Dauber
Falling Down
Dromedary Records, Recess (2025)
The lazy approach would be to call Dauber "ex-Screaming Females," but that barely scratches the surface. If I had to pick one band to namedrop a comparison to, it would be labelmates Night Court. They play a familiar style but with a lot of quirks that set it apart from the genre standard-bearers. It's driving and energetic -- more importantly, … Read more
Dave Hause
...And The Mermaid
Blood Harmony Records (2025)
...And The Mermaid is Dave Hause's eighth full-length solo album if I’m counting right. The big news with this new effort is that it features a full band. No, it isn't The Loved Ones Pt. 2. But we do get Hause mocking nu-metal and rap-rock, which was probably the second thing on everybody's bucket list. I'll build off that idea, … Read more
Dead Bars
All Dead Bars Go To Heaven
Iodine (2025)
Dead Bars has a unique talent of taking the everyday, the experiences you see and live all the time, and shining a new light on them to make them personal and interesting. I've written about it before, yet it's my job to say this again and to make it interesting. It's what Dead Bars does, so it only seems fitting … Read more
Death By Unga Bunga
Raw Muscle Power
Jansen Records (2025)
I’m pretty sure I became aware of Mike Krol when The Whiffs posted about playing some shows with him. Krol is a bit of an anomaly. Not only is he on Merge and collaborates with Mac Superchunk- a dream scenario imo- but he’s also been elusive of my fan boy attempts at cold dm’ing him about stuff even tho we … Read more
Deseos Primitivos
Lineas de Muerte
Shadowplay Records (2025)
Some reviews are written after years of listening to a band and knowing nearly everything about them. Sometimes I listen to a record on repeat for weeks before I even look up the correct song titles – Deseos Primitivos (Primitive Desires) is the latter. This promo came to SPB as literally a one sentence quote about the band and its … Read more
DFMK
Playa Nuclear
Alternative Tentacles (2025)
DFMK have been playing since 2009, but Playa Nuclear is just their second full-length. It kicks off with exactly what I expect of the band in "Mi Rutina" -- a driving punk song with lots of high energy, guitar-driven bridges; Mr. Cap on vocals and doing near-splits between songs; and a general melodic flow that balances nervous energy with a … Read more
Dying Wish
Flesh Stays Together
Sharptone (2025)
From their hardcore days to their newer, progressing sound on Flesh Stays Together, Dying Wish has been inching toward something sharper, more spectral, more personal. Not just lyrically, but also in sound. The band formed in Portland, Oregon in 2018 and haven’t stopped terrorizing the world alongside Spiritbox and Pain of Truth to name a few. Through nonstop touring, explosive … Read more
East End Redemption
Crashing Down
Independent (2025)
Who would’ve thought that from the land of lobsters and blueberries, you’d find a punk band? East End Redemption is a four-piece band that brings their flavor of punk from Portland, Maine to the masses with their eleven song, debut full-length album, Crashing Down. They mix elements of skate punk, power pop, and even hints of hardcore punk. The band … Read more
Eater
The Lost 1978 Sessions
Cleopatra (2025)
Hopefully everyone reading this already knows that Eater was one of the early British punk bands. Forming in North London in 1976, Eater was one of the youngest bands in the burgeoning UK punk scene, with the members being aged 14-17 at the band’s inception. Eater issued a series of singles and one album for The Label between 1977-1978 before … Read more
Errth
Errth
Uncle Style Records (2025)
What makes a gruff vocal melodic punk band stand out? That's the question I'm asking myself as I listen to Errth's debut on repeat. I've been playing this record for probably a month straight and I dig it. It checks the heart-on-sleeve style I enjoy but I'm struggling to figure out why, exactly. I think on this, it's the tones … Read more
Extortionist
Stare Into The Seething Wounds
Unique Leader (2025)
With a band name like Extortionist, you instantly know they aren’t messing around. I’ve watched enough true crime documentaries to know when you’re going to get tangled up with someone you shouldn’t. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, this band gives you exactly what you want and expect – raw, merciless and unforgiving music. Looking at the cover art and their … Read more
Face Yourself
Fury
Sumerian (2025)
Face Yourself is a transcontinental deathcore force that has been around since 2023. It’s amazing to me that their members are spread out from Colorado, New York, New Jersey, and France. I can barely get friends in the same town as me to hang out. The band isn’t afraid to drop EP after EP with singles constantly thus offering deathcore … Read more
Faulty Cognitions
They Promised Us Heaven
Dead Broke Records (2025)
On their debut, Somehow, We Are Here, Faulty Cognitions made their statement. This wasn't a garage-punk band in the style of the members' previous bands (Low Culture and Shang-A-Lang, among others). It's a guitar-first rock indie-punk band schooled by the college rock of the 1980s. This time around the transition has been so seamless that maybe the debut was a … Read more
FVRMN
Suicides
Steadfast Records, Sweet Cheetah Records (2025)
Calling themselves "Fevermooon," FVRMN is led by J Holmes and Suicides is the second album in as many years. In a broad summary, I thought Back To The Whip was like a drawn out Leatherface or Jawbreaker record. Similar gruff vocals, personal lyrics, but paced with slower tempos and longer songs. Jumping to the present, Suicides has captured the tone … Read more
Golden Shitters
Brutal Planet
Ugly Pop (2025)
People in the indie punk scene in Canada can usually be linked by six degrees of separation. I’ve never met Golden Shitter guitarist Matt Ellis IRL but I became acquainted with him when he played in the short lived Plastic Heads with Jon Sharron. Having played with everyone from Chokehold to Brutal Knights, along with the criminally underrated Valley Boys, … Read more
Gus Baldwin & The Sketch
The Sketch
Permanent Teeth (2025)
When The Sketch opens, I find myself quickly thinking of “Got The Time” by Joe Jackson. For the most part, that comparison fades by the time the power chords kick in at 10 seconds, but I also bring it up because (at least in my mind) that’s a classic track that doesn’t get enough fanfare. No artist wants constant “sounds … Read more
Home Front
Watch It Die
La Vida Es Un Mus Discos Punk (2025)
There's a song on Watch It Die called "Dancing With Anxiety," a title that wraps up Home Front's style quite well. Because I like to beat metaphors to a pulp, maybe also consider "Between The Waves" as another title that captures how they straddle the punk and new wave worlds. Home Front plays street punk with a lot of synth … Read more
Huma Utku
Dracones
Editions Mego (2025)
Huma Utku is an explorer. From her early days under the R.A.N (Roads at Night) moniker, she displayed a deep appreciation for experimental electronic music. From the outset, Utku wove together dark ambient motifs, industrial themes, and post-club abstraction into a minimalist yet holistic vision. Since adopting her own name, that same sonic excavation has continued, with a sharpened focus … Read more
