This group is a new one to me and they just dropped this single October 17th on Sell The Heart Records. The press release from Earshot Media noted that the group channels “the energy and urgency of punk rock through stripped-down, acoustic-driven arrangements.” Well, that sounded pretty interesting so I gave it a listen and was impressed.
It definitely has a spare and grassroots vibe right from the start; a couple quick, bare guitar chords and then a raw and edgy vocal that spells out some pretty basic life moments and experiences such as “trying to figure out what our body has left.” That general groove stays true throughout the song which also features some dual vocal parts that feel anguished and hopeful all at the same time. This is a good tune in the tradition of punk but with the interesting acoustic style and arrangement.
Musicians on this are: Jeremy Quitko and Travis Johnides
This should be out there to listen to on your favorite channels now.
And if you have the inclination…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand.
Well, I have to admit that I was not expecting to see this song pop up in any new way as it had been a very long time since it was originally released. This album was a regular monster of punk awesomeness back when it was originally put out on A-F Records in 2003. I definitely found them back at that time because of their association with Duane Peters from U.S. Bombs. He produced this album for them which was a follow-up to their 2002 debut What Are You Afraid Of? which I never found a copy of after hearing it one time at someone’s house in SoCal.
The good people at Punkerton Records are now putting Blastin’ Away! out again both digitally and on vinyl. That is all set to drop January 2, 2026 but you can check this great throwback (and still relevant) punk anthem on steaming here:
I had the chance to preview it thanks to Earshot Media and Punkerton and it was just as I remembered it. Coming in on a chant of the song title over a raw drum line it quickly kicks up on ripping guitars and bass. The vocals are raw and loud with a feisty rhythm and a call & response section worthy of Rancid. This vintage track is still strong today and it is great to see it getting some new exposure and hopefully some new fans.
Pre-saves help the label and the band and you can set yours up here:
And also get a pre-order of that cool vinyl (with limited edition colors …of which the blue, black and white splatter is pretty sweet and what I ordered) here:
My first exposure to this band was earlier this year when they released a split with Heartwells containing “The Squid” and “Killin’ Me Now.” I read about it and then never had a chance to give it a listen. The fact that they were working with Heartwells though was interesting as I am already a fan. I later went back and checked out Stoke Signals 2024 album Make Dying Fun and was impressed. My favorite track there is “Burning Daylight” with “Nothing to Worry About” a close second.
There is something delightfully chaotic about this new single which starts on plenty of volume and energy. In addition to a drum line that sets a feisty tone this song also features some nice pace changes. Melodic guitar riffs and bass grooves fill space between the vocal sections which, other than the bridge, are delivered at a fast clip. This is a good song and a bit more aggressive and edgy than their previous work. The album comes out October 31st on Hey! Fever Records.
Musicians on this are: Jordan Calhoun (bass), Giuliano Messina (vocals, guitar), Chris Perez (guitar, vocals) and Michael Nusbaum (drums).
This band’s 2018 full LP release Splatter is now out on vinyl for the first time – unfortunately both limited runs of 100 have already sold out…but maybe the label (Quiet Panic) will gift us with another release?
The first track off of that album (“Flesh”) has also been remastered and is out as a single with the b-side being a nice acoustic take on “Hit the Ground” which can be found on their 2021 album Underneath the Shade.
I thought “Flesh” was great when I first heard it back when it was originally released and this remastered version gives it just a little more lightness than the original. It also has a cleaner edge to some of the sound without taking away from the gritty, booming texture that makes it such a good song.
If you get a chance to listen to the Shade version of “Hit the Ground” you will hear a track with quite a bit of frontal distortion and a slightly discordant melody popping up occasionally in the background. It is a song with a loud, tragic story and the music matches that vibe. The acoustic take on the b-side of this release takes a different approach, smoothing out the sound and delivering the same story with a more reflective and soft tone. The edginess is gone but still hits home. The two songs here are also good counterpoints to each other in style and composition.
Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂
As you may already know, the well-deserved hype about this upcoming album has been building for awhile. It will be out on Punkerton Records October 10th, and was announced back in July via several channels including their label and Earshot Media. Since then they have released the singles “Break the Cycle,” “Panic! Panic! Panic!” and “Dead Inside” and were a late addition to the Supernova International Ska Festival. Those singles were great music and really highlighted the best thing about Joker’s Republic; namely that while they are often categorized as a ska band (and have plenty of chops in that genre) they really are this pretty cool blend of ska, punk and rock & roll.
This newest release features Billy Smollen (bass) stepping out front to sing a story which is based on a real event, namely an auto accident. In the Earshot Media press release he describes the song this way:
“‘Welcome Back’ is a meditation on the aftermath of a stressful experience and how we recover and push forward. In this case the inspiration was a car accident that totaled my car while the band was on tour. The accident itself was terrifying, and the only thing that helped me get through the resulting financial and emotional trauma was my friends, family, and the ska and punk communities.”
This track leads off with a nice guitar riff and then rises up on drums and bass with a rock groove for the first minute or so. It then kicks out into a ska break with that pattern holding throughout the song. It is a combination that works well and Joker’s Republic deliver a lot of energy via their playing and the vocals. This song is another good example of the unique style and range of this band. Combined with the quality of the other singles released to date I expect the full album to be quite a statement.
Musicians on this (in addition to Smollen are): Austen Grey (guitars, vocals) and Pat Elwood (drums, vocals)
Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂
If you want to get a good idea of where the musicians who make up Sadlands come from you can start with these bands:
Answering Machine – Out of Brooklyn, NY – I first caught them on their eponymous EP in early 2018. The songs on this are powerful alternative music with some different grooves that keep you interested throughout the four song run. “Stadium Dreams” is my favorite here.
Choke Up – The only song I had heard from this Boston band is “Crosses” off of their 2015 album Black Coffee, Bad Habits (cool naming points credited!). This song is quite the musical journey from a jangly tone and kicking beat at the beginning to an elevated vocal and then back down into a a kind of grungy middle. I later checked out the full album and it hits somewhere in the emo-punk genre but trending toward punk. I went back to purchase it on Bandcamp while writing this but no purchase button exists…if someone has a purchase link or a copy to buy please send me the info!
Ellen and the Degenerates – I first encountered this band via “Going on a Trip,” a single they released in 2018. It literally is about going on a car trip and just about a perfect recitation of what a long roadie is like. Definitely punk in style and a sense of humor…always good. They also have a really good album from 2019 called Return of the Herb.
So, some of the talented people from these bands came together to form Sadlands whose only prior release that I am aware of is a self-titled EP from 2023. In my opinion the stand-out track on that is “McClellan” which has a very infectious driving guitar vibe and a vocal track that runs just a little off-pace at times … in a kind of breathless way that works well.
And that gets us to this single from Sadlands upcoming album (on Wiretap Records) which should be out October 17th. “Bad Idea” is a punchy, pop-punk song in the best tradition of the early Go-Go’s. And I am talking about those Go-Go’s songs you probably have not heard much of – the kind they used to play at Whisky a Go Go back in the late 70’s long before Beauty and the Beat came out. I never heard it live but if you can find a copy of Return to the Valley of the Go-Go’s you will hear what I mean.
This track leads off with a great guitar and drum sound that is soon joined by a fast-paced vocal line that seems to be rushing to somewhere. The bass here also booms majestically over every measure, lending a heavy buzz to the music. A really groovy and infectious song…you can play this one and feel good.
Musicians on this are: Jess Lane (vocals, guitar), Sam Campanile (vocals, guitar), Harley Cox (drums) and Louis Rabeno (bass).
Ok, so an unapologetic love song can go several ways once you hit play, not all of them especially pleasant. We all have our own definition of what those not-so-great qualities might be but I tend to steer away from the really sappy side of things. I had reviewed the prior release from this band (“Stick Up”) back in June and liked it a lot. This new single is definitely in a different vein but does not go off the rails for me. Instead it is a positive & breezy track with some cool guitar moments and a catchy hook. Hopefully they are playing this at some of their shows as I bet it makes for a good gig moment.
Note that this track is the third one released from what I understand was a five song session with producer George Perks (You Me at Six, Enter Shikari). I will be interested to hear what comes out next!
