Staff Picks

What’s up Sorry Staters?

We’re mid-way through October already? Fockin’ hell, mate. I’ve been trying to get into the spirit, seeing as this is my favorite time of year. I’ve gone and seen a few special showings of movies in theaters. Saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre the other night. That kicked ass. The close-ups of Sally’s eyes during the dining room scene? Fuck man, it felt so intense seeing that scene on the big screen. Also went and saw Pet Sematary with Daniel and a few of the Plastique Pigs dudes the other night. Honestly, not my favorite Stephen King movie. Man, I forgot how corny some of the actors’ performances are in that movie. Hamming it up, big time. The theater was literally empty except for us 4 people that went, so our watch-along commentary really heightened the experience haha.

We’re slowly but surely getting the store looking extra spooky for all you fiends and ghouls. If we can’t persuade you to come by with simply having cool records and haunting atmosphere, perhaps some free treats this weekend will grab your attention? We know all y’all got a sweet tooth (fang?). You’ll just have to swing by and see.

Also, real quick: I wanted to point out that I failed to even mention the new Bloody Flag tape on Bunker Punks last week. Way stoked on it. Now Sorry State is already sold out! Big thanks to everyone who ordered a copy.

Okay, now let’s talk records. I feel like I gotta write about this Early Grave record. Feels like it would be a shame not to do so. If you don’t know, the band is a 3-piece hardcore band from Philly. I remember their debut cassette release Sewer Baby Eaten By Worms(love that title haha) getting a lot of praise last year. So, I think the release of this LP Violent Winter on General Speech has been highly anticipated. Sorry State has already sold a whole bunch of copies. If you’re already hip to this band and what they’re about, then I guess you don’t really need me to tell you anything. But I find this record incredibly intriguing, so I just wanna spitball about it for a minute:

Surely everybody recognizes this, but I gotta say… this record is pretty strange, dude! Perhaps that’s a funny way to start this write-up. But am I the only one who feels that way? Musically, the band’s sound is a bit whacky n’ wild. I’ve heard people refer to Early Grave as having elements of crust or black metal… Are you crazy? Are we even listening to the same record? Maybe people are conflating Early Grave with that new Bequestrecord, which also just came out on General Speech. I mean gee whiz, a mofo sees a record cover with a grim reaper, hears some deep vocals and divebombs, and I guess it’s metal? Maybe that’s what the band is going for… Maaaaybe. But I just don’t hear that at all. I really think Early Grave is quite unique sounding. Like there’s a loooot going on with the music. In some ways, I think to the point where the average listener might find Violent Winter a difficult record to digest. And I mean that even speaking about someone who’s into hardcore. I dunno man, does that make sense? Like, what Early Grave is doing musically is clearly a far cry from Victim In Pain. I mean, first of all, this record’s got 15 tracks. Which, honestly, I respect. 24 minutes of fast hardcore!! Not many hardcore punk bands exist for only a year, then make the jump to a full-length, and also have the guts to release that long of a record. We’re not quite into Die Kreuzen territory just yet. That self-titled Die Kreuzen LP has 21 songs. Damn, I forget that sometimes. But even within these 15 songs, Early Grave just cram in so many musical ideas.

To some degree, this LP feels like a punk record that’s tailor-made for me. Maybe I do enjoy a record that’s a bit overwhelming from time to time. Like you really have to dig into what the band is doing musically. For the general listener, it might be a bit nerdy to dig into all the different parts and song construction. It might be there’s a barrier there for certain people. The vibe of a band like Early Grave doesn’t strike me as “let’s kick back and jam some rockin’ tunes man” type music. It feels genuinely ugly. It feels like this record is made for freaks.

I think back to other bands that John played guitar in, even as far back as like Nasa Space Universe, and more recently a band like Krigshoder. Now, hearing him bring his style of punk songwriting to this new band, I feel like maybe there’s a melting pot of influences in Early Grave that happens to align with my taste. I dunno man, I hate to say it, but in general—not a lot of music is hitting for me lately. It’s not that I’m disinterested in hardcore, but I do feel like I’m often searching for something that’s not fucking Oi! or “metal-punk” or just hardcore that feels lazily put together or doesn’t feel raging. Hate to sound like I’m talking shit. But whatever. To my ears, the songwriting in Early Grave sounds informed by dark, outsider hardcore. Not unlike the way I felt when I heard a band like Cicada. Especially in the deep, United Mutation-esque evil-sounding vocals. And yeah, I already mentioned Die Kreuzen, and the label’s description even mentions Early Grave taking influence from Mecht Mensch. Maybe this is a weird reference, but listening to Early Grave makes me think a lot about Everything Ends In Rot, that 7” by The Scam. Twinges of heaviness, but in a gutter-bred, disgusting, non-metallic feeling way.

There are so many neck-breaking changes. The experience of listening to the record kinda elicits feelings of anxiety. It feels chaotic, and maybe that’s how the listener is meant to feel. But upon further inspection, these songs are like suuuuper intelligently constructed. Not just that; it comes across as borderline militant. When you really dissect the songs, you can tell a lot of effort went into the arranging of this record. Like with every repetition cycle of a guitar riff, there’s a conscious effort to deviate and do something clever or unexpected, or like shift rhythmically, or have a tight stop with a quick drum fill. With drumming in particular, it feels like every moment is approached with this frenetic energy, and the drummer’s like, “what can I do to make this part as intense and exciting as possible?” On the surface, I might have thought the band was just throwing ideas at the wall. Now I realize these complicated rhythmic ideas and song construction don’t come from three people just fucking around making noise. These songs feel like they’re difficult to play, and the three individuals making this music are fucking locked in.

With this incredibly wrought song construction, and because there is so much craziness flying at your ears like a sonic barrage… it can be a lot to take in. It’s difficult to catch your breath. And especially with the record being as long as it is, maybe it can feel a bit exhausting. That said, I’ve already listened to this record all the way through several times. And at first, maybe I wasn’t finding a lot of hooks to grab onto. But now after repeated listens, I find a sense of quirkiness, bouncy grooviness and fun experimentation in the band’s sound. Kind of in a similar way that Blazing Eye sounded a bit goofy to me at times. Not every single moment has to be pure “evil”… Buuut it definitely is. Ha. For example, in a song like “Baby Blood,” I love how the tuneful riff at the end all of a sudden is accompanied by these unexpected “whoa oh” backup vocals over top of it. Then “Corpse Oil” has the big gang vocal chants. It’s so rad. Don’t be scared to use big sing-along parts in your hardcore. I think it rules. Then the last track “Fear Liath” has this sinister, but admittedly Middle Earth/Renaissance Faire-ass intro. It’s pretty cool though. I guess what I’m getting at is that the record feels ambitious and unafraid to be a little adventurous, or even a little silly at times.

