Punk

New EP: Mr. Dinkles || R.I.P.T.

From a "Socialism Ditty" to a "Letter to Elon"

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Someone had to write an open letter to Elon Musk, and Los Angeles/Seattle garage punk duo Mr. Dinkles make it impossible to ignore: “You need to calm down.” It’s the central epos of their new EP entitled R.I.P.T., a five-song gut punch that is both sarcastic and vulnerable. Blending blown-out guitars en relentless drumming with diaristic honesty en precise shifts, it turns modern anxiety into something loud and sharp, yet controlled.

The lyrics revolve around economic frustration, digital-age paranoia, and political disillusionment, skewering wealth inequality, online culture, and hollow power with biting humor, capturing what it feels like to be young, overstimulated, and stuck performing yourself just to stay afloat. Delivered through cool, heartfelt vocals, this EP rises far above the “30-second phases that slip away” it calls out in Grinding My Teeth, being far more lasting and anthemic.



R.I.P.T.—produced by Robert Adam Stevenson—is out digitally and on lathe-cut vinyl 10″ through Futureless. Featuring MacLeighin Rettig (vocals, guitar) and Rocco Ramos (drums).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Quiet Panic

Single review: The Circulators || Pointless Games

Certified filthy. Certified catchy. Certified Total Punk.

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Perhaps I missed the announcement, but I don’t think Total Punk made much noise about this new Circulators release. Which is odd, because The Circulators are one of the most hypeworthy bands currently flying the flag for classic punk. Their demo landed in my top 10 releases of 2023, and their official debut cracked my top 5 of 2024. So naturally, I was pretty excited to discover this new 7″ on my doorstep.

Pointless Games delivers two brand-new Circulators originals, both excellent, alongside a rippin’ cover of Teengenerate’s My G.T.O., which is about as solid a song choice as punk rock gets. The whole thing scratches a very particular itch. You know the one. The spot on your back you can never quite reach until suddenly, somehow, you can. Maybe that’s a gross analogy, but The Circulators make punk that is both filthy and ridiculously catchy, so it feels appropriate enough.

The label promises a perfect snot-to-pop ratio and carries the full Total Punk seal of approval.

I’ve tested the product. The label isn’t lying.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Total Punk

New EP: Hook / Angry Adults || Split

Negative budget, positive results

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Hook and Angry Adults are two familiar names from the Finnish punk underground, and both have earned a spot on the wantlist before. They’re clearly kindred spirits too. Having already shared plenty of stages, they’ve now teamed up for a split lathe-cut 7″ on Negative Budget Records.

Both bands contribute an original song, a Descendents cover, and a cover of each other’s material. And yes, they somehow managed to pick two of the shortest Descendents songs imaginable. IYKYK. Hook take on Angry Adults’ I’ll Be Here For You, while Angry Adults return the favor with their version of Hook’s Head Full of Hair.

The whole thing embodies what makes DIY punk so much fun. Lo-fi, unpretentious, and packed with more charm than its modest budget has any right to contain.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New EP: K9 || Takes You Places (Promo Tape)

A tour tape packed with DIY charm

By / / Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

We fell for the broad-strokes basement pop of Richmond’s K9 on last year’s Thrills album, and now the band is back with a quick follow-up that doubles as a souvenir for their ongoing Midwest tour. The three-song Takes You Places (Promo Tape) will be available on cassette at the shows, with any leftovers heading to Bandcamp once the tour wraps up.

True to K9’s restless nature, none of these three tracks sound remotely alike. It kicks off with Crosshairs, a bullet-fast blast that sounds like a demo rescued from a forgotten ’80s hardcore tape. Get Loaded and Smile shifts gears into scrappy basement pop territory, where the melodies cut cleanly through the lo-fi haze. Closer Teaser #1 / Voicemail is a noisy instrumental that ends exactly how the title suggests: with a voicemail.

A small release, perhaps, but a welcome sign of life from one of the more interesting DIY bands around. Makes me wish I could catch one of those tour dates myself.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Lovebites || Tear Up Tear Down

Sweet enough to sing along, fast enough to keep up

By / / Indie Pop, Punk / Leave a Comment

The Lovebites from Nuremberg are a new addition to Austria’s Monster Zero roster, and they represent a slight detour from the label’s usual fare. Not a huge one, mind you. The quartet still operates firmly within the pop punk universe.

It sounds like they’ve spent plenty of time with both the sugary end of the genre, think The Yum Yums, and the scrappier old-school variety of bands like The Apers and Screeching Weasel. Just as important, though, is their apparent love for twee pop bands with a punk streak. You can hear traces of Tiger Trap, Cub, The Flatmates, and more recently Josie running through these songs.

The result is instantly likeable. Charming, catchy, and impossible to resist. These are songs that could happily cruise along with the windows down on a sunny afternoon, but keep choosing to slam the gas pedal instead.

Tear Up Tear Down is a whole lot of fun, and about as summer-proof as records get.



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Monster Zero

Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of May 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, e.g. as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are—in a kind of random order—a bunch of successful covers from last month—links to pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.

