In Spirit’s ‘Asbury’ is crunchy, blaring pop punk from this New Jersey-based band. This crew definitely has a lot of cool stuff going on. Although their general framework sounds an awful lot like Joyce Manor or Remo Drive, these guys have an erratic, almost spastic vibe that gives them that extra grit and energy. The unrelenting, almost blown out rhythm section serves as a good … Continue reading In Spirit’s ‘Asbury’ Is Crunchy, Noisy Emo-Pop
‘Vulgar’ by Horns in some groovy, classic rock-inflected punk out of the Dominican Republic. These guys do a really good job of bringing a forward, crusty approach to punk without sacrificing clarity or compositional complexity. For a listener who grew up with classic rock, a lot of this track will sound eerily familiar. It seems like in certain regards these guys are reworking and remixing … Continue reading ‘Vulgar’ by Horns Is Groovy Punk with a Classic Rock-Style Approch
‘The Broken Satellite’ by Nights Like Thieves is some sad, spacey alternative rock with a clear, dreamy vibe. These guys say they “started out in October of 2016 in San Diego, California. We self record, mix and mastered our own recordings and film and edit our own music videos.” They describe their sound as moving between “an upbeat, intricate and melodic vibe to a slower, … Continue reading ‘The Broken Satellite’ by Nights Like Thieves Is Some Strong SoCal Emo
The Ten Year Program’s ‘Ambien Wet Dream’ is a dense, melodic take on post-hardcore. These guys describe themselves as, “a two-person collaboration, written, recorded and produced by Ian Richards,” who is responsible for music, arrangement, engineering and mastering, “and Jack McCracken” on vocals. Although the mix on here is a little rough, there’s a lot of cool stuff happening. The vocals are top-notch. They have … Continue reading The Ten Year Program’s ‘Ambien Wet Dream’ Is Dense, Melodic Alt Rock
‘What’s the Plan’ by The Flips is some glum, sparkly pop punk out of Chicago. “The themes of mental health appear often in my songwriting,” says frontman Nick Sintos. This track “literally refers to a getting on a treatment plan for depression and anxiety,” he says. These guys take a nice, expansive approach to the gritty, eclectic and brutally honest pop punk brought to the … Continue reading ‘What’s the Plan’ by The Flips Is Sad, Understated Chicago Pop Punk
Billy the Kid’s ‘Tercer Mundo’ is bruising Spanish-language hardcore out of Costa Rica with a decidedly political take. The band says this “is the new single off of Billy The Kid’s new album DESTROY BABYLON, to be released Spring 2019 worldwide through Blindsided Records.” These guys “have toured Europe and the US over 8 times and are gearing up for another worldwide tour,” they say. … Continue reading Billy the Kid’s ‘Tercer Mundo’ Is Exceptional Costa Rican Hardcore
Spirit of the Wildfire’s ‘No Allegiance’ is some heavily-charged, fast-paced punk out of Canada. These guys say their approach provides “listeners with a high energy, dynamic experience from an arsenal of unique styles and sounds. Combining a diverse array of influences from ska to hip-hop, with a hard hitting punk aggression, the group dubs their sound ‘funk punk.’” From the more pensive, ska-oriented bars of … Continue reading Spirit of the Wildfire’s ‘No Allegiance’ Is Well-Balanced, Quick Punk Rock
Make’s ‘Vomit’ is a crunchy, expansive take on different punk rock traditions out of Norway. These guys summarize themselves as simply, “OSLO MUSIC.” They describe this tune as, “about self-destructive behavior and feelings, as well as destructive choices made by our government.” There’s a charming simplicity to this track. The lazy, bucolic guitars whirr away under a deeply expressionistic rhythm section and a vocal performance … Continue reading Make’s ‘Vomit’ Is Some Fuzzy, Experimental Norwegian Punk
City of Industry’s ‘Guilt’ is deep, rough melancholic hardcore with a lo-fi take. These guys describe themselves as, “a three-piece hardcore-punk band from Seattle, Washington.” They call this new single, “an approachable, yet melodic take on what they see to be hardcore punk.” I’m definitely a big fan of this, but I don’t know if it could be described as approachable or melodic. There is … Continue reading City of Industry’s ‘Guilt’ Is Rough, Sad Seattle Hardcore
The American South and its vast, often rural landscape may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of punk rock. Especially not in comparison with locales like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago which have fabled, well-established and oft-discussed scenes. But this understanding leaves out, among other things, the earliest days of post-hardcore’s development which happened largely in Washington D.C. … Continue reading Some Choice Highlights of Southern Post-Hardcore Listed (In No Particular Order)
