Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

The Clever References

Hamish's House
Independent (2022)

Some say Australia is a very nice place to spend your life, saying it's the safest place on earth with its protective system for its citizens. I know it's kind of dumb for thinking that any band that is from a more "wealthy place", like Australia, will always have its own privilege to get known wider around the globe though everyone should have the same opportunity and it's just "how far" you can actually go with your own music. We cannot deny that Australia has some notable artists and bands that have paved its way to be recognized by the world. Well, of course I'm talking about the punk scene here: let's say some names like Frenzal Rhomb to a more modern act like Camp Cope. At least that's what pops up in my mind though those two bands were like “Pluto and Mercury”. The Clever References is a quality band that has potentials in my opinion and the band just have to wait for its "big break". The album Hamish's House is a series of live recordings by The Clever References recorded at Hamish's house (and I assume that Hamish is the band's best friend or best fan ?!#). … Read more

The Mountain Goats

Bleed Out
Merge (2022)

The Mountain Goats have made an action movie. Bleed Out is a concept album of sorts, made in a distinctly … Read more

Left Hand Black

Lower Than Satan
Sick Taste Records, Sunny Bastards (2022)

Left Hand Black formed in 2019 and took the horrorpunk scene by storm with their first release, the self titled … Read more

BlackDots

EP2
Motorcycle Potluck Records (2022)

BlackDots are back with EP2, released digitally and on a flexi 7”. The peppy, punky band from Denver are energetic … Read more

without

Be Corny
Raft Records (2022)

To me, the Japanese orgcore scene has always been an interesting thing when you're talking Asian scene and I see … Read more

Municipal Waste

Electrified Brain
Nuclear Blast (2022)

Professional party metal/thrash crossover ragers Municipal Waste are back with their seventh studio album and what a triumphant return it … Read more

Browse our review archives

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

750 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

4948 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Blitzen Trapper

Wild Mountain Nation
LidKerCow Ltd. (2007)

When I'm on a road trip, I get this undeniable urge to listen to All-American music. We're talking CCR and we're talking Skynyrd and Tom Petty, and we're talking Violent Femmes and Pavement and Modest Mouse. Something about that western scenery. Just like you can hear the British in an Ozzy or Kinks' record, you can hear the American in everything these bands put out. They exhibit varying levels of weirdness (basically they got weirder as time progressed), but they share a certain kind of melody writing, a certain kind of fuck-off fun. The All-American Club isn't very exclusive - that's part of its charm - but we can tell who's faking it, and the fakers are most definitely out. I want to extend a conditional invitation to Blitzen Trapper. … Read more

More album reviews

Crowning / Naedr

Rayau
Left Hand Label, Zegema Beach (2022)

If you are a frequent visitor of this site, perhaps you remember my glowing review of Naedrs debut album Past Is Prologue. That album made a huge impression on me and still gets heavy rotation. So you understand I was quite excited to see new material from this band. And it is a split release no less, so it presents … Read more

Camp Trash

The Long Way, The Slow Way
Count Your Lucky Stars (2022)

Camp Trash is a band that impressed me from the first second I heard them on their first single ”Weird Carolina” before the Downtime EP was out. I can't deny that I got to discover the band through Keegan, the guitarist. (Keegan used to write on many Asian bands for Get Alternative and that includes my band, Ache, getting coverage … Read more

Grumpster

Fever Dream
Pure Noise (2022)

Grumpster are a relatively young band from Oakland. They released a debut on Asian Man and jumped to Pure Noise for its follow-up, Fever Dream. While 2019’s Underwhelmed caught attention, they’ve taken the leap on their second LP. The band play DIY punk with a wide range of melodic influences. It’s singalong punk, but the 10 songs on this record … Read more

Iván Castell

The Rise Of The Synths
9AM Media Lab, Castell & Moreno Films (2022)

The Rise Of The Synths is not an album but it has everything to do with music... synthwave to be exact. This documentary is directed by Iván Castell, a Spanish film maker with a passion for the genre. This film was funded by a crowd funder campaign in 2016, it took 2 years to complete hitting the film festivals on … Read more

Football, Etc.

Vision
Independent (2022)

I never thought that I would review a Houston-based band. It seems Football, Etc is my first. The band just put out this new EP this year which is a surprise, as the band is focusing on Overo now (which includes 2/3 members of Football, Etc). The last thing the band put out was 2017's LP Corner, taking 5 years … Read more

Psycroptic

Divine Council
EVP Recordings (2022)

We expect only greatness from the best of bands, right? My expectations were high for the new Psycroptic album as soon as they announced it — that much is certain. I think that it’d be hard not to, given their track record. The Australian phenomenon cornered a very nice piece of real estate in the metal territory, fusing thrash influenced … Read more

Forests

Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation
Dog Knights Productions (2022)

Singaporean trio twinkle band, Forests, just put out their 3rd full- length entitled Get In Losers, We're Going To Eternal Damnation. I guess the title itself explains what would lie in the theme of the lyrics. It Ssounds stupid but serious at the same time. The band still encapsulates what's good from 2010's emo scene, and some words to describe … Read more

Hurry Up

Dismal Nitch
Comedy Minus One (2022)

“American Weirdos” sets the tone quickly on Dismal Nitch, the second album from Hurry Up, with a refrain of “American weirdos/ Don’t need no more heroes.” A three-piece from Portland, OR, the lineup features Kathy Foster (Thermals), Westin Glass (Thermals), and Maggie Vail (Bangs), each sharing songwriting duties and vocals. Recorded shortly before the pandemic hit, this record does sometimes … Read more

Florida Men

Florida Men
Morning Wood Records (2022)

Oh Florida Man, you strange and magnificent creature of legends. Or at least it seems to be something unreal, reading what he did. Who comes up with stuff like that? And now three of these Florida Men united in one band. Nothing good can come from that! Perhaps you can’t help yourself and you read some of the crazy things … Read more

Bent Knee

Frosting
Take This To Heart Records (2021)

I rarely sit this long on records before reviewing them but this one was kind of a rare exception. It’s been some good months since Frosting was released. The reason I did this was my love for Bent Knee’s music. My first contact with the Frosting, on the day of its release, was like going to a Michelin star restaurant, … Read more

No Pressure

No Pressure LP
Ice Grill$, Triple B (2022)

Well to be honest I'm not a Story So Far fan and would not add their albums into a “Favorites” playlist, but I can tell you that No Pressure is Parker's new music project and it just put out a banger tune this year. As has previously been told, No Pressure is a new musical project led by several members … Read more

Night Court

Nervous Birds! Too
Debt Offensive, Snappy Little Numbers Quality Audio Recordings (2022)

Night Court may have a silly name, but the band feels sincere and (mostly) serious. Rooted in garage-punk, the sounds are familiar in form but each track on this 12-song record gives a different energy. Generally speaking, it’s melodic and positive punk with a lo-fi DIY vibe. There are elements of the old Plan-It-X sound but with a little more … Read more

SepticFlesh

Modern Primitive
Nuclear Blast (2022)

I have been listening to and following SepticFlesh for over a decade now. It only made sense that a new album from them on the horizon got me excited. I honestly didn’t know what exactly to expect given that Titan and Codex Omega didn’t do much to expand further in any direction than the mapped realm by Communion and The … Read more

Tipper

Insolito
Tippermusic Records (2021)

One of the pioneering acts in the glitch/IDM area of music, Tipper, hit us up with yet another record. Right off the bat, I can’t vouch that it has the same kind of punch as say Jettison Mind Hatch or Forward Escape. Although, I think it’s a little unfair to compare it to said records, as Insolito is just an … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)