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This was a long week for me, with a busy workweek leading into a grueling weekend spent helping at the store during the day and catching shows at Hopscotch in the evenings. I’m not sure how many people outside Raleigh know about Hopscotch, but I enjoy going every year. It’s a corporate music festival, but one with a reputation for booking more interesting indie and underground bands. Hopscotch takes over every venue in downtown Raleigh, and I’m pretty sure hundreds of bands play over the course of the weekend. This year I saw a lot of different stuff, including Pavement, the spiritual jazz ensemble Irreversible Entanglements, and the classic New York dance-punk group ESG. There was a stand-up comedy show this year, and Sarah Sherman’s set had me doubled over. And, in something of a Hopscotch tradition, there was a punk show at the tiny dive bar Slim’s, this year featuring scorching sets from locals DE()T and Paranoid Maniac alongside headliners Cro-Mags. The Cro-Mags set was crazy, but they only played like 4 songs from Age of Quarrel. It was a fun weekend, but it wore me out.

None of that has anything to do with my staff pick this week, which is a formative record from my youth just reissued on Vinyl Conflict Records.

4 Walls Falling: Culture Shock 12” (Vinyl Conflict Records)

I grew up in Virginia, and 4 Walls Falling was one of the first local hardcore bands I heard about. I think my high school girlfriend’s older sister had dated someone who played bass for the band… whether or not that was true, said girlfriend had a CD of Food for Worms that she played to death. I’m not sure how I felt about Food for Worms at the time, but when I started going to shows in 1995, 4 Walls t-shirts were everywhere, probably the second most common shirt at any show after Avail, whose shirts were ubiquitous. I understood they were an important band, which led me to pick up Culture Shock. I remember I was at the Outer Banks on vacation with my family, and I looked in the yellow pages for record stores. I found one and went there, and surprisingly they had a great selection of punk. Browsing the CDs, I came across Culture Shock, having no idea it existed until I saw it in front of me. I remember playing the CD on the tiny boom box I had brought to the beach, and I know immediately this record was the reason people were still wearing 4 Walls shirts several years after the band had broken up.

I played Culture Shock to death over the next few years, and even now I can sing along with all of Taylor Steele’s rapid-fire lyrics. I responded right away to 4 Walls’ brisk tempos, big riffs, and sometimes quirky, always interesting rhythmic changes. While 4 Walls were often viewed as part of the youth crew scene, their music didn’t fit that template comfortably. Unlike the comparatively primitive Revelation bands, 4 Walls’ music sounded progressive, even adventurous. I had little point of reference for their style at the time, but listening to it now, I wonder if Bad Brains’ I Against I was a big influence, particularly its groovy metallic rhythms. 4 Walls also differed from the youth crew world in their lyrical approach, which had more in common with bands like Crucifix and Subhumans. Lyrics often came from a personal perspective, like “Filled” and “Price of Silence,” whose subject of struggling with how to respond to racism had particular resonance for this southern teenager. But more often, Steele wrote about a bigger picture where powerful institutions control and exploit the public and the environment, as in “Culture Shock” and “Greed.” I soaked up Taylor’s message like a sponge, and it helped to prime me for the anarcho-punk I was discovering at the same time. 30-something years later, the lyrics on Culture Shock still sound on point to me.

Familiarizing myself with the rest of 4 Walls Falling’s discography in the pre-Discogs / YouTube age was a slow process. When I was still in high school, a friend put the Burn It b/w Happy Face single on a mix tape and I loved those tracks. Even today, I think this single might be 4 Walls’ shining moment, sounding a little more intense and punk rock than Culture Shock’s more staid production, and with songs that hint at the progressive character of their later work, but keeping, even topping, the intensity of their earlier recordings. Once I got online in 1997 and discovered eBay shortly after that, “4 Walls Falling” was one of my first saved searches. Their shirts turned up way more than their recordings, and at one time I had a pretty gnarly collection of original 4 Walls Falling t-shirts. Eventually I picked up the two EPs that came between Culture Shock and Food for Worms. I remember being blown away when I bought a copy of the Burn It / Happy Face CD single for completion’s sake and it had an extra track! I even reassessed Food for Worms every once in a while. I don’t think I got a copy of their first EP until the late 2000s, and while I think some people consider that their best record, after being weaned on the later stuff, it didn’t do much for me. That record sounds to me like they’re still trying to figure it out.