Anyway, I hope that silly assessment was somewhat enjoyable. I think this Early Grave LP feels like a special record. Check it out, if you’re so inclined.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I missed last week, huh? After reading Daniel’s breakdown of where he’s been at in terms of mental health and general spirits, I thought I’d briefly do the same. It’s kinda funny, because I feel sure thousands of people read this newsletter thing we do. Thousands? Maybe more like hundreds? I dunno, haha. But for whatever reason, sometimes it feels easier to divulge feelings in this format. Does it feel like oversharing? I dunno. Perhaps it’s more like shouting into the void. Mainly because I’m not sure how many of you readers even pay that close attention. Or care, for that matter. But if you do, I appreciate your patience and understanding. I won’t go too deeply into detail, but sometimes when I’m not doing so hot emotionally, it does feel difficult to muster energy to write thoughtful reviews about punk records. Boohoo, amirite? But yeah whatever, because of that, I apologize for my absence from time to time.

That said, I’ve been feeling excited about playing records again lately. Played a bunch of classic singles the other night. Gazing into the haunting stare of Rikk Agnew on the back cover of the Posh Boy “Amoeba” single gets one inspired. Or freaked out. But I feel like Sorry State has had a lot of exciting new releases coming thru the shop lately. One comes to mind… I think I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the new Totalitär record.

A new record by the Swedish legends in the year 2026? Some of you jaded cynics out there might have rolled your eyes at the idea. Me? I said, “Oh yeah, baby. Bring it.” So… did I pre-order the limited edition transparent black with silver splatter vinyl? Yes, I did. Did also purchase a white vinyl copy for myself from Sorry State’s stock when they arrived? Yes, I did. Did I listen to the record digitally several times before the vinyl even arrived on my doorstep? You’re goddamn right I did. What can I say? I’m a nerd. Totalitär has remained consistently one of the most influential and important bands in my life as an HCPMF.

Now, as for my thoughts on the new stuff: I actually had many of my fellow Totalitär fanatic friends reach out and ask my thoughts. People in the punk community whose opinions I value and trust, mind you. Nice to feel perhaps they value mine as well, me being the well-read scholar on all things Hudiksvall hardcore that I am. One criticism I guess I’ve heard is how shredded Poffen’s vocals sound. Firstly, they’ve always sounded shredded. Secondly, the dude’s been screaming in hardcore punk bands since the 80s. Thirdly, show the man some respect.

This 2026 eponymous LP is the band’s first release in nearly 20 years. It’s the classic lineup of Lanchy on guitar, Jallo on drums, and Andreas on bass (and perhaps writing the lyrics?). Plus, some Kenko on guest guitar for good measure. And I gotta say. Riffs? Check. Drumming? Check. Production? Big check. I can’t remember my thoughts concerning the production on various other Totalitär-affiliated projects over the years like Dissekerad or Exploatör, but man, I just think this new LP sounds fantastic. Guitar tone is ace. Still to this day, I still find that with the general feel of the songwriting, guitar playing, riffs, chord changes, etc.—while always familiar stylistically, I still find myself picking out fresh and clever rhythmic ideas. Lanchy, after all, is the master. In some ways, with a Totalitär record, you know what you’re getting yourself into. Much like Out Cold, the Ramones, or Motorhead, the band reliably delivers. And it’s so rad to feel like I’m pumped on a new one coming out. I cranked the record loud as fuck when I was opening the store the other day and just felt totally pumped.

Welp, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading. And don’t worry, I’ve got horror/spooky season staff picks coming down the pipeline for future October newsletters.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Gloomy ass day here today. I kinda like it tho. So long as it doesn’t mess up my hair haha. Gives me the feeling that Fall will be right around the corner. I went to go see the Iron Lung show here in Raleigh last night. Gotta say, it was a pretty good show! I don’t intend to say that with a ton of surprise underneath, but the energy level around punk and hardcore shows in Raleigh has felt pretty depleted lately. Really enjoyed Hologram’s set. Nice to see a good chunk of people fill up some space and even dance and buck wile a lil bit.

So, for my staff pick today, I’ve got something that’s relatively new to me. But before that, I don’t how much we’ve made it clear here in the Sorry State newsletter, but WE WANT TO BUY YOUR USED RECORDS. If anyone is looking to sell all or part of a collection, particularly if it’s heavy on punk & metal, you should reach out to us. It doesn’t matter if you’re near Raleigh or many miles away. Recently, we got this dude to ship us 5 huge, well-packed boxes of his old records. Lots of cool stuff in there. One record in particular, which I decided to set aside for myself on a whim, was this LP by an old Japanese punk band called Skin.

Are any of our readers familiar with this band? After a little research, I learned that this band was active in the late 70s/early 80s and only released 2 LPs, along with a couple singles. This record I’m talking about Zun-Zun is actually the band’s second LP from 1981. Something about the presentation really caught my attention, with the obi and dayglo colors really standing out. At first, because the record looked obviously fresh and new, I wasn’t sure if the record was an old band or something more contemporary with a retro aesthetic. Turns out, this is the Record Shop Base reissue from 2021, a label I mainly know from selling kick ass records on Discogs and putting out more garage kinda stuff like The Baby Shakes.

It's cool that these Skin records got reissued, because as far as I can tell, they had an initial printing in Japan in the early 80s and then were never repressed. And looking at the members of the band on Discogs, kinda seems like no one went on to be in any other bands. Kinda weird to be a little blip on Japanese culture and then just disappear. Listening to Zun-Zun, what struck me immediately is how amazing the production sounds. Like suuuuper crisp, loud, punchy recording. Beautiful guitar tones. Also, the band is just tight as hell, incredibly competent players. Most of the songs are super upbeat, high-energy, fun, sing-along melodic and rockin’ punk tunes that don’t overstay their welcome. Most songs are under 3 minutes, and with them being so tuneful and easy on the ears, it makes the record super accessible. I mean, for example the first song’s sentiment is “JUST GO!” in a quick and exciting 1.5-minute opener. I was hooked immediately. Just well-written melodies, cool riffing, kinda funny unexpected instrumentation, woodblock, synths, tons of great layering in the production, lots of ear candy, great “oohs and aahs” backup vocals. Great stuff. They mostly sing in Japanese, but they have that thing a lot of Japanese punk bands do where part of the hook is in English, like “I’m a Fashion Boy!” or “You drive me mad and crazy, babe!” or “I love S-E-X, EXCITEMENT!” Hahaha, killer. Very edgy for the time, I’m sure.

