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The Carvels NYC

Live At The Cutting Room
Die Laughing Records (2020)

2018 is the first time I heard from The Carvels NYC. The cover artwork was what drew me in that time. The music convinced me to ask for more of the same recipe. The band delivered not long after my review by releasing a second EP. I was happy with it. 2020 saw another EP. Again I was happy with … Read more

Shellshag

FUTQ
Independent (2020)

Shellshag, a duo from Brooklyn, play a unique style of fuzzy stoner punk. Live, Shell and Shag play drums and guitar, standing face-to-face and sharing a Y-shaped microphone stand (pictured on the album cover). It’s personal -- just look at the name – and feels alternately intimate, yet communal -- it has that impossible-to-define punk spirit that involves the audience … Read more

Quaker Wedding

In Transit
Salinas Records (2020)

Sometimes when you take a test drive, you know right away that it’s the car for you.Quaker Wedding, if they were a car (sorry, but I’m going to drive this metaphor as far as I can), would be the 150,000+ mile American economy vehicle I drove for a decade in the ‘90s. It’s unique and agile, but with rust spots, … Read more

Aseitas

False Peace
Translation Loss (2020)

Aseitas hail from the wilds of Portland, Oregon and while many bands from that region tend to dabble in the blackened side of the extreme metal spectrum, this group aim to create sonic dissonance via the technical aspects of death metal. Their second full-length, False Peace, is a demanding listen, not least because of three long-form tracks (all over ten … Read more

Ulver

Flowers of Evil
House of Mythology (2020)

It’s no secret that Ulver have long since moved on from their black metal past and while the Norwegians have firmly left the harsh, cold winters behind, their music still moves in less than positive circles – at least when it comes to the subject matter. The Ulver of 2020 plays in the pantheon of synth-driven pop, however, the lyrical … Read more

The Other

Haunted
Drakkar Entertainment (2020)

This new album by The Other came as a bit of surprise for me. I was thrilled no less thrilled when I saw the announcement online though. This band has been one of my favorite horrorpunk bands ever since I picked up their debut album They’re Alive somewhere back in 2004 or 2005. It has been a long and awesome … Read more

Primitive Man

Immersion
Relapse (2020)

Writing about music is a bit like being an anthropologist. The kind who immerses themselves in a culture to better understand it. Not the kind who comes up with whacked-out theories while staring blankly at the wall of the faculty lounge (or I guess now, their kitchen cupboards between Zoom classes). To really do a piece of art justice, you … Read more

Owen

The Avalanche
Polyvinyl (2020)

I struggled rather mightily on how to summate longtime fandom into a concise review for this record, a Sisyphean task that was slowly running me into the ground. I even had a dream about Owen and woke up at 5 a.m. with some revelatory connection that would be my through line, but I fell back asleep and the conclusions eluded … Read more

Biznaga

Gran Pantalla
Slovenly (2020)

Gran Pantalla is the third LP from Spain’s Biznaga. It’s predecessor, Sentido Del Espectáculo, was quite successful in Spain and numero tres comes with the lofty promise in the press material as “If Joe Strummer were actually from Granada, The Clash would have sounded something like this.” It’s also the band’s first record featuring collaborative songwriting, instead of each writer … Read more

All Hits

Men And Their Work
Iron Lung (2020)

Back in the 1980s there were some intriguing new sounds developing. Post-punk was always arty and a bit noisier, but always so serious. New Wave was danceable and synthetic, but sometimes not serious enough. The commonality between the two, tonally, was an exploration of new soundscapes with inhuman tones: finding a balance between a detached dystopian environment and the nuance … Read more

Big Chungus

Big Chungus
Wet Cassettes Records (2020)

You have to appreciate a concept that’s primarily focused on making you uncomfortable; where’s the fun without a healthy dose of shock and awe? Young Philadelphia-based label Wet Cassettes is built on those foundations, describing themselves as torchbearers of “weird dirty music for weird dirty people,” a concept that deserves to be saluted from where I’m sitting. Their latest project … Read more

Left Hand Black

Left Hand Black
Wolverine records (2020)

Back when I was listening to everything with the stamp Horrorpunk on it I discovered a band called The Dead Next Door. I liked them, but never got round to buying a record of them. They have risen from the grave under the name Left Hand Black. So even if this self titled album is the debut album for this … Read more

Broadway Calls

Sad in the City
Red Scare Industries (2020)

Sad in the City doesn’t mince words. Opening with the lines of “If my country collapses/ can I crash on your couch…” in “Never Take Us Alive.” The band play super melodic pop-punk that focuses more on singalong harmonies than kick, punch and bite, but the lyrics give a little more attitude than you might guess just listening to the … Read more

Era Bleak

Era Bleak
Dirt Cult (2020)

It’s really tough for me to review this full-length. Why? Because I loved the band’s demo tape and it’s really hard to separate the two releases. The self-titled official debut here has several of the same songs and, probably due to familiarity, they jump out as favorites from the get-go.But I’ll do what I can to go all tabula rasa … Read more

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