News

Featured Releases: April 14, 2023

Glittering Insects: S/T 12” (Total Punk Records) I love the conceit of Total Punk’s sub-label Mind Meld, which releases records by punk luminaries working outside the boundaries of their main projects. This latest release by Glittering Insects is the creative core of one of our favorite current bands at Sorry State, Atlanta’s GG King, jamming out in their studio without whatever limitations shape the records they release under the GG King umbrella. Not that GG King isn’t a wide net… from almost the very beginning, their records have featured experiments in noise, black metal, hip-hop, and other unexpected genres, but under the Glittering Insects moniker, they let the members’ creativity run wild. The results are just fantastic… I had high hopes for this record given how much I love GG King, and it surpassed all of them. Like GG King’s records, it’s hard to pin down. The music is layered, with competing melodies, textures, and rhythms pulling in different directions. I love records like this that are a feast for the ears, and while there’s something to be said for the more straightforward pop approach that GG King also excels at, I love to put on a record like this, smoke a big ‘ol doob, and get lost in it. At different points, Glittering Insects might remind you of many similarly ambitious rock bands… Can, the Fall, Daydream Nation-era Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Slint, My Bloody Valentine… as with those bands, the scope is wide and the well of ideas is deep. Pick this up and let it take you on a journey.


Banshee: Breakdown 7” (Urbain Grandier Records) Canadian label Urbain Grandier reissues this scorching slice of Canadian metal history. Released in 1983 and collectible ever since, the original pressing of “Breakdown” will run you a couple hundred bucks, and this reissue presents the original track listing and layout with an additional insert and liner notes. While “Breakdown” is from Canada in 1983, the a-side sounds like the UK circa 1979, and you could slot it into any comp of vintage NWBOHM pounders and no one would bat an eye… it just has that sound, and if you’re a fan of early Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Blitzkrieg, and the like, you’re gonna like it. The b-side is cool too, but rather than the upbeat NWOBHM of the a-side, it sounds more indebted to Rainbow. A hot single, and I’m sure metalheads the world over are stoked to have an accessible, well-done official reissue.


Various: Invasion 88 12” (Fuego a las Fronteras) Fuego a las Fronteras brings us another high-quality reissue, this time of the 1988 Argentine punk compilation Invasion 88. While Invasion 88 came out in 1988, it documents ten bands from the Argentine punk scene that existed between 1984 and 1988, so it takes in earlier eras of the punk scene. Actually, most of the bands here have 70s punk sound, taking inspiration from bands like the Clash, though including straight edge band Division Autista proves Argentina wasn’t cut off from what was happening in the rest of the world in the late 80s. Each of the 10 bands get two tracks, and I wouldn’t call any of them a dud, though standouts for me include Division Autista’s chaotic-sounding melodic hardcore, the all-woman band Exeroica, and the blistering Partisans-esque track “Ratis” by Defensa Y Justicia, a short-lived offshoot of Attaque 77 (who is also on the compilation). The music is great, but as with Fuego a las Fronteras, the package is full of material that deepens the listener’s engagement with and appreciation of the music. The original pressing of Invasion 88 came with a booklet insert with information and lyrics from all the bands, and this reissue expands that booklet to include English translations of all of this material without disrupting the original’s aesthetic. Additionally, this version comes with a DVD featuring a full-length documentary about the compilation, Heroxs Del 88. While I haven’t watched the whole thing yet (though it’s at the top of my to-do list!), the trailer makes it look like American Hardcore for 80s Argentine punk. A historically important record reissued with a ton of cool extras for a great price… what more could a punk want?


XV: On the Creekbeds on the Thrones 12” (Gingko Records) On the Creekbeds on the Thrones is the second album from Michigan’s XV. XV’s first album looms large in my consciousness… I didn’t hear about it until a year after it came out, but once I heard it, I couldn’t stop listening. (You can read the staff pick in which I raved about it here.) Perhaps it’s because I listen to so much hardcore, but XV’s music felt like the perfect counterpoint to my usual listening diet, like a yoga position that pulls your limbs in the opposite of your habitual direction and releases a flood of endorphins. Whereas hardcore is tightly structured, aggressive, heavy, and (often, at least) macho, XV’s music is feminine, loose, and airy, seeming to drift in and out of existence like some kind of wood nymph. On the Creekbeds on the Thrones picks up where the band’s first album left off... like that record, it feels like a glimpse into someone else’s consciousness. XV has called their music “free punk,” and like free jazz it eschews the rigidity of structure that almost all other punk music takes as a given. Take a track like “Tasmanian Angels,” which starts off as a ramshackle, Television Personalities-style twee punk tune, but over the course of its three minutes unravels into a vaguely Eastern-sounding jam that could be an outtake from one of the Velvet Underground’s first two albums or even one of Alice Coltrane’s early solo records. Throughout the album, XV floats between more “rock” moments and passages that are freer (and usually quieter), but it feels less like changing gears and more like a natural process such as evaporation or freezing, happening so incrementally that you can’t pinpoint when it moves from one mode to another. I can see someone—especially someone who doesn’t feel like they need a counterpoint to the punk that dominates their soundtrack—finding this aimless, or even finding stream-of-consciousness lyrics to songs like “Pen” and “Fresh Lettuce” too artless. For me, though, XV’s music transports me somewhere no other band can take me.