To my ears, while the band was surely informed by early English punk and probably the first couple Ramones records, the super approachable melodic songwriting and brightly colored presentation makes me feel like this band leans a little more toward new wave. Maybe I’m wrong? I would love to know from punks in Japan contextually whether Skin records are considered all-time classics, or they’re more like kinda lame “even your mom likes Skin” type of band. ‘Cause I’m just lovin’ it. But I think about other early Japanese punk bands I know like Anarchy, who even with their grittier aesthetic basically just sound like The Clash, and even covered them on that first LP. Then there’s a band like The Plastics, who were like a quirkier and weirdo new wave kinda band. To me, Skin falls somewhere right in the middle. But funny enough, it looks like one of the dudes from The Plastics produced both of Skin’s albums and contributed some guest keyboards. Pretty cool little cowinky-dink.

Zun-Zun was originally released on a label called King Records in Japan. Seems like this is almost like a major label, or at least is not just a punk label. Looks like all kindsa music came out on King Records, like jazz vocal, easy listening, city pop, but then also like early Japanese punk rock. Not unlike how Anarchy was on Invitation Records, I suppose. But doing a little further research, Skin appeared on a Japanese Battle of The Bands music contest TV show, not unlike Star Search or something, and that’s how they got their record deal? Or that’s what I’m guessing. Amazingly, the footage from that episode is on YouTube, you can watch that here. Unfortunately, the audio becomes unsynced at some point in the video. Skin is only in the first half of the video, unless you care to see the other bands they competed against. Looks like in this episode, Skin was up against other two bands, one of which was like a pseudo-mod 60s revival band, and the other was like a lame balladeering band in matching pink shirts with neckties. No contest, if you ask me. Looks like the song Skin won the contest with ended up being their first single. Guess I’ll need to track that down eventually.

Anyway, thanks for indulging my completely unqualified history lesson haha. I’ve been really enjoying this discovery. Just about every song on this Skin record kicks ass. Check it out if you’ve never heard it.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Sorry I didn’t have anything to say last week. I know y’all missed me. Maybe not haha. Honestly, I feel like I don’t have much to say this week either. I don’t know why, exactly. Brain feels fried. Energy is low. Motivation is waning. Emotions are up n’ down. Wish I could be more tuned in, focused, passionate, and feel hyped on stuff to talk about. In a moment of feeling stuck in the non-stoked gutter, I finally listened to a bunch of hardcore 7”s for the first time in a while the other night. I was like, “Oh thank gawd YEP, I still looooove this shit!!” Haven’t felt super fired up lately. Maybe that’s on me. But alas I won’t say any more on that. TMI, I know. I’m just gonna freestyle some thoughts:

New Rat Cage is out. A record I’ve felt genuine anticipation about. And big surprise, the lads delivered. While perhaps Swedish käng punk was the primary influence behind the initial several Rat Cage records, these days, I think Bry’s songwriting is a beast all its own. Feels more signature and unique to me as time goes on. Even the way the first song kicks off with the groovy intro, only to break into a sort of spoken declaration before kicking in… it feels powerful. Makes the listener pay attention. Dare I say, “anthemic”? The last song “Not Asking For Much” is about as close to NWOBHM as you might ever expect Rat Cage to get. It’s giving a bunch of lads with pints of lager at the pub, pumping their fist, and shouting along to chorus in unison. It’s great.

Let’s see, what else? That Hävittäjät on Active-8 was a pleasant surprise. As the label’s description says, I feel like I’ve been seeing this band’s name for the last decade or so. Raw, grimy, disgusting sounding Finnish style hardcore by way of Australia. For not actually being from Finland, if you’re into Yleiset Syyt and other more recent ripping ass bands in that style, this is probably up your alley. Somehow, this band’s execution feels more ramshackle, but in the best way possible. I mean that as a total compliment. Unhinged and ripping.

We’ve got the new tape from Raw Heads in stock! This band is comprised of members who you might recognize amongst Sorry State’s family tree, including a few dudes from The Hell and Woodstock 99, as well as Keith from Meat House and White Stains on vocals. Keith released this tape on his relatively new label called Poison Vision. On his site, he sells his own releases, along with (if I do say so myself) a refined selection of distro titles from the finest current punk & hardcore bands. Then also, like bootleg horror movie t-shirts, all kindsa cool shit. I really love the whole vibe Keith is cultivating. Totally fits with his art style and taste. Blood-soaked demon—Giallo knife slashing—backslash grind in a pool on an extra wide skateboard shredding—15 bandanas on your boots—as many studded cuffs as you can fit—Mad Marc Rude—slam low creepy crawl style like the dude in Another State of Mind—kinda vibe. It’s cool as shit. Right up my alley. The Raw Heads tape only has 3 songs on it. 2 rippers sandwiching an instrumental slammer. But apparently it’s a promo, so maybe there’s an LP on the horizon. The songs sound killer, great riffs, some sorta rocked out parts, but not in a metallic way at all. Raw, go-for-the-throat 80s style hardcore. Keith’s vocals sound as demented and snarling as ever. Public Acid played with Raw Heads in Cleveland, and they opened with “Superficial Love” by TSOL. It was killer.

Few more things. Very excited about the new Kohti Tuhoa. What I’ve heard so far sounds rad. Pagan lute-playing imagery and all. Also, checked out a few tracks from the upcoming records on General Speech. Really looking forward to the new Early Grave LP. 15-song hardcore LP? Damn, not quite as many as Die Kreuzen, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen band be so bold as to put that many tracks on a full length. I salute them. So yeah, some cool stuff to look forward to on the horizon.

Like I said, very unfocused this round. Would love to hear some thoughts from people on new punk and hardcore stuff coming out. Also, would love to be turned onto some new stuff I haven’t heard yet. Preferably some new ripping hardcore recorded by punks under 30. Tell me wassup!

As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How was your summer? I think I feel my body and mind slowly adjusting to life flowing at a somewhat normal pace. Does that mean vacation time is over? It may be September, but the temperature gauge in my car said 102 degrees today. What the fuck, dude? So yeah, I guess we’re still out here having fun in the sweltering North Carolina sun. Speaking of which, did any of yall see the video of this Cretin Family gig thing for the Ramones’ 50th Anniversary? Kinda weird, huh?

I don’t have a staff pick exactly. I just got Ramones on the brain. I think I’m just gonna wax poetic about this weird makeshift Ramones performance. Okay, this “supergroup” of sorts, let’s talk about it: Tim Armstrong, Billie Joe Armstrong, Travis Barker (whoa), and CJ Ramone doing a bunch of Ramones songs. I guess I heard Billie Joe say something on stage in the video that this was kinda Tim’s idea to put this band together? First of all, obviously the original foursome have all passed, but where the hell was Marky? Maybe he doesn’t wanna play Ramones songs in his 70s. Or maybe he didn’t wanna be involved at all. If that’s the case, super funny. No songs were counted off like, “1-2-3-4!” Seems like when Travis counted off the first song on the hi-hat, CJ gave this look like “what are you doing dude?”

