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Demos You Want To Check #4

Music / New Kids On The Block • July 7, 2026

The musical landscape is ever changing. New genres are popping up, new hypes burst out of nowhere and die out and new bands present themselves to the world. How on earth are you expected to keep up, right? Well, it never hurts to help! So here we are, your humble servants, ready to sift through those filters for you, presenting you the best demos we have encountered. These could be your new go to band! Who knows. Blame - Demo '26 I don't recall how I picked up this demo. Luckily the demo impressed me more than the way I found it. It is short -- with only two tracks and under five minutes of music. To me this always leaves me wondering: can they still impress me when they have to drop more tunes; can they keep my attention for longer than five minutes? If the band keeps up the quality of these two tracks that shouldn't be an issue. Music-wise you'll find some metallic leaning hardcore riffs, not unlike some NYHC. I don't know if it's the lyrics or the music, but the second track "DNR" reminds me a bit of Midnight Souls or Modern Life Is War, and that is kind of funny as those bands are not exactly NYHC. Rebel - Demo 2025 Rebel hails from England (like Blame) and released a very nice youth crew demo late last year. I discovered this band through the Youth Crew 2026 compilation for which they provided a track … Read more

The Bellrays

Interviews • July 6, 2026

A Conversation with Lisa Kekaula (Vocals) and Bob Vennum (Guitar) of The Bellrays For over three decades, The Bellrays -- … Read more

Golden Shitters

Music Education

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • June 23, 2026

There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. Most musicians have day jobs – and not … Read more

Punk Under The Sun

Interviews • June 22, 2026

Punk Under the Sun – Interview with Joey Seeman and Chris Potash Some music scenes become legendary — New York, … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

Silver Proof

Even If It Hurts
Independent (2026)

Some pop punk records feel made for playlists and algorithms. They’re polished into oblivion, emotionally vague, and afraid to get messy. Silver Proof clearly didn’t get that memo. The Buffalo trio’s debut full length, Even If It Hurts, leans heavily into the emotional core of early 2010s emo pop and melody while still sounding energized rather than nostalgic. Across the … Read more

Lice (Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman)

Vol. 4: Miami Lice
Rhymesayers (2026)

This EP released kind of suddenly, back in March, right before a bunch of stuff hit the fan in my life outside of SPB. Which means the EP felt sudden, but this review has been stewing for nearly three months with a lot of repeat listening along the journey. At eight songs in length, it's short but sweet, and as … Read more

Various Artists

There Is No Sun - A Tribute To Jay Reatard
Sonic Church (2026)

The late, great Jay Reatard was a prolific master of rock n roll gems. Whether it be with his earlier budget-punk act of his namesake, Reatards, his synth-punk projects Lost Sounds and Angry Angles, or his solo material as Jay Reatard, Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr. was an incredible songwriter. Those aforementioned bands are just a smattering of units he’s been … Read more

The Dwarves

Jenkem
Greedy, MVD (2026)

The Dwarves first cut me off on my path with their 1986 garage-rock debut, Horror Stories, on Voxx Records. Been a fan since. Over the forty years they've been around, some albums hit, some didn't connect as much. Their last main outing, Concept Album, bloated into a 26-song deluxe CD. Jenkem returns to familiar territory: 14 tracks screaming by in … Read more

Additional album reviews

David J

Tracks From the Attic Revisited
Independent Project Records (2026)

Sometimes musical circles take decades to close. Just ask Fleur De Lys and their catchy cover of The Who’s '60s freakbeat rarity, "Circles." For those of us digging through dusty … Read more

Physicalist

Self Titled
Dirt Cult (2026)

F.Y.P is one of the rare bands that I'd say nobody sounds like -- but in the past two months I've caught myself making that comparison twice. First while listening … Read more

Dylan Thomas

Todo se desvanece
Burnt Toast Vinyl (2026)

When bands spend months slowly piecing together an album with cheap gear, limited time, and apparently an alarming amount of terrible beer, it’s kind of romantic. Not romantic in the … Read more

Book Review

Adam Steiner

Darker with the Dawn: Nick Cave's Songs of Love and Death
Rowman & Littlefield (2023)

Adam Steiner doesn’t just break the earth with a spade with this book; he actually digs deep into the fertile soil to enter the cobwebbed crypt. He approaches the catalogue … Read more

Six Going on Seven

Human Tears
Spartan Records (2026)

Late 90s post hardcore and emo feels impossible to recreate now. That’s not because the sound itself is gone, but because the tension behind it was so specific to that … Read more

The Bug Club

Every Single Muscle
Sub Pop (2026)

  I got kind of obsessed with reviewing this record after I heard the first single “Watching The Omnibus” which they released digitally earlier this year. I could probably just write … Read more

The Cascadian Divide

To the Sky
Independent (2026)

The Cascadian Divide is a Washington state based melodic skate punk band that formed during the infamous COVID lockdown. Although it started as an experiment, it soon became a passion … Read more

Jungle Rot

Cruel Face Of War
Unique Leader (2026)

Twelve albums and more than three decades into their career, Jungle Rot remains one of death metal's most reliable institutions. While countless bands have spent years chasing technical excess, progressive … Read more

News headlines — browse all

An update from Trenchwar

Posted in Records on July 7, 2026

Dutch metallic hardcore band Trenchwar just joined forces with Time To Kill records, announcing that the band will release Overlords of Cold on Sept. 18. The single "Black Heart" is shared below. Trenchwar consists of current and former members of Backfire, Born From Pain, Cliteater, Herder, No Turning Back, Reaching … Read more

Scheduling The Martha's Vineyard Ferries

Posted in Tours on July 7, 2026

Alt-rock trio The Martha’s Vineyard Ferries -- featuring Bob Weston (Shellac), Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Come), and Elisha Weisner (Kahoots), will play a few select dates in August and September this … Read more

RPM Fest lineup for 2026

Posted in Shows on July 3, 2026

The tenth edition of RPM Fest takes place in Western Massachusetts on Sept. 4-6 this year with a lineup that includes High on Fire, Khemmis, Dwarves, The event also includes … Read more

Muelas Bellow

Posted in Records on July 3, 2026

To release on Second Engine Records (US) and Best Life (UK), Atlanta band Muelas has a new EP on the way: Bellow, out on July 17. “I wanted to be … Read more

4 musicians form Big Circle

Posted in Records on July 3, 2026

Big Circle is a new quarter featuring Glenn Mercer (Feelies), Mike Watt (MINUTMEN, fIREHOSE, Iggy & The Stooges), Dave Weckerman (Feelies), and Dan Francia (Speed The Plough) -- st to … Read more

The first Motorcycle

Posted in Records on July 3, 2026

Offering big power pop hooks on lead single "Friday The 13th," released on Thursday the 2nd, the Sacramento, CA based band Motorcycle will release a 12" EP titled Relive It … Read more

Opening up Liturgy

Posted in Bands on July 3, 2026

Liturgy will release a digital archive tomorrow, July 4, featuring several 2004-2008 recordings, namely: The Paranoiac Miracle, Immortal Life, Harmonium. It's the first time the albums have released digitally. Liturgy … Read more

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