Histeria: Discografía 12” (Fuego a las Fronteras) This release collects the 1985 and 1986 demos from this Mexican punk band. I knew of Histeria more than I knew them… I can’t remember where I’ve checked them out in the past, but I knew their material was very raw and lo-fi. That is indeed the case, but Fuego a las Fronteras and Bam Bam Records illustrate how a well-done reissue can give you a new appreciation for a band. Like the labels’ other reissues, this comes with a full-color booklet in both English and Spanish, which tells the band’s story and provides lyrics and graphics from the band’s original era, including a full reproduction of a very rare illustrated lyric booklet that only came with a handful of original copies. I listened to the record before I read the booklet, and it surprised me how much the 1985 demo reminded me of European hardcore… these recordings sound a lot like early Wretched, whom Histeria covers on their 1986 demo. Early Mexican punk has a reputation for being raw and chaotic in much the same way early Italian hardcore does, and that comes across here. Weirdly, the 1986 demo sounds even more lo-fi and crazier, though I think some of what made that 1985 demo so special gets lost in the lower fidelity. As for the booklet, it just pulled me into the band’s world so effectively… I’m very thankful for it. Histeria’s lyrics are great (and filled with the same radical politics you get from a lot of European punk), and learning about the conditions under which they made these recordings was powerful. When they recorded the first tape, only the drummer owned equipment, so they rehearsed with whatever they could borrow. And that rawer second demo? They recorded it with a tape recorder strapped to the singer’s chest to get his un-amplified voice closer to the microphone while he stood surrounded by the rest of the band. You don’t get more punk than that. Again, I’m so thankful for Fuego la Frontera’s excellent reissue, which allows me to appreciate Histeria in a way that I never could have gotten from a shitty YouTube rip of their tapes.


Caverna: Nueva Paz 12” (Discos Enfermos) The Spanish label Discos Enfermos once again dips into Bogotá, Colombia’s fertile punk scene for the debut record from Caverna. If that sentence doesn’t perk up your ears, you need to do some research, because Colombia has been producing great bands at a faster clip than pretty much anywhere in the world for the past several years. While the bands range in styles, the most notable ones share a raw aesthetic and a knack for capturing passionate, explosive performances in their recordings. (As well as live, based on the handful of bands I’ve been able to see.) Caverna is a perfect example of what I associate with that scene. Their style is a straightforward iteration of UK82 punk, built around driving, straightforward drums and anthemic, chanted choruses. The singer sounds a bit like Eddie from Vaaska to me, with a raspy snarl that’s just a little snotty. And while there are innovative moments, it’s not about being clever, it’s about using the music as a kind of ritual that summons something bigger than itself. As a (shamefully) monolingual person who only speaks English, there’s a whole element of Caverna’s expression that’s opaque to me, but I’d like to think it comes across in the blazing intensity I feel when I listen to this record. A real scorcher.


Record of the Week: Why Bother?: A City of Unsolved Miseries LP

Why Bother?: A City of Unsolved Miseries 12” (Feel It Records) Feel It Records brings us the third full-length in as many years by this Iowa band (they’ve also released a few EPs in there too!). Given their prolific release schedule, lo-fi recordings, and home base in the Midwest, I wouldn't doubt Why Bother? gets a lot of comparisons to Guided by Voices. While that comparison isn’t off-base—I’m sure a GBV fan would find a lot to like in Why Bother?’s music—the band that springs to mind when I listen to A City of Unsolved Mysteries is Hüsker Dü. The singer sounds kind of like Bob Mould, the guitar sounds tend toward the tinny, and my favorite songs feature big, melancholic pop hooks that wouldn’t have been out of place on Zen Arcade or New Day Rising. “Get Used to It” is the best example of this, but even sunnier-sounding tracks like the surveillance anthem “Eyes Everywhere” and the synth-forward “She’s a Vamp” bring to mind the ‘Dü, though perhaps Grant Hart’s songs more than Bob’s. There’s also a killer cover of the Alice Bag Band’s “Prowlers in the Night,” a song you’ll remember from The Decline of Western Civilization. Throughout the record, the songwriting is top-notch, the energy level high, the lo-fi textures innovative and surprising… A City of Unsolved Miseries is a quiet masterpiece, its understated sleeve and modest 300-copy pressing barely hinting at the brilliance in its grooves. If you have a place in your heart for the best late 80s and early 90s indie, give this a listen… if you’re anything like me, it might not blow your mind on the first note, but you’ll think, “that was a fantastic song,” after pretty much every track.