Honestly, the whole thing felt kinda awkward. Dude, Travis Barker is like a fuckin’ celebrity married to a Kardashian n shit. Whatever, I guess he played drums okay. CJ sang “Warthog,” which I guess was kinda cool they did a mid-period song that Dee Dee sang. Then also “The Crusher” from the last record, throwing CJ a bone it seemed like. That choice sooooorta made sense, only because it’s a song CJ actually sang on a Ramones record. They played “Do You Wanna Dance?” twice… Why? Yeah, it just felt weird man. The “special guests”… it was like Fred Armisen? All 4 of The Linda Lindas with no instruments sharing microphones? Strange. Then Billy Idol, which is cool, but it kinda felt like he didn’t really even acknowledge everyone on stage? Maybe he’s just an old man who’s a bit awkward. And then I guess to appease Billy they did a Generation X song? Felt super random and unnecessary, even though I love Gen X. Seems like maybe his inclusion kind of a coincided with his recent documentary maybe. I dunno that’s just a thought.

Really, in terms of how the songs were played stylistically, CJ was holding it the fuck down. His style of playing and sound on stage was so crucial to the songs even sounding halfway legit. So many people in the comments saying things like, “Respect. At least one person on stage is down-picking!” Haha. I’ve been thinking about Ramones stuff a lot after this anniversary, and also noticing new episodes of CJ’s podcast on my feed. If you haven’t seen it, CJ and this other dude are chronologically breaking down every single Ramones record in their discography. I’ve checked the podcast out a couple times. It’s pretty cool to see the records celebrated. But I will admit that sometimes as I’m watching, it feels like the energy, particularly when they have guests on the podcast, comes off a bit stilted.

Then thinking about another podcast, I watched the most recent episode of Patrick the Pack Rat’s “Record Rooms” the other night. Full disclosure, I am a Patreon subscriber. I’m pretty sure this episode with Jackie Blenkarn is not yet on YouTube at the time I’m writing this. But at one point Jackie brings up the Ramones and talks about how Leave Home is her favorite Ramones album. At certain points over the course of my life, I have also decidedly referred to Leave Home as my favorite Ramones record. But then Patrick makes a comment like, “There’s no wrong answer for a favorite… as long as it’s one of the first 3 records.” Which… no shade, but I’m not sure how I feel about that! I guess if you’re a purist, then this perspective makes sense. But even one record forward, man I just love Road To Ruin like so much. And dude, if your favorite record is the Phil Spector orchestra-laden End Of The Century, then hey man, you have my full respect. I’m sort of a Ramones apologist, I suppose. Basically meaning that I think every single record is good. Or more accurately, each record has AT LEAST one great song. For a while, I was on a serious Pleasant Dreams kick. “She’s A Sensation” dude? “7-11” going full on doo-wop style? I love it. I was fascinated with Animal Boy for a while. Honestly, probably mostly for “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”. There are definitely some stinkers on that record. Funny that Animal Boy has the band dipping their toes into hardcore, but also has some of their poppiest, most 80s gated-reverb sounding pop songs. I don’t even know what point I’m trying to make anymore. Maybe I would’ve liked to have seen more of the Ramones catalog represented by the Cretin Family? But why would I expect such things. Maybe at the next gig they’ll pull out “Pet Semetary” and “Poison Heart,” but I’m not holding my breath.

Sooo yeah, hope that was a solid 15-minute waste of your time. I will say, we have been trying to stock more Ramones reissues at the store. Kinda crazy you can buy a reissue of Halfway To Sanity in the year 2026. It’s a beautiful thang. It used to be those late 80s records were like mythical finds, often only found in used bins with like cutouts and former radio station labels. If I don’t hear any feedback from all you readers about how you listened to Acid Eaters for the first time in a while, and that version of “Journey to the Center of the Mind” is actually pretty cool – then I’ll be pissed.

Just kidding. Thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Wow, Screaming Mad George, Dolly and Tim Curry? I guess Screaming Mad George died earlier this year, but it wasn’t announced to the public. But still. I was joking earlier this is like that South Park episode where celebrities always die in groups of 3. Yall know the episode I’m talking about? Whatever. Sad news. Meanwhile, I’m still reeling from celebrating my birth haha. Over the weekend, I did not get to see Death Side at Skull Fest, but I had a very nice birthday celebration with the homies in Richmond. Also, thanks to everyone who messaged me :)

For my staff pick this week, I wanted to give some attention to these Third World Chaos reissues on Merciless Records. This same label also reissued those Dead Ends records a couple years back, and I really enjoyed spending some time getting familiar with those. I hate to say it, but I’m not the most knowledgeable about Filipino or Pinoy punk. But this band, who released one single as Chaos, and then later an LP under the name Third World Chaos, seem to be another classic band from the early-to-mid-80s punk scene in the Philippines. Merciless has reissued both of these records in their original format.

Crazy to me, the Chaos 7” single was released on a major label! Released on RCA Victor in 1983, I’m not sure how many of these are out in the wild, but it seems to have become quite the collectors’ item. The 2 songs on the single “Quitter” and “We Are The One” also both appear on the Third World Chaos LP, but the single is quite noticeably a different recording session. For 1983, Chaos’s songwriting is clearly informed by first wave punk rather than hardcore. Maybe it took a while for some of those UK punk records to make their way to the Philippines. The songs are pretty cool, up-tempo, high-energy punk. Quite tuneful, but also have a gritty, hard edge to them. Kinda snotty lyrics, which kinda remind of The Zeros maybe a little bit? Like the B-side track goes something like: “We are the ones who wanna rock’n’roll!”

To my ears, it sounds like the band plays the songs on the single a little bit faster. But even though it was released independently by the band, I actually think the LP has better sounding production. Sonically, it’s a pretty killer recording. Even for 1984, unlike Dead Ends, Third World Chaos are still mining ’77 era punk on their full-length. Almost to the point where I can point out a specific song by different punk bands that maybe were used as inspiration for the Third World Chaos song. One song kinda sounds like “Submission” by the Sex Pistols. Then, another song clearly sounds like Stiff Little Fingers. And what’s funny, is all the lyrics are sang in English. Like for example, the song “You Won’t Anymore” is seriously ripping “Not Anymore” by the Dead Boys so hard, but… with a much less coherent lyrical thread? And I’m not sure if part of it is the language barrier or if the lyrics were written with the intent to come across as having urgency and “punk attitude,” but I did find myself rolling my eyes a couple times. They’re a bit juvenile and maybe lack depth. But hey, that’s okay!

I mean, listen, the first few songs on the LP are bangers, like the opening track “Sophisticated Brat.” This song should be a KBD-style classic. Killer chorus, it goes: “So stick sophistication up your ass!” It’s fucking great. The 2nd track talking about shit like: “Rebel Rocker on the way! On their way to put you down!” The insert uses this chorus as a tag line, but the poster reads, “Rebel Rockers on the LOOSE” instead, which would honestly be much cooler. But whatever. There’s a song called “Insult The Useless People?” Yeah dude. It’s funny. And admittedly quite enjoyable. Some songs on the LP kinda lose my attention a little bit, but overall I think the songs have cool riffs, and some great hooks. Most importantly, I think this a cool document of obscure punk from a place in the world you might not expect or hear about often. Maybe now the records will reach more people than they did originally in the mid-80s, and I think that’s totally rad.

Sorry State still has a good amount of copies of both the LP and the 7” single. The LP comes with a lot of cool bonus packaging, like a poster and some reproduction flyers. Very cool. So, if my little write-up caught your attention, I think you should check out Third World Chaos.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Full disclosure: This same time last week, I had in fact already returned home from being on tour. But dude, I just did not have the capacity to structure coherent thought, much less write anything down. Slowly, but surely, the effects of my dopamine withdrawal are subsiding and I’m starting to adjust back to feeling normal. The comedown post-tour is rough sometimes, dude. All that said, Operation Hardcore was a great success. We were on the frontlines, always ready for battle, and returned home relatively unscathed. Gigs were killer of course, but more than anything, it was just nice to see old friends in different cities, and have a chance catch up, talk trash, or party like a buncha dummies. So thankful for my homies in Public Acid and Invertebrates, best people I could ask to be crammed in a van with.

So, what have I missed? How’s everybody doing? Not too terrible, I hope. I feel like there’s been a handful of new punk & hardcore releases I’m still catching up on since returning. Man, how ‘bout that KOS LP? We were lucky that Public Acid and Invertebrates’ homecoming show in Richmond lined up with KOS working their way south on their tour. The gig was a stacked line-up with a bunch of homies. It was killer. KOS has had a few lineup switcheroos, but man, with this current lineup they sounded so tight and powerful. And their LP sold out in pre-order? Shiiiiii! For my money, when doing that style of heavy, Dis-beat hardcore, KOS execute it so perfectly. And to my ears, it’s not just that noisy crasher style. Especially with Trey’s vocal delivery, I think the new LP sounds a lot like Crude SS. I dunno, maybe that’s just me. Let’s seeeee, what else? We listened to the preview track of the new Rat Cage in the van while we were driving through Nebraska or wherever the fuck. Can’t fucking wait for that new LP.

And yet, once again, as I try to shed light on some current hardcore bands, what I really wanna talk about is a reissue from the 80s! Haha. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve always felt drawn to this Beast Of Beast record. It’s always had this allure, feeling somewhat mysterious. I remember many years ago, probably pre-pandemic, we had an original copy come through Sorry State. I’m still kicking myself for not buying it back then. Honestly, it feels like you never see them! I’m not exactly sure how rare the record is, but I’ve only ever seen that one copy in all my years of record nerd-dom.

Beast Of Beast were from Los Angeles, and they only released this one 12” EP in 1983. And I gotta say, compared to their contemporaries, Beast Of Beast sounds so much gnarlier than a lot of LA punk bands from that early era. I mean, the record’s called Sex, Drugs… and Noise, so what’s not to like? But upon doing further research, the band has an interestingly sorted past. I’m pretty sure one of the dudes from the band was in Angry Samoans, which explains where some of the snotty, irreverent attitude comes from. But dude… the singer Virginia Macolino sang on the first Berlin LP. Yeah, THAT Berlin. Which, I will admit, me being a fan of super poppy, synth-drenched 80s new wave, I think Berlin rules. Pleasure Victim and Love Life are both certified synth pop classics, in my book. I lose interest once it gets into Top Gun territory.

But yeah dude, it’s crazy. So, I guess the story goes, Terri Nun, who’s the magnetic frontwoman most people associate with Berlin, was still technically the first singer of the band. Berlin released one single with Terri in 1979, and then she quit to pursue an acting career. Virginia joined and sang on their debut album Information, released independently in 1980. I guess not long after that, Terri rejoined Berlin, they got signed to a major label and went on to have great success and become pop stars. It’s funny to think about Virginia leaving Berlin and being like, “Fuck y’all, I’m starting a hardcore band.”

Sex, Drugs… and Noise rips dude, it’s so raw and nasty sounding. Weirdly, I’ve seen this record tagged with “death rock” as a genre. I’ve noticed this with Legal Weapon too. Do people just think that any early 80s band from LA with a woman singing all must sound like 45 Grave? WHATEVER. I mean sure, I guess I could see how the last track “Without A Right” is a bit slower, moodier and longer with reverbed out vocals. But nah dude, to me this is a hardcore record. There are a couple songs that are under a minute long that are just blazers. For me, the banger hit single on this record is “Icy Eyes.” Killer track. I don’t know what it is, I just detect this griminess that makes it stand out from other LA punk records. So grimy in fact, that Beast Of Beast is one of the few (maybe only?) West Coast bands to have a release on Mutha Records, the infamous New Jersey hardcore label. Looks like two small pressings of the Beast of Beast 12” exist, the first on the charmingly-named My Ass Records, which I assume is just Beast Of Beast self-releasing. Then the 2nd press is on Mutha. And based on what I’ve heard, it seems like the connection here is that Virginia is the sister of the singer of Chronic Sick? Can someone confirm or deny?

So yeah, Mono Records recently reissued this obscure gem of LA punk. Nice packaging with outtakes from the Ed Colver photoshoot, which one photo of course ended up being used for the original cover art. The insert has a cool collage of live photos, which I’d certainly never seen. Plus, most importantly, this reissue includes a full 10 bonus tracks of unreleased demos and rehearsals. Some of which sound pretty raw, but they are RIPPING. I don’t know if these songs ever saw the light of day on bootlegs or anything, but it’s possible you would’ve only heard them if you saw the band live in the 80s. There’s a crazy Alice Cooper cover played at hardcore speed. Pretty rad.

Wonder what Virginia’s up to these days? Anyway, hope my endorsement of this record catches your attention. I really do think it’s worth any 80s hardcore freak’s time, especially if you’re unfamiliar.

Nice to be back writing for you all. As always, thanks for humoring me.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

After unloading my thoughts and feelings about returning home post-travel in last week’s newsletter, I feel kinda funny writing a follow up this week. It’s as if I’ve been tricked into a false sense of comfort and regularity. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about how this time next week, I’ll already be on the road with Public Acid. Along with our friends in Invertebrates, we’ll be embarking on our full-US tour. Of course I’m excited, but I feel severely underprepared. I’ll miss writing for these Sorry State updates while I’m gone, but hopefully I’ll be able to stay connected on a weekly basis by staying glued to the newsletter as a reader rather than a contributor.

