Surely by now, you’ve heard their name. Joyce Manor have been writing soundtracks for heartbreaks and hangovers for nearly two decades now. They create short songs with their hearts on their sleeves, while sticking to that distinct Southern California mix of self-deprecation and sincerity. From the lo-fi charm of their 2011 debut to Never Hungover Again’s cult-classic status and the bittersweet maturity of 40 oz. to Fresno, the Torrance, California trio have learned how to say so much in two minutes flat. Their new record, I Used To Go To This Bar, is both a victory lap and a last call. It’s nine tracks of nostalgic panic attacks set to be released through Epitaph Records. There are equal parts bar-stool therapy and punk-rock poetry. Produced by Brett Gurewitz (guitarist of Bad Religion, it feels polished but not pretty. With this release, the band is tapping into a lineage that Brett helped shape. Having him behind the boards suggests this won’t just be a glossy punk record. It might carry some of the sharp punk edges he’s been known to preserve. The songs still tumble out like they were written on old show flyers, but now the flyers have wrinkles from … Read more
Formed in Tokyo in 2002, Crystal Lake have spent more than two decades shaping their own high-velocity hybrid of metalcore, … Read more
I knew of Tired Radio, but I didn't really know the band's work. When Red Scare announced they'd signed the … Read more
Interesting little slab we got sent to SPB by a Mr. Ed Young. Two originals and a cover, recorded in … Read more
Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.
751 reviews
42 reviews
25 reviews
300 reviews
4962 reviews
19 reviews
You know what makes me feel really good about myself? Post-rock. I'm not talking about the overwrought, nihilistic, dreary stuff (though I do like that too!), but the kind that just brings you up so much that it's quite literally impossible to feel bad about anything while listening to it, the kind of music that forces you to feel happy and enjoy its sublime melodies. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then you're absolutely going to love the new album from Red Room Cinema, 2012's Apsis.The album may only consist of three epic-length post-rock excursions (the first four tracks are indexed separately despite being part of the same overall song), but don't let that fool you. Clocking in at over forty minutes long, this is not a short … Read more
Split records have always worked best when they feel intentional rather than convenient, and Bombs Away! lands firmly in the former category. Bringing together East Bay veterans Tsunami Bomb and Oakland’s The Hammerbombs, this six-track split (three songs per band) doesn’t just unite two names but captures two complementary approaches to Bay Area punk that still feel vital decades into … Read more
Sarasota, Florida’s Floating Boy have been grinding for seven years, quietly shaping themselves into a band that lives and breathes the ethics of Fugazi (if you couldn’t tell by their track inspired name) and the emotional chaos of DIY punk. Their debut full-length, Perfect Place, is the culmination of that time. There are ten tracks of anxious, politically charged emo-punk/post-hardcore … Read more
I've reviewed a lot of Brokedowns records over the years. First, I'll say I love the band and I honestly feel like they keep getting better. Second, I'll say that this record threw a couple of surprises at me. The band play multi-vocalist poppish punk in the school of Dillinger Four or Errth, albeit more on the angry side. There … Read more
When I started my end of year list this year I asked my pal Joel from Portland’s Dumpies to share his best of 2025 playlist with me. Several songs caught my attention which I, in turn, went and checked out the albums from which they had come. The one that has quickly climbed up my year end list over the … Read more
Deathcore is a genre that’s constantly threatening to eat itself alive. For every band trying to push boundaries, there are ten more content to recycle the same breakdowns, the same vocal gymnastics, the same studio-polished violence. Osiah, however, have never been interested in playing it safe and their latest EP Aion is proof that they’re still operating on a level … Read more
Ramleh is a cornerstone of the UK industrial and noise underground. Staring out in the early '80s, they are one of the pioneers of noise and power electronics alongside the likes of Whitehouse and Sutcliffe Jügend. But, beneath the havoc and the sonic debris, Ramleh always carried an emotional pulse. It is what separates their finest moment, Hole In The … Read more
Crippling Alcoholism have always navigated a delicate balance between musical depth and immediacy. A blend that few bands attempt, let alone master, but Crippling Alcoholism's two previous full-length records, When The Drugs That Make You Sick Are The Drugs That Make You Better and especially With Love From A Padded Room did exactly that. With a foundation formed through post-punk … Read more
There are no signs of slowing down for Australian jazz masters The Necks. Following the release of the excellent Bleed in 2024, the legendary trio makes a return with their 20th full-length record, Disquiet. Long-form compositions are nothing new for the trio, but here they dive headfirst into a three-hour tour de force, traversing the abstract and meditative territories they … Read more
Is The Eradicator a joke that's been going for 10 years (the band), or for 35 (the skit)? Does it matter? Well, only in the sense that I question how much material the Kids In The Hall-inspired hardcore band can cull from a 5-minute skit. (Maybe 10 minutes. The character was revived in 2022's Season 6.) Why do I bring … Read more
Standing between genres can act as a vantage point. For Prayer Group, sitting at the intersection between noise rock and hardcore has armed them with the necessary arsenal to propel their anger and frustration forward. And so, through a series of EPs and singles, this work culminated in their 2022 debut full-length, Michael Dose, where The Jesus Lizard methodology collided … Read more
For experimental rock artists torn between noise-rock abrasion and torturous drone immersion, one side usually wins. It is either a certain sentimental and ethereal quality or an oppressive noise dimension that prevails. But there are some acts that can balance between these worlds. Names like The Angelic Process, and of course Low exemplify this strange balance in different ways. A … Read more
I believe the first I heard of this album was when Wild Honey released the limited edition It’s All About The Music concept 7” EP back in July. Exclusively released for the Punk Rock Raduno festival, IAATM is a three song 7” but only sort of? The concept: one garage-rock anthem, three versions- one is slowed down, one is regular … Read more
Formed around the tight-knit chemistry of brothers Xavier and Vincent Morency with drummer John Muggianu, Canada’s Second Harbour are that rare modern post-hardcore band that sound equally comfortable bleeding and building. Their new four-song EP, Coalesce, marks both their SharpTone Records debut and their clearest creative statement yet. The title isn’t just poetic, it’s literal. This is where the band’s … Read more
Hailing from Wichita, Kansas, Stay The Course brings their brand of pop-punk/easycore onto the scene. This is the band’s second album and is being released courtesy of Punkerton Records out of Ohio. What started out as a 5-song EP, developed into a 10 song LP. The band re-recorded some of the material from their back catalog and added some new … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here:
Click anywhere outside this dialog to close it, or press escape.