Suche:the punk con

2023 Repress

Since Jesper Munk's debut album in 2013 the German singer-songwriter has made a name for himself as multi-instrumentalist , "in the paths of Jack White and Dan Auerbach," as the Rolling Stone Magazine puts it, playing music that ranges from Blues and Soul to heartfelt Pop and indulging Jazz, all this with a very unique, post-Punk
edge. His new album Taped Heart Sounds offers an evolution of Munk's sound: warm, gentle and soft vibes that go deep. "If there is a way to give you a hug in form of an album, this is how I'd attempt to do so," says Munk.

Recorded in an offbeat band room in Berlin with The Cassette Heads, the album brings together classics reaching from Blues to Rock'n Roll. Twelve songs of legendary artists who have influenced and inspired Munk since his early days, including Tom Waits, JJ Cale, Etta James, Hank Williams, Willie Dixon, Jacques Brel, and Mocky.
The entire album was recorded with a Tascam Portastudio 8-Track Cassette Recorder which brought an original and authentic sound to each song: "The technical limitations immediately liberated all other aspects of the recording," Munk says. "It shows how much of making music is just listening and without a screen to catch your eye, you really have no choice but to do so." All Songs face realness and live from these volatile moments that reveal vulnerability and musical generosity. The outcome of this analogue experiment is a very personal album, both inspiring and consoling.
Taped Heart Sounds courageously opens with Donnie & Joe Emerson's Baby; a song so iconic that it actually cannot be enhanced. However, Munk's interpretation stands out and has a presence that gives the song a life of its own - made for walking. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, All the World Is Green, I'd Rather Go Blind, Head in the Clouds - what follows is a journey through Blues and Soul that is so vital and "now" that End of the Line may be the final track but certainly not the end of the story.
The album wouldn't be what it is without collaboration and partnership. Munk's special thanks go to his fans who helped to crowd-fund the recording. "On top of having had a real fun learning experience it all felt like a community project with real support from friends, the Cassette Heads, incredibly inspiring guests, and from Miles Deico, a wonderfully open and able engineer," so Munk about the making of the album.
Taped Heart Sounds is Jesper Munk's 4th album, following acclaimed debut album For in My Way it Lies (2013), CLAIM (2016), and Favourite Stranger (2018). Released via Billbrook Records, Hamburg-based Distributor Wordandsound's new label, the album is available for pre-order now - for purchase on vinyl and CD. The first single 'Baby' is going to be released on November 19, 2021.

Darkwave artist Harsh Symmetry returns with sophomore album "Imitation" via Fabrika Records. Los Angeles-based musician Julian Sharwarko has swiftly carved out a commanding presence with his darkwave project. Sharwarko's adeptness at bridging the gap between the past and present is palpable, as he seamlessly blends influences from genre titans such as Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, and Human League, while also incorporating elements from contemporary acts like Twin Tribes and Boy Harsher. Harsh Symmetry's second album, "Imitation," spans the chasm of darkwave and synthpop, a world-weary modern album, warmed by the solid embrace of nostalgia. Astonishingly, the entire album was entirely recorded and performed by Shawarko, in a remarkably quick turnaround from his last year's critically acclaimed debut album, 2022's "Display Model." Releasing a new album every year during the 1980s was par for the course with bands like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees, as well as other highly prolific bands such as his labelmates Lebanon Hanover, but this level of artistic output is rarely matched today. "A lot of the material was informed by isolation and struggling with the paradox of wanting to be original yet feeling like your entire identity is built on mimicry," he admits. "The album was recorded as I was preparing to move out of the city I grew up in, I guess that kind of nudged me to think about what I'm doing more, and the place my work might have in the world." That mindset led to a pleasant surprise during his recent tour, which he describes as a 'really interesting and exciting experience.' This year, Harsh Symmetry graced the stages of Wave Gotik Treffen and the Grey Scale Festival in Munich, to much audience acclaim, cementing the project's status as an essential artist in the international darkwave scene. Genre: Alternative / Post-punk / Darkwave

David Eugene Edwards has always been larger than life. His music with innovative heavy droning folk band Wovenhand, and before that the haunting revivification of high lonesome sound antique Americana of 16 Horsepower breathed a near apocalyptic sense of urgency and power into musical archetypes long abandoned in the latter-20th Century. On his first-ever solo album under his own name, Hyacinth, David Eugene Edwards delivers a sound uniquely his own, with a vulnerability and introspection unheard from him before. Stripping back the heavy rock of his recent work with Wovenhand, Hyacinth puts the man's voice, and sparing instrumentation into the main focus. There's a somber beauty and world-weary tone throughout these songs. The album could've been considered a slight return to the more melodic sounds of 16 Horsepower's Secret South (2000) and the first, self-titled Wovenhand album (2002). But there's more going on here: a rhythmic, pulsating undercurrent reminiscent of the tape loops and rudimentary rhythms of 80s Industrial post-punk as well as 808 Drill Style beats. The overall effect is often as if we're hearing the clock ticking away our own mortality. "Hyacinth was a sort of vision," Edwards says. "A dream. I sought out of my old wooden banjo and nylon string guitar a hidden path. Secrets they had kept from me within themselves all these years and created a new Mythos to myself of philosophical and spiritual ideas or concepts." Once he'd harnessed the music within, he enlisted multi-instrumentalist and producer Ben Chisholm (The Armed, Chelsea Wolfe, Converge) to help him realize the album's recording and mix. "Overall, the album is a weaving of narratives ancient and modern, of humankind's search for understanding of this world we find ourselves in and of each other. In all its simplicity and complexity," Edwards continues. "Hyacinth is a reference to the Greek myth of Apollo. And, the word meaning a precious stone and blue larkspur flower of purple and pall."

David Eugene Edwards has always been larger than life. His music with innovative heavy droning folk band Wovenhand, and before that the haunting revivification of high lonesome sound antique Americana of 16 Horsepower breathed a near apocalyptic sense of urgency and power into musical archetypes long abandoned in the latter-20th Century. On his first-ever solo album under his own name, Hyacinth, David Eugene Edwards delivers a sound uniquely his own, with a vulnerability and introspection unheard from him before. Stripping back the heavy rock of his recent work with Wovenhand, Hyacinth puts the man's voice, and sparing instrumentation into the main focus. There's a somber beauty and world-weary tone throughout these songs. The album could've been considered a slight return to the more melodic sounds of 16 Horsepower's Secret South (2000) and the first, self-titled Wovenhand album (2002). But there's more going on here: a rhythmic, pulsating undercurrent reminiscent of the tape loops and rudimentary rhythms of 80s Industrial post-punk as well as 808 Drill Style beats. The overall effect is often as if we're hearing the clock ticking away our own mortality. "Hyacinth was a sort of vision," Edwards says. "A dream. I sought out of my old wooden banjo and nylon string guitar a hidden path. Secrets they had kept from me within themselves all these years and created a new Mythos to myself of philosophical and spiritual ideas or concepts." Once he'd harnessed the music within, he enlisted multi-instrumentalist and producer Ben Chisholm (The Armed, Chelsea Wolfe, Converge) to help him realize the album's recording and mix. "Overall, the album is a weaving of narratives ancient and modern, of humankind's search for understanding of this world we find ourselves in and of each other. In all its simplicity and complexity," Edwards continues. "Hyacinth is a reference to the Greek myth of Apollo. And, the word meaning a precious stone and blue larkspur flower of purple and pall."

