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Commerce or Amusement?

Regular Columns / Commerce or Amusement? • January 26, 2026

Howdy out there! Welcome to the introduction for a new interview series I’ll be helming. Thanks to SPB for having me. My interviews are going to revolve around “music biz” kinds of things. Before I keep going, I need to tell you something…I am not actually in the music business. However, I am involved in music. As a musician, label owner, producer, engineer etc…I never approached any of those monikers from a business standpoint. I’m a fan above all else and the rest has occurred as a direct result of that. As such, the interviewees will all be drawn from various corners of the music world. It’s important to realize that there are financial implications in various fields of music, but that will unfold over the course of the interviews I conduct. For anyone doing a band, label, blog, etc., I’d like you, the reader, to ask yourself: “Am I in the music business, or just involved in music?” If you’re reading this as a music fan, the question for you changes slightly: “Do I support the music business, or just support music?” These are not trick questions and there are no wrong answers. It’s not the '90s anymore, where if you’re in a punk band and admit you’d rather make money than lose money you’ll be ostracized. If you’re a fan that wants to work at a record label or manage a band, you won’t get any sideways glances by people who are suspicious of your motives. What this … Read more

The Rousers

Interviews • January 26, 2026

A dripping handful of Brylcreem and a well-used black comb situated in the pack pocket of the rolled up Levis, … Read more

Demos You Want To Check #2

Music / New Kids On The Block • January 12, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and then die … Read more

Scene Point Blank's Favorites: Year End (2025)

Music / Year End 2025 • December 23, 2025

Every year we diligently assemble a list of our favorite albums of the year. Each SPB staff member enters the … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

Carnivorous Flower

Carnivorous Flower
Dead Broke Rekerds (2025)

There's a time to be cerebral and there's a time to tell it like it is. Carnivorous Flower lives by the latter. Their debut has 10 songs: 18 minutes in total. Each of the songs is catchy as heck and you can pretty much singalong on your first listen. It's "simple" punk with peppy energy and a lot of heart. … Read more

SUB/SHOP

Democatessen
Independent (2025)

Richmond, VA has always had a way of bending punk into something sharper and stranger, and Sub/Shop feels like a direct product of that tradition. Their EP democatessen isn’t a debut in the wide-eyed sense but a statement from musicians who’ve already spent years inside heavy, confrontational music and are now choosing precision over spectacle. Across six tracks, Sub/Shop delivers … Read more

Guerilla Teens

I Cyclops / Pride of the Savanna-7"
Heavy Medication Records (2024)

200 Words Or Less

One-eyed wind-up dancing eyeballs boppin' and weavin' with Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Jeff Fieldhouse from the one and only and never replicated the almighty "The Humpers". I was lucky to see them back in the 90's in Toronto at a hot, sweaty club in the dead of summer, back when there was a blue hue of cigarette smoke, a faint … Read more

Joyce Manor

I Used To Go To This Bar
Epitaph (2026)

Surely by now, you’ve heard their name. Joyce Manor have been writing soundtracks for heartbreaks and hangovers for nearly two decades now. They create short songs with their hearts on their sleeves, while sticking to that distinct Southern California mix of self-deprecation and sincerity. From the lo-fi charm of their 2011 debut to Never Hungover Again’s cult-classic status and the … Read more

Additional album reviews

La Luz

Extra! Extra!
Sub Pop (2026)

Formed in 2012, La Luz built their reputation on hypnotic surf-noir, eerie harmonies, and a uniquely supernatural warmth that made them one of Sub Pop’s most consistently compelling bands. Their … Read more

Dead Boys

Night Of The Living Dead Dolls
Cleopatra (2025)

Dead Boys, or should I say Dead Dolls (no, not those creepy little Dolls that were mass produced for wannabe Wednesdays). Johnny Blitz had just been stabbed on the streets … Read more

Crystal Lake

The Weight Of Sound
Century Media (2025)

Formed in Tokyo in 2002, Crystal Lake have spent more than two decades shaping their own high-velocity hybrid of metalcore, hardcore, and atmospheric chaos. Few bands of their era survived … Read more

Tired Radio

Hope In The Haze
Red Scare Industries (2025)

I knew of Tired Radio, but I didn't really know the band's work. When Red Scare announced they'd signed the band, I figured it was a good excuse to dive … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Resinators