Kestrel's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

Hey what’s up everybody? I’m stoked to be writing my first Sorry State Newsletter staff pick. My name’s Kestrel AKA Grubbs. I lived in Raleigh for around 7 years playing in different bands and then I moved to the northwest, bouncing around Oregon, northern California and Washington. I’m now staying on a land project in Siler City with some cool people. I decided to make the hour long drive to Raleigh four days a week to work at Sorry State because I love working and hanging with these psychos. I’ve been slowly learning how to balance Sorry State work with my night classes at Alamance Community College. I enrolled this semester for the welding program, and I’ve been loving every second. When I started this metalworking trade a few years ago, I was listening to a lot of bands that, I would say, have a natural congruence with metalworking like Sabbath, Dokken and of course Metallica... duh. I swear Tooth and Nail was on repeat for an embarrassing amount of time. As far as Metallica goes, there truly is nothing like forming and melting steel while blasting Ride the Lightning. It’s like time travel. Anyway on to my first staff pick. I’m going with A D-beat Odyssey by Wolfbrigade this week. I’ve been jamming this on headphones while I’ve been in welding shop class and it just gets me cooking... know what I mean? I’ve listened to a lot of different albums while welding, but this one just FITS. The super epic crust chorus on the second track puts me in a totally different time while I’m melting steel. I totally get why Rob Miller of Amebix became a swordsmith. As an added bonus to this stellar record, Poffen from Totalitar joined up to do guest vocals because Micke of Wolfbrigade lost his voice and found out he had a tumor on his throat. I really like the back-and-forth vocals, but to be perfectly honest I wouldn’t mind if Poffen did vocals for the entire record. Although I would say I really do like the handful of times where Micke has these crazy vocal rhythms that just sound straight up EVIL. That’s a weird thing to say... A vocal rhythm sounding evil.. I don’t know how to explain it further, but maybe it’s also just that the evilness is more than the sum of its parts. Anyway this Swedish crust/punk group kills it and I applaud them for continuing to release solid raw punk records into the early 2000s.

John Scott's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. My mind has been all over the place this week and sometimes when I find myself feeling this way, I like to listen to more instrumental music so I can kind of let my mind wander and think about different things. This week I found myself listening to an album I picked up a couple weeks ago, Ravi Shankar At The Monterey International Pop Festival. A lot of people have mixed feelings on live albums, but I’m personally a big fan of them. If your music doesn’t sound good live, then what’s the point of it? I love getting a new record that doesn’t sound like anything else I own already. I went over to a friend’s house the other week and brought some records to play, and at one point I pulled this one out and we listened to the whole thing and at the end my friend said “What do we even follow up with after that?” Probably just more Ravi Shankar records, but this is the only one I have for now, so I’m gonna have to just keep replaying it. As you could guess from the title, the music is taken from his performance at the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, the same festival where Jimi Hendrix famously lit his guitar on fire, which Ravi was “horrified” to witness. His performance took place on the third and last day of this festival, on Sunday afternoon after a rainy morning, in front of a bunch of weird ass hippies, which he wasn’t really a fan of. But he grew to like some of the people in the crowd that he could tell were really enjoying the music. That’s part of the reason I enjoy live albums so much, because I like learning about the history behind the show and what was happening at the time and how people were feeling, because it can really affect how the music sounds. Anyway, this record has quickly become one of my favorites and I hope to add some more of his to my collection.

Angela's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023 (2)

Hi Sorry State fam! How are you? Things are pretty good on my end. Dude, it’s been blazing hot here in Raleigh and it’s super gross. But the temperature is gonna get 40 degrees lower in a few days. Nothing says tornado like 85 one day and 48 the next.

Anyway, I’m going off the beaten path this week to talk about a show I saw a couple of days ago. Bikini Kill! This was a momentous occasion, as I’ve had tickets since 2020! The shows in 2020 and 2021 were postponed because of the pandemic. But a 2022 cancellation came as a total shock. I did shed some tears, as I thought there was no way I will see them anytime soon. But they ended up rescheduling the few shows they had to cancel, so I was so excited! Except they cut the Raleigh date and kept the Asheville date, so I had to drive to Asheville. I don’t like driving to Asheville at all. I get car sick and it’s just a whole thing.