LTD ORANGE VINYL

GLOK is the electronic alter ego of Andy Bell; best-known as the guitarist in venerated shoegazers Ride, alongside stints in other famous groups, with a noteworthy solo careertoo. This October his first album proper as GLOK - 'Pattern Recognition' - is released via Ransom Note Records' sisterlabel Bytes. Although usually renowned for purveying the finest quality jangle, drone and general guitar-based magic, Bell's forayinto dance music should come as less of a surprise than immediately meets the eye. There are parallels between the genres within the sonically-deep layers, hypnotic sound and trance-like headspaces, or, as he puts it more succinctly: "GLOK is all about the push and pull between electronic and psych in my music." Although not a full-blown concept album, 'Pattern Recognition' has a loose thread which takes in a week of life, from weekend to weekend, with each of the vinyl's four sides capturing different mind states across that transition. Each side has a distinct feel that's different to the last but inherently cohesive - much like the changes an individual goes through over 7 days. Across the album with loving craft Andy weaves together throbbing dubbed-out acid, steamy jack trax, levitational psychedelia, sparkling Balearic, techno, Kosmische, shoegaze, art rock and Compass Point-style post punk -with just a hint of ambient, new age and contemporary classical too.

The lost Belgian blueprint of Brussels based jazz fusion and how free form Franco-Flemish punk put Zeuhl school in the Classroom via to the conception of COS.

Emerging from behind the same clouds that kept formative Belgian progressive jazz records like Brussels Art Quintet and Kiosk’s Mona Call in tangible obscurity, these impossibly rare early Euro jazz recordings shed a new ray of light on the intricate foundations of the scene that elevated COS, Marc Moulin, Placebo, Marc Hollander and Telex to Zen master status, while also capturing one of Europe’s best female vocal artists in the midst of her wide eyed and uninhibited prime.

Never before released on vinyl, these tracks provide us with a sonic chalkboard of Daniel Schell’s ambitious musical equations, recalculated by precocious polymaths, then conveyed via Pascale Son’s inquisitive child-like vocal explorations. For those keen to learn the Histoire De Melody COS? The classroom door is open - prepare to be schooled!

Das Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project, das sich aus Teilen des legendären Gun Clubs, Freund*innen des Sängers Jeffrey Lee Pierce (1958-1996) und Fans des Künstlers zusammensetzt, präsentiert mit "Axels & Sockets" den dritten Teil eines außergewöhnlichen Projekts. Mit Künstler*innen wie Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Mark Lanegan, Lydia Lunch, Warren Ellis, Mick Harvey und Kid Congo Powers sind hier viele bekannte Namen der ersten zwei Teile "We Are Only Riders" und "The Journey Is Long" vereint. Zum ersten Mal dabei sind keine Geringeren als Mark Stewart, Thurston Moore, Primal Scream, Andrew Weatherall und Punkikone Iggy Pop! Koordiniert von Pierce"s musikalischem Wegbegleiter Cypress Grove, schaffen es die Musiker*innen auch beim dritten Teil, aus Songskizzen, Demoaufnahmen, Riffs, Textfetzen und Soundschnippseln, die Pierce vor seinem Tod aufgenommen und niedergeschrieben hatte, neue und atemberaubende Songs zu machen.

Legendary 2010’s indie band Crocodiles’ guitarist Charles Rowell’s new synthpop-meets-gothic rock project. Think Nick Cave crooning over Martin Rev’s minimal electronics or The Lords of the New Church-era Stiv Bators jamming with Wayne Hussey and Douglas Pearce.

After relocating from New York to France, Charles Rowell began stuffing his suitcase with various synths and samplers while taking cheap bus rides to bordering countries.

While living out of a hotel in north east Paris, he played his demos for Third Coming Records who quickly released the Bad Trip EP in 2020. Concerts became more frequent after the pandemic, with the release of Spellwound and a few have become infamous with guitars smashed to pieces, broken glasses, unruly audience front flipping onto the stage.

With Paris providing the background and a scene of friends such as avant-garde drag artist Tuna Mess and industrial techno veteran Poison Point who pushed his creativity even further, Crush Of Souls constant spirit is that it remains unpredictable and thrives on collaboration.
This is even more true with his upcoming album (A)Void Love.

Written over a period of intense insomnia that coincided with a run of shows playing guitar for Australian legend Harry Howard, Crush Of Soul’s main man Charles Rowell finally found rest after writing and recording the last song entitled World of Fear. Six months prior he had quit his job as a chef, traveled east to Prague for inspiration and returned ragged and sleepless.
Rowell’s insistence on keeping the instrumentation simple and clean came from an arduous two years of literal blood, sweat and tears. Every bit of drama, eastern excursion and sleep psychosis can be found within the walls of (A)Void Love.

Acoustic guitars and dramatic synths provide a cold wilderness for the various rhythms to inhabit; touches of minimal electronics, cold wave and synth pop can be found while the song writing remains classic for lovers of Echo & the Bunnymen and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

There’s always been a thread of synth-punk, death rock and DIY noise running through all of Charles’ projects (Crocodiles, ISSUE, Flowers of Evil), however Crush Of Souls pushes harder and further into the darkness with the new album ‘(A)Void Love’.

#Coldroom103 is a Barcelona social media private club composed of truly fanatics of the dark sounds in all its subgenres. They’re the responsible for the curation / selection of the new edition of the acclaimed ALEATORY CHAOS series.

You could expect a mix of different styles, from post-punk to industrial and from modern techno new beat to electro. It comes presented in DOUBLE GATEFOLD format in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

This summer, Laurent Garnier announced the launch of his latest landmark album. The newest LP showed why he is such a vital force with a series of cuts, distilling his 30+ year career experiences into cutting-edge electronic music full of tension and release. Now he continues to prove he operates at the vanguard with this exemplary assembly of remixers.

UK techno mainstay Works Of Intent, fka R.O.S.H., opens up with his Farewell remix of 'Reviens La Nuit', a dark, pulsing techno sound with widescreen cosmic chords and unsettling modulations. Romantic techno master Voltaire then flips 'Tales From The Real World' into a scintillant melodic excursion with arps cascading down the face of the track and fizzing synths lighting up the electro beats.

Next is 22Carbone, who are featured on the original album but here remix 'In Your Phase' into a grimy, broken beat with tough bars and twisted metal textures next to the menacing mic work. Rocco Rodamaal has 30 years of experience and is one of few veterans that remains genuinely relevant today. He offers two versions of 'Liebe Grüße aus Cucuron' - a smooth and deep elongated techno trip and a fizzing Keys Mix doused in melodic charm.

New York's new wave techno star Anthony Cardinale aka Avision, lights up his remix of 'Le Swing Du Pouletto' with radiant and optimistic synths and a dark, brooding low end. Later he brings plenty of marching menace and pent-up synth tension to his rework of 'Liebe Grüße aus Cucuron'. Reshit's take on 'On the Record' offers a dreamy ambient soundscape with downtempo breaks and expansive prog-rock style synths. The Limiñanas are Lionel and Marie Limiñana - a pair based in the deep south of France who record garage, psych and pop music and have previously paired up with Garnier on the successful album ”De Pelicula”. They offer a long and short remix of 'Saturn Drive', which in their hands is a dirty post-punk gem with raw drums and sleazy guitars creating walls of reverberating sound.

This sophisticated selection of techno remixes brings all-new emotions and moments of dance floor brilliance to Laurent Garnier's superb originals.

Lost in time yet always in season, here’s a blast of that old perennial, the punk rock, representative of the swiftly changing times around Bailey’s Crossroads, just outside Washington DC, in the early 80s. Skam recorded this stuff in 1982-1983, then broke up, leaving these songs to be released… maybe never? Or more preferably, now, to race into the bloodstream of jaded, faded today with all the vigour and rigour of Skam’s eternal youth.

Though they didn’t release any records during their three years of existence, it’d be wrong to call Skam ‘never-was’ - in addition to these recordings, there’s a trail of flyers for shows with Scream, No Trend, United Mutations and Media Disease, as well as the memories of the student alumni from Bishop O’Connell High, class of ‘83 or so.

The conglomeration of scenes around the greater DC area at that time produced a variety of bands, but the prevailing recollection of the era is of the incendiary hardcore punk and subsequent straight edge values of the Dischord bands. The band that became Skam was a world apart; they were posited for the first time by 8th graders Vince Forcier and Jack Anderson at a Jackson Browne concert, and their initial rehearsals in their parents’ basement were highlighted by covers of Beatles, Stones, Who and Led Zeppelin songs. Bad covers.

It wasn’t until they’d been playing a bit that they discovered The Ramones, and it was then that the die was cast and pedal pressed to the metal for another frantic couple of years.

The Skam recordings from 1982 have an undeniably Clash-like countenance that sets them definitively apart from the ‘First Four’ of Dischord - in some ways, prefiguring the pop-punk sound of Green Day at the dawn of the 1990s instead - but subsequent recordings found them quickly evolving - or devolving - into a personal mastery of savage riffs and tempos, as well as post-punk conceptions.

But even as they were verging into this new territory, their three years together had frayed their alliance and they soon broke up. Jack joined No Trend, Vince played in Racer X and then Second Wind. And life went on. However, the rediscovered Skam tapes make for an incredible addendum to the more well-known music of that incredible time and place

Punk pioneers Crass continue their vinyl reissue series, repressing their limited releases by adjacent artists through Crass Records, in association with One Little Independent. The series, including over twenty bands and solo artists recorded at the legendary Southern Studios and produced by Penny Rimbaud, continues with two more historic pieces from the Crass Records catalogue; ‘Farce’ by Rudimentary Peni and ‘Can’t Cheat Karma’ by Zounds.

Zounds are an English post-punk band from Reading, Berkshire, formed in 1977. Originally, they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene. The name of the band is derived from the old English ‘zounds’, a contraction of ‘God’s wounds’, referring to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, formerly used as a mildly blasphemous oath.

The band met up with fellow anarchists Crass when, legend has it, their van broke down on the road. They made their way to nearby Dial House, where Crass were based, who helped them with repairs. The two bands became friends, and although musically very divergent, they shared many common political views. Zounds shortly afterwards released their first EP, ‘Can't Cheat Karma’, on the Crass Records label in 1980. The EP featured possibly their most well-known track ‘Subvert’, a call to arms against the grind of daily life. The release of this EP and association with Crass led to an increase in the band's profile in the embryonic anarcho-punk scene, touring with both Crass and Poison Girls. They split in 1982 but reformed in 2007, and remain active today.

Penny continues; “Zounds could have made a fine pop group, but they were far too socially sassy to fall for that one. No, their commitment to radical political change, so abundantly clear in their lyrics, set them apart from the commercialism that had so blighted the likes of The Clash and other punkish pretenders. Having been drawn from the ranks of hippy bands like Here and Now, Zounds encouraged dissent and personal change, and, at their own cost, to pursue and promote them as ideologies. Can't cheat karma? No, nor ever beat it. Zounds were hip to this fine point. Want a better life?

Then make it for yourself. Ain't no one gonna help you out on that one. Find your own way, it's the only way there is.”

First released on 7” vinyl, limiting the sound, the new series has been remastered for 12” by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios, allowing them to be heard as never before. This, plus enlarged replicas of the original covers, brings new gusto to their already radical sound.

DFL is an American punk rock band founded in 1991 in Los Angeles, California, by Tom Davis, Monty Messex, Adam (Ad-Rock) Horovitz, and Tony Converse. The band, which included a noted skateboarder, a first wave punk rocker, and a Beastie Boy, turned heads by kicking out raw and ragged hardcore at a time when punk rock was becoming slick, poppy, and safe. Slamming riffs and lyrics that alternated between serious issues, such as depression, and the silly, like why pizza is so tasty, garnered them critical acclaim and a loyal fan base that continues to exist through to today. Now available for the first time ever on 12-inch vinyl, the entire album was remastered by Mario C with the band’s input. The deluxe reissue also includes a 20-page full-color oral history, a massive full color zine packed with unpublished flyers and, the pièce de resistance, a complete, totally unreleased, live show that was recorded at a huge party at G-Son studios the day after album tracking was completed.

Svart Records proudly presents the reissue of classic debut album by early 80’s Welsh punksters The Partisans! The Partisans, often described as “The Professionals meet The Clash”, were a punk band from Wales that started in '78, when all four members were still in their early teens. Their self titled debut album hit No.5 in the Independent Chart and No.1 in the Punk Chart when first released on (the highly collectable) No Future Records back in 1983. Police Story is an extended edition of their debut album accompanied with additional tracks from the Police Story / Killing Machine 7" (1981) and 17 Years Of Hell EP (1982). "Both consistent and powerful, this debut album by The Partisans contains a bevy of fine composition exploring themes of social protest and youth rebellion. An exciting version of “17 Years of Hell" accompanies new streamrollers like “No U-Turns” and “I Never Needed You”—possibly the best material this band has ever committed to vinyl." -Maximum Rocknroll

Svart Records proudly presents the reissue of classic debut album by early 80’s Welsh punksters The Partisans! The Partisans, often described as “The Professionals meet The Clash”, were a punk band from Wales that started in '78, when all four members were still in their early teens. Their self titled debut album hit No.5 in the Independent Chart and No.1 in the Punk Chart when first released on (the highly collectable) No Future Records back in 1983. Police Story is an extended edition of their debut album accompanied with additional tracks from the Police Story / Killing Machine 7" (1981) and 17 Years Of Hell EP (1982). "Both consistent and powerful, this debut album by The Partisans contains a bevy of fine composition exploring themes of social protest and youth rebellion. An exciting version of “17 Years of Hell" accompanies new streamrollers like “No U-Turns” and “I Never Needed You”—possibly the best material this band has ever committed to vinyl." -Maximum Rocknroll