Another highlight of my 4 Walls fandom was when they played a reunion show in Washington, DC in June 2000. I had missed the band’s original era by a couple of years, so I was super excited to see them live. I thought they played a great set. The show was also a stacked bill with Rain on the Parade, a very early Strike Anywhere, No Justice, and a demo-era American Nightmare.

Vinyl Conflict’s new issue of Culture Shock was a great opportunity for me to revisit this record, and I enjoyed the improved mastering job and the additional inserts, which offer archival material alongside testimonials about the band’s impact. It always intrigued me that Culture Shock was the first release on Jade Tree Records, and there’s an essay from Darren Walters that fleshes out that story. I’m curious to see if younger people respond to 4 Walls Falling’s music. I feel very close to it, and while it evokes a particular time and place for me, it’s also oblivious to the musical trends of its time in a way that makes it kind of timeless, and hence ripe for rediscovery. Check it out and, if it moves you, we have you covered on your very own copy.

Enzyme: Golden Dystopian Age 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) Surely every punk with a social media account knows Enzyme just completed a triumphant North American tour. These Aussies are so damn cool-looking and photogenic that the algorithm loves them, and I feel like I saw classic-looking photos of their live antics daily while they were here. While the attention on Enzyme’s live show is deserved (they slayed at the date I caught in Richmond), I haven’t seen as much chatter about how fucking great their new album is. Seriously, Golden Dystopian Age is a face-melter, intense yet mind-bending, and with hooks! Enzyme’s sound takes a lot from the Confuse / Gai family tree, and that style can go either way for me… bands who add little to the formula are a dime a dozen, but there are bands like Lebenden Toten and D-Clone who make that sound the foundation of some of the most innovatively warped music in the entire underground. Ezyme belongs in the latter category… across Golden Dystopian Age you’ll not only hear a wide range of different distortion tones and textures, you’ll also get disco beats, electronic sequencer rhythms, and epic intros and outros. You never know what crazy sound will come at you next, and the wildness of it is so over the top I grin with delight when I listen. For all its progressiveness, though, it never feels like Enzyme is forcing you to listen to “experiments…” the songs are packed with hooks, with memorable moments like the wild drum pattern in “Chewing the Fat,” the infusion of disco in “Masquerade,” and the chanted choruses, which feel as firmly lodged in my brain as classic Steve Ignorant diatribes. Golden Dystopian Age is highly compressed, jamming so many ideas into its brief fourteen minutes it feels like it’s bursting with creativity. Its brevity also makes it extremely replayable, which only makes the hooks sink in deeper. Far more than just a souvenir from a memorable tour, Golden Dystopian Age should go down as one of punk’s most exciting triumphs of 2023.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a nice week. Sometimes you just wanna listen to some loud, fast and fun punk and Fuck Music City by Schizos delivers that. This 7” arrived in our most recent package from Goodbye Boozy Records (which was full of other great titles) and it's a certified shredder in my book. I can’t lie, I was originally drawn to this record when I saw the back cover, which is a picture of two dudes taking a dump and pissing on the Nashville skyline. Dominic and I gave it a spin and I was immediately a fan on the first listen. The A-side definitely has a Memphis garage sound, which if you know me, is right up my alley. Pull It was the standout track on this side with its catchy and memorable lyrics. The B-side of this record surprised me though, with it being a three and a half minute rock song. It fucking rules though. You could tell me this was some 80’s rager and I’d totally believe you. All I can think when listening to this record is how sick it would be to hear this band live. This is your next soundtrack for when your slammin cold ones.

