Once upon a time I picked an album to review based on its cover art. It was an album by a Norwegian band called Shevils. That artwork was completely bonkers with Cthulhu dressed as a cowboy riding a manta ray and much, much more. This was back in 2013. I liked that album so much it made my yearlist. In 2015 Shevils released a second album. Again with brilliant artwork and music. After that everything became quiet. I was pleasantly surprised to see their name pop up in our promo-box.After spinning the album loads of times I conclude happily that they haven’t lost their touch. I must admit I was afraid the long absence might have damaged our bond, but it has not. Let’s start with the obvious, they still have an excellent choice when it comes to picking artwork for their releases. I love this type of art to bits. It almost looks more like the front page of a comic than of an album.I once said this band reminds me of the best parts of Soapbox, Helmet and the faster parts of Refused combined. They still do. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken, right? Shevils have fine … Read more
Sonic playground, or finding beauty in the cracks. It feels that this is an appropriate title for Yuko Araki’s new … Read more
Justin Pearson has a lot of irons in the hellfire. If he isn’t playing with any number of his musical … Read more
I was really into a few folk-bands for a while. But while I enjoy the lo-fi and personable tones, I … Read more
Okay, look: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones need no introduction, but here's one anyway. These suit-clad gentlemen may be Boston’s most … Read more
Tell ‘em Charlie sent you!? Dolphin safe Tuna-free of long lining, bottom trawling, and blood shrimp. Sustainable fishing has cast … Read more
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What you get with Love Collector is pretty straightforward. Only a few seconds into "My Baby Goes Waaah!," the titular track on this 7", it's clear that this is a band that plays punk-fused garage rock, with lots of guitar, a few pedals, and lots of attitude hovering around the two-minute-per song mark. It's also the kind of rock where lyricism is a near non-factor. The lyrics tend to be insipid: a case in point being the titular song and excerpts like "I want to be her man / When she hits me with a frying pan / My baby she's such a brat / I want to beat her with a baseball bat" It's irreverent and fun, with the guitar hooks being the primary force. The lyrics are a … Read more
It’s been ten years since Hanalei released One Big Night, which is a long time between records for anyone. Hanalei is primarily frontman Brian Moss, who has also played with The Ghost, Wunder Years and other bands with names similar to more popular groups. But Hanalei is by far its own thing. It’s from the punk world, but not of … Read more
Toska Fall is a new Dutch band and It Falls Apart is their second EP. The band was started in 2017 for a shared love of '90s punk rock. Over these three lads added different influences to their mix. Think some melodic hardcore and some metal. I can appreciate it when bands mix more influences together into something quite their … Read more
After all the bedroom pop to come out of quarantine, we finally have a band doing something new that sounds like a real record, not an experiment. The Mimes features Maura Weaver, John Hoffman, and Megan Schroer, who played together in Boys long ago, and more recently in separate projects such as Homeless Gospel Choir, Ogikubo Station, and Vacation.Fittingly, The … Read more
There is so much music coming out that it is impossible to keep up. Every now and then I spend a couple of evenings checking out labels that I dig, just to see what’s new. One of those evenings I visited the bandcamp of White Russian Records and discovered this EP by The Great Hurricane Escape. One e-mail later I … Read more
I owe War On Women an apology. This review was due months ago, but some shit circumstances came about and an unplanned hiatus was from Scene Point Blank was needed. The band deserved far better and I very much regret that I wasn’t around to give them the lauds and love upon Wonderful Hell’s release because had I been around … Read more
The Living will transcend and be reincarnated on April 16th via Stone Gossard’s (Pearl Jam) label-Loosegroove. This release is getting a lot of attention namely because the band contained a 17-year-old Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses fame. Digging into the punk rock vault a bit deeper the band also contained drummer Greg Gilmore who went on to play in … Read more
J. Wang has played in a lot of bands: Dan Padilla, Tiltwheel, Altaira, and Shallow Cuts, to name a few. In other words, he’s an active musician and when his other bands broke up, or went on hiatus, or live too far away – throw in a year-plus pandemic -- well, a creator’s gotta create. Come Closer actually kicked off … Read more
When I was assigned this 7” from Drunk Dial Records, the name of the label caused me to assume it would be a skatepunk album. Why? I’m not totally sure. I couldn’t have been more wrong, though, and was surprised upon listening to Drunk Dial #5, the Fell in Love With A Spirit 7” by the band Cry Babe.This dream … Read more
This was a hard review to write. It’s not because this EP is bad, but because it’s so damn good. The pandemic has left us all dying to go to live shows again, and this EP from The Wheelz is four songs of straight-up, fist-pumping, body-slamming sing-a-long anthems meant to be experienced in a live setting. I’ve known Tony and … Read more
Over the grassy knoll, down the weed tangled pathway, and to the right of the small babbling brook lays a large one-hundred-year-old oak tree. It has widely been known that the exposed massive root system has been used by generations of wolves for years thus giving many wolf pups their first home prior to venturing out in the unknown darkness.However, … Read more
The info surrounding this EP talks about how Street Eaters have changed. The band formed roughly a decade ago, so there’s always going to be evolution and whatnot -- and there is even a new shape to the band on Simple Distractions, as they’ve officially become a three-piece. Still, the first thing I hear on the opening title track is … Read more
Insert joke about judging a book by its cover, in reference to a band who calls themselves The Next Great American Novelist -- somewhere the ego of Dave Eggers shudders. The trio of indie rockers from Brooklyn is the brainchild of lead singer-songwriter Sean Cahill, and their moniker may indeed be tongue-in-cheek enough to stand up to the irony. Cahill … Read more
Recently my girlfriend had put on a random playlist. Most of it passed me by unnoticed, but one song made me look up. I am not even sure what caught my attention, but I do know that for one song I was completely focused on music. You guessed it, this band was Znous. I noted down the name on my … Read more
The pandemic has taken its toll on everyone. Even though I’ve stayed healthy, it’s stressful and that inevitably seeps into daily life. One interesting takeaway is that I think I appreciate hardcore more in 2020-21 than I have in the past decade. It’s a good time to be screaming from the bottom of your lungs.Slant is a 5-piece from South … Read more
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