Available again this first pressing of this reissue is on neon yellow vinyl. Chapter Music presents a vinyl reissue of Australian post-punk icon David Chesworth's mutant punk-funk second album, 1981's Layer On Layer. After his revered 1979 debut 50 Synthesizer Greats (reissued by Chapter in 2017), David swapped the solo home-recorded synths for something very different - infectious, percussive art-funk weirdness. Aged 21, David recorded nights and weekends at the studio in his university's music department, building Layer On Layer from the ground up, using non-instruments like telephone directories, cardboard boxes and car parts. He created an art-damaged sound world, driven by irresistible rhythms but emphasizing chance and experimentation. Robert Goodge, Chesworth's bandmate in the celebrated Essendon Airport, contributes his trademark cyclical guitar, with Tsk Tsk Tsk's Ralph Traviato on sax and other Tsk members Philip Brophy, Jayne Stevenson and Maria Kozic on backing vocals. Layer On Layer was the beginning of David's investigations into rhythm, and remains one of his most striking works. His 70s/80s records and productions have become sought-after collectors' items and DJ holy grails. Chesworth is now a renowned composer sound artist. For digital bonus tracks, David has revisited Layer On Layer tracks to create mutant DJ versions. Also Available From David Chesworth: 50 Synthesizer Greats LP

Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by New York's no wave scene, many Italian bands of the early '80s, playing far from the footlights of the world's stage, began creating compelling, and often cutting edge, hybrid sounds. This kind of experimenting soon went viral along the entire peninsula: from Southern Italy to the Alps, creating a brave new Italian take on post-punk. From the nervous white funk of Neopolitans Bisca, to the instrumental explorations of Confusional Quartet, to the "fake jazz" of the Hi-Fi Bros (who even had a track produced by Arto Lindsay), to Band Aid, this collection testifies to one of the most creative periods of the Italian underground. Also features: Eazycon, Modern Model, Die Form, Funkwagen, Nofun, Hakkah, Illogico, Rinf, and State Of Art. Includes CD; CD features the previously unreleased bonus track by La Maison, "Noise Express".

Mad Honey are a dream-pop band from Oklahoma City, OK. "Satellite Aphrodite" is the debut album from Mad Honey. The exciting first chapter of a band destined to be part of the modern indie-rock lexicon for years to come. As opener "Tuff's Last Stand" emerges, we are transported into Mad Honey's lush world of musical melancholy. This leads to the hazy and hook laden "Heavier Still", "Fold", and "Larkspur". Unforgettable songs that showcase a sophistication deep within Mad Honey's multi-layered approach. At the midpoint where many albums meander, "Satellite Aphrodite" continues to ascend. "Eileen", "E.T.Y.N", "R U Feeling It", and "Psycho" all shimmer and sway with punk heart and pop sensibility unlike anything else out there today. The acoustic heavy "Kamakura" then playfully brings us to "Concentration" and poignant title track. Two infectious songs that show Mad Honey discovering their own youthful creative magic in real time.

"Neural transmissions of crisis on the eve of WEB 3.0"

Net Prophet finds the band moving deeper into the vaporous territory of 21st century excess, where power casually corrupts absolutely and the mental netscape is more deranged in the membrane than we ever knew possible. A world on the edge, where imminent ecocide and violent social upheaval lurk beneath every minute mental distraction. The doomscroll gets longer and the attention span shorter as a disconnected global internet life takes over with its scepters of promise and looming evasiveness.

The sound is rich in variety from the darkwave pulsing synths of "Lichtenberg Monologue" reminiscent of Shape / Shifting's "Tomahawk" to the growling, slowdriving bass of "A New Dawn" which harks back to the bands S/ T 1st record, albeit with a synth instead of guitar. Even with the stark contrasts of murder-punk "AR-15" and jangle- pop "Purgatory Mall" the record never strays from the prime colors of the band: Vox, Drums, Bass, Guitar, Synth.

Recorded live in the Berlin studio Monoton, the record demonstrates the band in its prime - tightened up and influenced by their extensive touring, who have honed their sound from simple elements into a rich and tasty nugget, easily digestible for the modern consumer. Always true to their company slogan "tight, loose and evil".

FINAL GASP unleash their debut album Mourning Moon! A harrowing journey through all things Hardcore, Metal, and Goth, Mourning Moon drags the listener through the dark in 12 thrilling tracks, and drives a stake right into the heart of 2023's most compelling releases. Opener "Climax Infinity" sets the tone for what's to come: the undeniable hardcore swagger of the Boston-based band is immediate as drums and guitars stomp and riff against one another, while FINAL GASP vocalist Jake Murphy howls - "watch as the way it falls, your loss of control, from whispered incantations, burnt down for your invocation!" Mourning Moon showcases expert songwriting and lyrical crafting, snarling and barking through the harsher, heavier punked out moments in "Blood and Sulfur" and "Frozen Glare" while flexing arena chops on the tremendous "Temptation" and utterly despairing "The Vanishing". Elsewhere, the hook-laden title track explodes out of the underground and aims straight for the moon. Lead single "Mourning Moon'' is downright catchy and showcases FINAL GASP's knack for excellent songwriting. A song professing eternal love through a lens clad in black and morbid as ever, "Mourning Moon" proves to be one of the most inventive journeys this side of the genre in recent times, recalling a prime period for luminaries Killing Joke and Danzig. With Mourning Moon, FINAL GASP emerge from the shadows, and step into the forefront of extreme music's new guard.

The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene-through a handful of notable side projects and the show- promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective- the quintet's sound takes wide- spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.

On their debut longplayer Where the Heart Is, Sweet Pill's unbound, raucous energy presents through ten autobiographical tracks that hinge on singer Zayna Youssef's elastic, enrapturing voice- at times belting and controlled, at others textural and guttural. Supporting Youssef are guitarists Jayce Williams and Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney. Their blistering lead single "Blood" sees Youssef exploring a deteriorated friendship over Williams and McCall's trudging riffs and tactful counterpoint, with Cullen and Kearney rumbling nimbly in the song's foundations.

Second single "High Hopes" counters with introspective, melodic punk that reshapes anxiety rather than succumb to it. But third single "Diamond Eyes" momentarily slows the pace, with McCall joining Youssef on vocals for a breakup lament laden with acoustic sentimentalism and an emotive flurry from guest flutist Jill Ryan. Such range is the central facet of Where the Heart Is, where Sweet Pill's penchant for combining punkish tropes enlivened with the vibrance of math- rock and the aggression of post- hardcore sweetened with pop sensibility compound into something stylistically new yet still familiar.

Blue Dolphin was a wild, iridescent punk band from Austin, Texas circa 2016. Over the course of a year, they created a buzzing, liberatory sound, a dark blood mix of melodic ease and existential gloom. This pairing suggests monuments like ’Peace?’ or ‘Is This Real?’ but Blue Dolphin found this path all on their own, through trust and reliance, that practice space unity that the best bands build simply through the joy of playing with each other.

Emboldened by this connection, the band birthed memorably fractured, brisk music full of daring and revelation.

At times, the songs barrel along as if the band is struggling to keep their instruments under control, an unrestrainable, breathless frenzy of notes. Other times, they take on a pensive ache, a weighted despair. Every time they form a perfect skeleton for Sarah Sissy’s vocal shove. The songs will squall and sway, reach overload, rattle half to death, and yet the moment Sissy begins singing they snap into a focused beam, a bulldozing, clear-eyed force.

‘Robert’s Lafitte’ is a rush of darkness, resilience, mystery and bliss, exactly what you’d want from a record named after Texas’s oldest running gay bar, and a band maybe named after the indescribable freedom of ocean life or maybe named after a type of ecstasy.

The LP contains the entire recorded output of Blue Dolphin, including all three self-released tapes and four previously unheard songs.

Members of Blue Dolphin have played in other bands like C.C.T.V., Chalk, Mystic Inane, Chronophage and NOSFERATU.

For fans of Silver Abuse, Chalk, Twelve Cubic Feet, Chronophage, C.C.T.V., Mystic Inane.

Includes poster / insert.

This is where it all starts. Without any reminiscing about their former band Operation Ivy, Matt Freeman (bass) and Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) blast through their debut without any hints of ska or blatant Clash plagiarizing. On the contrary, this album rips through 15 tracks of high-energy punk that"s accompanied by heavy bass leads and Armstrong"s permanently slurred vocals. And to top it all off, the lyrical content deals with urban blight and the lifestyle of being a public nuisance. With this trademark sound, Rancid provides the perfect soundtrack for any car chase that includes massive property damage; is it a wonder MTV wouldn"t touch this? -Mike DaRonco

LOS ANGELES BASED PRODUCER MINION DEBUTS ON EVAR RECORDS WITH THE FOUR-TRACK EP 'NITE LYFE.' RELEASED ON AURA T-09 AND TRICKFINGER'S REVERED RECORD LABEL, 'NITE LYFE' MERGES HARDCORE, TECHNO AND GABBER WITH SOFT TEXTURES AND GOSSAMER SHEENS, EVOKING AN INTENSE, WAVEY TRIP. THIS ONE IS SUITED TO A CHURNING, POST-3 AM DANCEFLOOR, OR IN MINION'S OWN WORDS, "WARM SUMMER NIGHTS IN LOS ANGELES WAREHOUSES."

OPENER 'SAD B0I MASSIVE' BLENDS DISTORTED, GABBER-FLECKED DRUMS WITH CRUNCHY SNARES, WHILE A HAZY, DAFT PUNK-ESQUE SYNTHLINE CONJURES A DREAMY VIBE. THIS SIGNATURE MINION MOVE CONVEYS HIS KNACK FOR SERVING UP HARSH YET ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERES, PAIRING TWO OPPOSITE MOODS THAT MELT INTO ONE ANOTHER LIKE ACETONE AND WATER.

ON 'MAGNETAR', WE'RE CAUGHT UP IN THE THUNDERDOME CIRCA 1990, BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT. WHILE RUBBERY KICK DRUMS AND WHOOSHING HOOVER SOUNDS SHAPE THE TRACK, MINION COMBINES THESE OLD-SKOOL ELEMENTS WITH A MORE MODERN QUIRK, PRODUCING A TWINKLING MELODY THAT AROUSES EMOTION AND EUPHORIA.

THE PENULTIMATE TRACK 'GREY GOO' IS THE TOUGHEST OF THE FOURSOME. BUILT WITH OFF-KILTER, GRAINY KICKDRUMS AND CINEMATIC PADS THAT SLINK BETWEEN RUSTY BEATS, IT BRIDGES HARDCORE MOTIFS WITH DELICATE SHADES OF GREY, MINION-STYLE.

FINAL TRACK 'SATURDAY NIGHT IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE' DISPLAYS MINION'S VERSATILITY AS A PRODUCER. DELVING INTO A POTENT PALETTE OF ELECTRO, BREAKBEAT, TECHNO AND 2-STEP, HE WELDS RAPID-FIRE CLAPS, FIZZING HI-HATS AND A HEARTFELT MELODY, WEAVING THROUGH BLEEPS AND A CHUNKY BASSLINE—A SIGNAL TO END A LONG TRIP, SOMEWHERE IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE.

ALTHOUGH MINION PRODUCED THE TRACKS FOUR YEARS AGO, 'NITE LYFE' STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND DOESN'T FOLLOW ANY ONE TREND OR GENRE. INSTEAD, IT'S AN ALCHEMY OF SONIC PATTERNS AND CONTRASTING COLOURS, NODDING TO MINION'S PUNK, HARDCORE AND EXPERIMENTAL INFLUENCES THAT CULTIVATED ODDBALL ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN THE 80S. THE AFTERGLOW OF THESE SOUNDS CULMINATES IN AN EP THAT RIPPLES WITH INTRIGUING HOOKS, CORROSIVE QUALITIES AND STRANGELY BLISSFUL MELODIES. IT REFLECTS THE EXPANSIVE ETHOS OF EVAR DOWN TO THE FINAL BAR.

Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following our release of Courts Or Wars, combining their early material, we are proud to reissue their only full length album, World Of Rubber.

Fueled by experimentation in both song construction and recording techniques, the duo leave you enveloped in what The Quietus described as, “a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.” Indeed, the goal had been to make each album a concept album, with this to be titled: Second Layer’s World Of Rubber. Alas, this was to be the first and last of those efforts. New detailed liner notes from Graham Bailey shed considerable light on the creation of this cold classic and its immediate aftermath.

Bailey’s inventive construction and deconstruction of various electronics, effects boxes and tape loops form the propulsive base for these songs. Borland’s guitar playing is jagged and unleashed. Above it all is an undeniable sense of melody and Adrian’s distinctive vocals. Soon, they would wonder where Second Layer ended and The Sound began, but World Of Rubber would stand as a document of this fertile period. It would also be a lasting testament to their desire to push the boundaries of their creativity. Dark and brooding the result is what Bandcamp described as “brutally bleak, blank-eyed post-punk that remains chillingly compelling.”

