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
Alien Nosejob
Once Again The Present Becomes The Past
Iron Lung (2020)
Alien Nosejob is a one-person project by Jake Robertson. On Suddenly Everything Is Twice As Loud, released in January, it was heavily influenced by melodic garage-punk. This time around the word was that Once Again The Present Becomes The Past is a hardcore record.So of course it starts with a short song called “Piano Prelude.” Because even when you know what to expect … 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
BÖRN
Drottningar Dauðans
Iron Lung (2022)
It seems like genre definitions change based on the era. I swear people were calling Sonic Youth post-punk for a while, but nowadays the tag seems to apply to a dystopian style with distant-emotionless vocals. Of course, genre is a tricky beast. It’s often useful for description and concept, but some artists fall into the trap a little too deep. … Read more
DIÄT
Positive Disintegration
Iron Lung (2019)
Positive Disintegration is an ideal name for this album, the follow-up to Positive Energy, which DIÄT released in 2015. The record is dreary post-punk with a lot of repetition and monotone vocals that carry a beaten-down-by-the-world-but-the-show-must-go-on vibe. “We,” starts things on this path, but as the record progresses that exasperation turns to a call for action at times.The very next song, “Foreign … Read more
Electric Chair
Social Capital
Iron Lung (2021)
This is short, fast, loud; brutal, punishing stuff. Ripping straight into it with “Bastard,” the first verse is spit-shouted in a way that, to normal people who don’t listen to this kind of thing all the time, will literally sound like he’s saying “blah blah blah, fuck shit.” It’s damn fast, and damn angry.But speed and intense drumming isn’t enough … Read more
Geld
Beyond the Floor
Iron Lung (2020)
When Aussie hardcore troupe Geld held a launch party for their previous album Perfect Textures two years ago they played, among other things, some cover songs from Hawkwind and Sick of it All. According to their label Iron Lung Records the band will have a digital launch of their brand new lp Beyond the Floor and cover songs this time … Read more
Geld
Perfect Texture
Iron Lung (2018)
Geld’s Perfect Texture is 11 tracks, 23 minutes, 41 seconds: walloping wallaby! I feel like I’m back in my initial stomping grounds of Lethbridge, Alberta, a place that must exist in Geld's stomping grounds of Melbourne, Australia. Back in Canada’s Loyal Order of the Moose community hall, standing in an awkward half circle, ceiling too high, among their powerful nasty noise exuding … Read more
Huraña
Brujas, Cholas e Inventadas
Iron Lung (2020)
Brujas, Cholas e Inventadas is a fast-paced 7” with 7 songs in maybe 10 minutes. It’s concise but probably the right dose for this style of lo-fi punk by Huraña, a four-piece from Chiapas, Mexico.With Spanish lyrics and muddy production, the EP is all heart and energy. It’s fierce without being aggressive. It’s melodic without being singalong. It’s potent without being … Read more
Luz de Gas
Luz de Gas
Iron Lung (2021)
So many punk albums start strong and lose their energy by the end. This self-titled debut does the opposite, intentionally starting slow and building up tension with an instrumental and then gaining momentum all the way through. It seems the Santiago, Chile-based band released this demo last year and it’s made the rounds, now getting a USA cassette release via … Read more
RASHŌMON
Nin-Gen EP
Iron Lung (2022)
Laypeople who don’t listen to heavy music often lump it all together, even while those of us who dedicate our time to the cause can pick up the difference between death metal, thrash and hardcore in seconds. RASHŌMON are one of those bands that would have people in fits right away, likely calling it metal even though there are few … Read more
Slant
1집
Iron Lung (2021)
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
Smut
First Kiss
Iron Lung (2020)
Punk rock, man. Sometimes a band just does it right. Iron Lung released First Kiss on February 28 and it’s a doozy. There are only 8 songs here, and they fly by in probably 10 minutes. It’s fast and furious, with a whole lotta swagger and vitriol. The record sounds like aggression, pure and simple. I’m generally not an angry dude but … Read more
Total Control
Typical System
Iron Lung (2014)
Sometimes you get stuck on a review. Sure, I meant to delve outside my comfort zone a bit in grabbing this record, but I’ve been a little stuck on the details. The plus side, of course, is that means I’ve given it dozens of spins.Typical System is the second release from Melbourne’s Total Control. The band features some recognizable names … Read more
