699 total search results — Page 28 of 35
Hanalei – Black Snow
Review — May 4, 2021
It’s been ten years since Hanalei released One Big Night, which is a long time between records for anyone. Hanalei is primarily frontman Brian Moss, who has also played with The Ghost, Wunder Years and other bands with names similar to more popular groups. But Hanalei is by far …
Early Riser – Vocations
Review — May 17, 2021
I was really into a few folk-bands for a while. But while I enjoy the lo-fi and personable tones, I find a lot of the vocals to be hit/miss. Which, to be honest, is in tune with my feelings on folk too. It’s a genre where voice matters a lot. …
Raging Nathans – Waste My Heart
Review — May 24, 2021
It’s the pop-punk conundrum. Raging Nathans are a distinct band -- yet they aren’t. On first listen their sound is familiar. Take Lookout Records and Ramones-inspired sing-alongs, add skatepunk urgency, put it in a blender and set to crush. It’s not an even mix of all the ingredients, rather …
Tomahawk – Tonic Immobility
Review — May 31, 2021
It would be nice if art could exist in a vacuum. I’m certain that a person finding Tomahawk randomly on YouTube or Spotify or whatever would have far different opinions than somebody who has known of Mike Patton since Faith No More’s The Real Thing blew up, which is …
Cluttered – Accidents EP
Review — May 31, 2021
I’ve listened to a lot of Future Girls, Modern Cynics, and Weekend Dads the past couple of years. What does that have to do with Cluttered? Well, they share a key songwriting voice in Matty Grace, for starters. But Cluttered is a new band and a new direction, …
Neighborhood Brats – Confines of Life
Review — June 8, 2021
Neighborhood Brats play punk as you’d expect it to sound – regardless of year or era. It’s angry, aggressive and timeless. A review doesn’t require hyphens and subcategories. But while they’re easy to pin into a genre, they remain full of surprises, which is exceedingly rare. For every political lyric, …
Electric Chair – Social Capital
Review — June 14, 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 …
Needles//Pins – Needles//Pins
Review — June 21, 2021
Needles//Pins have all the familiar elements of pop-structured punk. Yet, at the same time, it’s hard to distill their sound to a single scene or subgenre. It’s melodic; it’s gruff; it’s sing-along. But it’s not really angry, fist-in-the-air cynicism. There’s an uplifting vibe underneath the coarse offering that soars instead …
Jason Paul + the Know It Alls – Alien or Martian?
Review — June 28, 2021
I’d seen the name Jason Paul + the Know It Alls around a few times but never really looked into them -- which is a shame, seeing that they share members with a personal favorite, Toys That Kill. It took ‘em four records, but I’m finally checking out the …
The Dumpies – Drunk Dial #8
Review — July 12, 2021
A quick word on the Drunk Dial series. Basically, the label asks bands to get intoxicated, then record an original a-side and a cover b-side.On #8, we get The Dumpies, who deliver 4 songs at a total runtime of five minutes. It’s fast, catchy and harmonized rough-around-the-edges garage-punk goodness. …
Bootlicker – Self-Titled
Review — July 20, 2021
Rough and tough d-beat, oi-influenced punk with a boot on the cover. If you follow the scene you probably already have a sense of what Bootlicker sounds like based on that alone. Released on Neon Waste (USA/Canada) and Static Shock (UK), this is Discharge-influenced punk that pulls no punches. It’s …
Proud Parents – At Home With
Review — July 27, 2021
At Home With Proud Parents caught me a little off guard, right from the start. While the debut showcased a variety of influences, this one is even more toned back and chill, in contrast to some members’ other work with The Hussy. The opening track on this sophomore album, …
Alien Nosejob – HC2
Review — August 3, 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 …
Talk Show Host – Mid-Century Modern
Review — August 10, 2021
Talk Show Host is a power-pop group from Toronto. And while it’s chock-full of those pleasant, soaring melodies expected of the style, the band establishes its tone early, showing there are some teeth behind the smile with opening track “You Asshole!” Songs like the lead track, “Crisis Actors” and …
Totally Slow – Casual Drag
Review — August 17, 2021
I don’t hear skatepunk-influenced bands that catch my attention very often. What was once new and vibrant has grown stale and derivative. Yet, Totally Slow (from North Carolina) have a very clear West Coast ‘90s influence that thrives throughout Casual Drag, their third record. While I hear a lot …
Luz de Gas – Luz de Gas
Review — August 24, 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 …
Bambies – Summer Soon
Review — August 31, 2021
The first song on Sumer Soon is titled “Dirty Taint.” And if that doesn’t put a taste in your mouth for what’s to come, well, keep reading then. There’s some trash rock influence, for sure, but it’s not that cut-and-dried. The Bambies also have some heavy Ramones influence that gives …
The Obits – Die at the Zoo
Review — September 7, 2021
Die at the Zoo is a live recording from Obits, live in Brisbane, Australia, in 2012. There are 16 songs from the band’s catalog and it was recently released on limited vinyl by Outer Battery. There are probably two main angles for looking at a live record: is it …
NOFX – Single Album
Review — September 14, 2021
This record is honestly kind of painful. It’s meant to be, too. It’s about depression, drug abuse, death and all kinds of dark material. And it works on that level, but it’s also painful because the NOFX sound puts Fat Mike’s vocals so front-and-center in everything: It’s like watching somebody …