Hi Sorry State readers! Welcome to September! How ya doing? There's actually a lot of fun stuff coming up this month. Namely, Hopscotch is this weekend! I haven't gone to Hopscotch in a long time but this year feels like it was almost hand-crafted for teenage me. I'm basically still teenage me, just older. I can't believe that Pavement will be in my own back yard in a few days. I had the great fortune of seeing them in Washington DC not too long ago (which means I can't remember if it was 2021 or 2022) and it was like no time had passed. I hope to catch some of the late night gigs at the smaller venues, so that festival will be consuming most of my weekend. And then at the end of the month there are some kick ass punk shows here in Raleigh. Poison Ruin is playing at the end of the month and a couple days after that is the Nightfeeder show with Scarecrow and Mutant Strain. That one is gonna be killer.

And right around the corner is the 10th anniversary of Sorry State Records, which I gotta say is an amazing accomplishment for any small business, but Sorry State is a true labor of love built from the ground up. What started as a small distro run out of Daniel's house has grown into this amazing entity. It's not just the best record store ever (and for the record I already thought this before I started working here), a distro, and a record label, but it's this great punk pushing community that works hard to keep punk going. It's just nice to know there are businesses that are driven by passion and not profit, and that such businesses are not only still around but continuing to grow ten years later! So naturally, this milestone will be marked by a celebration! Mark your calendars for Sorry State Fest on October 20 and 21! Official lineup to be announced soon, but you may have noticed on the recently circulated flier for the Golpe/Electric Chair tour, that the SSR Fest is their first stop!

OK, let's get down to it. I wanted to write about the Powerplant Grass EP when we first got it, and then we took a little break from the staff picks so it sort of fell off my radar. But it's back on it. You really never know what you're going to get with Powerplant (Exhibit A: Stump Soup). But I have grown to appreciate this about them. I really liked their People in the Sun LP (2019) and I really really liked their Spine / Evidence EP (2020). The Grass EP sounds like it's kind of making its way back to their debut sound, while also expanding on the weirder parts of the 2020 EP, and throwing in some freshly unique stuff, making it both accessible and weird. It works.

Powerplant itself is an experience. That's what comes to mind when I think of this latest EP. It's kind of like moving through one of those funhouses that you only really ever saw in movies or a Goosebumps episode but never experienced in real life. Where each room is different than the next and you don't know what's around the corner or when something is gonna jump out.

That said, Grass, the opening track, is one of the most structured and balanced songs on the EP. It sort of eases you into the sonic journey that awaits, with a cool 80's post-punk feel with its low brooding vocals. As the song moves along, they begin to pepper in the weirdness with random sound effects, which adds a cool dynamic that isn't too far out there. The catchy chorus is what adds the balance to the song, as we have plenty of time to visit other rooms in this proverbial funhouse. Like in the very next track, Bloodmother. We've entered the doom and gloom room that has a dungeon synth style. The vocals are grizzly and almost cartoonish. Certainly an interesting track. Theres a great synth melody in the song Walk Around (Hang my Head) that pairs well with the demented vocals. This time not cartoonish, but still creepy. The closing track Beautiful Boy really comes in clutch with a more traditional structure, swirling synth, and high-energy infectious chorus. It's a chaotic tornado of sound that is still very melodic and harmonious. Needless to say, Grass and Beautiful Boy are my favorites.

When I think about this EP in its entirety, it feels like the opening and closing tracks are like the book ends for the circus in between. The track order is laid out perfectly in that sense. I think if you liked People in the Sun and/or the Spine/Evidence EP, you will like this latest release. One thing is for sure, Powerplant will never deliver something boring, and they always add something new and fresh to each release. This one is no exception. Give it a go!

Thanks so much for reading, as always. Until next time.

