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American Steel

State of Grace
Fat Wreck Chords (2018)

American Steel always felt a bit under the radar, despite releasing albums on Lookout and Fat Wreck. While they’ve been on well-known labels, they don’t get the same accolades as some of their peers. It feels fitting, in that way, that the band just released a new 7” seemingly out of nowhere. The band hadn’t even played together in five … Read more

Beaten To Death

Agronomicon
Mas-Kina Records (2018)

Does fun belong in music? Or more specifically: does fun belong in grindcore? And I don’t mean the porn or gore variant (I admit, some of those guys make me smile occasionally), just your regular meat and taters grindcore. The crazy heavy metallers of Beaten To Death seem to think so. How else to explain this album title of song … Read more

Rome

Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro
Trisol Music Group (2019)

Rome’s musical output has been incredibly prolific over the last decade and a half of the project’s existence. Releasing albums at the rate of practically one every year, Rome has much to say and the band is Jerome Reuter’s way of expressing many emotions and opinions on revolution, love and the way forward, all within the neofolk genre in one … Read more

Dark/Light

Dark Slash Light
Dirt Cult (2018)

Portland’s Dark/Light pronounces their name phonetically, including the punctuation. They’re doubling down on that element by naming this 7”, released this past June, Dark Slash Light. SPB had the pleasure of hosting their earlier LP, Kill Some Time.As for this 4-song, 9-minute release, it keeps going in that tradition of gritty and to-the-point punk that pulls from ‘80s punk roots … Read more

Terror

Total Retaliation
Pure Noise (2018)

I first saw Terror live in a garage with about 30 other people on New Year's Eve in 2002. I remember the day because I was blown away by the band's passion, intensity and musicianship, flowing seamlessly from fast verses to chorus breakdowns, peppered with perfectly-timed two-steps and singalongs. I still distinctly remember drummer Nick Jett's blistering snare fills cutting … Read more

Madball

For The Cause
Century Media (2018)

30 years is a long fucking time. Those of us fortunate enough to break into our 30s know the wisdom and fragility that comes with clicking into that next decade of life. Things hurt more, from hangovers to inexplicable body aches. That said, we are also wiser, having learned from many of the mistakes we made in our early days, … Read more

Hot Snakes

Jericho Sirens
Sub Pop (2018)

Hot Snakes first formed in 1999 and ran until 2005. They re-formed in 2011 for some tours and finally bring the rock in the new album Jericho Sirens, released in early 2018. For those unfamiliar with the group, members also play in Rocket From the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Obits, The Night Marchers, and more. There’s a familiar overlap in … Read more

The Beginnings

I Am Dirt
Sixtynine Records (2018)

The last couple of years the Macedonian punk scene was a revelation to me. Fonija, Bernays Propaganda and Noviot Pochetok became personal favourites while other bands like Xaxaxa have had their regular time on my turntable as well. What these bands have in common is a sense of melody that is rather melancholic, the courage to develop their sound in … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Katie Ellen

Still Life
Lauren Records (2018)

What started as a two-piece project after the disbandment of Chumped, Katie Ellen are making a name for themselves in their own right. Since seeing the band live this year on tour with Lemuria, I’ve been obsessed with their latest release Still Life. From the record’s hauntingly beautiful lo-fi appeal to the openness of the lyrics to the beauty in … Read more

Neighborhood Brats

Claw Marks
Dirt Cult (2018)

I’ve always liked Neighborhood Brats, but I don’t remember the band having so much variation in sound. Over 11 songs, this record maintains their melodic and forward-moving punk but with ominous foreboding organ, and even banging piano at times. While this growth stands out, it also doesn’t change who the band is. These details add depth, not a change of … Read more

The Sidekicks

Happiness Hours
Epitaph (2018)

The Sidekicks are a band that I still pay attention to past my “punk only years”—you know, the years of my youth when only punk music and anything within that sub-genre mattered to me. I know, how naive. But it was also naive of me to brush off The Sidekicks as just another sub-par punk band. Throughout the years I … Read more

Mozes and the Firstborn

Dadcore
Burger Records (2019)

Part parody and part homage to guitar music, Dutch four-piece Mozes and the Firstborn have set a new tone with their American-tinged third album Dadcore. The album's name comes from guitar music apparently becoming the preserve of dads, and no longer being popular with teenagers. How true that is is a matter of opinion, but in any case the album … Read more

Character Actor

Character Actor
Dirt Cult (2018)

At SPB, we like to write longer reviews. Reviews that go into depth and give you a reason to read and think about a record instead of just hitting Spotify or Bandcamp. The catch, of course, is that some records are really short. It might take you as long to read this thing as it would to listen to Character … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Kississippi

Sunset Blush
Alcopop! Records (2018)

Philly duo Kississippi released their anticipated debut album Sunset Blush and unlike some records, it lived up to the hype. The album starts off with the song “Once Good,” perfectly blending elements of indie and folk with Zoë Reynolds’ voice beautifully texturing the track. “Cut Yr Teeth” is a sonically dreamy track complete with stellar lyrics. Reynolds is mesmerizing as … Read more

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