It’s been nearly eight years since the last Mondo Drag album came out. In that time, the Bay Area psych-prog band toured the US and Europe, performed at major festivals and—once again—reformed their rhythm section. But in the context of the band’s nearly two-decade existence, this period may have been the most fraught. Vocalist and keyboardist John Gamiño lost friends and family members. Meanwhile, humanity suffered the throes of a global pandemic. “It was a dark chapter,” he recalls. “I was going through a lot of stuff personally—there’s been a lot of death, loss of family members, and grief. Plus, the band was inactive. It felt like time was slipping away from me. I felt like I was wasting my opportunities. I felt like I wasn’t participating in my story as much as I could have.” This feeling of time slipping away is the prevailing theme on Mondo Drag’s new album, Through the Hourglass. “For me, Through the Hourglass really encompasses the quarantine/pandemic years,” Gamiño says. “But in a way that includes a couple of years before that for us, because the band was stagnant during that time. Living with that was really impactful on our daily lives. So, the album is reflective. It’s looking at time—past, present, future.” Luckily, Mondo Drag emerged from this dour period reborn. Freshly energized by bassist Conor Riley (formerly of San Diego psych squad Astra, currently of Birth), who joined in 2018, and drummer Jimmy Perez, who joined in 2022, Gamiño and guitarists Jake Sheley and Nolan Girard have triumphed over the seemingly inexorable pull of time’s passage. “Astra was the one contemporary band that we felt was on the same tip as us,” Gamiño says. “We saw the similarities and felt the same vibe. Conor moved to San Francisco in 2018 and heard we were looking for a bassist, so we got in touch. For us, it was like, ‘The synth player from Astra wants to play bass for us?’ We couldn’t think of anybody more perfect.” Perez, meanwhile, brings deep psych-prog knowledge and impeccable skill. “He’s an amazing drummer, and he allowed us to do what we’ve been trying to do,” Gamiño says. “Before he came along, it was like, ‘Where are the drummers who like psych and prog and can play dynamically?’ We ended up trying out metal drummers, but they couldn’t swing. Jimmy was the final piece of the puzzle.” The result is a dazzling and often plaintive rumination on the hours, days, and years—not to mention experiences—that comprise a lifetime. Two-part opener “Burning Daylight” smolders with melancholy, offering a whirl of multi-colored and hallucinatory imagery. “It’s about the California wildfires and a feeling of helplessness,” Gamiño explains. “There’s a juxtaposition between the dark lyricism and upbeat music which is meant to imply a sort of delusional state—and choosing our own delusion to overcome the crushing despair of reality.” Eleven-minute centerpiece “Passages” is a sprawling prog-rock adventure, festooned with lofty guitar melodies, sweeping organ flourishes and a delicately finger-picked outro. But the heaviest song, thematically speaking, might be the mournful and hypnotic “Death in Spring,” which borrows its title from the like-named Catalan novel. “In the novel, people are placed inside opened trees and their mouths filled with cement before they die to prevent their souls from escaping,” Gamiño explains. “The song is about three people I knew who lost their lives to gun violence, addiction, and mental health. It’s my way of cementing their souls in song form.” Mondo Drag fans might be surprised by this blend of hard reality with literary surrealism, but it’s a perfect example of how the last several years have impacted Mondo Drag—and Gamiño in particular. “On all of our previous albums, the lyrical content is more psychedelic and out there,” he acknowledges. “This is the most personal stuff I’ve ever done, so I’m definitely feeling vulnerable on this one.” The title Through the Hourglass comes from the opening of the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives. It’s less inspired by a predilection for daytime TV than Gamiño’s connection with his late mother, who passed during the time since the last album. “I used to watch Days of Our Lives with her everyday growing up,” he explains. “The song is kind of a reinterpretation of the theme song, although it’s different enough that probably no one will catch it. Now that I’m getting older, I like to put these little Easter eggs in the songs for myself and for archival purposes—for memories.” Through the Hourglass was tracked at El Studio in San Francisco, with an additional ten days of recording at the band’s rehearsal space, which doubles as a hybrid analog-digital recording studio. The album was engineered and mixed by Phil Becker, drummer of space-punk mainstays Pins Of Light. “We’re still here,” Gamiño says. “We’ve been in the studio working on our craft and honing our skills. Now we’re re-emerging for the next stage of our life cycle.”

BOTANICA is the newly established Japanese label created by DJ/ Producer, Iori Wakasa. It was formed for him to utilize it as a foundation for the realization of his own unique, artistic expression.
And now, he has the pleasure to announce his label’s inaugural title with the release of his own BOTANICA EP.

Born in 1988 in a rural Japanese city surrounded by mountains and the sea with a mild climate, Iori grew up playing RPGs with a father who was a devoted game aficionado. And he was introduced to electronic music through game music from an early age and formed his musical sensibilities through playing the classical piano around the same time.

Influenced by the spirituality and idiosyncrasies of punk rock and ethnic and indigenous music in his youth, also gradually influenced by the Tokyo club scene and the music, it didn't take him long before
he made the choice to start DJing at the age of 17 and soon afterwards, started exploring the path of music production as a form of self-expression.

Iori set up Botanica to convey 2 main concepts of 'presenting music that provides each listener with their own viewpoint' and ‘to construct a fusion between 'nature' and 'man-made objects and human
activity’. Through the experience of traveling around Japan, Europe and Asia and connecting with people of different languages and cultures, he became to appreciate that music transcends all languages and grooves, and the framework in which he would like to shape his perspective and embody it as his way of life is what he envisions as the vital expression for BOTANICA, The two tracks and the artwork included in this first EP are the first steps towards hopefully chronicling the story of the vortex that he resides in now and the new forest that he plans to weave in the future with his label.

'The Pure Land' means in Japanese 'Gokuraku-Jodo (= a space where you can live in bliss)', but in English it is closer to 'utopia' or 'paradise'. However, 'The Pure Land' is a musical work that evokes a
hypnotic and pleasant euphoria through the gradual layering of multiple rhythms and soft particles of spatial sound design. It is also shaped with the aim of liberating the listener and guiding them towards their primal self.

In contrast, 'Lunar Down' expresses the changes that occur in the human state of mind during the extended period from moonrise to moonset especially when the moon sets from its zenith and is completed with a focus on maximum dance floor impact via an inner voice that resonates in the brain that echoes throughout a well-textured bass line and rhythm track.

The artwork for the front cover of this EP was created by SHINOZAKI HILOSHI, an illustrator who has been traveling and painting to express his true way of life that he learnt in the 10+ years of commuting between Tokyo (the end) and the Hawaii Islands (the beginning), and the graphic designer hiro, who stands by Iori`s side as his life partner and as the person who understands him the best. Iori`s first steps are complemented by the label design and art direction by graphic designer hiro, who stands by his side as his life partner and most understanding partner, and the proof is the physical cut, which is presented as the foundation for the future.

In the late '70s, The Avengers established themselves as one of the US's preeminent punk bands. Fusing incisive guitar hooks, explosive rhythms and adolescent venom, the group forged some of the most in-your-face songs of the era. Their live shows were legendary, playing up and down the West Coast and even blowing Sex Pistols off the stage at the latter's final performance.

As Byron Coley writes in the liner notes, "Of the best bands of San Francisco's first wave in 1977, The Avengers were by far the coolest and youngest sounding. They roared without irony, as though this were indeed Year Zero (and, for a moment, it was) with history being overwritten by the new. The honesty of their belief was carried by their sound. And it was convincing!"

Originally released in 1983, four years after the band's dissolution, The Avengers' self-titled LP is often referred to as "The Pink Album" for its magenta-hued cover design. Frontwoman Penelope Houston's iconic voice and razor-sharp lyrics resonate on anthems "We Are The One" and "The American In Me," while penetrating ballads like "Corpus Christi" reveal a truly out-of-body euphony.

The Pink Album remains The Avengers' definitive statement - collecting their classic Dangerhouse EP, sessions recorded with the Pistols' Steve Jones and a half-dozen revelatory demos. While much has been written about The Avengers in the past three decades, rock critic Greil Marcus puts it succinctly, "The word I always come back to is mystical, and that remains almost theirs alone."

Factory Benelux presents a limited crystal clear vinyl edition of Dark Light, the eighth studio album from post-punk trailblazers Section 25, originally released in 2013.
Recorded in 2012, Dark Light would be the band’s first collection of new material since the tragic loss of founder Larry Cassidy in 2010, and marked a return to the smooth electro and synth-pop textures first explored on their seminal 1984 album From the Hip. These echoes are amplified by the presence of co-vocalists Beth and Jo Cassidy, as well as a sublime cover image by iconic artist/designer Peter Saville.
Much of Dark Light was produced in collaboration with remixer Derek Miller (aka Outernationale), and includes new versions of single tracks Colour Movement Sex & Violence and Inner Drive. Other stand-out cuts include future pop classic My Outrage, also released as a single on Record Store Day.
“A revelation. The group were once doomy post-punks whose 1984 electronic album From the Hip anticipated house music and thrilled New York clubland. Now the deaths of singers Larry and Jenny Cassidy have inspired their daughter Bethany to carry on the family business and give the band a makeover. The collision of the original members’ brittle rhythms and the angelic voices of Bethany and similarly fresh-faced co-singer Jo takes recent material into shimmering club-pop heaven” (The Guardian, 2014)
Now released on vinyl for the very first time, FBN 145 is limited to just 500 copies pressed on crystal clear vinyl. The digital copy contains several bonus tracks.