So we got to the venue two hours before Bikini Kill was to take the stage, so that I could stand right up against the barricade. But sadly I didn’t get there in time and I had to settle for somewhere around second and third row. Anyway, they came out on stage in all of their wondrous glory and I got a little emo. It was such a great show. They opened with my favorite BK song, New Radio, which was great, but I just wasn’t mentally prepared for that. I need a few warm up songs ya know?

They played most of my favorite songs like I like Fucking, Feels Blind, Suck My Left One, and lots more. It was super cool getting to see Tobi sing. And they closed out with Double Dare Ya and Rebel Girl. It was a sold out show so the place was packed. I’m so happy that they have sold out just about every show because they seemed to be having a blast.

They played 24 songs, which was amazing, and they put together a killer set pulling from all their albums. Kathleen used every opportunity she had between songs to speak out against all the bullshit. Old bullshit and new bullshit. That said, it made me think of how disheartening it must feel that the songs you wrote over 30 years ago are still very much applicable to the current social climate.

But besides her wisdom, Kathleen is also really funny, and to me she’s the absolute coolest woman on the planet. I really wanted to wait around to meet the band, but the way the venue is set up outside just isn’t conducive for such an activity. It was also cold and kinda rainy. Plus, I would probably piss my pants, and maybe say something stupid, which I would replay in my head at night for the rest of my life. It’s better this way.

I didn’t really take many pictures or video because I was way too into the show, but I’m attaching a few. It’s the best I could do. Anyway, thanks for reading. Until next time!

-Angela

Usman's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

Hello and thanks for reading. We rescheduled SCARECROW rehearsal this week and we went up to Richmond together to see KRIGSHODER and INDRE KRIG. It was awesome. INDRE KRIG was excellent, as expected. KRIGSHODER was awesome. I was really looking forward to seeing them. I saw a bunch of friends I didn’t expect to see, and I got way too drunk. One of my dreads was cut off by a friend to give to another friend, and I puked in a trash can outside of a gas station before we drove back home. Somehow I’m still managing to get some work done today...

I’m taking this opportunity to let you know about the next release on my new label Mäkitie 8, which is this KAAOS LP! The recording on this 12” is from 1981, and it was their second show ever. This lineup is before Jakke became the front-man, and they play a lot of songs that have never been heard or released otherwise. The recording isn’t the greatest, but for a Finnish hardcore nerd like myself that is not a huge issue haha. Given that this is the earliest known recording to exist of KAAOS I was super excited to hear it, let alone play a role in the release of it! This is actually the first release under Mäkitie 8; the SEKAANNUS 7" just happened to be ready from the pressing plant before this one. The 12" comes with a 16-page booklet which consists of scans from an old zine called SUBCULTURE. I actually didn’t know about this zine prior to this release, alongside some other “interesting” things about KAAOS (mainly their influences)… haha maybe I’ll say more later but you can discover the same stuff inside the booklet for yourself. I’m just waiting on the booklets to arrive and these will be available from Sorry State as soon as those are in. If you need the color version though, you can still order a copy directly from my site. There is also a t-shirt available, huge thanks to Marty for that!!! Alright that’s all for today, thank you for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Dominic's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

Greetings one and all in Sorry State land. Glad to have you along for another newsletter. There’s always plenty going on as per usual. More new releases and lots more cool and interesting used records. The collections, small and large, keep on coming and we’ll have the bins stuffed with great records for a good while. Naturally, you never need an excuse to come by the shop and say hello, but if you do, we’ll have something for you no matter what the budget. We do our best to keep the bargain bins stocked with plenty of good records so you can always leave with something worthy for just a few bucks. Music is fun and records were meant for everyone, not just the rich. Obviously we can’t give stuff away and some things are going to be pricey because we pay good money for good records and are a business that needs to make a profit, but there will always be records here that are accessible to all. That’s what we strive to do. Sermon over.

This past week has seen the typical drastic weather changes here in North Carolina. We go from chilly and low 50s to muggy and hot almost overnight. It’s warm now and the sunny vibes tend to switch my listening habits. Lots more tropical sounds, etc. My DJ partner Matt took a trip to Puerto Rico this week and made a special PR edition of our show Worldy. He did a fabulous job and put together a super two hours of music that could be used for the Puerto Rico tourist department. The mix was perfect for the sunny weather back here in North Carolina and might do the same for you. Give him a listen.

A record that has seen some turntable action at home with me these last couple of weeks and one I finally managed to pick up recently is going to be my pick for you this week, but it might not mean much to any of you that didn’t grow up watching British TV in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s Matt Berry: Television Themes. Acid Jazz 2018.