Below, I’ve included a list of the dates and cities that we’ll be playing:

July 14 - CHARLOTTE NC
July 15 - BIRMINGHAM AL
July 16 - NEW ORLEANS LA
July 17 - HOUSTON TX
July 18 - AUSTIN TX
July 19 - SAN ANTONIO TX
July 20 - EL PASO TX
July 21 - ALBUQUERQUE NM
July 22 - PHOENIX AZ
July 23 - SANTA ANA CA
July 24 - LOS ANGELES CA
July 25 - OAKLAND CA
July 27 - PORTLAND OR
July 28 - OLYMPIA WA
July 29 - MISSOULA MT
July 31 - SALT LAKE CITY UT
August 1 - DENVER CO
August 2 - OMAHA NE
August 3 - MINNEAPOLIS MN
August 4 - MILWAUKEE WI
August 5 - DETROIT MI
August 6 - CLEVELAND OH
August 7 - WASHINGTON DC
August 8 - RICHMOND VA

Hope to see some of you readers there! It’s gonna be a long ride, but some of these places I haven’t visited since before the pandemic. Haven’t swung down across Texas in many years. And for some of these cities, it’ll be my first time ever!

Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk music! But in a roundabout way, the needle I’m threading here is somewhat relevant: Every time I’m getting ready to go on tour, I always think about road trip music. Killer tunes to keep everyone in the van happy. I feel like with Public Acid in particular, it’s almost like an unspoken rule in the van that we never actually listen to hardcore. Which for me sometimes is totally bogus. I guess you hear raging fast punk at the gigs and hardcore isn’t always the type of music you want to endure while in the van for like 9 hours or whatever. How do you choose what to play? Especially on a tour of the US, one might romanticize Route 66 type jams. Like “Ramblin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers. On the heavier side, I lean toward Judas Priest’s “Riding on The Wind” or Motorhead’s “Riding With The Driver” or Girlschool’s “Midnight Ride.” “Jailbreak” by Thin Lizzy always feels like a great first song to play as you crank the engine and are perhaps indeed fleeing trouble from the night before. Just kidding… maybe.

I think I always tend to wanna blast poppy, melodic tunes while driving. Just stuff that puts me in a good mood. Like Ramones or Buzzcocks. Protex, The Boys, and even delve further into more power pop territory. Nikki and the Corvettes, “Drive My Car” by Nasty Facts -- both road-relevant! Just bangers. Sometimes, you might have a late-night drive and need to wind down with some Chin Chin or Dolly Mixture. And as far as more current bands, Cœur À L'Index certainly scratches that itch. And did you know that they just released a new single on La Vida Es Un Mus? I don’t know if I’ve talked about this in the newsletter before, but it feels like during the period where the Alvilda LP was exploding last year (fuck me, a couple years ago??), maybe Cœur À L'Index got overshadowed a little bit?

Maybe I shouldn’t compare those two records… but I mean, come on! The two records came out around the same, and they’re both sweet sounding, melodic vintage sounding indie pop tunes sung in French. And honestly, as much as I loved the Alvilda record, I feel like Adieu Minette by Cœur À L'Index might be the better record for my taste. Call me crazy if you want. Go back and revisit if you haven’t done so in a while. Adieu Minette feels maybe less on the nose in its directness, more adrift, with more variation in tone and mood. This new single is quite the same, with opposing moods being split across each side of the record: “Fatigueé” being more soft and delicate, and “Mes Héros” being the more up-tempo banger on the flip side. For my money, “Mes Héros” is the track I walk away after listening, thinking like “Hell yeah, what a great song.” My only complaint is damn, only 2 new songs to keep us occupied for the time being? I wish there was more for me to sink my teeth into. Oh well, guess I’ll have to squeeze them into a playlist for a long, moonlit drive.

Anyway, I won’t get into a long-winded assessment of this record. If you liked the Cœur À L'Index LP, then you should probably grab this single. The record is still in the pre-order stage via Sorry State and they’re moving fast.

See you guys when I get back from tour!

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Like seriously, what the fuck is up? How long has it been? Weeks? Months?? I feel absolutely certain it’s been at least a few months. In part, because I’ve been outta town so much lately. I’ve been on a whirlwind of an adventure over the last several weeks, lemme tell ya. Firstly, flying with Usman and Daniel to Sweden for our friend’s wedding. Then I came back to the US so Public Acid could haul our asses up to New York in order to play at the Bowery Ballroom with Warthog. THEN, I hopped back on a plane to fly to Copenhagen for K-town Hardcore Fest. Psychotic behavior. And guess what? In less than 2 weeks, Public Acid and Invertebrates are hitting the road together for a full US tour. So we’ll catch up in August. Can you believe it? Jah, give me strength. I ain’t complaining, though. It’s all good things. These commitments require just denying myself rest or proper time at Sorry State.

While I was at K-Town, I was happy to see my friends from Croatia. Indikator B totally ripped. I kept running into the dynamic duo of Carlo and Ticija quite a few times throughout the fest. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting this pair, you’ll know they’re both hardcore punk record maniacs, just like me. It was funny sitting next to them while watching a showing of the Anti-Cimex documentary, and us all having the same nerdy reactions to moments onscreen. While I was hanging out with them, they were singing the praises of the latest release on Autsajder Produkcija, which is the new 7” by Ljubljana punk band Poguba entitled Noč.

Daniel told me that he thought he remembered me doing a write-up for the newsletter about Poguba’s previous cassette. Now, perhaps my mind is failing me in my old age, but I have no memory of this haha. I even went back and searched the newsletter archive and could not find anything. But if I’m totally wrong and am just having a brain fart, someone please send it my way! I’d love to know what I wrote lol.

Unsurprisingly, I love this new Poguba record. First impressions, the recording sounds incredible. The thick, blown-out, super fuzzy guitars sound so fucked up and powerful. The texture of the guitar tone tickles my ear follicles. They sound raw and organically captured, completely undigital. Totally gross but still captured in a way that sounds sonically lush and huge. Pulsating and alive. The sleeve has a cool looking presentation as well. Stark black and white, using crosses as imagery. Midway between the visuals of Die Kreuzen and Eastern European punk… Coincidence? I would say no.

I think one comparison I would draw between Poguba and their peers Indikator B is that in the context of fast hardcore, it feels like the band puts effort into writing actual songs. I know that may sound like a silly concept, but this approach to creating hardcore music feels in short supply these days. They’re riff machines. Guitar parts and song structures strung together in a way that feels meaningful – the exact opposite of a mediocre collage of riffs just tossed against the wall. But to me, the sense of dread I draw from Poguba’s music feels much more unhinged than Indikator B. Like it’s exploding. The singer and the emotion of the music has a sense of desperation. There’s an inexplicable feeling of darkness just underneath the surface. But it ain’t gothic or post-punk… even if they do sneak in a cover of an early Cure song. Even so, it’s fucking hardcore, dude.

There’s a lot of kinda (for lack of a better term) “weird” moments on this record. The song “Maximum Rokenrol” has these jerky stops ‘n’ starts with kind of aloof, disinterested spoken vocals in between, only to then break into this slow, dirgey section. Makes me think of weird ass parts on a Barn Av Regnbuen record or something. I think it’s cool. Unique ideas like this stick with me, assuming I’m not totally turned off by them. I think more bands should venture outside the constraints of their genre-confining box. I’d rather hear raging hardcore with whacky moments than anymore fuckin’ “whoa-ohs,” that’s for damn sure.

I feel like a lot of current records coming out are boasted with descriptions comparing them to borderline buzzword-y, but admittedly super cool 80s hardcore records which I hold near ‘n’ dear to my heart. However, I often feel like these records sound nothing like the comparisons the writer of the review throws out there. Poguba does sound special in the same way a lot of these great records sound to me. Not so much because the recording sounds authentically “old” or whatever. It’s moreso that this record gives me the same FEELING that a great, classic 80s hardcore gives me. Mean, chaotic, noisy, powerful, memorable. Fucking killer.

Anyway, I’ll stop right there for now. Seems like we’ve already sold a few copies of this record. And that’s killer. Perhaps long gone are the days where people in the US sleep on an under the radar DIY hardcore release from Europe. It’s a beautiful thang. That said, if you haven’t checked out Poguba yet, I highly suggest you check it out.

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

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Sometimes I feel guilty when I don’t talk about releases that we currently have in stock here at Sorry State for my staff pick. Honestly, what I probably SHOULD write about is this new White Trash reissue. Great 80s hardcore from Colorado. And I’m quoted on the hype sticker! Pretty wild. I’m honored. But I feel as though I must be honest about what I’ve actually been listening to on repeat as of late.

My latest obsession was somewhat prompted by this guy Patrick the Pack Rat. Y’all know this guy? I’ve been enjoying his YouTube series where he interviews punks and rocker types about their record rooms. One of his videos reminded about this single by this band The Circles called “Opening Up”. I remember learning about this single many years ago and just loving it. I even looked around for a copy in different record shops when Public Acid went to England the first time. To no avail, I’m afraid.

The Circles released this single in 1979. The band was from England and part of that whole mod revival wave of the late 70s. Now, if you’ve been following Mr. Pack Rat, you might’ve seen his video where he gives a crash course in the genre of power pop. When he talks about The Circles, he jokingly talks about how a lot of the bands in the late 70s mod revival are basically just “well-dressed power pop.” I must admit, whether he was joking or not, I identify with this concept. The 60s mod movement in England had a whole different context with soul music and all that. But when I listen to “Opening Up,” my brain synapses just don’t connect to that place. For one thing, the song is not really bluesy. For all intents and purposes, I would lump this single into my “pop bangers” category along with other power pop stuff I gush over… even if the band does happen to be posed around a Vespa scooter on the cover photo of the single. Like geez, we GET IT, lads.

Power Pop really is a dicey term, isn’t it? But I think more than any other genre, it warrants addictive behavior. At least it does for me, anyway. I’d like to think we’re all fiending for that perfect 3-minute burst of alchemy. We want that saccharine sweet melody, baby. And with a lot of these bands that only released a couple singles in the late 70s, I imagine the rarity of the records only adds to the allure. I guess not unlike people are with KBD singles, it’s like junkie behavior. In some cases, you might be trying to track down a 7” single with just one great song on one side of the record. You just sit there and lift the needle to play the same song over and over and over. For a long time, I didn’t even know what the B-side on the flip of “Opening Up” was. I guess it’s a song called “Billy”… Any good? Maybe I’ll check it out one day. I’m liiiiitle preoccupied with the A-side at the moment.

“Opening Up” seriously is a such a banger. The song kicks in with that simple chord progression, then that little melancholic guitar melody comes in, the drums just pounding on the toms in a build up before the song kicks in. Pure bliss. The pulse of the song is super driving, even if it’s not the most aggressive sounding thing you’ve ever heard. The mood of the melody feels contemplative and nostalgic. Which is ironic, because the lyrics are talking about the youth of a “new generation.” But in a way, because the band is trying to encapsulate a vibe from an era that precedes them, it’s kinda looking forward while simultaneously evoking a feeling of reminiscent longing. Perhaps unintentional brilliance on their part? Haha.

Funny enough, the anthemic-ness of the lyrics and the little guitar lead has this particular sensibility, almost like a wimpier version of the melodic side of Oi! For example, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that The 4-Skins straight up ripped off “Opening Up” when they wrote “Chaos.” Personally, I lean more toward the intentional tunefulness of The Circles over that kinda stuff any day. But man, close to the end of the song when the band does these 1-2-3 punches on the chords with the kick drum pulsing underneath? “WAN-NAH-NAH – bup bup - WAN-NAH-NAH – bup bup”… and then the guitar hook comes back in? Be still, my beating heart. Then the coda with the singer just chanting on repeat: “I can feel the new sensation! I can see a new generation!” I’m bopping my head, just shouting along. It’s such a beautiful resolution. Perfection.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Some of you readers might be like, “oh yeah dude, that’s a classic.” But if you’re unfamiliar, do yourself a favor and jam this tune. Feels like a good song for Springtime. But hey, if you’ve made it this far, I’ll just put it out there that I’m dying to own an og copy of this 7”. Bang my line if you’re holding and you’d like to help me feel a new sensation for a new generation. No joke though, I’d be stoked to find one.

As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Have I now taken a couple weeks off doing my staff pick? Sorry about that. I haven’t given a personal update in a while. Not that any of y’all care. Or maybe you do. If not, forgive me while I shout into the void:

I’m feeling even more exhausted than usual. Yet somehow, also more motivated than usual as well. I think constantly being on the move with a sense of purpose is healthy for my brain chemistry. I’ve been in the process of moving stuff out of my apartment. And it’s funny, because as I’m sitting here writing about that I’m doing this, I don’t even think I’ve discussed it with Daniel at all haha. There’s just been a lot going on, so maybe it hasn’t come up naturally in conversation. My landlord has arbitrarily raised the rent at my place each year I renew my lease. And this time around, I really just can’t afford to live there anymore. So yeah, somewhat related to the whole situation with Daniel finally buying the store, FUCK landlords.

Anyway, I don’t mean to complain. I’ll basically be flying by the seat of my pants for a while. Which is kinda scary, but I’ll also be traveling a lot in the next few months, so it’s all gravy. But all this kinda ties into what I want to talk about for my staff pick. We’ve had quite a few local people who reached out to us to unload a big chunk of their record collections. Which got me thinking a lot. I remember within the last year or so, I would take a look at my records and have thoughts to myself like, “Man, I think I’ve reached a point where I just CAN’T get rid of any more of my records. I need ALL of these.” Haha. But lemme tell ya, as I was stuffing my LPs into boxes and lifting these things, I was like goddamn… I wish I had less records. They’re so damn heavy. And moving those things fucking SUCKS.

