Recent reviews

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

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

Be Your Own Pet

Mommy
Third Man (2023)

Retrospective genre creation by both grizzled music critics and TikTokers has had many victims, from the constituents of Twee to Yatch Rock; however, the rebranding of 2005 garage rock and punk to indie sleaze has to be one of the more egregious. Half aesthetic movement and half musical umbrella for any 2000s band with smudged eyeliner (that hadn’t already been tagged as emo). The term was coined in 2021 and is often thrown around in discussion with bands like The Strokes, Sky Ferreira, Peaches, The Kooks and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Personally, I find myself pretty neutral on the reclassification of bands and genres 20 years down the line. Until now. The grimy post-punk garage rock revival of the 2000s played as a soundtrack to my youth and I find myself possessive of its name. The rock of it all, the punk of it all. While it may be misguided nostalgic energy and the fear of getting older, I feel fiercely protective of these bands and what they stand for (or what I felt they stood for when I was 10 years old). One of the bands recently thrown into the indie sleaze mix is Be Your Own Pet. Back after … Read more

Redshift

Worst Timeline Possible
Boss Tuneage Records (2022)

Wax the boards, Everybody Lets Go Surfing, Surfing US-DECAY. On the crest of a sea of plastics, discarded textiles. Built … Read more

Worriers

Trust Your Gut
Ernest Jenning (2023)

Worriers, fronted by Lauren Denitzio, is an ongoing evolution. It’s earnest, personal and explorative, and the newest album Trust Your … Read more

Perennial

The Leaves Of Autumn Symmetry
Independent (2023)

Earlier this year I reviewed In The Midnight Hour, the second album of Perennial, and I liked it. In fact, … Read more

Hot Mulligan

Why Would I Watch
Wax Bodega (2023)

There are many things the Midwest is known for, and Hot Mulligan is making damn sure emo music stays at … Read more

Spells

Loose Change, Vol. 2
Big Neck Records, Keep It a Secret Records, Motorcycle Potluck Records, Shield Recordings, Snappy Little Numbers (2023)

If you haven’t seen SPELLS live you’re missing out. It’s a high energy, one-of-a-kind experience -- probably even if you … Read more

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One from the archives

Six Parts Seven

Casually Smashed to Pieces
Suicide Squeeze (2007)

I'm having real trouble introducing this band. How could I set up a band that's been covered by Isaac Brock and is still humbly putting out albums like they want to? I kind of feel weak for trying. In an almost too basic description, Six Parts Seven are an epically beautiful down-tempo instrumental group. I know you're thinking, "Another instrumental band?" But these guys really are the cream of the crop. You can draw comparisons to bands like Album Leaf, Tristeza, and even American Football, but that doesn't really explain what you're in store for. There are no lyrics that could possibly benefit the musical works of Six Parts Seven. Every instrument carries itself with a different melody; you can almost feel the layers as each song progresses. The songs … Read more

More album reviews

Girls Like Us

Bitter 'Til The Bitter End
Independent (2023)

There’s the references with friends, right? The inside jokes. The glib comments only your inner circle knows to find funny. A real rocks and dirt moment- sorry, that’s one of mine. There’s another level too. The inside jokes you have with yourself. Sometimes you’re the only one who sees the strange roadside billboard or hears the radio DJ mispronounce a … Read more

The Telescopes

Of Tomorrow
Tapete Records (2023)

Tintinnabulation resounds through the astral planes pulsating waves of pleasure that wash over the mind's crevices. Electrical jolts of sensory disturbances alter perception guiding you through dark passageways toward doors with rays of light pouring through cracks and crevices for those brave enough to explore. Lawrie the high lord of shoe pondering kinship amongst psychedelic warlords has reinvented and suspired … Read more

GraveRipper

Seasons Dreaming Death
Wise Blood Records (2023)

Indianapolis based black/thrash four piece GraveRipper formed in 2019 and have previously released three EP's , one being a split. Seasons Dreaming Death is their first full length album release. GraveRipper have made sure they have well and truly smashed out a proper rager with Seasons Dreaming Death with ten tracks of masterful fusion of fast paced thrash interspersed with … Read more

The Oxys

Generation Irrelevant
Dead Beat Records (2023)