That is correct. I’m talking about the British comedic actor whom you’ll recognize from his many great roles in film and TV. I’m a big fan and particularly loved the series Toast Of London, which I thought was hilarious and for which Berry provided the theme tune. He’s almost as active as a musician as an actor, and has at least ten albums to his name by this point, the majority of which have been released on UK based label Acid Jazz. In addition to that, he has provided theme and incidental music, albeit with musical assistance from collaborators, for a bunch of shows. He’s active, to say the least.

On this album, Matt and his crack band of musicians tackle a whole host of British TV themes that will bring on instant feelings of nostalgia for anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s. One that US residents might recognize is the theme to Are You Being Served? I seem to remember that show getting aired here in the states quite a bit back in the day. Matt and band do a great version; it’s a total banger. Other highlights include a nice take on the Dr. Who theme, a funky The Good Life and a cool working of the World In Action opener. Matt’s vocals are also heard on one or two numbers. There are lyrics to classic celebrity double entendre show Blankety Blank and my personal favorite, the theme to the kids’ teatime show, Rainbow. I loved Rainbow growing up. It was cool. They combined a hippy mentality with a progressive attitude and through the use of song and comedy always had a positive message for kids. The show was famous for its use of puppets alongside the human presenters, and everyone remembers the great Zippy character. He was the Muppet looking one with a zip over his mouth that would be zipped shut when he got loud or said something stupid. In a lot of the shows, Zippy was taught some kind of life lesson. I guess in recent years the dumb fuck right has accused Rainbow of being pro LBGT and grooming kids to be queer. I know, so fucking ridiculous. Whatever, Rainbow rules.

This record will appeal to those who dig that fat 70s Music Library sound. Lots of funky bass and dope beats mixed in with cool synth sounds and electric keyboard. Listening to it you could be convinced that these were recordings from back in the day as they nail the sound really well.

There’s some nice expanding of the theme on some numbers too and overall, very cool and clever arrangements. You certainly don’t have to be familiar with any of the shows and themes to be able to appreciate the record, which is the best praise I can give it. The music stands on its own merit regardless of the origin.

Jeff's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another end of the week comes around, and I’m feelin’ like a zombie like usual. But for good reason this time! Last night, the members of Scarecrow took a little field trip up to Richmond. Not to play a gig, mind you… just to go to see one. What a concept, right? Quite a stacked lineup with Indre Krig, Krigshoder and Last Affront. It was awesome to reunite with our friends in Indre Krig after meeting them last year on our Euro tour. Had a blast hangin’ with them. I gotta say, Krigshoder really stole the show. Those punks brought it. Even with their Norwegian singer, now that I’ve finally gotten to see them live, I can totally hear a bit of that Personal Damage flavor mixed in with the sound. We unfortunately weren’t able to hang with everyone after the gig because we all knew there was work to be done the following day for all you Sorry Staters out there. While Usman and Red were passed out the back seat, Daniel and I were laughing our asses off bullshitting on the drive back. It was a good night.

So what am I even gonna talk about this week? I don’t have an Iliad-length writeup about a sleeper new wave hit planned for this week, so I’m graspin’ at straws. Here’s an idea: Maybe I’ll talk about hardcore for the first time in a while…

Last time we got a bunch of reissues from our UK distributor, a lot of those reissues sold out pretty much instantly. And I get it, people love Sacrilege. But for whatever reason, people don’t seem nearly as excited as I am that Kill By Remote Control by Toxic Reasons is back in print! At first, I was like... Man, it’s weird that we have to get reissues of this US hardcore classic from overseas. But then again, if there was any 80s hardcore band that flew the flag for the US, Canada, AND the UK, then it’s Toxic Reasons haha. I mean shit, the alternate artwork on the UK Alternative Tentacles pressing depicts Reagan and Thatcher hangin’ out together.

The band is from Dayton, Ohio, but I’m pretty sure the tri-national flag represents the dudes in the band’s origins from several different places. I would like to think that when I listen to this record that no one’s faking a British accent, but the jury’s out on that one. Even so, the band’s sound is unique and decidedly not midwestern. They definitely don’t sound like Negative Approach or Necros. The UK influence is in there for sure. One of their early singles even has that reggae feel to it. It’s funny, Dom and I were listening to this Secret Records singles compilation right after listening to Toxic Reasons, and I swear Toxic Reasons sounds so much like Infa-Riot.