Check it out on your favorite streaming channel (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂
The only song I had heard by this band prior to being able to check out this new single was “Clear My Head” off a 2018 release (that you can still get on Bandcamp) called opening doors for strangers. In addition to a pretty cool bashing drum start it has some simple but poignant lyrics which is all good; however, the thing that made it more interesting was the change of pace right at the end. It goes from a classic emo groove to a heavy, scream-out vibe which makes a difference if you ask me. It works pretty well but also felt a little bit forced coming all in the final few seconds. They have released other music but that was my reference point when I hit play on the new release.
“Longsword (4th Place)” has a bit more of a pop feel mixed in with the general emo-centric musical composition. I think that styling decision works well as does the harder guitar riffs. This track keep that change of pace and feel I liked in “Clear My Head” but does a better job of incorporating it into the overall flow of the music. If you get those good headphones on (or zen out in a quiet space) you will also find some intriguing nuances of melody and rhythm on this song. Overall, a cool one to listen to and hopefully a preview of more music to come.
Musicians on this are: Noah Aguiar (guitar, vocals), Josh Giaquinto (percussion), Declan Moloney (bass), Gilmar Perez (lead guitar) and Dylan Ilkowitz (guitar, aux vocals) and Ryan O’Rourke from Innerlove. adding some guest vocals
Check it out via streaming (link below) – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂
And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand.
That local community around you is full of interesting people – take a minute to get to know them 🙂
To go back in time first (as I am prone to do so often) let’s revisit sometime in late 2015 (maybe early 2016?) when I first stumbled upon the band Creepoid and an album called Cemetery Highrise Slum. You know those moments when you are merrily clicking your way through the used CD’s and muttering to yourself…magical times for sure. In this case I was out in Santa Cruz having a grand old time of things. Anyway, I stopped short on this one mostly because of the title as I do like an interesting string of words. I had never heard of the band but of course purchased it anyway. It took a bit after that for it to make it to “play” position in my stack of CD’s and vinyl but when it did it was quite the interesting listening session. It is music that is hard to put a label on and psychedelic-groovy-alt-punk is not really close but let’s go with that for now. It is still available on Bandcamp (including a 10 year anniversary re-issue of the vinyl).
All of that to say – Anna (vocals) and Patrick (drums) Troxwell from Creepoid are currently part of Mugger and lend their talents to this early single from the upcoming EP. There is a heavy vibe to this track with some grungy, distorted guitars & bass and a nice hardcore style with just a touch of heavy metal mixed into the sound. Clocking in at a quick 1:27 it is a purposeful and direct blast of energy.
Other musicians on this are: Lisa Alley (bass) and Daniel Fried (guitar).
You can pre-order this EP (due October 24th from Quiet Panic) here:
Some bands really do just keep on being able to being energy, power and great sound to their music and Horace Pinker has been proving that for quite awhile now. Being able to preview their new album (it will be out by the time you read this) was very cool and much appreciation to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for that opportunity.
Way back in 1995 I had heard most of what I believe was their first full length album Powertools. I later picked it up myself and songs like “Punker than GBH” (which includes a rolling name check of some great bands including MC5, TSOL and etc) and “No Thoughts” became regular parts of my rotation.
They have released a bunch of music since then with Copper Regret and House of Cards being favorites of mine. You can check out their Bandcamp page to sample some of those other songs.
Now and the Future (brought to you by the great People of Punk Rock Records) has ten songs that all bring volume and energy, representing three musicians who are fully in the groove with their music and each other. I chose “Call It a Day” (the lead track on the album) for this review because it really caught my attention right away, which I guess means it works well as a #1 track! Buzzy guitars and drums lead off with a pulsing bass line riding over the top and that spirit continues through the entire song. In the press release Horace Pinker describe it quite well themselves, saying that it:
“refines melodic punk and hardcore influences into a two-and-half minute blast of sonic energy”
If you want to give this song a listen you can check it here:
Musicians on this are: Scott Eastman (guitar, vocals), Bryan Jones (drums) and Greg Mytych (bass, vocals).
You can order the album here (and the vinyl looks pretty darn cool) along with some other HP swag and merchandise:
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