Night Court
$hit Machine
Recess (2024)
Forget all the stereotypes about punk. Night Court are a punk band, but they aren’t nihilistic or aggressive. Instead, they’re scrappy and DIY and -- while they are certainly cynical at times -- they carry an air of positivity. It’s a well-defined sound on the band’s fourth LP, with 17 bouncy songs to singalong to. “Human Torch” is a fitting intro track, kicking off with lyrics of “No guns, no gods/ no war, no bombs” in a minute-long jamboree. The song is bass-heavy with a peppy beat and group harmonies. It exemplifies a positive message set to an upbeat rhythm. That pattern continues throughout, albeit in different ways because the band alternates vocalists. The songs with Emilor on vocals follow a similar structure, but lean more into traditional pop with a bigger focus on the chorus. To me, the Jiffy and Dave-O songs are a little more slacker-punk, still hook-driven but a little bit more offbeat, so to speak. Often, all three singers share tunes too, such as “Infrared Glasses,” which has some Pixies/Breeders-esque call and response twists before ending in harmony. “Never Say I Told Ya So” pulls all their diverse sounds in a snappy 2-minute package. Most of … Read more
Mouth Wound
Tallow
Handmade Birds (2024)
Alright! Handmade Birds, easily one of the most important underground extreme/experimental labels of the '10s, is entering a new phase … Read more
The Peawees
One Ride
Spaghetty Town Records, Wild Honey Records (2024)
Many years ago I read an essay about how the difficult-to-decipher vocals of Joe Strummer was part of The Clash’s … Read more
