Browsing Tag

Punk

Martin’s Revenge unleashed their gnarled psy-surf nightmare ‘Jack Let Go of the Door’

Posted on 23 October 2023

Martin’s Revenge made the Oh Sees sound like a 90s pop boyband with their latest darkly domineering single, Jack Let Go of the Door, which leads psych rock down a murky and nefarious corridor and surfs up to a gnarled nightmarescape that any fans of aural aggravation will want to repetitively revisit.

After The Eighties Matchbox B-Line disaster left a void in the industry with their departure, Martin’s Revenge has finally filled it with the rolling harbingering drum fills, electrified to the nth-degree guitars, stabbing basslines and drawling vox in their latest release, which revisits a Fear and Loathing-esque drug trip with striking visceralism.

Following the success of their EP, Harry’s Redroom, the Nottingham-based thee-piece is set to let the leash off of their latest EP, VR Porn, on November 6th. After reinforcing and honing their sound significantly between the two releases, Martin’s Revenge has established itself as more than the sum of its parts and the influence of Fugazi, Pixies, Idles and The Jesus Lizard.

Jack Let Go of the Door was officially released on October 23, Stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

HeadWar has another hit in their grunge-punk arsenal with ‘Ladders’

Posted on 19 October 2023

With their sophomore EP, Bled Dry, the Madison Wisconsin prodigal sons of grunge punk HeadWar forcibly occupied the middle ground between Fugazi, Nirvana and Pantera and took no prisoners.

The self-described icons of awkward exceeded themselves with the catatonic furore which unfurls through every fortified with catatonic contempt progression in their most seminal single to date, Ladders, which is a cutting with razor-sharp lyrical position exposition on the need to socially climb.

The monolithic breakdown which bursts into a riff that would even leave Slayer fans weak at the knees is the ultimate affirmation of the technical skill of the powerhouse, which is otherwise disguised by the speed of the time signatures and lashings of distortion which lends itself effortlessly well to the lyrical lamentation.

Stream the Bled Dry EP by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Manchester gutter punks The Battery Farm thrashed out against the indignity of modernity in ‘House of Pain’

Posted on 14 October 2023

From the offset of their career, The Battery Farm have launched aural assaults to elucidate the filth that lies in the stitches of our Tory sleaze-slicked social tapestry. Their most recent single, House of Pain, is no exception as it brings forth a new brand of furore while leaving the snarky antagonism by the wayside to deliver a necessitated depiction of the brutality endured by the working classes.

The protestive volition within the vocal delivery couldn’t make it clearer that the last straw has been drawn in response to the indignity of modern survival; it finds a feral way of communicating that shame shouldn’t be carried by the people doing what they need to get by; it should rot the souls of the late-stage capitalists forcing the masses into degrading subjugation.

With thrash punk drum fills hammering the discontent into House of Pain and Dominic Corry’s guitars carrying their signature kaleidoscopic with industrial dissonance effects to visualise the foreboding and unforgiving climate, the visceralism within the stark reflection of post-Brexit reality couldn’t be more affectingly astute.

If you needed any more convincing that the Manchester-based gutter punks have moved into their Motorhead era, the B-side single, Time of Peace, should suffice. The exposition of living in a time of perpetual crisis is all the more impactful with the atrocities of the conflict in Gaza playing out before our powerless eyes as even the Labour party leader condones the international war crimes.

Stream House of Pain on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get moving with Johnjames Bruce’s acoustic post-punk hit, Dance

Posted on 8 October 2023

After cutting his teeth as a bass player in the punk outfit The Irrelevants, the Lancashire-hailing rhythm-maker, Johnjames Bruce, found his voice as a solo acoustic artist and started to release his own indie-folk punk music in 2018.

His latest single, Dance, carries the raucous and cutting spirit of post-punk; heavy distortion was surplus to requirement with the swagger of the acoustic guitars, the snarl in the vocals and the snappy percussive backbeat.

If you’re a fan of Pleasure Heads, Youth Sector, and The Walkmen and like your punk hits raw, intimate and uniquely authentic, Johnjames Bruce’s discography will be your new favourite discovery.

Dance was officially released on September 29; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

HeadWar say R.I.P. to cognitive autonomy in their rancorous installation of grunge-punk ‘Sheep (2023)’

Posted on 18 July 2023

Don’t wage war; wage HeadWar by listening to the Madison WI-residing grunge-punk trio’s latest single, ‘Sheep (2023)’. While saying R.I.P. to cognitive autonomy, the trio pulled out their heaviest instrumental artillery before sludging it up to the nth degree to replicate the chaos currently breeding in socio-political landscapes across the globe.

While I wasn’t all too convinced by the idea that hard times breed good music before, HeadWar is headstrong enough in their vindication to create an irrefutable testament to the adage. With Dalton Aerts ensuring that his vocals are just as savage as his guitars, Sam Tisue paying homage to the drum fills that make Metallica so ferociously cathartic, and Kyle Eith making the rhythm section as tight as possible; for three minutes, Sheep (2023) may convince you to stop banging your head off the wall and bang to the sonic absolution instead.

Add Sheep (2023) to your Spotify playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nina Hain became the cover girl of Riot Grrrl in 2023 with her debut single, I Have a Name

Posted on 6 July 2023

The Canadian-born, Zurich and London-based multi-instrumentalist, classically trained singer and songwriter Nina Hain revived the Riot Grrrl movement with the monolithically fierce beguile in her debut single, I Have a Name.

Produced by Rocky O’Reilly and Mastered by Robin Schmidt (Liam Gallagher, Nothing But Thieves), the polished single is as impeccable as you would expect. But, somewhat ironically, in the context of the single, Nina Hain isn’t an artist that is going to skate through her career by high-profile association.

The stellar songwriting, which allows you to roll with all the stridently liberating crescendos led by her resounding vocal timbre, proves that she’s got the lyricality to make as much of a bruising impact as Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and L7. But make no mistake; this is far from your average all-edge-and-no-substance 90s throwback hit. The musicality of the single allows Nina Hain to stand alongside icons such as Honeyblood, Wolf Alice, and Black Honey as she uses her resounding voice as a protest to female oppression.

Expect plenty more from Hain as she continues to work with the Zurich-based indie label, Nekonen Records, to deliver a string of singles in the lead-up to her debut EP, due for release in Spring 2024.

I Have a Name hit the airwaves on June 30th; stream it on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

We Will Fight for What is Right: Bitchin’ Hour roar us all into life on the battlefield with Tooth and Nail

Posted on 24 June 2023

After piercing our ears with no need to go to a shop to get them done via their scintillating Cargo Sessions live experience to play on full volume, the fearless Bitchin’ Hour are the courageous leaders we all needed to witness in this time of uncertainty with Tooth and Nail.

Bitchin’ Hour is a 4-piece Guildford, Surrey, UK-based Grunge-punk/rock band who have a bite in their step which will wake up the nosy neighbours next door.

You haven’t heard of Bitchin’ Hour? You have now. Turn this up and put the mobile down for a few minutes. This is better than your average kinda track. It’s been made with proper intensity you see, which will get the blood flow rocketing into a much better place.

Tooth and Nail from Guildford, Surrey, UK-based Grunge-punk/rock band Bitchin’ Hour is the kind of song which could inspire the youth to take up music. There is a fire in droves here which the fire department might need to extinguish..after the show of course. This is raw to the core.

Strong and dominant and never letting go for a second, we are thrilled by an underground band who knows how to shake the cobwebs off the kitchen floor.

Listen up on Spotify.

Find out more on their website.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Tune into Rebels in Stereo’s riotous punk rock anthem, Lace of Steel

Posted on 17 June 2023
CoVault by Rebels in Stereo

‘Lace of Steel’ is the riotously hooky seminal single from Chicago’s premier pop-punk-influenced outfit, Rebels in Stereo. Taken from their EP, CoVault, the overdriven to the nth degree hit reels you in with the edged and tight anthemics, but it is the vignette weaved through the high-octane release that keeps you immersed.

With a similar narrative to Thrash Unreal by Against Me! any female-identifying outliers that are looking for resonance will get more than they have bargained for when they delve into the punk rock anthem, which gains momentum through the modernist melodic power metal licks and the songwriting chops that are as sharp as a butcher’s cleaver.

With a new LP in the pipeline, there’s little doubt that 2023 will be the year of Rebels in Stereo. It takes far more than a powerful set of pipes to become an arresting frontwoman; thankfully, Cassidy’s vocal range is as wide-spanning as her talents in weaving soul into her superlative harmonies.

Stream and purchase Lace of Steel by heading over to Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get down with the cognitive sickness with Sarah Sunday’s hypersonic pop-punk hit, all the world is crazy

Posted on 8 June 2023

‘all the world is crazy’ is ironically a sentiment that no one of sane mind could disagree with. When Sarah Sunday used it as the proclamation in her latest hyper pop-punk anthem, she made it impossible for her audience not to get down with the endemic of cognitive sickness.

The future-pop elements around the pop-punk guitar-driven hooks created the EDM evolution that the genre has never known it needed but has silently been crying out for. If any track has what it takes to make the masses shake off the depressing presumption that they’re outliers for feeling suffocated by entropy, it’s the anthemically sticky-sweet triumph.

Her uplifting vocal energy augmenting the lyrics, which cut right to the core of the madness we’ve tried to put our heads in the sand and ignore, ensured all the world is crazy is one of the most seminal anthems of the summer. We utterly adore her.

all the world is crazy was officially released on the 1st of May; stream the aptly zany official music video via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Good die young: Goatzilla stomp their feet all over our fragile speakers with Leave It All Behind

Posted on 12 May 2023

Shredding all sofas into tiny pieces and booming in a sound which might either age or excite, Goatzilla is at its roaring best with a lionhearted exhibition on the hard-road-ahead ripper an ace cricket bowler would be proud of on Leave It All Behind.

Goatzilla is a Gold Coast, Australia-based indie punk rock 4-piece band who are best known for their explosively entertaining live concerts and have been on the scene since 2015.

”They like good whiskey, cars, heavy music, and collecting way too many guitars.” ~ Goatzilla

On their first album since 2019’s Muthafukasaurus, Goatzilla seemingly has the power to destroy all tired faces with the ultimate pick-me-up. This is hardcore and raw. Are your ears ready for a pounding? If so, press play and turn it all the way up.

Leave It All Behind from Gold Coast, Australia-based indie punk rock 4-piece act Goatzilla is a meaty song which needs a steak for consumption right next to it. There is a hugely colossal track on the cards for anyone brave enough here.

With so much strength from all corners and a vivid vocal rendition to take note of, this is a truly life-enhancing single for anyone who likes it rather heavily textured.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen