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Unseemlier

Interviews • April 24, 2026

It was about a year ago I discovered Unseemlier, shortly before the release of I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere. It's a wordy title and a somewhat unwieldy band name -- and I’ll use that “a lot going on in a little space” metaphor even further to talk about the band's "heavy emo / soft punk" sound. It's singsong at times, riff heavy at others. It's contemplative music in a scene that is often best known for its aggression. It's an outlier but, yet, it just fits. It just makes sense. We caught up with singer/guitarist Mike to talk about how all the pieces fit together. They just announced a repress of I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere (Sell The Heart/Little Rocket) and will be playing at Pouzza Fest and Midwest Friends Fest in May. Scene Point Blank: I know how I've described your sound in a couple of writeups, but you really walk the line between a lot of subsets of the punk scene. Where do you think Unseemlier fits -- how do you describe your sound? Mike: I have a hard time with this, but I always have with any band I’ve ever been in. It’s always a funny interaction trying to describe it to a co-worker or someone not in the “punk world.” I called us “Heavy Emo/Soft Punk" and it kinda became the description. What I meant by it was: it’s emo with heavier subject matter lyrically and more palm muting/chugging on guitar... orrr it's less … Read more

Guest List: War On Women

Music / The Set List • April 24, 2026

It feels like a lifetime ago when Mitt Romney referenced a "war on women" during the 2012 presidential cycle. A … Read more

The Arrivals

Interviews • April 12, 2026

The Arrivals have been a band for 30 years -- though they’ve made us wait 16 years for the follow-up … Read more

The Gits

Interviews • April 11, 2026

Almost three decades after their original run, The Gits remain a vital part of Seattle’s punk rock history. Their raw … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

The S.E.T.

Self Evident Truth
Flatspot Records (2026)

Hardcore doesn’t need reinventing; just needs conviction. On Self Evident Truth, Baltimore’s The S.E.T. come out swinging with a debut EP that’s built on exactly that. It’s got groove, urgency, and a clear sense of purpose. Clocking in at around fifteen minutes, the EP wastes no time establishing its identity. From the opening moments of “This Chain,” it’s all forward … Read more

Dashed

Self Titled
Independent (2026)

When a band describes themselves as surf punk, it usually conjures a certain image. Reverb drenched guitars, sunburnt melodies, maybe even a sense of looseness that leans more carefree than chaotic. Dashed doesn’t really fit that mold. On their self-titled LP, they take those familiar elements and run them through something colder, sharper, and far less predictable. Across eleven tracks, … Read more

The Sleeveens

National Anthem
Goner (2026)

National Anthem is the second album from The Sleeveens, a Nashville, TN band fronted by an Irishman. The band play that perfect mix of protopunk and classic rock 'n' roll that's built on a verse/chorus/verse structure and melody without any frills. It's leather jacket music for the common folk. The debut grabbed me by my collar and spun me around … Read more

The Flyboys

Complete Flyboys 1979-1980
Frontiers Records (2026)

The archival hunt for the "missing links" of first-wave California punk usually leads through a trail of grainy handbill Xeroxes and tape traders' overdubbed copies. But with The Flyboys, the story has always been a bit more elegant—and a lot more colourful. Long before they were swept into the gravity of the Hollywood scene, frontman John Curry was already performing … Read more

Additional album reviews

Ultrabomb

The Bridges That We Burn
DC-Jam Records, Virgin (2026)

Ultrabomb just detonated. The Bridges That We Burn isn't some polite "heritage act" victory lap. It smells like a hand-rolled cigarette lit with a blowtorch in a damp Minneapolis alleyway. … Read more

Sweat

Tear it on Down
Vitriol (2026)

Tear It On Down is the third record from Sweat and it picks up where the last two left off. It's aggressive hardcore punk, but with a playful groove or … Read more

Latchkey Kids

Years Of Summers
Pathetic Pinky Party (2026)

Growing up is rarely cinematic in real time but when you look back, it can feel mythic. On Year Of Summers, New Jersey’s Latchkey Kids frame heartbreak, identity, and grief … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Mental Gymnast

Mental Gymnast
Say-10 (2026)

Recipe: Mental Gymnast Self-Titled Creator: Mental Gymnast Cookbook: Say-10 Recipes Copyright: 2/27/26 Ingredients: 1 Very Ripe Adam Gecking on Vocals 1 Stick Unsalted Erica Clayton on Bass 2 Slices Scotty … Read more

The Crosses

Outlier
Rushmor Records, Spectragram Records, Triple Eye Industries (2026)

There’s always a risk when a band forms out of legacy. Especially one tied to something as influential as Die Kreuzen. Lean too hard on the past and it becomes … Read more

Sealer

Sealer
The Ghost Is Clear Records (2026)

Some bands aim for controlled chaos. Sealer sound like they’re actively trying to lose control and then figuring out how to weaponize that moment right before everything collapses. Their self-titled … Read more

Palette Knife

Keyframe
Take This To Heart Records (2026)

There’s a fine line between being a quirky emo band with scene references and something that actually sticks. On Keyframe, Columbus trio Palette Knife don’t just flirt with that line … Read more

The Downstrokes

The Furious Hours
Independent (2026)

There is a specific kind of sultry, salty sweat that only happens in a room with low ceilings and a tube amp screaming a warm hum for forgiveness. You can … Read more

News headlines — browse all

SPB featured stream: Cut-Rate Druggist - Blistering

Posted in Records on April 1, 2026

We're pleased to bring you a full stream of Blistering, a new full-length album from Cut-Rate Druggist of Oakland, CA. Out on April 7, this is your spot to hear it early and often, courtesy of the band, DCxPC Records, and Scene Point Blank. Rules are made to be broken, … Read more

Find a new Orphan Donor

Posted in Records on April 25, 2026

Pennsylvania's Orphan Donor has a new EP coming on Mayy 11. The new EP is titled Ailments and comes via Zegema Beach Records. Orphan Donor began as a project from … Read more

Oddfellows (Mark Ryan) return

Posted in Records on April 25, 2026

Formed in 1994, Oddfellows -- featuring Chris Pulliam, Mark Ryan, and Mike Throneberry -- just returned after a short initial run and a 30+ year break. The band returns with … Read more

30 Years after Cock Rock (Diesel Boy)

Posted in Tours on April 24, 2026

Diesel Boy, who returned in the 2020s with the release of Gets Old (2023). has announced a 30th anniversary celebration of their debut album, Cock Rock, first released in 1996. … Read more

Thrownness Part II

Posted in Records on April 24, 2026

From Lisbon, Thrownness has an upcoming EP, Marrow Part II: A Fire Through The Ether, releasing on Taging Planet. The asmospheric sludge band shared “Coil Wielder” from the EP earlier … Read more

The definitive D.O.A.?

Posted in Records on April 24, 2026

Long-running Canadian punk band D.O.A. just announced a career-spanning compilation called Take on the Tyrants -- a fitting name when they started as well as today. The band has 18 … Read more

Newly Anxious and Angry

Posted in Labels on April 24, 2026

The latest update from label and merch company Anxious and Angry announced a new label signee: Mermaid Island. The Los Angeles, CA band formed in 2022 and their self-titled debut … Read more

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