People talk about the Toxic Reasons’ first record, Independence, a lot. And I love that record too. It’s maybe even more decidedly UK-influenced. But I gotta say that this 2nd LP is where it’s at for me. Kill By Remote Control is delivered with a slightly harder edge than their first record. Toxic Reasons’ songwriting can have a more melodic, tuneful slant, like the opening track “Stuck In A Rut.” But once we kick into “Destroyer,” the gloves are off and your fist is flying in the air. You can hear a little GBH, maybe a little Motorhead, but then with power and snarl of US hardcore. Then a song like “Revolution?” is almost like a drunken shanty or something. “Jrs. Friends” and “Powercrazed” are total rippers. The first track on side B, “No Pity,” starts with this slow creepy dirge and then kicks in with this killer groovy single note riff. The total gymnastically frantic, intense drumming is so ripping. Then the big gang vocals and anthemic, shout-along choruses. This record just has well-written songs. Tuneful song structures, and especially on the slower songs, Toxic Reasons is masterful at building tension. I feel the hair on my neck stand up and goosebumps bubbling to the surface. Not to mention the earnest, but dead serious, political lyrics.

Anyway, if this is an 80s hardcore record you’ve had your reservations about, I suggest you put those feelings to bed. This record is killer and one of my favorites, and I think it deserves more people giving it some attention.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Daniel's Staff Pick: April 6, 2023

Today is one of those days when it feels like there isn’t much gas in the tank for my staff pick. As I mentioned in my Record of the Week description, I haven’t been able to get the Salvaje Punk record off my turntable, and I’ve had an exhausting week in which I’ve driven to Richmond twice. Both gigs I saw were excellent, and it was energizing to connect with so many people and see so many stellar bands, but it has left little time for sitting around with records. As we were driving back from Richmond last night, Jeff asked me what I planned to write about for my staff pick. I told him I had no plan, but I spitballed a few ideas that have been floating around in my head. Which brings us to my pick for this week, the Oppressed’s first single, 1983’s Never Say Die.

I think the Oppressed came on my radar via Captain Oi!’s CD collection Oi! The Singles Collection Vol 1, which I picked up in the early 00s and played to death. Bringing together the A and B-sides from 10 essential early oi! 7” singles and EPs, this CD did much to spark my interest and shape my taste in oi!, and to this day the records on that compilation form a big part of my list of favorite oi! records. When I spent a few months in London in 2008, I listened to this comp incessantly and set about acquiring the originals. I got them all except, oddly enough, the Oppressed’s Work Together (though I picked up a 90s Spanish reissue at some point). I’ll get an original of that one day, but it’s my least favorite single on that collection, so I’m not sweating it too much.

A few months ago, though, I picked up a copy of the Oppressed first EP, Never Say Die, in a small collection. I don’t think I’d heard the record before, but it won me over with some of the rawest, most primitive punk music I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Weirdly enough, what sound like the band’s weaknesses on “Work Together” are their strengths on Never Say Die. Within the context of the oi! compilation I mentioned above, which is filled with anthems like the Business’s “National Insurance Blacklist,” Cock Sparrer’s “England Belongs to Me,” and Major Accident’s “Mr. Nobody” alongside rippers like 4 Skins’ “One Law for Them,” the Partisans’ “Police Story,” and Blitz’s “Never Surrender,” the slow place and leaden rhythms of “Work Together” are difficult to sit through. However, the primitive delivery on Never Say Die is charming as hell.

Jeff uses this word “dunderheaded” that I think captures why I love this record so much. The A-side, “Urban Soldiers,” is about as dead simple as a song can get, with a straightforward 4-chord progression, a basic rock beat, and vocal cadences one step removed from nursery rhymes. Oddly, the song has two choruses, one built around the phrase “Urban Soldiers” and the other just featuring the singer yelling “we’re skinheads!” four times in a row. The lyrical dunderheadedness continues on the two B-side tracks, “Ultra Violence” (“blood! on the! streets!”) and “Run from You” (as in “I won’t run from you”). The Oppressed sounds like a caricature of a skinhead band, from their lyrical focus on violence and their identity as skinheads to the giant boot on the front cover to their record label name, Firm Records. I would find this kind of thing stupid, but the Oppressed is so defiantly one-dimensional that I can’t help but love them. They are so committed to their thing that they leave me no option but to suspend disbelief and submerse myself in their world.

I should note that while Never Say Die appears to be the work of committed dunderheads, the Oppressed later had a political awakening and devoted themselves to combating fascism within the skinhead scene. The Oppressed’s singer Robby Moreno traveled to New York and discovered the S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) movement and tried to import those ideals back to England. The Oppressed also got back together in the 90s, and their 1994 Anti Fascist Oi! E.P. repurposed a short set of classic oi! covers, changing the songs’ lyrics to critique the right wing politics that still haunted the UK and European skinhead scenes. These 90s releases aren’t as exciting to me, lacking the wide-eyed sense of discovery I hear on Never Say Die. I’m glad for that later era of the Oppressed, though, because the band’s outspoken political stance allows me to enjoy their earlier stuff free of any suspicions about dodgy politics.

