manipulation. Sometimes the synths and noise boxes will borrow part of a melody from the surf guitar (these moments can have a Klaus Schulze kind of vibe), and sometimes the surf and electronic elements dance around one another like a complex insect mating ritual. Throughout the LP, Cosmic Sand Dollars push forward, never repeating or belaboring ideas. So, this isn’t ketchup and toaster strudel… it’s more like peanut butter and banana on a burger… it sounds weird at first, but once you’ve tried it, you’re convinced.
Irradiator: Northern Quebec Speedcore Attack 12” (I Owe You Nothing) Northern Quebec Speedcore Attack compiles two demos (the first from 1988, the second from a year later) from this obscure Quebecois group. The lengthy 1988 demo takes up most of the vinyl space here, and it's a primitive, unrelenting assault of raw noise with emphasis on the “raw.” Sane people would classify the fidelity as “nigh unlistenable,” with the drums reduced to a wash of cymbal hiss and little else audible save some vocal grunts and intermittent bursts of wild lead guitar. If you squint your ears, you might convince yourself some parts sound like a crappy Siege bootleg, but it’s more primitive and monochromatic. There are no concessions to melody, rhythm, or anything musical, just a primitive spasm of underground metal id. As for the much shorter 1989 demo, it has a more legible recording style, uses a primitive and goofy sounding drum machine rather than live drums, and the songs have a punkier style, but other than that it’s in the same vein. The second recording has more charm, mostly because you can hear it, but also because the songs themselves are catchier and more memorable. This is way too niche to recommend to a casual listener, but if I mentioned any keywords related to your particular obsessions, consider investigating further.
Video Prick: Demo 7” (Forever Never Ends) Demo on wax from this hardcore band from Seattle, and like their label mates Fentanyl, I’d recommend this for connoisseurs of the Youth Attack aesthetic. The recording is harsh and blown out in a quasi-black metal way, the vocalist has a snotty, punky scream, and you’ll also hear some skronky, noisy lead guitar breaks. One strength of this of band is they draw from a wide range of hardcore influences, unlike more retro-minded bands who follow a narrower aesthetic template. Video Prick has catchy pogo-hardcore parts, big breakdowns, fist-pumping fast parts, and even a little GISM-esque metallic soloing, but it’s wrapped in an arty and progressive package . Recommended for fans of Hoax and Suburbanite. 
Opus: Procedures / The Atrocity 7” (Meat House Productions) Meat House Productions brings us another LA-area KBD punk rarity, this time from Opus. I don’t recall hearing of Opus before they announced this reissue; I suppose that’s easy to believe when there were 200 copies of this single in the original pressing and most of those were destroyed by a band member’s angry roommates. Because of its rarity, there are some eye-popping previous sale prices for this one on the internet, including one ebay auction from 2011 where it went for $4,800 USD. Wow! As for the actual music, the a-side is a loud/quiet/loud number that reminds me of the Pixies in how it moves from a jittery, new wave-y verse into a boisterous chorus. It’s a good track, and the b-side is even better, an upbeat punk track that wouldn’t have been out of place if it had come out on Dangerhouse. If I had 5 grand, I’d try to find a Koro EP and a Sex Drive, but for 10 bucks this is worth a few spins.
The Wuffy Dogs: S/T 7” (Meat House Productions) Meat House gives us another rare punk reissue, this time from funny punks the Wuffy Dogs. While this one doesn’t fetch the same prices as the Opus single MHP re-released, I like the music better. Two of the tracks are upbeat, new wave-y punk with keyboards, like the Plugz’ first single if it were a little lighter weight or the punkier end of the UKDIY spectrum. The other two tracks stick out for their silly lyrics: the Dead Milkmen premonition “Things Dogs Do” and “I Must Be Lou Reed,” which is a cover of “Hey Joe” with an incredible guitar solo that I won’t ruin for you… just listen to the record. Anyone with an ear for 70s punk will dig this, but it’s recommended if you have a taste for the sillier and more sarcastic end of that sound.
