Niek

New album: Spread Joy || II

31 minutes. That’s the cumulative time it takes to listen to Spread Joy’s self-titled debut (2021) and their follow-up II, which is out now through Feel It Records. 31 minutes may seem barely enough to play a full live show. But Spread Joy (Chicago) won’t need much more to convince you of their aptitude in playing tight and exciting no wave punk. Like on Spread Joy’s debut, the angular guitar work and the sweet bass riffs are again in perfect synergy, and the vocal chords of Briana Hernandez are a great fit to that sound- Hernandez effortlessly switches between sounding edgy, suspenseful, dangerous, pissed off and sweet on II.

II is a varied, and at time almost hypnotic record. It starts at a blistering pace with Ow and Spa Schedule, before moving into pop territory with the major hit Repetition. Ich Sehe Dich is also quite poppy, almost like a throwback to the B-52’s. My current favorite is Chatter, where Hernandez talksings and shrieks over a sweet repetitive guitar riff. Cool stuff, really!


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: Pkew Pkew Pkew || Open Bar

The music of Pkew Pkew Pkew (Toronto) is tailor made for the weekend. It’s loud, it’s fun and perfect for hangouts and singalongs with your friends. In terms of songwriting, the band has made quite the leap from the sheer bluntness and obnoxious of their debut LP – which I absolutely loved. On the band’s latest record (Open Bar), and helped out by Craig Finn (The Hold Steady), Pkew Pkew Pkew succesfully incorporates classic rock influences in their powerful punk sound. In that sense, Open Bar shares several of the strengths of last year’s excellent Sam Coffey And The Iron Lungs’ Real One: anthemic punk rock that will set smaller venues on fire but will also work on a larger stage. It’s Pkew Pkew Pkew at their boldest and most creative yet – the result of a lacking hard deadline and a producer (Jon Drew) down to trying new stuff.

Open Bar is out now through Dine Alone Records. It’s a new Pkew Pkew Pkew record! It’s the weekend. All is good!



Add to wantlist: Dine Alone Records

Reissue: Antler Joe And The Accidents || Go Commercial!

41 years ago, Fort Myers (Florida) punk collective Antler Joe And The Accidents released their first and only EP, the three song Go Commercial! 7″ single. According to Break My Face “The EP was greeted with the expected enthusiasm: the drummer quit and locals didn’t give a shit.” But things change. By now it’s one of those single that is as rare as it is wanted – only 300 copies were pressed. To provide some stats, 265 Discogs users currently have Go Commercial! on their wantlist, and it’s been selling for prices between $500 (!) and $1200 (!!!).

Sufficient reason for Almost Ready Records, Last Laugh Records and Feral Kid Records do to a reissue of the record. It’s a no-brainer, if you love punk music this one should be part of your collection. Apparently, Antler Joe And The Accidents were inspired by the Sex Pistols, but I’ll take this single over anything Sex Pistols. Killer stuff!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New albums: Coruscants || Invasion Utapau & Krykna

Coruscants return for the fourth and fifth installment of their ramonescore mashup of Star Wars and Riverdales. Both records were recorded last month at The Bonus Room in Columbia, TN and are already available for streaming. The idea behind Coruscants is straightforward: take the songs from Riverdales, rewrite the lyrics towards Star Wars geekyness, change the song titles, and repeat for every LP The Riverdales ever recorded.

This time, the trio (Kylo Ben, Dan Solo & Dan Dodonna, who you may know under a different name in bands such as Parasite Diet, The Barariettes, Classic Pat & The Putz!) tackle The Riverdales’ Invasion USA on Invasion Utapau and transform Tarantula into Krykna. I have no idea what Ben Weasel thinks of Coruscants, but I think they are pretty fun!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: The OK Nines || Sunwoofer

The OK Nines are a new band from Berkeley (California), who play a brand of ’90s mid-fi indie rock and altpop that is delightfully jangly and slightly twee. Songs like I Am A Dog and 1,000,000 Treats show a lot of potential and hint upon great things to come for The OK Nines.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Judy And The Jerks || Music to Go Nuts

Are you in the mood for a “drop everything you do, clear out your living room, play it loud and have a private pogo party” kinda record? Look no further than Judy And The Jerks’ Music To Go Nuts.

On their latest album, Judy And The Jerks (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) strike the absolute perfect balance between sounding authentically punk, moving at hardcore speed, and having melodies that will make the pop kids blush. Music To Go Nuts is a 16 minute hand grenade of sheer awesomeness and joy. Have a taste of Buford, one of the most exciting tracks I’ve heard lately, and try California as well – arguably the poppiest track on the record.