Featured Releases: April 6, 2023

Disintegration: Time Moves for Me 12” (Feel It Records) Feel It Records brings us the debut four-song EP from this new group from Ohio featuring members of Pleasure Leftists, Profligate, and Cloud Nothings, among many others I’m sure. If you’re a Pleasure Leftists fan, you’ll recognize Haley Himiko’s distinctive vocals, but rather than Pleasure Leftist’s more “rock” approach to post-punk, Disintegration relies more on synths and mechanical rhythms (though I hear guitars and acoustic drums in the mix, too). Stylistically, these four songs are in that New Order-ish space where dance and pop music meet, with insistent, propulsive rhythms, but with the proverbial hat hung on big vocal and instrumental hooks rather than the beat itself. And boy can Haley Himiko deliver a vocal hook, as she displays on “Time Moves for Me,” the most memorable of these four songs. While I can imagine Disintegration on a bill with bands like Soft Moon, Riki, Fatamorgana, or even Boy Harsher, the gritty production on Time Moves for Me makes it feel like one of those secret records that only you know about, and love all the more for it.


Genogeist: Technophobia 7” (Black Water Records) It’s been a few years since we heard from Portland’s Genogeist, and while I liked their last record, my ears are much more open to their crusty metallic punk sound than they were just a few years ago. Genogeist makes the most of that opportunity too, because this record slays. Once again, Genogeist pulls from across the punk/metal spectrum for their sound, weaving together rampaging d-beat hardcore, intricate thrash riffing, and gnarly mid-paced parts that sound like they were ripped straight from the Bolt Thrower catalog. Genogeist has a way with a riff, but my favorite thing about Technophobia is the energy level… these four songs leap out of your speakers, grab you by the throat, and shake you. There’s a surprising amount of variation across these four long-ish tracks, the centerpiece of which is “Desolate Realm,” where they’re joined by Natanya from Terminal Conquest for a dual-vocal approach that ups the energy level even further. A real scorcher.


Legal Weapon: Death of Innocence 12” (Radiation Records) For years, Legal Weapon’s 1982 album Death of Innocence was a record I could put on and blow people’s minds. No one seemed to know about it, but it’s so good that, if I had it playing in the background, inevitably someone would pipe up and say, “what are we listening to? This RULES!” Legal Weapon was from LA and if the release date of 1982 didn’t already pique your interest, perhaps telling you that Steve Soto and Frank Agnew were from the Adolescents were the bassist and guitarist will? If you’re a fan of early 80s SoCal punk (and who isn’t?), smash that buy button right now, because this shit will blow your mind. It’s in the same stylistic wheelhouse as records like the Adolescents’ self-titled album, Social Distortion’s Mommy’s Little Monster, TSOL’s first EP, and Bad Religion’s first album, i.e. energetic punk with big hooks and a hazy, sun-bleached vibe. Those hooks hit all the harder thanks to Kat Arthur’s sultry, charismatic vocals and the subtle death rock overtones that pervade Death of Innocence, both of which help Legal Weapon carve out their own lane among the legions of brilliant young bands SoCal was producing in the early 80s. It’s a front-to-back banger, not a dud among its 10 tracks, and if you don’t like it, there’s probably something wrong with you. I couldn’t be more excited that this hard-to-find record is back in print and that we can help get it into more people’s hands.


Hotza: Demo 7” (Discos Enfermos) Discos Enfermos brings us a vinyl-ization of the four-song demo from this oi! band from Bilbao, Spain. With lyrics in Basque, Hotza’s sound is dead simple, but built for maximum impact, and any of the four tracks would have found a perfect home on one of No Future Records’ A Country Fit for Heroes compilations. The first few times I listened, I thought it was pretty bogus that they ripped off the 4 Skins’ “Evil” on the last song, but then I read it’s an “adaptation” of the 4 Skins’ original, and I like the way Hotza makes the song their own. The straightforward, dirty production is a perfect fit for Hotza’s style. If you’re in the market for a contemporary band that draws influence from that classic early UK oi! sound, I don’t think you can do much better than Hotza.