Fentanyl: demo cassette (Forever Never Ends) Remember how people used to call Youth Attack Records bands “mysterious guy hardcore?” Fentanyl is updating that concept by refusing to post this demo anywhere online. However, if you’re reading this, you’re likely a keeper of the flame for physical formats. The label described Fentanyl to me as a Youth Attack-style band, and I can see what they mean… like their label mates in Video Prick, they have an artsy sound that pulls from different substyles of hardcore. The Youth Attack band Fentanyl reminds me of the most is Raw Nerve, who had a similarly compressed and explosive sound. These tracks are full of tight changes with sudden bursts of intensity, and while no single part is complex, the songs have the manic, schizo quality of Scum b-side-era Napalm Death (though the vibe here is very different). Comparisons aside, the energy and urgency comes through on this tape.
Behavior: Spirits & Embellishments 12” (Post Present Medium) Spirits & Embellishments is the latest record from Behavior, whom you may remember from their 2017 album Bitter Bitter on Iron Lung. Not that there is a typical Iron Lung Records band, but Behavior is well outside the label’s primary focus on underground hardcore and metal, with a song-focused style built on spare arrangements, emphasizing the excellent lyrics. The slight twang to Behavior’s sound and the timbre of the singer’s voice make me think of Pavement circa Wowee Zowee, but without the surrealistic bent and with a post rock-y sense of artistic gravitas. It’s not pop; it’s dense, intellectual music, much like the P22 that also came out on Post Present Medium, albeit without the overt punk influence. If you’re looking for something to work your brain muscles under quarantine, this would do the trick.
The Pathetx: 1981 12" (Third Man) Third Man Records has done DIY punk and hardcore junkies a solid by reissuing (or, rather, issuing, since the Pathetx never had a release back in the day) this 1981 Detroit ripper. While, according to their bio, the Pathetx played the same Detroit venues as the more well-documented bands that emerged from the area like the Necros and Negative Approach (and even shared bills with them), I can’t recall hearing about them before. If they were in Tony Rettman’s excellent Why Be Something That You’re Not book, then I didn’t bother to store that information in my memory banks. That’s all water under the bridge, though, because I’m stoked to hear this now. With a sound inspired by the first wave of west coast hardcore bands (in particular the Germs), the Pathetx fall on that perfect line between late 70s punk and first-generation hardcore. While they’re starting to incorporate the faster tempos and dramatic chord changes of hardcore (particularly the Fix’s rough but tuneful sound), they’re still writing songs rooted in the rock-and-roll tradition of the ’77-era bands, particularly from the UK. The recording here is also similar to the Fix’s singles, stark but rich and powerful. This record could have worked just as well on the Radio Raheem label, but Third Man’s quality control and attention to detail are just as strong. 1981 is a top recommendation for early 80s punk junkies.
Maggot Brain #2 zine I thought the first issue of Maggot Brain was exciting, but I’m enjoying this second issue even more. In case you haven’t heard about Maggot Brain, it’s a full-size, full-color magazine put out by Third Man Records, and while music is a big part of the magazine, it’s not all of it by any stretch of the imagination. There are articles about film, visual art, books, sports, lots of comics, fine art photography, and other interesting stuff. The magazine doesn’t have a traditional format or clear sections, so every time you turn the page it’s a surprise, but what you find is always good. Both the writing and the graphic design are of the highest quality, sort of like The Atlantic or The New Yorker for people into cool music. Reading Maggot Brain makes me realize how the handful of music magazines still left (Rolling Stone and British monthlies like Mojo) write about boring music and/or insult their readers’ intelligence. Maggot Brain does neither. While there isn’t much about punk in this latest issue, Sorry State’s more adventurous readers will love it. And while it’s expensive, it’s worth it and Sorry State is selling it for 25% off the cover price.