-Angela

Hello and thanks for reading. I wrote about K.O.S. briefly in January, and I am writing about them briefly again today. I had initially written about their debut cassette that had already sold out from us. Recently, they put that debut on 7" format alongside a follow-up EP entitled The True Disaster. Again, as I write the debut 7" is sold out but The True Disaster is still available (for now). Since these were heavily talked about in the newsletter already, I'm sure I am not telling anyone anything new. I still wanted to write because I saw this band recently and I think they might be my new favorite band. Like DESTRUCT, this band puts on an insane live show. Their set was so intense and locked-in it was almost too much handle. I wasn't sure if they were actually this good, or if I was just blinded by the beautiful, glowing aura of Chris Ulsh. When Daniel and I saw each other some days later, he confirmed there was something very insane and special about K.O.S. live. It seems they have spent a lot of time dialing in the perfect tone for each instrument. It's not just the tone of each instrument though, but how they all bring each other together - resulting in an insane pummeling wall of noise. I don't mean incoherent noise, but that raw hardcore perfection that had been marinating in a formula of DISCHARGE, CRUDE SS, and of course, FRAMTID. What fucked me up was they basically plugged in and played. (ENZYME spent like 45 minutes to get set up, haha. Their sound was excellent though I will say.) When I was watching K.O.S. I wondered to myself, "Is this was it is like to see FRAMTID?" They were just so locked tight, pummeling fast, like a bomb ready to explode. I can't wait to catch them again, and I really look forward to hearing what they release next. Alright, this one was brief like I said. If you haven't checked out K.O.S. for some reason, I would stop sleeping and grab the 7" while you can! Thanks to everyone for the support, and thanks for reading. Cheers!

Hey! What’s up everyone? We’ve gone from Memorial Day to Labor Day and another summer is ending. The seasons change as the world turns and we all get another year older. The only thing any of us can’t do is stop, delay or stockpile time. We must make the best of what we are given. Try to leave the world a better place for having been here and hopefully have a few laughs along the way. I’ve been thinking about the passing of time a lot lately and how years can go by one after the other in what seems like the blink of an eye. I’m just a few weeks away from taking my first trip back to the UK in ten years. The last time I went over was for my Dad’s funeral and unfortunately circumstances and finances haven’t allowed me to go back since. It hasn’t been good for me to be honest. Not seeing your family for so long, if you are lucky enough to have one, does a number on you. Thankfully that will all be done with very soon. I can’t wait to see everyone and the ol’ country again. I will be back in time for Sorry State’s ten-year store anniversary and Sorry State Fest though. That’s going to be awesome, and I am so proud to be a part of this beautiful family also.

Another reminder about time flying by was given to me when I came to work on Tuesday and saw that we had got in the Lush reissues. I might have let out a shout of delight when I saw them in the new arrivals section. It’s been tough and expensive finding Lush records, as it is with many 90s vinyl. I have been holding on to my CD copies since buying them when they first came out. Lush were a special band for sure and I was fortunate enough to see them live back in the day. Lumped into the Shoegaze category of bands around at the time, and although from the UK were more popular in the US. That worked out great for me as I was over in America more than Britain during the 1990s and got to see many touring UK bands play smaller venues here. I was working on the ships from the late 80s through the 90s and was in Miami a lot. Back then South Florida had a healthy live music scene. There were a lot of clubs to go see bands at. It seemed like I was always catching something good, although if I remember rightly it was at Lollapalooza that I saw Lush in Miami. Anyway, a great band that made the move from Shoegaze to Britpop successfully with the Lovelife album in 1996 but ended shortly after with the tragic death of drummer Chris Acland. My personal favorite album is probably Spooky from 1991 along with Gala from the previous year. The latter was a compilation made for the US market which combined their debut mini album with single sides and tracks exclusive to that collection. Again, I still have the CD of that release and perhaps one day will score an original vinyl but hopefully it might also get the reissue treatment. We have Spooky, Lovelife and Split in stock currently and they are reasonably priced. So, if you are a longtime fan or just discovering them, now is the time to take the plunge.

As an additional “pick” this week I must give a mention to the limited repress that label Goodbye Boozy gave to the Sick Thoughts 45 from 2021 called Poor Boys b/w Drug Rock. If you missed it the first time around make sure to snag yourself one. That is, if you want two sides of fun, catchy, kick ass rock ‘n roll. This is the type of punk, garage, rock, call it whatever you like, stuff I love best. Although essentially a one-man band, Drew Owen has released a couple of dozen records over the past decade across multiple labels and the easiest comparison would be to the late great Jay Reatard or to someone like Billy Childish. Sick Thoughts play that Oblivions, Carbonas, style of punk garage with a big dash of 70s Heartbreakers and Saints for good measure. You can catch them soon at the upcoming Goner Fest, which seems like the perfect surroundings for this type of sound. In the meantime, snag yourself a copy of the single and make sure to watch the official videos for both tunes. Worth watching.

Okay, back to work. I’ve got boxes and boxes of used records to price. See you here next time or in the store itself if you get a chance. Thanks for reading and supporting us. We really appreciate it. Cheers!

-Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s funny, now that we’re back into the swing of doing a newsletter once a week, all I can think about is how little I have to talk about haha. Last week, I was struggling to squeeze in all the things I’ve been up to. Whether I was talking about being on tour or whatever. This week just feels kinda regular. And that’s okay!

I guess the major bit of news we’re talking about this week is that Sorry State’s 10 Year Anniversary celebration has been announced! As the sole Sorry State employee who’s been here since opening day, I can’t believe 10 years have already gone by. Crazy talk. I’m so excited for us to announce the lineup of bands playing the fest. Along with the 2 days of stacked gigs, we also plan to have some special surprises at the store. I hope that some of you newsletter readers out there are marking your calendars and getting your travel plans sorted out so that we can see ya in October! It’s gonna be killer.

Anyway, for my staff pick this week, I’m gonna talk about this Blood Money reissue. We’ve sold a handful of these so far, but I thought I’d give it some attention. Weirdly, both of the band’s LPs from the 80’s have been reissued on Svart. Blood Money is an English band, and I know Svart typically reissues bands and artists from Finland. But then again, I guess they did Eyehategod and all kinds of random stuff. I’m mainly gonna focus on Blood Money’s first album Red, Raw and Bleeding!, originally released in 1986. The Svart description designates Blood Money as a cult band in the realm of New Wave of British Heavy Metal. But for 1986, I would say Blood Money was a little late to the game to be considered NWOBHM. I feel like maybe I’ve stumbled across that insane and radical cover art somewhere along my journey, but Blood Money still seem relatively obscure from where I’m standing. That zombie hand holding onto a crudely rendered chainsaw just dripping with blood and innards… Pretty gruesome, pretty rad. Did Razor quietly rip off this cover art a couple years later on Violent Restitution? I’ll let you decide.

I guess I could see where Blood Money could be more comparable with NWOBHM. They surely don’t fit neatly into the thrash metal family tree, a style which was running rampant at the time. To me, Blood Money sounds like a band that still had their foot stuck in the tar of traditional heavy metal but refused to sink with the other dinosaurs. This record brilliantly captures the transition of incorporating elements of speed metal and thrash into a more decidedly operatic, virtuosic style heavy metal band. But alright… lemme get into it… This record sounds INSANE. Like outta control. While I was listening to this the first time, I was just absorbing what the fuck was washing over me. Brought a huge smile to my face. This record is like an exercise in pure ridiculousness. In the BEST way. I mean DUH, if the artwork didn’t leave you to believe that already. When I listen to this record, I just imagine these dudes in the studio in Manchester or wherever, and all huddling to hype themselves up. Like they gave themselves a group pep talk, and were like, “ALRIGHT MATES: FASTER. LOUDER. MORE EXTREME!!” Then they got loaded up on a ton of blow and speed, and this off-the-rails heavy metal masterpiece/trainwreck is what emerged when they yelled, “BREAK!”

The singer’s voice might be a turn-off for some people. Definitely a more theatric, “hear me in the nosebleeds” approach to vocals. Almost more akin to Bruce Dickinson than say James Hetfield… Like my dude is really giving it all he’s got, but he is certainly not as gifted of a singer as Bruce haha. Danny Fox is his name I believe? And for whatever reason, the style and presentation also brings Steve Grimmett from Grim Reaper to mind. It feels like a similar brand of heavy metal if not exactly dead on. Let me explain what splendors you will find contained within this record: Gratuitous double kick. Gratuitous shredding guitar leads that are all over the place and kinda go out of key. Gratuitous use of vocal vibrato. Gratuitous reverb. Gratuitous lightning strike and revving chainsaw sound effects. And then, when you pull out the insert and see what these dudes look like… It’s really the cherry on top. We’re talkin’ greasy, thin mustaches. Tight, ill-fitting tiger stripe and fishnet sleeveless tanks. And of course, a more than necessary, unwieldy amount of studs and chains. Fuck yeah.