Gee Tee: Goodnight Neanderthal 12” (Goner Records) We’ve been carrying records and tapes from Australia’s Gee Tee for years, but it seems like their profile has grown lately. While I initially lumped them in with the post-Coneheads “egg punk” bands, Gee Tee has continued to hone their craft, transforming into straight up songsmiths that still have an ear for a fucked tone. Goodnight Neanderthal is a hooky beast whose songs come at you from a range of different directions, from the Coneheads-esque standout “(I Hate) Drivin in the City” to the more straightforward, Marked Men-esque punk of “40k.” Other songs lean toward straight pop, with “Grease Rot Chemical” and “Rock Phone” featuring jangly guitars and sunny synth melodies that remind me of the way Jay Reatard brought in the Kiwi pop influence in the latter part of his run on Matador. While much of Goodnight Neanderthal seems pitched at a modern garage-punk crowd (so it’s perfect that it arrives courtesy of Goner Records), there’s a penchant for simple, sweet melodies that folks into the 90s Lookout! Records sound will be a sucker for… even better if you like modern exponents of that sound like Liquids. However you want to nitpick its style, though, Goodnight Neanderthal will have you tapping your toe immediately and singing along on the second listen.


Inyección: Vicio 7” (Discos Enfermos) Inyección’s 2022 full-length, Porqueria, was a standout from that year, and now they’re back with another face-pounder. If you haven’t checked out Inyección, their primitive rhythm section and noise-drenched guitars place them within a tradition that begins with early 80s Bristol, UK bands like Chaos UK and Disorder, springs over to Kyushu, Japan’s Gai and Confuse, then takes root all over the world. However, that sound is dosed with a liberal helping of South American attitude that is all their own. Perhaps it’s because their album is so fresh in my mind after playing it to death last fall, but the don’t-give-a-fuck-ness of Vicio reminds me of Ignorantes, though Vicio’s eight-minute running length won’t test your patience like some of Ignorantes’ records and live sets can. The rhythmic backbone is manic yet steady, to where I feel like my heartbeat imitates the relentless pogo, but I hardly notice because I’m captivated by the way Inyección’s two charismatic vocalists ping-pong off one another. File this one under “Punk as Fuck.”


Record of the Week: Salvaje Punk: S/T LP

Salvaje Punk: S/T 12” (Toxic State Records) The 2020 demo tape from New York’s Salvaje Punk came and went through the distro way too quickly… I’m not sure I even had time to listen to it, much less digest it, but this debut full-length is not one to miss. This record knocked me on my ass from the second I put it on, and I love it so much that I’ve had trouble making time to listen to much else since it arrived. It’s obvious from the first few seconds what a powerful and fully realized record this is, but despite playing it a ton, I’ve been having trouble figuring out why I love it so much, and I worry I won’t be able to articulate my feelings here. Part of it may be that Salvaje Punk’s style feels fresh. The label’s description calls them “the missing link between No Security and Parabellum,” and me not knowing either of those bands’ records well could contribute to why this feels so fresh for me. The comparison sounds on the money, as Salvaje Punk ground their sound in the rawest and fastest mängel, but while some of those Swedish bands can sound so proficient as to be slightly cold, Salvaje Punk leans on the chaotic and unhinged sound of South American punk and metal for the other big element of their sound. It’s a fine line to walk, but Salvaje Punk has their shit dialed in. It helps that, despite the raw and dirty presentation, the members are top-notch musicians who have the technique and chops to maintain that high level of intensity through an entire full-length. A lot of maximalist hardcore releases like this can be so intense as to be exhausting, wearing on the ear by the end of the record, but Salvaje Punk knows when to shake things up with some wild lead guitar (“Salvaje”) or a punishing death metal breakdown that sounds like it was swiped from Sepultura’s Morbid Visions (“Desconchinflo Global”). And, of course, since it’s a Toxic State release, the packaging is beautiful, handmade, and packed with sick illustrations that look punk as fuck. This record bleeds the urgency, energy, and intensity that I want from punk, and for me it’s one of 2023’s essential releases.

John Scott's Staff Pick: March 30, 2023

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has had a nice week. This beautiful weather we’ve been having here in Raleigh has put me in the mood to listen to some pretty music, and what better time to bust out this Cher record Dominic introduced me to a couple weeks ago. All I Really Want to Do is Cher’s debut solo studio album from 1965, when she was only twenty years old. It’s full of a lot of great covers like C.C. Rider and He Thinks I Still Care, but my favorite on here has to be her cover of Don’t Think Twice. I pretty much love any version of this song, but this one has grown to be one of my favorites since I heard it. Cher has such a great voice and I feel like it shines on this debut. The best part about this record is I got it out of the bargain bin, as it doesn’t command too high of a price. So many of my favorite records have just come from bargain bins and it blows me away when people kinda just skip that whole section of the store when they come in. One of my favorite things to do before I started working here at Sorry State was to come in and just dig around in the bins and see what I could find and I’d always walk away with some great stuff and spend less than $20. It makes it a lot easier tho when you have a coworker like Dom to point you in the right direction of the good shit. Anyway I’m gonna enjoy these blue skies, I hope everyone has a great weekend!