Bootlicker: Live in the Swamp cassette (Neon Taste) Live in the Swamp is a brand new live cassette from Canada’s Bootlicker, recorded on their 2019 East Coast tour in my old stomping grounds of Norfolk, Virginia. While I think of Bootlicker as being a tough, USHC-inspired band with a touch of oi!, they begin their set here with an Anti Cimex cover and close with a Discharge cover, making their d-beat bona fides clear. While this sounds like a room recording, the sound is solid with every instrument and the vocals coming through and the band’s performance is ripping. I know punks shy away from live stuff, but if you’re a fan of live punk recordings and/or Bootlicker, you’ll love this. The packaging is also very fetching, with a 2-color j-card, a little obi strip, and tapes splattered with red paint, and the professional dub quality sounds great. I doubt anyone would argue Live in the Swamp makes Bootlicker’s studio recordings obsolete, but it’s a welcome addition to their discography.
Razorblades & Aspirin #9 zine The latest issue of Razorblades & Aspirin continues transitioning from photozine to a music zine with a broader range of content, while keeping the focus on punk’s photography, design, and visual aesthetic at the forefront. Besides some incredible photos (including a great shot of Raleigh’s own Vittna destroying at the last show I attended before the world ended), you get a ton of interviews (I found the conversations with Alex Heir and Sial particularly interesting, and photography nerds will love the focus on punk photographers), a detailed retrospective on Anti Cimex’s Absolute Country of Sweden LP, an interview with the designer behind the recent Scream with Me book about the Misfits, and a heap of record and zine reviews. The presentation can be jarringly slick for those of us who grew up ink-stained fingers, but it’s nice to see a zine that doesn’t feel retro. I wish R&A had more careful copy editing that matched the high quality of the visuals, but that’s the English teacher in me nitpicking. There are a lot of half assed zines out there, but Razorblades & Aspirin isn’t one of ‘em.
Exec / N0V3L: split 7” (L1BR4RY) This split 7” matches Australians Exec (whom you may remember from their LP on Anti-Fade) with Canadian’s N0V3L, and it’s an inspired pairing. While both bands can fall under the post-punk umbrella (which is so broad as to be meaningless), they share deeper similarities like a non-retro sensibility and a tendency toward experimentation. Both bands feel like part of a long tradition of bands who bring together the avant-garde and pop worlds, such as Gang of Four, This Heat, and Wire. If you follow the more adventurous and experimental end of the DIY punk underground—i.e. if label names like Digital Regress and Ever/Never ring a bell—this two-songer is a solid grip.
La Milagrosa: EP cassette (Redro Deskabezado Records) 7-song cassette EP from this new punk band out of New York. La Milagrosa has a straightforward punk sound that has existed since the genre’s very beginning… 1-2-1-2 beats, straightforward and catchy riffs, and vocals that yell about what’s important to the singer with all the force they can muster. They sound kind of like the Exploited to me, but that seems beside the point. What’s more important is the feeling, and this feels punk as fuck.
Uzi: Cadena de Odio 12” (Discos MMM) Cadena de Odio is the debut vinyl from this Colombian punk band featuring members of Muro. As with Muro, Uzi’s gritty DIY aesthetic belies how rich and varied the music on this record is. I hear elements of UK82 punk, straightforward hardcore, and a little modern pogo-hardcore, but Uzi has digested these influences and incorporated them into their sound. The aesthetic and vibe is like Muro, but while Muro gravitates toward the epic feel of classic Japanese hardcore, Uzi’s street punk influences are their main calling card. A lot of Cadena de Odio doesn’t sound too different from the Casualties (particularly when they throw in a simple, melodic lead guitar line), but filtered through the prism of raw, modern DIY hardcore. If you’ve been feeling the recent spate of Muro records, this shares the same sense of excitement and urgency.
P22: Human Snake 12” (Post Present Medium) We last heard from Los Angeles’s P22 when they released a tape on the excellent Beat Sessions cassette series. P22 was the band I was least familiar with from that entire series, and I didn’t give their tape time to sink in. I need to revisit it, though, because Human Snake has blown me away. P22 doesn’t sound like anything I can think of. The speak-sing vocals, thoughtful, eloquent lyrics, and experimental music make me think of Poison Girls, but P22 is its own thing. While everything about the band is great, I’m particularly taken with the drummer’s style. They have a unique sense of rhythm and while they break into a full rock beat a few times over the course of the record, most of the drumming is more minimal, glancing across the main rhythm rather than underscoring it. The songs’ arrangements follow a similar pattern. In most punk bands, all the musicians are playing pretty much all the time (with perhaps one instrumental break for a bar or less), but the members of P22 often hang back, playing quietly or remaining silent for long stretches. The sense of restraint makes much of Human Snake resemble modern classical music, but there are stretches of full-bore punk too. While there’s plenty more I could say about this one, I’ll stress that if you’re into this kind of intellectual, artsy, underground punk (and particularly if you enjoyed the recent Slender LP) you should listen to this and make up your own mind about it.