In one of the collections that Sorry State just acquired, the guy had a bunch of punk and hardcore stuff from 10 or 15 years ago. A lot of bands which I still own records by, but have not revisited in quite a long time. The other day when I was working the counter at the store, I decided to grab a big stack of these records and throw them on the turntable. For many of those records, as I was blasting them in the store, I just thought to myself, “Damn, this STILL rips!!” I was jamming Vaaska’s Ruido Hasta La Muerte, Omega’s Blasts of Lunacy, and not to mention modern classics like the Herätys LP. Listening to some of these late 00s/early 2010s Swedish punk records has got me feeling extra hyped about seeing Skitkids this summer. Yeah baby. All these records scratched that itch, and still got me raging in the same way they did over a decade ago. Not sure what that says about me. It’s probably just because they’re great records. That said, there are several hardcore LPs from that era that just really don’t hold up for me.

Funny enough, in not just one, but two of the used collections that Sorry State purchased recently, each dude had purged copies of both Total Control LPs. It’s weird timing, because Iron Lung has just reissued both of these records and sent a big ol’ stack of each to Sorry State. Probably to piggyback off the release of the Station Model Violence LP, which is good thinking. Henge Beat is great, but particularly Typical Systemwas a record I listened to death around the time it first came out. It’s one of those records I heavily associate with Sorry State first opening. The record came out midway through 2014, feeling like it was just months after the store first opened its doors, and it functioned almost like my soundtrack for that period of time in my life.

In some ways, even more-so than raging hardcore records, records that are more pop-oriented can either age really well or really poorly. Listening to Typical System again now, all the songs feel fresh to me again. More ethereal, contemplative synthwave soundscapes are accompanied by huge, energetic melodic hooks. The record makes me feel nostalgic to some degree, but (do I dare to say?) it also feels pretty timeless. I’m really enjoying the Station Model Violence record, especially because I love how guitar-forward it is. The jangliness is ever-present. But there’s something uniquely non-rock’n’roll and atmospheric about Typical System that I really enjoy. Granted, I know that Total Control and SMV are not the same band. I’m just making a point of comparison here. There’s a lot of peaks and valleys on Typical System, but I’m walking around downtown Raleigh on this gloomy afternoon with the last track “Safety Net” stuck in my head. I’m sorta feeling like I need one of those at the moment. But it’s all goose, as a dear friend of mine would say.

Anyway, not the most in-depth analysis I’ve ever written, but maybe this will be at least somewhat interesting to some of you readers. Those Total Control records are available from Sorry State on our webstore as we speak. So, if at some point you were like the local folks I mentioned and decided to purge those records from your collection, and now regret it, today’s your chance to get reacquainted. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Another week passes by like a warm breeze on an April afternoon. Or something like that? Gotta say, after Daniel’s announcement about Sorry State’s financial situation last week, the amount of support we received was amazing and more overwhelming than we expected. Pretty crazy, very heartwarming. Hope you all know how much gratitude we all feel for everyone showing their support, whether you were among the flood of in-store customers we had over the weekend, or you made a generous order online. There hasn’t been a dull moment in the last week haha. We’ve been scrambling and moving non-stop to pull records to get your orders together. Thanks for bearing with us!

Sorry, not sorry, but here’s one more mention about the show in Raleigh on April 8th. International hardcore! Indikator B all the way from Croatia! On tour with Totalna Tama from Oakland. Locals Plastique Pigs and Sunyata. By the time this newsletter comes out maybe the show will already be happening. Or maybe the show will already be over, and I’ll be blasting records with the Indikator B dudes at my house.

Speaking of blasting records, for my staff pick this week I’m gonna talk about the Proces / Stengte Dører split 7”. I love 80s Norwegian hardcore. Still, many of the releases on the excellent X-Port Plater label continue to evade me. I’ve got the Bannlyst 7”, but I still need a first press Svart Framtid, the one with the square-shaped center hole punchout. I don’t have any money… but hit me up if you’re holding! I’ll find a way. Haha. Anyway, small tangent there. No Plan Records has done the good work of repressing the Proces / Stengte Dører split, which has never previously been reissued (except for on a boot compilation LP, but that’s beside the point). Finally, I can jam this rager and convince myself I don’t need an og! …Even though I know I still do.

This split EP was an interesting release for X-Port Plater, because while Stengte Dører is Norwegian, Proces was a band from northern Serbia, which at the time of this release was former socialist Yugoslavia. Subotica, the city where Proces is from, is about 4-5 hours east of Zagreb where Indikator B is from (I just had to look it up haha). I don’t know if I have my facts totally straight, but I read somewhere that Proces and Stengte Dører formed a relationship somehow. I assume just by writing letters back and forth. I think Stengte Dører invited Proces to come to Norway to play gigs in 1985, but a member of Proces was denied the ability to leave the country. Crazy to think about. I think Proces might be one of the first Yugo-punk bands to release recorded material, right behind UBR from Slovenia. The Proces side of this EP is really cool. Kinda umpa-umpa 1-2-1-2 drumming style with super scratchy, noisy guitar, with the bass really carrying the melodic structure of the riffs. Good, kinda dark and menacing sounding hardcore. Almost still has a hint of dark post-punk, with chorus on the bass and delay on the vocals. My favorite track by them is probably the last song, “Beirut 83,” which starts with a haunting clip of a woman singing, but then launches into a rager. Ends with bleak sound clips of planes flying and gunfire.

Now, as much as I like the Proces side, Stengte Dører is just absolutely crushing. These 4 songs are maybe some of my favorite 80s Scandinavian hardcore material. The way the intro of the first track “Det Angår Også Deg” begins with that ominous pulsing kick drum, that fast palm muted chugga-chugga guitars before it hits those “WOMP WOMP WOMP” stabbed cymbal clutches, then just diving into barreling fucking raging hardcore. I love the deeper, desperate, raspy style vocals, which have some anthemic call-and-reponse and gang vocal moments. I’d be singing along if I knew any Norwegian. There’s a lot of cool, in-the-pocket rhythmic stuff going on with the drumming, stops and starts, unexpected punches… Super cool. Kinda wonky, jagged, and chaotic, yet groovy and smoothly executed at the same time. The second track, “Generalens Fremmarsj,” might be my favorite. It’s so raging FAST. Then the third track “På Ferie I Libanon” slows the tempo down a bit, and has some dissonant melody in the riff that reminds a lot of the weirdo riffing much like their contemporaries Barn Av Regnbuen, also on X-Port Plater. The last track, “Pålen,” brings the aggression back, one more killer rager to end the record. Stengte Dører released a couple LPs in the late 80s. They have some cool moments on them, even if musically they get a little whacky. Still, none of that material matches the magic of their 4 songs on this split EP.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got. Maybe even less eloquent than usual this time. Would I ever describe my writing in such terms anyway? I dunno, dude. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff