Based in Chicago, Downside Salesman consists of Alissa Wolff on drums, Joey Schuringa (of Pretty Pleased) on bass and backing vocals and Bobby Lane (of The Big Leagues) on guitar and vocals. Listening to this band’s music, I’m reminded of the sort of hard-hitting punk that drew me in back in the early 2000s. While there’s an in-your-face quality for sure, it was the overall emotional impact as well as the nice melodies and harmonies that really struck me.

The band’s upcoming Wastehaven EP contains three tracks, the video for the first of which, “Diagnosis Negative,” is premiering below. Marked by a combination of sometimes claustrophobic visuals and intense sound, this video comes across as a quintessential COVID-era music video. At various points, the band is seen playing in what seem to be basements, garages, and the cramped confines of an attic, a space which doesn’t even appear to allow the players to stand upright.  The copious amounts of PBR may also be reflective of 2020.  I can't argue.

Formed in Oakland, California in 2015 and now generally based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, rock group Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends features players known for their work in bands like Replicator, MELVINS, Trophy Wives and Coliseum to name a few. Over the years, they’ve produced several releases, including a full-length focusing on the Hannibal Lecter mythology.

For their upcoming release, they’ve put together a work dealing with concepts relevant to our current situation on Earth 2020. Tracks on Dark Passenger tackle subjects like bipolar complex, impostor syndrome, suicidal ideation, anhedonia, and general manic depression.

Boris and Merzbow have collaborated on a new record to release Dec. 11, 2020. Titled 2R0I2P0 by Boris with Merzbow, the record contains 10 tracks that merge the pummeling core of Boris' notable catalog with the harsh soundscape tones mastered by Merzbow.

2R0I2P0, the artists explain, means "Twenty Twenty R.I.P.," with Boris adding the statement:

This year was a period of trial for everyone in the world...This work becomes a monument to the requiem of the previous era. From here, a new world begins again.

Check out "Away From You" below. Relapse Records is handling the release.

Asian Man Records has shared news that San Jose, CA's The Moore Family Band will release a new record with the label. The new record is the group's frist and it was recorded entirely in quarantine. Featuring two members of Get Married, the record is to be titled Missy and should release by the end of 2020.

Check out "Falling" below. The name is a nod to the band's membership: three siblings who "[were] raised on Weezer and Alkaline Trio." Their debut also features guest appearances from the likes of Dan Potthast and Jeff Rosenstock.

In case you were wondering, "Missy" isn't just the name of their debut, but also the name of the Moore family dog.

Having just released Años en Infierno this year, Xibalba's Hasta La Muerte will soon see an 8th anniversary rerelease on vinyl.

The reissue comes in two different formes, a limited edition Muerte edition (200 copies) and a Metnal Knives edition (100 copies), both courtesy of Knives Out Records.

Hit the jump for the reissue specifics.

With live shows still pretty much non-existant, festivals and musicians are finding alternatives. T1 Fest, which raises awareness to help the fight against type 1 diabetes, has announced a free livestream event on Oct. 24 featuring Dan Vapid (Dan Vapid & The Cheats, The Methadones), Jen Pop and Poli Van Dam (The Bombpops), The Radio Buzzkills, Death and Memphis, The Usuals, Capgun Heroes, Haley and the Crushers, The Lettermans, and a special unannounced guest.

Fans can learn more about the livestream here, or T1 Fest here.

Celebrating 50 years since its original release, The Kinks' album Lola Versus Powerman and The Moneygoround Part One is being reissued in different packages on Dec. 18, courtesy of BMG.

A satirical concept album about the music industry in 1970, the new release will be sold in Deluxe Box Set, 1LP, Deluxe 2CD, 1CD and digital formats. 

To mark the release, the band is sharing a new Ray Davies remix/medley of "Any Time" that is titled as "The Follower - Any Time 2020 Feat: Anytime by The Kinks"). "Any Time" originally was a B-side on the "Apeman" single.

After forming in the early 1990s for one record -- To Spite the Hand That Bleeds (Earache, 1993), Blood From the Soul is back with its second album and a revitalized lineup. Originally formed by Shane Embury (Napalm Death) and Lou Koller (Sick Of It All), the project fused industrial, metal, hardcore, and punk. 

Now, pushing 30 years later, Embury has revived the project with a lineup of Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, Soilwork, Aborted, Tronos), Jacob Bannon (Converge, Wear Your Wounds, Umbra Vitae), and Jesper Liveröd (Nasum, Burst) for sophomore record DSM-5, a concept piece about consciousness and more, written from the perspectives of both humans and sentient machines.

The album releases Nov. 13 on digital platforms with Deathwish Inc. promising physical copies to come. Watch/listen to "Debris of Dreams" below.

Blind Adam and The Federal League have shared a video to the song "An Act of Desperation," from their upcoming record of the same name -- due for release on A-F Records in early 2021.

The band recorded the album last October with Chris #2 Barker of Anti-Flag, and despite the pandemic, has been active in livestreaming throughotu 2020.

Featuring cormer members of The Night Brigade, Badwater Sound, and Still Alive, the new video (below) is desscibed by guitarist and vocalist Adam Gogola as follows:

When the news came out about Oscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his nearly 2-year-old daughter, Valeria, were found washed up on the banks of the Rio Grande in an attempt to make it into the United States to seek asylum, I was immediately heartbroken and angry. “An Act of Desperation” was one of those songs that kind of wrote itself - it’s the final track and namesake of our upcoming album. Unfortunately, the label has been in a holding pattern for months with the uncertainty of the pandemic, but we thought it was important to get this song out before the election. Our song might not make a difference, but I’d like to think some might find solace in it, and who knows - maybe it will touch a nerve with a few white suburban Trump supporters that like to think of themselves as 'good people.' This song is extremely on the nose which is intentional, I hope some Trump voters see it and makes them upset and do some self-reflection, I don’t really expect it to fundamentally change anybody -- but I hope it at least plants a seed.