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Book Review

Nik Bärtsch

Listening, Music, Movement, Mind
Lars Müller Publishers (2021)

Based in Zürich, Switzerland, the acclaimed publishing house of Lars Müller is the manifestation of his love for books. Over the last eighteen years, a plethora of carefully curated and edited publications have been published, zeroing in on specialist areas in the realms of society, design, photography, architecture and art, all of which reflect Müller’s eclectic fields of interest. The … Read more

Kaonashi

Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year
Equal Vision, Unbeaten Records (2021)

Let me start by saying that, if you’re into good hardcore and haven’t heard of Kaonashi, you’re missing out. The Philadelphia based five-piece brought their second full-length record to our ears a few months ago. Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year sees the band maturing in a lot of ways and finding their voice with focus and clarity. … Read more

Totally Slow

Casual Drag
Refresh Records (2021)

I don’t hear skatepunk-influenced bands that catch my attention very often. What was once new and vibrant has grown stale and derivative. Yet, Totally Slow (from North Carolina) have a very clear West Coast ‘90s influence that thrives throughout Casual Drag, their third record. While I hear a lot of familiarity, it still feels urgent and emotional. And while I’m … Read more

Eastern High

Halo
Independent (2021)

It feels like people have sort of given up on doing prog metal with clean vocals, no? Or maybe that’s just me? Or maybe I just started giving up on that area due to its general lack of ingenuity in musical terms and veered more heavily into extreme prog. Regardless, Eastern High have just recently released their second album, titled … Read more

Talk Show Host

Mid-Century Modern
Disconnect/Disconnect, Wiretap Records (2021)

Talk Show Host is a power-pop group from Toronto. And while it’s chock-full of those pleasant, soaring melodies expected of the style, the band establishes its tone early, showing there are some teeth behind the smile with opening track “You Asshole!” Songs like the lead track, “Crisis Actors” and “Warmest Condolences” defy the idea that pop songs are empty, instead … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Gentlemen Rogues

Do the Resurrection
Snappy Little Numbers (2021)

Austin, Texas never disappoints when it comes to being a hotbed for great independent bands and Gentlemen Rogues is no exception. With their Do the Resurrection 7” they showcase not only their weak spot for fuzzed-out guitar driven pop punk, but also their song writing expertise reminiscent of the better moments of acts like XTC, Gaslight Anthem, Teenage Fanclub and … Read more

Hysterese

Hysterese
This Charming Man Records (2021)

The second record of German band Hysterese is a record I own and play quite frequently. To me it is one of those strange records that you enjoy a lot, but didn’t invite you to delve into their past or actively follow the band. Until now. As I saw the band name pop up in the heap of promos I … Read more

Alien Nosejob

HC2
Iron Lung (2021)

It seems that Jake Robertson spent a lot of the past year playing with himself. But haven’t we all? Bad jokes aside, the one-man band put out multiple full-lengths in 2020 and now a new 6-song EP too. Overall, the project is diverse, falling generally within the punk umbrella but different influences scattered as Robertson feels like it. But this … Read more

200 Words Or Less

The Black Black

Careful on Your Way Out
Ewel Records (2021)

If one were to define post-punk as the departure from the musical rawness and simplicity of punk rock and the adoption of dancey rock elements, Brooklyn-based The Black Black would fit the bill quite well. Their third long-player spans eight tracks, which sonically traverse bass-centric territory between 1980s sentiments left in the wake of Joy Division and the groovy end … Read more

Proud Parents

At Home With
Independent (2021)

At Home With Proud Parents caught me a little off guard, right from the start. While the debut showcased a variety of influences, this one is even more toned back and chill, in contrast to some members’ other work with The Hussy. The opening track on this sophomore album, “Cellophane” is more of a folk-punk or cowpunk vibe with some … Read more

Hangman’s Hymnal

Small News Travels Fast in a Bad Town
Snappy Little Numbers (2020)

Hangman’s Hymnal is a nice addition to the Snappy Little Numbers roster and every bit as archaic as the title suggests. With a Wild West vibe pervading the songs, they manage to evoke mental images of them holding court in a saloon to perform their seasoned murder folk to a bunch of buzzed delinquents as part of a debaucherous hootenanny … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Jiffy Marx

She’s My Witch / Warning Sign
Snappy Little Numbers (2020)

Jiffy Marx' She’s My Witch / Warning Sign 7″ does not only look like a 45er from the late seventies, but sonically delivers exactly that, i.e. two snappy lil’ pop punk numbers with the band firing on all cylinders. A snappy, fun 7” recorded in a bit more than a day, and sonically an homage and celebration the jangly pop … Read more

Travoltas

Back To The City
White Russian Records (2021)

Somehow it seems to me that Travoltas released Until We Hit The Shore only last year or perhaps the year before. But nooooo, it’s been four years already. That record is still on heavy rotation here, especially when the weather is sunny and the temperature is high (but not too hot). So I was so happy to hear a new … Read more

Bootlicker

Self-Titled
Neon Waste, Static Shock Records (2021)

Rough and tough d-beat, oi-influenced punk with a boot on the cover. If you follow the scene you probably already have a sense of what Bootlicker sounds like based on that alone. Released on Neon Waste (USA/Canada) and Static Shock (UK), this is Discharge-influenced punk that pulls no punches. It’s angry, shouty, and aggressive as all get-out with memorable lyrics … Read more

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