Svart always does a great job with their reissues. The packaging looks impeccable. The record even comes on this gorgeous blue smoke vinyl. If you need a fun romp through a long-lost gem of ambitious, extreme and ridiculous 80s heavy metal, then I would highly recommend Blood Money.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Savageheads: Summer Demo MMXXIII cassette (Active-8)
The Massacred: A Look into the Bowels of Hell cassette (Active-8)

I didn’t buy a single record on the Scarecrow / Vidro tour. I used to come back from any tour I did—even a short one—with boxes of records, but not this time. Mainly, this was because we didn’t really go to any record stores. Besides a short trip to a stereotypically grungy Cleveland beach (there was literally a dead rat on the shore), we didn’t do much of anything aside from hang on the tour. Not that I’m complaining! The good thing about two bands touring together is that it’s way more fun… maybe it’s because if the two bands don’t know each other super well everyone is kind of on their best behavior. Maybe it’s that you’re in that exciting period of getting to know one another when you’re digging past surface-level interactions but comparatively blind to things that might, in the long-term, coagulate into annoyances. Who knows, really? One thing I can tell you about large touring parties, is that they’re a fucking logistical nightmare. Getting from one place to another always takes ages. Someone has always wandered away, the driver has gotten lost in conversation with a local, someone is hungover and puking… actually, I don’t think anyone puked on this tour. But yeah, with such a large touring party, it was a struggle just to keep everyone fed and make it to the gigs on time.

While I didn’t buy any records, I did buy a handful of tapes. I don’t particularly love tapes, but there are things I love about them. A lot of them sound really good. A lot of them sound really bad. You can’t really tell until you pop it in the deck, and that’s part of the fun I guess. It’s really fun to see a band live as your first impression, then pick up the tape at the gig and see how the musicians translated their ideas to recordings. I used to experience that all the time, but it rarely happens these days, when most bands try to get some kind of music online before they play any gigs. It’s a shame, because I think for most young bands their live set is going to be way stronger than anything they record.

Enough pontificating about tapes… let’s get to these two releases I want to write about this week. Both of them are on Active 8, and I picked up both directly from Mark of Active 8 at Scarecrow and Vidro’s Boston show. It’s cool that both of these releases are from established bands who have already put out vinyl, but are teasing or working out newer material. I’m not sure if the goal is to get some of the tracks out there and see what people think, or just to have something to sell at gigs while their new releases percolate (Boston bands always seem to take forever!), but I’m happy to hear both of them.

Savageheads’ tape is three new songs and an Insane cover; the insert says “this tape includes demo versions of some new songs for an upcoming record.” To me, the three new tracks sound a little more pulled back than their recent LP, which moves the focus from the charging rhythms to the strength of the songwriting. That relentless, Partisans-esque rhythm is still there, but the drums aren’t quite so pounding (maybe because these are just demo versions). The songs also seem to have a little more to them… it’s hard to put my finger on exactly why, but they sound a little more “musical” to me, particularly the mid-paced track “They Follow,” which might be Savageheads’ slowest song, but is so fucking anthemic and catchy.

The Massacred’s tape is much longer, with eight tracks: four demo tracks for an upcoming LP, two tracks from their upcoming second EP, and two songs recorded live at a gig in Boston. While the Massacred’s 7” was pretty lean and mean, there’s a lot of variation in tempos and riffing styles on these eight tracks. The seething mid-tempo songs, which remind me of Exploited songs like “War,” are an immediate highlight, but there isn’t a dud here in my opinion. It’s clear the Massacred has a lot of gas in the tank, creatively speaking.