Arms outstretched in the desperate hope of fulfilling dreams that had dissipated, longing for when life was simpler devoid of political persuasion, social media meanderings and opinionated pigs snorting in their own shit hiding behind the keyboard shooting out grammatical inaccuracies chock full of hateful smiling emojis. Festering open sores, drool pouring from the cocked head unbalanced and teetering onto … Read more

The Crimson Ghosts

Forevermore
Ring Of Fire Records (2023)

Recently I admitted I am a fan of more conservative horrorpunk. It might come as no surprise that I am enthralled with bands like Misfits, Calabrese, The Other and The Crimson Ghosts. So here we are, five years after their previous album Yet Not Human I can share my impressions of their sixth album Forevermore. For the uninitiated, The Crimson … Read more

What Goes Up

Laws of Gravity
Brassneck Records, Rad Girlfriend Records, Waterslide Records (2023)

Based on the name, pop-punk sounds like a limited genre. There are a million bands that sound like the Ramones. There are also a million copycats of that stuff that hit big in the early Aughts. But we aren’t going there… What Goes Up proves that you can make emotional, driving, yet poppy punk rock tunes that vary in sound … Read more

Meet Me @ The Altar

Past // Present // Future
Fueled By Ramen (2023)

Meet Me @ The Altar has been THE pop-punk trio pushing us to the edge of our seats in anticipation of their debut LP, Past // Present // Future. The trio’s aptly named album is not only breaking boundaries within the pop-punk realm, but it’s bridging the gap between nostalgia and the present-day scene. MM@TA explores pop-punk in a way … Read more

Bruise Control

Useless for Something
TNSrecords (2023)

Bruise Control is a new-ish punk band from Manchester. The band definitely checks off the boxes of the style, mixing it up quite a bit though over their nine-song debut full-length. The lead song, “Useless” has jangly garage rock tones meets punk aggression that builds over the two and a half minute song. While that lead tone makes an impression, … Read more

Diabol Boruta

Borutus Akustikus
Via Nocturna (2023)

Polish folk metal band, Diabol Boruta (or The Devil Of Borut), released this nine track acoustic album, Borutus Akustikus, through Via Nocturna Records in March this year. This is the bands fifth studio alum and is a selection of their songs performed acoustically with additional instruments and arrangements, featuring one previously unreleased track. Borutus Akustikus was created after the band … Read more

VNV Nation

Electric Sun
Anachron Sounds (2023)

Considering VNV Nation have been around for most of my life and are one of my favourite bands both on record and live, it’s weird to say that this is the first time I am writing some kind of review about them. Being more versed in the metal side of the musical sphere probably has something to do with it, … Read more

Viceprez

Tropical Connexion
Adagio830, Bigoût Records, Dispear Records, Don't Trust The Hype, Inhumano, Shove Records, Sonatine Produzioni (2023)

I like whisky tastings. Especially the ones I organize with my buddies. It is an ideal environment to catch up with them and share loads of small talk and silly humor. The second best thing about those tastings is that tasting more whisky’s you’ll be able to catch certain nuances I wouldn’t normally discover when tasting a single whisky. When … Read more

Origami Angel

The Brightest Days
Counter Intuitive Records (2023)

I’m not biased. Not really. I just don’t like it. It, being pop-punk. I’m just young enough that the initial wave of melodic, palm-muted, nasal voiced rock revival passed by while I was listening to Hannah Montana on my parent’s five disk stereo. However, I’m just old enough that I don’t find the modern-day nostalgic rehash all that impressive. There … Read more

The Penske File

Half Glow
Stomp Records (2023)

Take equal parts The Gaslight Anthem, Menzingers and blue-collar arena rock like Tom Petty or Springsteen, with a dash of The Clash, Dave Hause, and American Steel, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect with The Penske File’s latest, Half Glow. The results are often mixed for me when punk bands lean toward classic rock and introspection. I’m … Read more

Various Artists

Godspeed... A Tribute to Pierre Kezdy
Independent (2023)

It’s probably been 30 years since I heard my first tribute album and I’m not sure my opinion has changed. There are usually 1-2 really good covers, some mediocrity, and an unfocused tone. They’re often underwhelming, but the exceptions to this rule keep you coming back to the format. Fortunately, Godspeed is one of those exceptions. This record is from … Read more

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