Whip: Don’t Call Me 7” (Electric Heat) Don’t Call Me is the latest 4-song EP from this Canadian band with a previous 7” on Neck Chop. These tracks remind me of my favorite Bikini Kill stuff, but not in a cosplay kind of way. The singer’s raspy, snotty tone bears a resemblance to Kathleen Hannah, and the band also shares Bikini Kill’s ability to take a big, catchy riff and totally own it. The production is gritty but not shitty and the performances are loose without being sloppy… it’s right in that pocket where you want snotty, catchy punk like this to be. It’s a timeless style, and Whip makes it sound as good as ever.
Neutrals: Rent / Your House E.P. 7” (Domestic Departure) Neutrals is a band from the Bay Area, California featuring Allan McNaughton, whom you may remember from the bands Giant Haystacks and Airfix Kits. While I haven’t revisited those bands’ records recently enough to explain how Neutrals compares, I’m enjoying these five tracks. Neutrals’ songwriting style seems steeped in the straightforward, punky pop of bands like The Shop Assistants or the Primitives, but I wouldn’t say that Neutrals have a retro sensibility. They build the songs on a Ramones-y foundation, with the vocals carrying the melody and the lyrics tackling contemporary issues in a plainspoken style. All five tracks are winners, and I love the unaffected, unpretentious presentation. It feels like a band getting up and saying their piece about the world without pandering to the audience, which is part of what made me fall in love with DIY punk in the first place.
Cold Feet: Punk Entity 12” (Feel It) We carried the self-released debut 7” from Baltimore’s Cold Feet a while back, and now they’ve moved up to regional institution Feel It Records for their debut 12”. The style here is raw and fast hardcore with a noticeable Pick Your King influence. The riffs are short and clipped, and the band plays ahead of the beat, leaning into their velocity so hard it feels like it’s all about to fly apart. As befitting a 12” release, there’s a bit of variation, including a breakdown in “Good Book” and a No Trend-style downer intro for “Peyote Death.” However, most everything here is so fast that when they slow things down for “Mommy” and “Not Again,” the Blood Guts & Pussy-era Dwarves pace feels like a reprieve. If you’re into the fast and wild USHC of bands like Loose Nukes or west coast groups like Electric Chair, Punk Entity is well worth a look.
Disjawn / Besthoven: Split 7” (Ryvvolte) It’s been a minute since I’ve heard from Brazilian Disclose disciples Besthoven. There was a stretch in the late 00s when it seemed like there was a new record from them just about every month. Not much has changed since the last time I heard them, though. Disclose is still the obvious inspiration, but I dig the primitive recording quality and the odd, melodic lead guitar on two of their three tracks here. It’s a new wrinkle in an otherwise straightforward iteration of the style. As for Disjawn, this is my first time hearing them and they have a faster, Anti-Cimex / Shitlickers-influenced style with USHC energy. Their recording is also rough, but pleasingly so. This one is for the true d-beat crusties, but I think those people will find plenty to enjoy here.
B.E.T.O.E. / End Result: Nuclear Stockpiles 7” (Ryvvolte) South American crusties B.E.T.O.E. give us three tracks of total Victims of a Bomb Raid worship, with a raw, fist-pumping style. There’s not much to say beyond that… punks playing punk and doing it well. End Result from LA are new to me and while the label’s description references D-clone and Gloom, I hear a lot more going on than that. While it’s noisy, I hear elements of d-beat and noisy anarcho punk, and a thread of catchy USHC that reminds me of Direct Control. The extra catchiness and variation in the rhythm go a long way, and I’m looking forward to hearing more from this band.