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Noise Real Records

Interviews • February 9, 2026

Noise Real Records recently released Noise Pollution Volume 1, a limited run 7" that features two new versions of "The Recluse" by Cursive. The new series will continue this revision theme as we move forward. Founded in 2021 by two long-time friends from California's Central Valley, the label is focused on quality over quantity: curating a catalog that's focused on artistic development that will leave a lasting impression. SPB was curious about the new "Noise Pollution" concept, so we asked the label a few more questions about where it is headed in 2026. Scene Point Blank: Will all Noise Pollution series releases follow this "new versions" theme, or is that to be explored further on? Will you stick to the 7" format? Justin Martin: Yeah, The Noise Pollution Series will follow this same theme. We really like the idea of bands coming in and mangling their own songs however they see fit, getting another creative bite of the apple with older material. All of the releases in this series will be 7”s because it just felt like the right amount of music for this concept. Once the dust settles on the whole series, we’ve also tossed around the idea of putting together a small box set. Scene Point Blank: Do you have any kind of schedule or timeline with the series (noting the unpredictability of the vinyl market, of course), or will releases follow any pattern? Kevin Clark: There’s no hard timeline for the series. Vinyl pressing can be unpredictable, … Read more

Verböten

Interviews • February 9, 2026

ver·bo·ten adjective forbidden, especially by an authority. Verböten was formed in 1982 by a bunch of kids aged 10 to … Read more

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 … 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

Latest album reviews — browse all

Citric Dummies

Split With Turnstile
Feel It Records (2025)

Citric Dummies might be the band I saw live the most often in 2025, yet I put off a thorough review of their latest LP until the calendar turned to 2026. Anyway, Split With Turnstile, besides having a great title, continues the band's garage-punk sound that draws from a deep array of influences from eggpunk to '80s hardcore while mostly … Read more

Pageant Mum

Finis Amoris Est
Red Tape Music (2026)

Breakup records usually announce themselves with a band. There is betrayal, shouting, and doors slamming shut. Finis Amoris Est, the new EP from UK post-hardcore outfit Pageant Mum, takes a different route. It’s a record about what happens after the blowup, when the noise dies down and you’re left alone with the quieter, harder questions. Across these four tracks, the … Read more

Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders

After The Dolls
Heavy Medication Records (2026)

Pat Todd is a roots rock and roll incarnate — a relentless road dog, grinding it out night after night with his hot-as-buckshot band, The Rankoutsiders. His shows are raw, electric, and lived-in, a testament to decades on the road. With a career spanning over forty years, Todd has earned a reputation as one of the hardest-working men in the … Read more

Dewey

Summer On A Curb
Howlin’ Banana Records (2026)

If you like your pop melodies wrapped in fuzz, your shoegaze grounded in real songwriting, and your records best experienced front-to-back on a quiet night, Dewey’s debut is absolutely worth your time. There’s something disarmingly unpretentious about Summer On A Curb. Dewey don’t arrive with a manifesto, a scene-policing attitude, or a sense of calculated cool. Instead, this Parisian quartet … Read more

Additional album reviews

Place Position

Went Silent
Blind Rage Records, Bunker Park, Poptek, Sweet Cheetah (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that makes sense immediately once you see them live. Place Position is one of those bands. Before Went Silent ever landed on my speakers, … Read more

Twenty One Children

After The Storm EP
Slovenly (2025)

Hailing and wailing from Soweto, South Africa, rising from the ashes After The Storm comes pounding like a fierce berg wind. Don’t let this trigger your ancraophobia; they are only … Read more

Awful Din

Anti Body
We’re Trying Records (2026)

There’s a certain honesty that only comes from bands who’ve spent years playing to half-filled rooms, basements with bad wiring, and bars where the PA is optional. ANTI BODY, the … Read more

Mariachi El Bronx

IV
ATO (2026)

As I review Mariachi El Bronx's latest album, IV I'm not going to pretend I'm well-versed in the deep cultural tradition that inspired The Bronx to adopt this project well … Read more

Hoaxed

Death Knocks
Relapse (2026)

There’s a fine line between dark rock that feels theatrical and dark rock that feels transportive. On Death Knocks, Hoaxed land firmly in the latter. This is an album that … Read more

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 … 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 … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Guerrilla Teens

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

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 … Read more

News headlines — browse all

Scene Point Blank Podcast: Season 4, Episode 3

Posted in Site News on February 13, 2026

It's true, we have a new episode of The Scene Point Blank Podcast, out now. This time around we feature DFMK, Drakulas, Billy Liar and more. Listen to the episode here or via your preferred podcasting apps. Read more Subscribe on iTunes. Read more

SPB featured stream: Clockface - s/t

Posted in Records on February 9, 2026

We're back with our first featured stream of 2026, a new 7-song 7" from Clockface out now on Dropping Bombs. Based out of Detroit and Chicago, think "90s Victory Records … Read more

Iron Mind time

Posted in Tours on February 15, 2026

Australia hardcore band Iron Mind, just wrapping up a handful of dates this week, also shared a new video for "Intro / More Pain". The Melbourne-based band of nearly two … Read more

A Brutal Panda and a Foreign Body

Posted in Labels on February 15, 2026

Noisy punk band Foreign BOdy, out of Brooklyn, NY, has joined Brutal Panda Records for their upcoming second album. Specifics are still unannounced, but the band shared the single “Strung … Read more

Barren Womb in the UK

Posted in Tours on February 15, 2026

Norway noise-rock band Barren Womb has announced a UK tour, beginning in late March. A band for 15 years, the 11-date tour marks their first visit to the UK. Read … Read more

That’s What I Call Heartbreak Volume VIII: THIRSTY

Posted in Records on February 15, 2026

Now That's What I Call Heartbreak is back for 2026. This year the DIY compilation features 39 tracks including Little Low, MK Naomi, Box Elder, Unseemlier, and many more. “Every … Read more

Sugar Horse rides in

Posted in Records on February 14, 2026

Sugar Horse has announced Not A Sound In Heaven, the third album from the Bristol-based expermental band. The new record comes via Fat Dracula Records on April 10, leading with … Read more

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