New Jersey’s TV Sound continue their mission to excite music fans young and less young to the virtues of classic rock(‘n’roll). Rock & Roll For Young Beginners, Vol. 2 follows Vol. 1and it’s another ear tickling one. Someone Down There Likes Them is the rockin’ track, while Transatlantic Clarity is a seventies throwback with less loudness and more nuance in the guitar amps and increased grooviness in the bass department. TV Sound again prove they clearly know where it’s at and how it’s done. Rock & Roll For Young Beginners, Vol. 2 is out now on Killing Horse Records.
If you ever were a hardcore kid, if you’ve ever experienced that rush of cathartic release, heartfelt screaming, bodies slamming into each other, if you’ve ever felt that sense of community at hardcore shows, I believe that feeling never completely leaves you. In fact, it takes only one great song, one great record to take you back. Mil-Spec’s new LP Marathon is that kind of record. It’s heavy, it’s emotional, it’s familiar yet different, it’s truly special. Touché Amoré, As Friends Rust and Turning Point appear to be influences Mil-Spec (Toronto) draw from, three bands that have tilted our expectations of what hardcore punk should sound like. Indeed, Mil-Spec are not your average hardcore band – the video of standout The Days Don’t End is something else as well, and I am pretty sure that with Marathon they will fuel or reignite a hardcore passion of past and present hardcore kids around the globe. It’s out now on Lockin’ Out Records.
Let’s do a quick check. The well that keeps churning out quality indie bands from Naarm/Melbourne? Still hasn’t dried up. Case in point: the debut album by Soft Covers. That said, before moving to the indie music hotbed, Soft Covers originally started in Meanjin/Brisbane. The trio (Laura, James and Dan) used to play in bands Dumb Things, People Mover, lsd ratking.
Their full length debut as Soft Covers, which is out now via Hidden Bay (Tape) and Little Lunch Records (LP), is a fine DIY underground pop collection called Soft Serve. More than occasionally on the record, Soft Covers find that magical spot where ramshackle charm, minimalistic pop hooks, nonchalantly strummed guitars and perfectly timed (slightly) off-key vocals combine to make something special out of something essentially straightforward an uncomplicated. Add in some laid back slacker vibes and simple organ fills and you get a sound that could only be produced in Austalia or New Zealand.
Desde Flores y Entrañas is the sixth album by Barcelona trio Mujeres, a band that has quite the following in their home country but remains relatively obscure in the rest of world. Whether that will change with the new LP is up in the air, but the punky garage pop of Mujeres is definitely a source of joy. In all fairness, the band has more to offer than concise and contagious pop punk blasts. Desde Flores y Entrañas is a sonic manifesto that is diverse, life-affirming and should appeal to a broad audience. If you are looking for something energetic with a familiar core yet vibrant execution, give this record a chance.
Desde Flores y Entrañas is out now on double LP (45RPM) at Sonido Muchado.
I was a massive fan of All Day, Every Day, All Night, the debut album by Buffalo (NY) trio Del Paxton. It showcased the band’s talent for creating a rockin’ and dynamic emo sound with mathy elements – quite polished but also lively. That was well over six year ago, which made me curious how the band would sound in 2023. Auto Locator answers the question with satisfactory result. Surely, there are differences, but if you like album #1, you’ll like album #2. Perhaps the most 2023 thing about the record is that it was recorded in a solar powered barn. The rest is vintage Del Paxton (think Braid, think Hey Mercedes), with the technical side of the recording dating much further back- hence the title Auto Locator, which is the rewind mechanism on the reel to reel tape machine the band used to track the album.
Auto Locator is a display of technical skill and creativity, but with a human heart beating at its core. LP out now at Topshelf Records.
Sure, the late ’70s were fun and all if you were into punk. But have you tried being alive on October, 6th 2023, the day not only Cherry Cheeks and CLASS dropped two modern punk classics, but the amazing Sick Thoughts sneaked in a four-song EP as well?
