Sorry state newsletter: July 16, 2025
This week we have two new releases on Sorry State up for pre-order: new LPs from Illiterates and Knowso. We also have a blistering Record of the Week from Philly’s the Berserk, a reissue from 90s Japanese crusties Frigöra on General Speech, and a slew more.
two new releases on Sorry State up for pre-order
Illiterates: No Experts 12" (Sorry State Records) The “dumbest band in hardcore” returns with twelve more rampaging tracks. While Illiterates’ last record, 2023’s No Experts, trimmed their compositions to the bone, Does Not Compute widens the scope just a hair, making room for anthemic mid-paced parts (see “Remember When” and the epic title track), blazing Straight Ahead-esque crossover rippage (“Sustainability”), and even a touch of trad youth crew (the Can’t Close My Eyes influences were all over No Experts, but “No One Wants To” is pure Revelation Records circa 1988). Illiterates have also added a new guitarist since the last record, which they’re so excited about they wrote a song about it (“Hig Champion”), though they tastefully limit themselves to just a few eruptions of fret-melting lead licks. And while Illiterates insist they’re dumb, their lyrics are full of wisdom you don’t get at the library, like the anti-pretension anthem “Read the Room” (my favorite lyric: “one thing school didn’t teach you is how to read the fucking room”). Hair-splitting aside, Does Not Compute is another great hardcore record from one of the best bands in the game right now.
Knowso: Hypnotic Smack 12" (Sorry State Records) Hypnotic Smack is the new album from Knowso, the Cleveland punk duo featuring Nathan Ward (Cruelster, Perverts Again, the Carp) and Jayson Gerycz (Cloud Nothings). If you’ve heard Knowso’s music, you know they’re spiritual children of Devo, both in their proclivity toward dense and nervy rhythmic experimentation and in the way their lyrics turn a cracked, distorted mirror at the world and its many absurdities. Like the Fall’s best records, Hypnotic Smack attacks the body and the brain simultaneously, your hips jerking uncontrollably to the robotic pulse of “You Climb the Sphynx” and “Club Music is the Soundtrack” while your brain chews the koan-like cud of lyrical nuggets such as “every boss in America is a real estate agent.” Ward’s cryptic lyrics reflect the psychedelic labyrinth of horrors that is your daily doomscroll, but it’s OK… we can still dance the night away to “Panopticon,” the goth club dance anthem no one predicted Knowso would write. The world is full of punk bands that are great at pummeling you, but Hypnotic Smack is the rare punk record that beguiles and entrances.
Recommended Reissues
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Frigöra: Fullständig Frigörelse 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech Records
- Regular price
- $22.00
- Sale price
- $22.00
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Frigöra: Liberation t-shirt (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
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Frigöra: Plague Bearer t-shirt (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
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Frigöra: Var För... t-shirt (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
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Death Side: The Will Never Die 2x12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- La Vida Es Un Mus
- Regular price
- Sold out
- Sale price
- $38.00
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Big Boys: Fun Fun Fun/ Frat Cars 12"
- Vendor
- Strange Club Records
- Regular price
- $22.00
- Sale price
- $22.00
New and Recommended Punk & Hardcore Ragers!
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Primitive Impulse: Piss It Away 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- Feel It Records
- Regular price
- $20.00
- Sale price
- $20.00
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Split System / Les Lullies: Split 7"
- Vendor
- Drunken Sailor Records
- Regular price
- $10.00
- Sale price
- $10.00
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Body Maintenance: Far From Here 12"
- Vendor
- Drunken Sailor Records
- Regular price
- $22.00
- Sale price
- $22.00
recently restocked
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Contrast Attitude: Discharge Your Noise 12"
- Vendor
- Desolate Records
- Regular price
- $22.00
- Sale price
- $22.00
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Barn Av Regnbuen: Folk Uten Framtid 12"
- Vendor
- Cradle to Grave Records
- Regular price
- $20.00
- Sale price
- $20.00
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Siste Dagers Helvete: Helvete Er Los
- Vendor
- Cradle to Grave Records
- Regular price
- $20.00
- Sale price
- $20.00
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Mopar Stars: Shoot the Moon / Burning Question 12"
- Vendor
- Stupid Bag Records
- Regular price
- $20.00
- Sale price
- $20.00
more of this month's best sellers
Recommended books, zines, and other reads
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Sensory Overload - Issue #1 Spring 2025 + cassette
- Vendor
- zines
- Regular price
- $14.00
- Sale price
- $14.00
New punk and hardcore up for preorder
new on la vida es un mus
new arrivals
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Primitive Impulse: Piss It Away 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- Feel It Records
- Regular price
- $20.00
- Sale price
- $20.00
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Knowso: Hypnotic Smack 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- Sorry State Records
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
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Illiterates: Does Not Compute 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- Sorry State Records
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
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Lord Huron: The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 12"
- Vendor
- Mercury Records
- Regular price
- $50.00
- Sale price
- $50.00
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Frigöra: Fullständig Frigörelse 12" (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech Records
- Regular price
- $22.00
- Sale price
- $22.00
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Frigöra: Plague Bearer t-shirt (PRE-ORDER)
- Vendor
- General Speech
- Regular price
- $18.00
- Sale price
- $18.00
latest used items
new on sorry state
new batch of markdowns!
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Sistema En Decadencia: Nuestro Legado 12"
- Vendor
- Hardcore Victim Records
- Regular price
- $28.00
- Sale price
- $15.00
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Heavy Metal: V - Live At The Gas Station 12"
- Vendor
- Total Punk Records
- Regular price
- $17.00
- Sale price
- $12.00
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Rolex: Live In Orange County 6/30/19 cassette
- Vendor
- No Solution
- Regular price
- $6.00
- Sale price
- $3.00
Who We Are and What We Do
Sorry State Records has the best selection of DIY punk and hardcore vinyl in the world, with well over 2,500 unique titles currently in stock. We're a great music discovery tool, with blogs and other features to help you discover great new music you'll love. We have the fastest, most professional mail order service in punk, with most orders shipping within 24 hours. We're also a great brick-and-mortar record shop based in Raleigh, NC, specializing in collectible and hard to find titles in all genres.