The infrequently-updated site blog, featuring a range of content including show reviews, musical musings and off-color ramblings on other varied topics.
Death from Above 1979 @ SummerStage
New York, USA
July 2, 2025
Death from Above 1979 tore through SummerStage with pure, unfiltered energy. The Toronto duo delivered a thunderous set packed with fuzzed-out bass, pounding drums, and raw vocals that had the crowd thrashing from the first note. From classics like “Romantic Rights” to newer bangers, the band was tight, loud, and relentless. A sweaty, electric night in the park—punk rock perfection under the New York sky.
It's been a while since I put another playlist up. I actually had this 99% done a couple of months ago, but everything went haywire and the list went on hold.
This edition of Search/Play/Repeat is a quick play, running about 30 minutes in total.
Visual Learner, BlackDots, City Mouse, Couch Potato Massacre
Cloudland Theater
Minneapolis, MN
May 7, 2025
I’m embarrassed that I haven’t covered any shows at Cloudland for SPB previously. It’s a relatively new addition to the Minneapolis scene and a welcome addition that feels as much like a community space as a club. In other words, it’s clean instead of dingy, I guess. Anyway, last week I hit up the space to see two touring bands with sets sandwiched between two locals.
Couch Potato Massacre play poppy sloppy punk with a TV theme, raised on late night cable movies with low budgets. It’s fun and energetic and the band knows that, while the music matters, so do the vibes. It was a fun set and my first time seeing them in person
photo by Loren Green
I know City Mouse aren’t a household name or anything, but I’m still mildly surprised they played second -- not that order of bands matters in any way unless you’re stuck in traffic. I’m not even sure how many times I’ve seen Miski and co. play, but this was the first non-festival set and it ripped and roared with the same urgency, but with that more personal element you get when the band knows you’re there for them, specifically (and they aren’t on a rigid set schedule). Even will a fill-in bassist, it was an emotional, evocative set lead by the dueling guitars of Miski and Davey Tiltwheel. While City Mouse has been a project for several years, there are only two full-lengths, and the set leaned into last year’s So Far Out but included a healthy dose of the near-decade old songs from Get Right too. Simply put, you can hear the passion in Miski’s voice on every note and, live, you can see it too. It’s been a while since I saw a band work up a good sweat on stage and that was definitely the case during City Mouse’s set – and continued for two more bands.
photo by Loren Green
BlackDots are another band that doesn’t play in Minneapolis all that often (or maybe I’m out of the loop). They play poppy, somewhat minimal, straight-up punk. Or that’s what I’ve always thought on record. Live I get more of a country rhythm behind it, which makes sense as the band is from Denver and that Western lifestyle. It’s chill punk: smooth, cool and laid back instead of fierce and angry. What really struck me was how much the band smiles as they play. It’s infectious and it highlights how just a simple thing can manifest into a greater experience for the whole room. I’d complain that the set was too short, but the band really only has a couple albums’ worth of songs, mostly released via EPs, so that explains that. Besides, always leave ‘em wanting more, right?
Visual Learner popped only my radar last year. After three…how shall I word this?...after three “older” bands, Visual Learner brought more physical energy to the stage with constant movement and even more sweat. Their brand of noise-rock fueled punk rawk was a nice dissonant contrast to the melodic focus of the other bands and it built to a climactic mood of chaotic noise – even if the band were repeatedly joking (or not) about it being their bedtime as the early show wrapped up.
HORSE the Band are on the road celebrating the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album, The Mechanical Hand. Joining them for the first leg of the tour was Pomona locals, Othiel, Flake from Wichita, Kansas, and LA's "melodic crust" quartet, Lagrimas. It's an odd feeling to remember being at the record release show for this album back in 2005. I still remember when the band brought out a cake and handed out "pieces" to the crowd. I remember Erik taking the stage in his revealing Lord Gold outfit. I remember Nathan throwing up on stage a foot away from me, but most of all, I remember being youthful, full of life, and able to sing along to every song without getting winded. Now, I'm back in the front seeing Horse the Band for the first time in probably 16 or 17 years at The Glass House, and not much has changed. Nathan is still cracking jokes and bantering back and forth. The band is still hopping around like they're 25. Ed Edge is still the greatest triangle performer in "Nintendocore." You can check out a gallery of photos from the show below and be sure to catch the band on the second leg of The Mechanical Hand 20th Anniversary Tour this June when they hit up the Midwest and East Coast.