Last time we covered Drew Owen’s Sick Thoughts on our site, they had just released what quickly became my favorite punk LP of the year. The Born To Blitzkrieg EP is more reason to get excited. If you like your music mediocre and safe, looks elsewhere. Sick Thoughts come charging at you with full force, cutting your skin with their hooks, piercing your ears with their amazing shredding guitars, bleeding over you with their sore throats. It may hurt a little, you may get dirty, but fun will be had. What a blast to hear Sick Thoughts churn out monster hit after monster hit on Born To Blitzkrieg. It is out now on 12″ at Drew Owen’s new ROKK Records.
This Friday’s release day brought excellent news for the C-section of your record collection. In addition to the spazzy synthpunk goodness that is Cherry Cheeks’ new full length LP, here is a modern classic by what I believe to be one of the most exciting emerging punk bands of recent years: CLASS. The pace with which the band from Tucson is making a name for themselves and building a no filler discography has ’60s written all over it. If You’ve Got Nothing is the band’s fourth (!) release in eighteen months. Wait, what? And yet, while the prolific nature and consistent quality of the band’s output is reminscent of some of the giants of the ’60s, the melodic sound of the band has roots firmly in ’70s (proto)punk and power pop.
If You’ve Got Nothing is comprised of 12 songs, and sees CLASS opting for a looser, more experimental style. It’s not like they ever felt boxed in to genre expectations, but it feels like they found a voice of their own even more. If there is any knock on the band and the new LP is that some of the songs have appeared on previous records. Then again, these songs are either so awesome (Inspect The Receipt) or played in a version so different from the original that it starts to sound like a new song (Oh! The Nerve). On their new LP, CLASS sound like true originals, the real deal. If you are in a cynical mood about the state of rock’n’roll, and have resigned to only playing the classics, I invite you to press play on the pop infused anarchy of If You’ve Got Nothing. It’s like opening the window to let the bad air out.
CLASS are shining so brightly, you almost start to worry if they will not burn out soon. For now, let’s be grateful to reside in the same timeline as CLASS. If You’ve Got Nothing is out now on Feel It Records.
The spazzy synthpunk goodness that is Cherry Cheeks return for their second full length LP. What started as a pandemic solo project by Kyle Harms is now a full band out of Portland – a place of residence shared with their label Total Punk. On CCLPII, Cherry Cheeks maintain a high gear and wield a formidable gift for catchy melodies. The A-side of CCLPII is creating havoc in my body, with limbs and body parts starting to move unconsciously and uncontrollably.The opening salvo of What Went Wrong and Hard Stancing is so infectious, the US government should probably put this band under quarantine. The third song on the LP is Switch, and I can’t imagine anyone able to sit still to this extremely groovy and catchy ball of fire.
The hits keep coming on the remainder of Side A, and while there is no shortage of hits on the B-side, it sees Cherry Cheeks go a little more experimental. It’s a pleasant change of pace and the synth parts draw more attention than ever before. I caught myself going full Michael Winslow in recreating the synth licks on B-side standout Pure Power, and failing hopelessly.
CCLPII is another great one and must buy from Cherry Cheeks. LP out now at Total Punk Records.
Jellephant & The Phantoms are one the best kept secrets of the Dutch indie scene. The band formed around Jelle Haagsma and featuring members of Paracetamøl and Christopher Walkman is one of the most prolific as well. Always Down is the thirteenth (!) album of the band’s ten year career. Let’s start with the good news. Always Down is an excellent record. Like the previous Jellephant record we covered on ATW, it has a sense of urgency and hunger that you’d normally associate with early career releases. Mix in the skill of veteran musicians and you get an indie rock record that sounds lively and scrappy, but also layered and nuanced.
The sad news? Always Down will be the final full band release for Jellephant & The Phantoms. Thanx for all the tunes, Jelle & The Phantoms! Fortunately, Jelle Haagsma will continue to release music under the Jellephant moniker. We’ll be listening.
Always Down is out now through Brighter Records.
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The longest track on Headcheese’s sophomore album is 74 seconds long. The thing is, when you play your songs at high velocity and make them sound frantic and pissed off, you can make every second count. That’s exactly what these Canadian hardcorepunks bring to the table. On Expired, Headcheese take you back to the time where visiting hardcore shows could lead to either loss of a life (or two) or the best possible time, or more likely, both.
Expired is out now through Neon Taste Records. Love how Headcheese treat the Vancouver label to their own theme song in the final track (Neon Taste) on the album: “This label needs to be stopped, it’s getting out of hand!”