Available for streaming now, vinyl expected in September through Thrilling Living. WANT!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: Future Girls || Year Long Winter

After a 3 to 4 year hiatus, Halifax punkrockers Future Girls return with a new EP on Tarantula Tapes and Dirt Cult Records. Future Girls currently are a four-piece – Matty Grace (Guitar/Vocals), Heather Grant (Guitar/Vocals), Becca Dalley (Bass/Vocals), and Dewayne Shanks (Drums). Year Long Winter was written in the early stages of the pandemic, and recorded after Becca Dalley (a bandmate of Matty Grace’s Cluttered) joined the band. The five songs on Year Long Winter are powerful sad bangers, catchy despite their sad undertones. One particular strength of Future girls is that three quarters of the band take on vocal duties, each with their own unique sound. After listening to all five songs, I can’t help but exclaim: Yeah, this is how you do punkrock!

By the way, together with Year Long winter, Tarantula Tapes released Matty Grace’s solo EP I Was A Fat Stupid that I recommend checking out as well.



Add to wantlist: Tarantula Tapes || Dirt Cult Records

New album: The Stroppies || Levity

I know the city of Melbourne is overrepresented on our site, but believe me when I say we’re not paying geographical favors, it’s all about the music. And The Stroppies are not just any Melbourne band, they are yet another GREAT Melbourne band.

On Levity, The Stroppies’ latest record, they sound more experimental than before, taking their jangly indierock into different territories. Part of this is due to the pandemic and writing music individually and in isolation, whereas previously the song ideas were build in collobaration. Underneath the increasingly complex instrumentation remains the pop sensibility of The Stroppies and the slack guitar work. The end result is a strong mix of growers and instant hits. If you are looking for quick rewards, listen to songs like The Perfect Crime, Up To My Elbows and Figure Eights. If you like to be challenged and be rewarded for your patience, listen to songs like Material Condition or Caveats. Or even better yet, listen to the whole thing!

Levity is out now through Tough Love Records.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New EP: Cosmit || It’s Cosmit

Two years ago, Bristol’s (UK) scrappiest and poppiest punkrock band Cosmit entered the scene with a three-song single – I liked it so much it made my singles of the year list. Its follow up, the five-song It’s Cosmit EP, is finally here.

Two years and 8-songs in, I’ve yet to hear a Cosmit song I don’t like. Go Go Go alone makes this EP worth the purchase. On the song, Cosmit sounds like the Northern Soul version of Marked Men, and their harmonies provide an absolute dopamine rush. Or what about Bad Luck, a song that sounds upbeat with sweet backing choirs, but actually is kinda dark. “I’ve seen it all before || It never rains it pours || If it wasn’t for bad luck i wouldn’t have any luck at all.”

In addition to Northern Soul, Cosmit cites Motown and ’60s pop as major influences on their brand of punk rock. This could have resulted in a mess in less capable hands, but in the case of Cosmit (featuring members of RVIVR, Austeros, Toodles & The Hectic Pity, and the co-owner of Specialist Subject Records) it’s an exciting blend of HITS! HITS! HITS!




Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Praise || All In A Dream

If there’s one challenge to being addicted to discovering new music while broadening your musical pallet, it is this: how do you keep up with all the genres you grew up loving and still love? For me, hardcore is one of those genres I have kind of lost touch with throughout the years. But every now and then, a release grabs my attention that gets me so excited I wonder why I don’t spend more time in this corner of the musical landscape. Exhibit A: Turnstile’s Glow On, which was my AOTY last year. Exhibit B: The new Praise album All in A Dream.

Then again, even though hardcore may be the point of origin for both Turnstile and Praise, both bands have so much more to offer. In the case of Praise, the most notable influences comes from the ’80s DC hardcore scene, and when I first heard Praise’s 2014 record Lights Went Out, it felt like hearing Dag Nasty for the very first time. It had that same level of excitement for me. That comparison still holds 8 years later, especially on the title track – I should probably also mention Rites of Spring and Embrace, or more recently As Friends Rust; the record also includes a great cover of Hüsker Dü’s Keep Hanging On. But Praise have firmly built their own sound throughout the years, and central to that sound is their willingness and fearlessness to branch out to more melody and different styles. It’s probably no coincidence that Daniel Fang drums in both Turnstile and Praise, and in Angel Du$t as well: three bands that do not sound alike at all, but have an equal level of exploration and creativity.

Ultimately, All in A Dream is bouncy, dynamic and colorful. It’s a record to get excited over, to rock out with, to sing and scream along to. It’s the kind of record that makes you feel happy you’re alive and can’t wait to share with your friends.




All in A Dream is out now on the legendary Revelation Records. For more on the record, read this insightful interview with Praise singer Andy Norton (formerly of Champion) at Stereogum.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Rev HQ

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