Dutch grindcore band Suffering Quota has announced their four full-length, the new Sisyphean Life, coming out on Sept. 25 via 7 Degrees Records and Tartarus Records. Read more
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Fresh off releasing new album Jenkem at the start of the month, the Dwarves will support the record with dates throughout North American and Europe this year -- all listed right below. Read more 2026 Tour Dates Europe 07/01 – Trutnov, CZ – Obscene Extreme Festival 07/02 – Brno, CZ …
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Members of Upon Stone and Human Garbage have teamed up for a new project, a heavy hardcore band named Bloodshed. After a 2025 demo, the band is back with a new single "Abhorrence" as they officially join with DAZE. The band builds of metallic riffs and a strong '90s influence. …
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Still touring in support of new album Foundations of Burden, Pallbearer has scheduled a final run of dates for 2026, spanning August and September. Slowhole and Ordh will join this latest leg. Read more Pallbearer Foundations of Burden tour: Aug 20 Shreveport, LA — Bear's * Aug 21 Houston, TX …
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The Sleights will release the new Don't Worry! It Will All Be Over Soon on August 7, a new LP from the Colorado Springs, CO based punk band, has released two LPs, two EPs, and a split up until this point -- most recently This One's Gonna Hurt in 2025. …
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Irish post-hardcore band DazGak has a new EP out next month with 6 songs in 18 miutes. The record is called Stimpy, out on Floodlit Recordings in the UK and Smithsfoodgroup DIY in the Netherlands. Members of the band also play in God Alone. Calling themselves "math pop," Stimpy marks …
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Agriculture is set to take last year's The Spiritual Sound album on the road this fall on a month-long journey with Uniform and Pure Hex. Dates below. Read more Agriculture on tour: Oct 29 San Diego, CA — The Casbah ^ Oct 31 Pioneertown, CA — Pappy & Harriet's ^ …
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PJ Harvey shared a single called "Voyager," available as a 7" from Partisan Records now. Meant for her next album, English physicist Professor Brian Cox invited Harvey to write a song for his "Emergence Tour." Accordingly, she put the song to tape, recording with a full orchestra. Harvey adds: I …
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Squid Pisser just announced the August 29 release of a new "full-length EP" called Throat Slave, coming via SKiN GRAFT/Sweatband Records. Read more A single is out now:
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Indie rock hitmaker Phoebe Bridgers is back, sharing "Lost Boys" from a new album out on Dead Oceans this August, Lost Weekend. It's the first new material from Bridgers since 2022 and her third album overall. Read more The Lost Tour Dates: September: 09.14.26 — Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse* …
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Celebrating 10 years since the release of Fever Dream, Greg Puciatio's The Black Queen has added a second run of tour dates to the project's 2026 schedule. Following previously announced summer dates, new stops have been added in September-October. The toru features Fever Dream played in full, plus other select …
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Faith Coloccia + Tashi Dorji haved teamed up for a new 7-track collaborative record called And Their Power Was Alive, out Sept. 25 on Whited Sepulchre Records. Faith Coloccia is known for work with Mamiffer, Everlovely Lightningheart, and Pyramids and Tashi Dorji is similairly known for textural and noisy experimentation. …
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Belgian band 30,000 Monkies has a new album on the way, a record called Super Rebound, out on Sept. 18. The band also shared a video for the title track, which fits it's punchy tones. Read more
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Dutch doom outfit Svjetlost, a solo project from Jamie Kobić (Gavran), will release a debut album called The Forever Silent on July 24. The new record, coming via Shadow of Sorrow Records, draws influence from staples Sleep, OM, and High on Fire, plus the artist's own Bosnian musican heritage. Read …
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Canadian punk band PUP shared a new video today for "Concrete," a one-year-in-the-making video from last year's Who Will Look After The Dogs? album. “About a year ago, on our way to Australia, we decided to stop over in Vancouver, visit our pal Sterling, and shoot a video for ‘Concrete,’ …
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On Thursday, Heavens To Betsy played their first show in 32 years in Portland, OR. The band followed the event with bigger news: a US tour that hits the West and East Coasts. The band features Corin Tucker (pre-Sleater-Kinney) and Tracy Sawyer. Dates are listed in the pic. Read more
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French post-hardcore band Yarotz shared a single, "Strengths and Fears" this week, an equally aggressive and plodding f-minute song from their self-released Resurgence LP, due on Sept. 25. Read more
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UK punk duo The Meffs will release a new LP on Sept. 11, 2026: the new Business, releasing via FLG record label. The band features Lily Hopkins on vocals/guitar and Lewis Copsey on drums/backing vocals. Here's a new single: Read more UPCOMING TOUR DATES: July 2 – Glasgow - @O2 …
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Smirk, a project from Nick Vicario, shared the new song "Going Off To Die" this week, which appears on Speculative Fiction, out on July 3 on Smoking Room. The new album, the press release tells us, "deals with a new twist on an age-old theme for punk rock: unrest in …
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Last month SPB reviewed Mirrors & Smoke, a self-produced EP from singer-songwriter Nicole Alexis. Now the Nashville, TN based artist is back with a full-length on Hard Working Record Company. Listen to a song below. More details will emerge concerning the record later. Read more
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