I’m not sure why this slab of vinyl exists, except perhaps as a tribute to the band’s late vocalist. It’s a real shitty live recording of this short-lived San Diego hardcore band. Just about all of the songs on this record were also released on two studio records, so it’s not like this is the […]
The pride of Columbus, Ohio is back with a new batch of songs! I think these cats are more off again than on again, making the appearance of Songs for Money even more surprising and rad. This trio’s blend of pop hooks and atmospherics is bolstered by memorable vocal harmonies sung by twin brothers Austin […]
Modern flavor hardcore—or should I say “hawdcore”—from DC. The vocalist is a dead ringer for Victim in Pain era Roger Miret and the music follows suit with odes to NYHC and Madball in particular. No chugga-chugga or crowd killing foolishness here; just four blows to the head of the type of hardcore that will never […]
Longtime Czech band that started in the early ’90s. Their first recorded outing was 1996! Fierce political hardcore sung in their native tongue with some NYHC vibes along with the straight ahead damage of Poison Idea. It’s totally “fine” and listenable but isn’t making it to the top of the pile anytime soon. If you’re […]
I’ve been a huge supporter of Tor Johnson Records over the years, so it was natural that when they announced a subscription series in celebration of their 20th anniversary that I signed up as soon as possible. This first release from the series features Dikembe and Slingshot Dakota, two bands I’m not super familiar with. […]
The picture, band name, and label would lead you to believe the third (or fourth?) full length by this long time Dallas band would be straight up “street punk,” but there’s waaaaaay more to it. For sure there’s Cock Sparrer, Street Dogs, et al. vibes here, but there’s something in the songwriting and vocal delivery […]
White and black swirl reissue with two blistering songs. I know I’ll never see this band live, but I can crank this up and pretend. Punishing and unrelenting. Snatch this up quick as Merge only ponied up for three hundred platters and then that’s it. –Sean Koepenick (Merge, mergerecords.com)
Drug Church’s first full-length in four years is rather on the short side: ten songs in twenty-six minutes. However, still here are influences from the Pixies, The Breeders, and Seaweed, all filtered through a post-hardcore sound. Yet, there’s a bit of growth: “Premium Offer” has a Cursive vibe and “Tiresome” leans hard on a Quicksand […]
Right off the bat, this feels like Elway’s magnum opus. The first track is an epic build up. It starts out feeling like a church service full of ethereal harmonies, before breaking into their well-worn path of high intensity pop punk. The song “The English Wishbone” is a fucking banger. They put down a beautiful […]
Burly hardcore punk from Australia that swipes at the same murky pleasure centers as Rixe and Bootlicker while kicking into some old-school powerviolence from time to time. It takes guts to give your band a name that a snarky critic can flip into an insult when they feel like half-assing a review, and I’m pleased […]
When I first heard this was the band’s country outing, I got a little bit scared. But don’t worry, as it’s more of a flavoring versus a full-on genre change. “Tonight’s the Night” bass line is the only part that can be connected to a country shuffle. The title track could have been done by […]
The first song on this CD, “Burb Life,” has a triumphant, ’90s pop punk kickoff. When the vocals kick in, we find the singer really has a great pop punk voice. Sort of in the Bad Religion arena. This song contains a lot of that anthemic guitar harmonizing up and down the neck. “A Night […]