It’s really cool how Active 8 has managed to carve out a non-internet space for these tapes. Part of that might be a supply bottleneck… Mark told me he dubs each copy one by one on a home stereo (they sound great to me, by the way). However, the label and bands have done a great job of not leaking digital versions of the recordings online. There are a few bits and bobs on the Active 8 YouTube channel, but if you really want to experience these releases, you’ll probably have to buy them in person at a gig. I think that’s fucking punk. One advantage of the lack of online distribution for these tracks is that it forces you to engage with it on a much deeper level. Rather than my first experience of these tracks getting half my attention (at best) while I was driving or working, I didn’t listen to these tapes until I could sit down with them in my living room, listen to them on my main stereo, and look at the inserts while I played them. First impressions matter! Speaking of which, both tapes also look great. While the packaging is simple, it has that classic feel of Active 8’s vinyl releases, with a lot of attention to detail in making everything look just so. These straight up look like tapes from the 80s, which is very cool.

So yeah, pick these up if you can make it out to a gig in New England.

Physique: Again 12” (Iron Lung Records) The new album from Olympia’s Physique on Iron Lung Records is (as I expected) a total steamroller, but I had no idea it would blow me away as thoroughly as it has. On Again, Physique strikes this incredible balance between being blindingly raw and pissed, but still making room for subtlety and creativity at every turn. Again is steeped in the history of d-beat and raw punk—from the band’s new, Doom-inspired logo, to the way they end the album with a stretched-out, psychedelic reprise of the leadoff / title track, to the numerous beats, riffs, and musical motifs that reference this music’s long tradition—but the point isn’t just homage, but rather to use that music’s power as a spark to ignite something more original and exciting. When I first listened to Again, I didn’t really grasp that subtlety though, because the bulldozing power took a while to wrap my ears and brain around. As the logo change hints, this time around there’s a nod to Doom and their bottom-heavy, slightly groovier take on Discharge’s sound. And Physique are fucking great at channeling that… their drummer is so deeply in the pocket that all I could do on the first several spins was pump my fist and get lost in that relentless, pummeling groove. However, as I started to get a handle on the songs, Again’s lush sonic world revealed itself to me. Where Physique really excels on Again is in their explorations of rhythm and texture, which have a psychedelic intricacy that makes me think of Can’s best records. The d-beat never stops pounding, but the drummer, bassist, guitarist, and vocalist weave in and out of that rhythm, sometimes embellishing it with polyrhythms that pull it in different directions, sometimes chopping it up and reconfiguring it with brutal stops, starts, and accents. And then there are the tones and textures, which are equally as exciting. In much the same way the rhythm never loses sight of its pounding d-beat core, the tones are always harsh and fucked, but pull from a large library of distortion tones and effects. Sometimes the excitement comes from whiplashing between these different sounds, and sometimes it comes from layering them on top of one another, as on the closing track “Again (reprise),” which wrestles with the title track’s main riff for more than seven minutes, hammering on that motif as the band conjures a psychedelic whirlwind of multitracked madness. Inspirations like Discharge’s “Why? (reprise)” and Disclose’s “Wardead” are easy to spot, but if you think that’s all you’re meant to hear or understand, you’ve missed all the best parts of Physique’s music. So turn the stereo up loud as fuck and let this wave of brutality crash over you.

What’s up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has been enjoying the end of summer. I also hope if you’re reading this that you were able to catch one of the shows from the Scarecrow / Vidro tour that just wrapped up. I caught the one here in Raleigh and it was a killer show as always and it was awesome to get to see Vidro live. They were amazing. Anyway, this week I’m writing about a record that I immediately fell in love with, which is always a great feeling, the 1986 Demo from the Brazilian post punk band Ida & Os Voltas. When Dom and I first opened up the package that had these in there he pulled it out and was like “Man they really nailed the ‘80s aesthetic with this cover” till we turned it around and realized this band actually was from the ‘80s. As far as I know, these are the only studio recordings from this band, but they sound amazing. I was instantly hooked from the first listen and clocking in at just around 15 minutes, this mini-LP is one you just wanna run back as soon as it’s over. My favorite track on here is Samambaias Voadora; it just sounds so fucking cool. The guitar has this like surfy sound to it and the riffs are just so catchy and get stuck in your head. I’ve been listening to this nonstop since discovering it when we got copies in the store and I still haven’t gotten tired of it. I can’t recommend this album any more, definitely a great addition to any collection.