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Demos You Want To Check #5

Music / New Kids On The Block • October 13, 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. We sincerely hope you will check out the demos here and keep an eye for these bands. They could become your new go-to band! Who knows. Hory - Demo 2026 With most demos I don't exactly remember how I picked them up. This is one of those. No clue whatsoever what made me get it, but I am terribly happy I did pick it up. Hory is from Czechia and has one of the best singers I've heard in a while. Her voice is the highlight of this demo for me. It's supported by very melodic hardcore punk with a bit of a post-punk twang to the guitar sound. I am reminded of Dag Nasty at times, which is nice, because I don't hear a lot of that vibe lately. The lyrics might be a stumbling block for some as the band chose to sing in their native tongue. True Fraud - Demo II Demo number one from True Fraud transported me right back to the '80s. Well, to the records from that era, as I wasn't thinking about hardcore at the time. … Read more

Red Rockers

Interviews • September 20, 2026

By 1981, the Red Rockers were famously branded "The American Clash" by Lester Bangs -- a tag that carried both … Read more

Shrapnel Pop #1

Regular Columns / Shrapnel Pop • September 19, 2026

I was about 4 years old and in preschool. It was a “meet and greet” day and my dad took … Read more

Vivabeat

Interviews • September 6, 2026

LA’s Art-Punk Pioneers Who Bridged Continents and Genres In 1978, Vivabeat emerged from Los Angeles with a sound that defied … Read more

Latest album reviews — browse all

Alien Chicks

Toys Taken at Birth
Alcopop! Records (2026)

EP HIGHLIGHTS – “5/4” & “I Killed Uncle Ben” Those who haven’t heard of Alien Chicks by now are sorely missing out. The Brixton trio have been consistently dropping singles and EPs since at least 2022, with funky frenetic energy and a sonic nebula of art punk, jazz, math rock, rap and a whole lotta noise. Released on 2nd October … Read more

Drink Deep

In Reverse EP
Thirty Something Records (2026)

Upon first listen, those close to my age and who may share similar musical tastes may suspect that Drink Deep might be a band from Washington, D.C. For starters, the band takes its name from a Rites of Spring song, wears its influences on its literal sleeves (a brief glance at their social media presence will reveal members wearing official … Read more

Uncle Acid and the DeadBeats

Shapes of Midnight
Killer Candy Records (2026)

Stoner rock is one of the most astounding and incredible genres emerging in the rock scene today. It's a global phenomenon with countless bands across the world, plus various subgenres such as desert rock, stoner doom and psychedelic (heavily influenced by the original psychedelic bands of the '60s and '70s). At the forefront of this genre and in the vanguard … Read more

Various Artists

Tightwire / Canadian Rifle - Nietzsche
Red Scare Industries (2026)

Available in a black and white print gatefold sleeve, this is a 2-band, 6-song split 7". The gate fold is a nice touch to a classic split 7", complete with full lyric sheets. When the needle hits it's cleanly produced pop-punk in the vein of Lookout Records, built on crisp melodies and harmonies. While it's bright and sunny in sound, … Read more

Additional album reviews

Sweeping Promises

You Say I Romanticize
Sub Pop (2026)

What strikes me foremost about this record are the vocals. As the father of a 13 y.o. daughter I feel qualified to say that this person could be a pop … Read more

Moonraker

Me and the Bells
Punkerton Records (2026)

I have probably talked about this before, I knew of Moonraker through split EPs and things like that, but they didn't fully pop into my consciousness until The Forest. Me … Read more

Dreamwell

Hymns for the Denial of God
Prosthetic (2026)

Some records make their intentions obvious from the very beginning. They use the same structure that countless bands have for decades: verse, chorus, breakdown, payoff, and the blunt force of … Read more

Wine Lips

TV Dinner
Stomp Records (2026)

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Leech”, “Semi Detached Furnished Home”, “Strip Club DJ”, “Static On The Radio” Toronto’s garage-psych punks Wine Lips bring us album number five. Aside from the awesomely colourful, … Read more

Psycho Beets

Horrendum
Trash Wax, White Riot Records (2026)

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Mam w sobie diabła”, “Zombie”, “Listopadowa noc”, “Porque te vas” Fancy some Polish psychobilly punk? Well, you’re in luck. This is for anyone who takes their classic … Read more

Manicdotes

Eight Lives Down
Independent (2026)

The chemicals are rushing right out of the gate on this one. You start with a cigarette and dive straight into Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, to the lay person) to calm your … Read more

Maruja

Pain to Power
Music For Nations (2025)

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS – “Look Down on Us”, “Born to Die”, “Break the Tension”, “Trenches” Ahead of their 100 Club appearance this September, Maruja’s latest release, 2025’s debut album Pain to … Read more

Onelinedrawing

RAINBOWMACHINE
Iodine (2026)

I grew up listening to the acoustic side of onelinedrawing. Those stripped-down Jonah Matranga songs had a way of making everything else disappear, often needing little more than a guitar, … Read more

News headlines — browse all

SPB featured stream: MEGAFAUNA

Posted in Records on September 25, 2026

Syrup Moose Records will cease at the end of 2026, but they’re going out with a series of late releases including the third album from MEGAFAUNA, a self-titled follow-up to 2025’s I Owe This Land A Body. It also keeps the project’s streak of a record per year intact, as … Read more

Angry Tooth and Social Dissonance

Posted in Labels on October 15, 2026

Austin, TX based band Social Dissonance has joined Angry Tooth Records. Formed in 2020, the heavy band straddles many genre lines including grunge, punk, metal, and alternative rock with politically … Read more

Milo Goes To Comics (for real)

Posted in Bands on October 15, 2026

Z2 is partnering with Descendents for a fittingly titled new graphic novel called Descendents: Milo Goes To Comics. The story is written by Bill Stevenson, Milo Aukerman, and Annie Zaleski, … Read more

Peter Murphy in the 2000s (box set)

Posted in Bands on October 15, 2026

A new 9-disc box set of Peter Murphy's work is forthcoming: Laying on New Waves: The 2000s Collection, out Dec. 4 on Madfish. The massive collection pulls from Murphy's solo … Read more

Foie Gras with Destroy Boys

Posted in Records on October 15, 2026

Destroy Boys shared "Hysteria" today, announing a new full-length album out next year, Foie Gras, releasing on Epitaph Records. “This album is the culmination of everything Destroy Boys is and … Read more

MIZU's "Overture" and news

Posted in Labels on October 14, 2026

Temporary Residence Ltd. has added MIZU to the roster, the first new label signing in nearly five years. MIZU shared the new track "Overture" along with the announcement. “Overture” is … Read more

Aesop Rock and Blockhead from Trouble Mountain

Posted in Records on October 14, 2026

Aesop Rock and Blockhead have a new collaboration, the forthcoming Nov. 13 release of an album called Trouble Mountain. The new record features 17 tracks in total, leading things off … Read more

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