Recorded In 2005 By Jay Reatard
Independent (2024)

Interesting little slab we got sent to SPB by a Mr. Ed Young. Two originals and a cover, recorded in Jay Reatard’s living room back in 2005 as the title … Read more

Various Artists

Bombs Away!
Rad Girlfriend Records (2025)

Split records have always worked best when they feel intentional rather than convenient, and Bombs Away! lands firmly in the former category. Bringing together East Bay veterans Tsunami Bomb and … Read more

Floating Boy

Perfect Place
Independent (2026)

Sarasota, Florida’s Floating Boy have been grinding for seven years, quietly shaping themselves into a band that lives and breathes the ethics of Fugazi (if you couldn’t tell by their … Read more

The Brokedowns

Let's Tips The Landlord
Red Scare Industries (2025)

I've reviewed a lot of Brokedowns records over the years. First, I'll say I love the band and I honestly feel like they keep getting better. Second, I'll say that … Read more

News headlines — browse all

Spoon The Beths

Posted in Tours on February 1, 2026

Spoon and The Beths will embark on a short co-headlining tour this summer, mostly hitting the US East Coast and eastern Midwest. Sppon released two new songs last August ("Chateau Blues” and “Guess I’m Fallin In Love”). Meanwhile The Beths released Straight Line Was A Lie. Read more SPOON ON … Read more

Hedge after Better Days

Posted in Records on February 1, 2026

Western Massachusetts trio Hedge is back, announce the release of a new 6-song EP called Freeze Frame High Five, out on Feb. 27 via Best Brother Records. The band released … Read more

Squirtgun fires a new single

Posted in Records on February 1, 2026

Squirtgun is back, announcing a two-song 12: single on Pirates Press, out next month. Featuring "Sunflowers" and "I'm The Ghost," the record is titled Ghostly Sunflowers, out Feb. 20. It … Read more

Held. and Grey

Posted in Records on February 1, 2026

Held. is a new band featuring Douglas Robinson (vocals/guitar), Sal Mignano (bass), and Josh Eppard (drums) -- also members of The Sleeping and Coheed and Cambria. To add another name … Read more

NOFX takes on "Minnesota Nazis"

Posted in Bands on January 31, 2026

As NOFX unveils their triple album of unreleased material, the band just shared the track "Minnesota Nazis," a slightly revised take on an unreleased song that they gave a 2026 … Read more

Part II of The Mon's Embrace The Abandon

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

The Mon has formally announced Songs of Embrace, the second part of the "Embrace the Abandon" project, following Songs of Abandon, which released last year. The new Songs of Embrace … Read more

A 6 LP Half-Life

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

Ipecac Recordings has partnered with Valve for a 6xLP vinyl release of the 72-track Half-Life: Alyx soundtrack, out on April 24 (also on 4xCD). The collection initially released in 2020-2022, … Read more

More news — browse all

3 days of Milwaukee Metal

Posted in Shows on January 31, 2026

Founded in 1987, Milwaukee Metal Festival continues in 2026. Taking … Read more

Moo with King Tuff in 2026

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

Roughly 3 years after the release of Smalltown Stardust, King … Read more

Hey Mercedes reissues and Japan

Posted in Bands on January 31, 2026

Emo band Hey Mercedes has announced a 2026 tour in … Read more

Jacob The Horse announces At Least It's Almost Over

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

Indie-punk / folk-punk band Jacob the Horse (of Los Angeles, … Read more

A DRAÜMAR album

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

February 27 is the release date for a self-titled debut … Read more

Crouch with The Catatonic State

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

Belgium's Crouch just shared "Lhotse" from their upcoming Breaking The … Read more

Grave Heist and the Fate Of The World (EP)

Posted in Records on January 31, 2026

Hudson Valley, NY hardcore band Grave Heist just shared a … Read more

Middle-Aged Queers cover Mazzy Star

Posted in Bands on January 30, 2026

Middle-Aged Queers just shared a new single, punked up cover … Read more

PowerPlay joined by Andrew Neufeld

Posted in Bands on January 29, 2026

PowerPlay shared a new song yesterday, "Liberosis," featuring Andrew Neufeld … Read more

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean announces new album

Posted in Records on January 29, 2026

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean has just announced … Read more