Amusement dropped their third EP last week, and it’s a triple win. I have yet to hear a song by this Portland quartet that I don’t like. Their latest Holding On EP—now available for a pre-order as a 7″ on Dirt Cult Records—is every bit as strong as their dual debut singles from late 2023.
If you like your melodies raw and noisy, Amusement should be at the top of your listening pile. They’re loud, they hit hard, and their noise is oh-so-melodic—playing the kind of punk rock that could only come from musicians with a healthy dose of hardcore and alt-rock in their record collections and a great deal of chemistry. Think Jawbreaker meets Dag Nasty meets Farside meets Superchunk meets Dinosaur Jr. Powerful stuff with loads of heart.
Right now, Amusement have built a 7-song discography that lands somewhere between fantastic and awesome. And you can now own all three EPs on a 7″—or grab the full collection on one convenient LP, courtesy of Shield Recordings and Brassneck Records (pre-order available, expected to ship late April or early May). As a bonus, they’ve thrown in a Dinosaur Jr. cover (Budge) that was recorded specifically for this purpose.