The compilation Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow – Words And Music By Tom Waits And Kathleen Brennan was probably the biggest cover release of this period, but we are leaving it out of this overview due to its longer-existing inclusions—there is more than enough brand-new material to choose from.

I’m A Man (The Spencer Davis Group) by Datura4 — from I’m A Man 7″ (Rogue Records)

Song 2 (Blur) by Monk — from No Gods EP (Dine Alone Records)

I’m Waiting For The Man (The Velvet Underground) by The Routes — from Play 10″ [Chaputa! Records / Ghost Highway Recordings]

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Dusted || The Best New Cover Songs Of May 2026Read More »

The Loose Ends || May 2026

By / / Alternative Rock, Blues & Roots, Country & Folk, Funk & Soul, Garage Rock, Glam Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop, Power Pop, Psych, Punk, Surf / Leave a Comment

There are more wantlist-worthy releases than time to cover them all. Starting this year, Loose Ends is our monthly fix for the great records that slipped through the cracks. Expect a key track and quick take on each release (40+ this month!), and a link to add it to your shelves.

Above Me || Soften The Blows
Debut LP on Dandy Boy Records from this non average dream pop project by Rick Altieri (Blue Ocean, Aluminum).

Big Nothing || Big Nothing
The third album from this indie punk/alt country/guitar pop/classic rock a-bit-of-everything band from Philadelphia just dropped their third album (with a new lineup) on Dead Broke Records. It is another fine slice of warmblooded, bighearted basement pop.

Blitzer || The New Conspiracy
Ten fierce blasts of post-punk on this exciting debut LP from Berlin trio Blitzer. Urgent, tense, and full of forward momentum. Out now through Mangel Records.


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The Loose Ends || May 2026Read More »

New EP: Nazi Tampons || Moon Invasion

Slovak punks coming through like a busted steamroller

By / / Punk / 1 Comment

If the band settled on the name Nazi Tampons, who knows what other names these Slovaks were throwing around before landing on this one? Maybe it’s better not to know. I can already picture some of you opening this post, shaking your head, and staring out the window for a minute wondering what happened to decent judgment.

Still, shrug off the resistance, because once you get past the name, Moon Invasion delivers some of the most exciting garage punk released in the last few weeks. This stuff comes at you with the subtlety of a steamroller, all blown-out guitars, frantic energy, and a singer that sounds like he’s halfway into your face already, scorching your eyebrows. Sweaty, loud, dumb in all the right ways, and completely wired from start to finish.

So yeah, Nazi Tampons turn out to be crazy fun. The kind of band that sounds like they’d either level the room or get thrown out halfway through the set. Probably both.

Can’t wait for that one co-worker asking me what I’ve been listening to lately.

The Moon Invasion tape is available now through Knuckles On Stun.


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Long Relief || Win Some, Lose Some

A fearless reckoning with a fading American dream

By / / Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Win Some, Lose Some, the debut full-length from Raleigh-based Long Relief, is a perfect storm of personal and political frustrations. Its eight tracks are wrapped in gritty, melodic indie rock that bridges heartfelt alt-country and ramshackle punk, surprisingly enriched by cello, saxophone, and trumpet.

Sharp lyrics serve as a poignant critique of late-stage capitalist burnout, navigating the exhausting reality of performative politics, gig-economy labor, and unresponsive institutions: “Wrote my congressman a letter // It took him a month to reply // From the automated system // That tells you to fuck off and die” (from Can We Count on You). Yet, amidst this systemic rot and creeping climate dread, intimate reflections on aging, alienation, and the anchoring solace of enduring love percolate.

This is an intensely liberating and urgent record, where biting commentary and a bruising wall of guitars are a perfect match.



Win Some, Lose Some—recorded and mixed by Greg Elkins—is out digitally and on CD through Self Aware Records. Featuring Paul Blest (vocals, guitar, percussion), Chris Carr (guitar, vocals, organ, percussion), Greg Hughes (drums, vocals), and Jeremiah Sloop (bass, vocals, whistle), with Franny Starlight (trumpet), Joshua Duncan (saxophone), and Kaitlin Grady (cello) on select tracks.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: Trash Kickers || Way Out, Somehow

Trash Kickers make heartland rock feel alive again

By / / Country & Folk, Indie Rock, Punk / Leave a Comment

Chicago quartet Trash Kickers sound like the kind of band you stumble into at a bar and end up talking about for the rest of the week. On Way Out, Somehow, they win you over gradually but decisively, powered not just by sheer conviction but by songwriting that taps into that ragged, heartfelt Paul Westerberg spirit.

Their sound feels deeply American in the best possible way, like a loose and well practiced blend of rock-’n’-roll, punk rock, and country music all crammed into the same battered van. Nothing here feels overly polished or calculated. These songs breathe, stumble forward, and come alive through the chemistry of people clearly playing their hearts out together.

If you need a reminder of why guitar bands still matter, put Trash Kickers near the top of your listening pile. The ringing riffs, the rough edges, and that killer voice will do the rest. Have fun rocking out!



Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

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