2023 Repress

CELESTE have been breaking the outer boundaries of heavy music for over fifteen years. When they first evolved from the Lyon hardcore punk scene, they were absolutely brutal and entirely unique, delivering extremity on their own terms that they pushed further and further with each successive album. “We just wanted to get darker and more violent,” says drummer Antoine Royer, until 2017’s Infidèle(s) saw the incorporation of a more melodic streak. Their most focussed record yet, it was tremendously received, critically adored, and backed with the band’s biggest shows to date.

Its follow-up was always going to be something radical. Even by their own inordinately high standards, however, new record Assassine(s) is one hell of a step forward. Even if this album still contains cyclonic walls of guitar, of battering rhythm, and passages of blissful, rushing release. it’s unlike anything the band have ever released; embracing a modern and forward-thinking production, they're just as complex but more direct, diverse and accessible than before. “Our leitmotif here was to open our minds,” says guitarist Sébastien Ducotté. “We made a real effort to think outside of our box.”

During lockdown CELESTE’s members were forced to each write individually. “We each went further into our personal, inner views of what the songs were,” says bassist and vocalist Johan Girardeau. When eventually they began sessions under producer Chris Edrich, it was gruelling. “We ended up exhausted, physically and mentally” says Johan. “There was no break in two weeks. We didn’t see the sun at all during that time. Every night we were so tired that we didn’t enjoy being together as much as we’re used to.” Nevertheless, in the same way the hardships of isolation led to richer and more complex songwriting, it’s that relentlessness that led to the record’s razor-sharp edges.

Above all else, CELESTE are innovators. Whether by pioneering French avant-garde metal when they formed at the turn of the millennium, by making their boldest leaps despite being seven albums deep into their career, or using two years away from live shows to tightly finetune their stagecraft, they refuse at all costs to rest on their laurels. There can be consequences to this instinct – fans of the band’s older work might be thrown off by their constant shifts of pace – but they’re throwing caution to the wind. A bit of backlash “would be a good thing, because it would mean that we’ve really changed,” says Guillaume . “It's not disrespectful, it's just that we never made music to please people, but just to enjoy what we're doing.” In the end, CELESTE are a band so forward-thinking that they can only be judged on the strength of their latest work. And when it comes to a record as bold as Assassine(s), they’ve hit a whole new peak entirely.

2023 Repress
The most obscure and sought after italian electronic release, but also another extraordinary 70s output from the legendary Regson Studio of Milan (remembering in 1976 "Funky Bump" and a year later "Disco Shitan", both produced by Pino Presti). The eclectic brother of Vangelis (chit> he was playing keyboards like him), helped by Yorgos Pentzikis for the "vocoder" vocals, reached the right sound for one of the craziest electronic disco song now available for for the first time on 12, containing also the unreleased instrumental version. Nikos Papathanassiou in 1976 achieving success with the disco-hit "U" by Chrisma, but Maurizio Arcieri (cousin of Pino Presti and Chrisma's leader), moved towards new-wave and punk. So for the orchestral conducting of a new cosmic-disco project titled MoreI Like It he involved Rodolfo Grieco who later produced in the emerging genre of Italo-Disco great classics like "Going Crazy" by Lily Ann."

Das war längst überfällig: The Headlines "In the end" erscheint zum ersten Mal endlich auf Vinyl. 2017 markierte das Album für die skandinavischen Punk Rocker The Headlines einen Wendepunkt, denn fortan übernahm die fantastische Sängerin Kerry Bomb das Mikro, während Mastermind Jake Lundtofte als Songwriter und Lead-Gitarrist den Sound weiter perfektioniert und prägte. "In the end" ist dabei nicht nur vom Titel auch 5 Jahre nach Erstveröffentlichung aktueller denn je: Kerry im Interview mit dem Pressure Magazine dazu: "Der Titel "In The End" ist unsere Antwort darauf, wo die Menschheit derzeit steht. Mit unserer Energie geht es dem Ende zu und der Planet zerstört sich mehr und mehr von Tag zu Tag selbst.

Auf intellektueller Ebene, sind wir irgendwie am Ende angelangt." Das Ergebnis ist schlichtweg ein Punkrock-Meilenstein voller Energie und Leidenschaft, der einen sofort in seinen Bann zieht...straight forward, rotzig-frech und doch ausgeklügelt und extrem abwechslungsreich. Kurz gesagt die Scheibe rockt vom ersten bis zum letzten Ton.

Worriers' new album Trust Your Gut is what happens when a queer Springsteen sleeper cell emerges to throw an indie rock house party. It’s the opening scene of Empire Records if it were soundtracked by Frightened Rabbit. It’s about yearning for a better self when you constantly feel neither here nor there. While that isn’t entirely about their gender, it’s absolutely a part of songwriter Lauren Denitzio’s lived experience as a millennial. After Worriers released an album the same week as the 2020 lockdown - and after a history of what can only be described as music industry slapstick comedy - Denitzio rebuilt their songwriting practice from scratch. Armed with a small artist grant, new collaborators, and a lot of time on their hands, Trust Your Gut was written by taking everything apart and putting it back together again. The album was written and arranged with drummer Atom Willard (Against Me!, Angels & Airwaves), pianist Franz Nicolay (The Hold Steady), and guitarist Frank Piegaro who joined the band in 2019. With bass recorded by Allegra Anka (Cayetana) and strings by Ethan Philbrick, Trust Your Gut crafts a world of heart-punching indie rock with pop and folk influences after a career of fierce punk-leaning anthems.

Ash sind seit 30 Jahren zusammen, aber es waren die zwei Jahre, die sie voneinander getrennt waren, die sie zu ihrem brillanten neuen Album inspirierten. Wie der Rest der Welt wurden auch Tim Wheeler (Gitarre/Gesang), Mark Hamilton (Bass) und Rick McMurray (Schlagzeug) von der Pandemie überrumpelt. Es war nicht nur die erste längere Auszeit, die die Band in ihrer unglaublichen drei Jahrzehnte währenden Karriere hatte, sondern auch die längste Zeit, in der die drei sich nicht gesehen hatten, seit sie sich in der Schule in Downpatrick, Nordirland, erstmals begegnet waren. Tim Wheeler - wie man es von einem der größten Songschreiber seiner Generation erwarten würde - hatte während Ashs Zwangspause weiter Songs geschrieben. Zum Reboot-Camp der Band erschien er bereit zum Loslegen mit einem Rucksack voller Hard-Rock-Hymnen. Und schwere Zeiten verlangen schließlich nach härterer Musik. Das selbst produzierte "Race The Night" - das achte Studioalbum der Band - ist in jeder Hinsicht herausragend. Aufgenommen im Oh Yeah-Studio in Belfast und mit neuem Fokus, kombiniert die Platte die unwiderstehlichen Rock-Riffs von "Meltdown" (2004) mit der melodischen Meisterschaft von "Free All Angels" (2001) - und das alles verpackt mit einem deutlichen Twist ins Jahr 2023. Und mit den fernen Anzeichen eines oft beschworenen Rock-Revivals am Horizont, könnte es das essentielle gitarrenzentrierte, hymnenreiche Album sein, auf das die Welt gewartet hat. Seit Ash als Teenager mit ihrem Nummer-Eins-Debütalbum "1977" aus Downpatrick auftauchten, ist die Band ein vitales, wachsendes Anliegen. Die meisten ihrer Zeitgenossen sind verschwunden oder haben sich zumindest aufgelöst, bevor sie zurückkehrten, aber Ashs Licht leuchtet so hell wie eh und je. Für dieses Album sind sie sogar zu Fierce Panda Records zurückgekehrt, die eine ihrer ersten Aufnahmen, "Punkboy", auf der 1994 erschienenen Crazed And Confused EP veröffentlicht haben.

Ash sind seit 30 Jahren zusammen, aber es waren die zwei Jahre, die sie voneinander getrennt waren, die sie zu ihrem brillanten neuen Album inspirierten. Wie der Rest der Welt wurden auch Tim Wheeler (Gitarre/Gesang), Mark Hamilton (Bass) und Rick McMurray (Schlagzeug) von der Pandemie überrumpelt. Es war nicht nur die erste längere Auszeit, die die Band in ihrer unglaublichen drei Jahrzehnte währenden Karriere hatte, sondern auch die längste Zeit, in der die drei sich nicht gesehen hatten, seit sie sich in der Schule in Downpatrick, Nordirland, erstmals begegnet waren. Tim Wheeler - wie man es von einem der größten Songschreiber seiner Generation erwarten würde - hatte während Ashs Zwangspause weiter Songs geschrieben. Zum Reboot-Camp der Band erschien er bereit zum Loslegen mit einem Rucksack voller Hard-Rock-Hymnen. Und schwere Zeiten verlangen schließlich nach härterer Musik. Das selbst produzierte "Race The Night" - das achte Studioalbum der Band - ist in jeder Hinsicht herausragend. Aufgenommen im Oh Yeah-Studio in Belfast und mit neuem Fokus, kombiniert die Platte die unwiderstehlichen Rock-Riffs von "Meltdown" (2004) mit der melodischen Meisterschaft von "Free All Angels" (2001) - und das alles verpackt mit einem deutlichen Twist ins Jahr 2023. Und mit den fernen Anzeichen eines oft beschworenen Rock-Revivals am Horizont, könnte es das essentielle gitarrenzentrierte, hymnenreiche Album sein, auf das die Welt gewartet hat. Seit Ash als Teenager mit ihrem Nummer-Eins-Debütalbum "1977" aus Downpatrick auftauchten, ist die Band ein vitales, wachsendes Anliegen. Die meisten ihrer Zeitgenossen sind verschwunden oder haben sich zumindest aufgelöst, bevor sie zurückkehrten, aber Ashs Licht leuchtet so hell wie eh und je. Für dieses Album sind sie sogar zu Fierce Panda Records zurückgekehrt, die eine ihrer ersten Aufnahmen, "Punkboy", auf der 1994 erschienenen Crazed And Confused EP veröffentlicht haben.

Here is another mystery from the universe comming straight out from London! Popping up from nowhere, don’t expect any infos about the person behind, it’s a very well kept secret… actually Tutu Ta reached us by telepathy to propose this sensationnal album for Macadam Mambo.

A concentrate of punkish dubby tunes combining ruffness, deepness, darkness, light, humour and serious vocals on very heavy beats and supa loud basslines. It’s raw but so gracefull in the meantime, 12 tracks, 47 min of pure bliss that won’t leave you on your knees, grab it fast it’s high demands style of music 

Pure Noise Records and Pabst Blue Ribbon have teamed up again to present ‘Dead Formats Volume 2’, a 15-track compilation featuring the Pure Noise Records roster sharing their takes on classic songs from Elton John, New Radicals, The Kinks and scene favourites Taking Back Sunday and more. The concept with Volume 1 was originally curated as a way for fans to discover new, like-minded bands, the same way legendary comps like Atticus’ Dragging The Lake, Punk O Rama, or the Vans Warped Tour Compilations did in the 90’s and 2000’s. Volume 2 will open up a wealth of artists from across the years.

As a band, Taryn and Austin’s journey happened both unexpectedly and fortuitously. At the start of the COVID pandemic, Austin and his wife moved back into his parents’ house, where Taryn was also living at the time. Faced with nothing but time, he got back to songwriting, regularly asking Taryn for input — or as the two playfully put it, “Gen Z quality control.” The immediate result of their musical partnership was the pop-punk/alternative anthem “Who’s Laughing Now,” which leads with wry, tongue-in-cheek lyrics about the futility of young adulthood in 2023. After posting an unfinished version of “Who’s Laughing Now” on TikTok, it swiftly took off, galvanizing thousands of viewers who shared their coming-of-age frustrations. Clearly, the song’s sentiments - which land somewhere between a shrug and a clenched fist - resonated with millions of listeners, and today Durry have recorded a fully fleshed-out version of “Who’s Laughing Now,” which is set to appear on their riveting, perfectly sardonic debut LP, Suburban Legend. Whether Suburban Legend is tackling romantic love, late-stage capitalism, mental health woes, or teen nostalgia, the thread tying it all together is its utter relatability. Regardless of where you are in life — city or suburbs, school or work, or pursuing a creative dream of your own — Durry will meet you there with a wink and a high five.

The "Produkt" compilation takes us back to the time between 1979 and 1984, when post-punk was the main expression of the underground movement. Bands in the wake of PIL and Joy Division came out like mushrooms after the punk crush. In this compilation you will find mostly unknown yet interesting productions. This is a 10 track album, all originally released on 7" from all over the world: from Poland to Sweden, from Yugoslavia to Denmark. A perfect item for both enthusiasts and completists but also for those curious, passionate of those extraordinary years and lovers of a genre that still continues to evolve and that indeed continues to storm clubs around the world

Reissue of Veik's `From Madness To Nomadness' EP out now. Limited to 300 copies on 10" black in clear vinyl. Originally released on cassette in 2016, `From Madness to Nomadness' is the debut EP from Caen, France-based group Veik and is now being reissued on vinyl for the first time, with a limited 10" release courtesy of Fuzz Club Records. Introducing listeners to the trio's motorik, synthesised post-punk, the EP is a compilation of four tracks taken from a two-day recording session in the summer of 2016, recorded and mixed by Hugo Lamy of fellow Caen experimental duo Glass. The cover and the title of the EP are openly inspired by the `Telepathic Music' works by the French conceptual artist Robert Filiou, outlining the band's multi-disciplinary approach to music from the off. At the time drummer/vocalist Boris Collet told a local media outlet that "we wish to assume links with other artistic disciplines like photography". Concerning the reference to Robert Filiou, he added: "It is not so much the visual aspect that is important as the philosophy and the vision of the economy that he develops. The result should not be pompous or falsely intellectualizing. It is just that it seems relevant to build bridges between different fields (artistic or not). Bringing a bit of philosophy, architecture, images, sociology or geography into music can't hurt. It's not pretending to be anything else than what it is, it's still music, but I think there is a gesture and an intention to assume, no matter how you qualify it (creative, political, reflective). You have to allow yourself to do it."