Browsing Category Tracks

Amyl and the Sniffers – “Monsoon Rock”

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After a host of EPs, singles and compilations of those EPs, Amyl and the Sniffers are embarking on their debut LP for Flightless Records. The band, whose raucous punk spirit elevates the dual rock prongs of punk and pub to a the kind of snotty, deviant level that brought us The Saints, Dead Boys, and The Weirdos. Monsoon Rock blows the sound out in all directions. It’s bigger than ever, churning the rock n’ roll stew to a whirlpool of leather n’ sweat. Amy Taylor’s vocals are as acidic as ever – sneered, seared and spit out in fits of vocal venom. It’s pretty much everything you could want from an Amyl and the Sniffers track. The accompanying video is, however, absurd. Nothing says hectic punk fury like hand puppets. That’s what I always say. Pretty fun nonetheless. Check the clip out and keep perked for the album on May 24th.

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Possible Humans – “The Thumps”

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Another top-notch jangler out of Melbourne and the hotbed of Hobbies Galore. Possible Humans blend roiling twang with the crunch of fuzz and a quick-step beat pushing it headlong down the hill. “The Thumps” builds on their previous LP and a single on Strange Pursuits (home to Day Ravies, Sachet). Like Stroppies, they’ve also cleaned up their act a bit for the new long player and their sound has cohered into a mash of the Stropp’s organ-laced jangle-pop, Twerps loose shuffle, and the taut bass work of The Go-Betweens. The first single offers a lot to love, so its understandable that hopes are high for the full-length coming April 1st. The record was recorded by Alex MacFarlane with the usual Aussie shine-up by Mikey Young. Grab a listen below.






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Chris Forsyth – “Tomorrow Might as Well Be Today” & “Mystic Mountain”

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The last record from Chris Forsyth was a monster of guitar grit – his style is emotive, fire-ridden, and fluid, but not flashy or maddeningly technical. Dreaming in the Non-Dream felt like it barely fit into the one LP allowed, especially the namesake shaker. For the follow-up Forsyth has spread the fire onto four sides of wax, for an even heavier statement that begins with these two tracks. “Tomorrow Might As Well Be Today” is a pronouncement of what’s to come. It’s a gauntlet asserting Forsyth’s place in any imagined pantheon, but its quickly supplanted by the hearth-hammered rocker that follows it. “Mystic Mountain” is Forsyth and the Solar Motel band taking root and burning a circle of ash around them not only with the power of their performance but with the fire-throated growl of Chris’ vocals as well. The song-writer doesn’t always chime in with words, but “Mystic Mountain” makes its case for quality over quantity. Like that David Nance LP from last year, this has all the earmarks of an album ready to writhe. Make sure you’re paying attention.



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The World – “White Radish”

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The 2017 debut from Oakland post-punks The World was a biting and bouncy delight, invested as much in groove as it was in lyrical invective. As such, the news that the band has a new mini-LP coming out on new label, Microminiature, comes with great anticipation. The first cut off of that release hits today and “White Radish” is just as infectious as anything the band has done. With sharp shards of guitar, loping bass, a kitchen sink’s worth of clattering percussion and the sax squawks of the band’s Stanley Martinez, this one’s a keeper. File it next to great latter-day post-punk from Lithics, Vital Idles, Uranium Club, and Primo for maximum rhythm damage and keep an eye out for the mini-LP to land on March 20th.



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Wand – “Thin Air”

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A second slip behind the curtain of Wand’s upcoming opus Laughing Matter lands today. “Thin Air” is a bit burlier than first single, “Scarecrow,” but it too is toeing into the skeletal indie prog left scattered by Radiohead, Mogwai and Godspeed around the turn of the millennium. Starting with the last album the band turned a corner from their garage moorings to push towards more ambitious rock pursuits with an eye towards stadium-sized epochs. However, the band is working decidedly in terms of alchemy rather than retread, picking sense memories from each of those sources and working them into something sinewy and barbed all at once. The track trickles in, only to roll into a ball of feedback by the second half – drawing the needle of their sound through shoegaze shimmers and psych bluster. Both of these pieces point to a bigger, leaner, and headier album from the band than before. I’m eager to see how these lock together and whether they can make the new album’s double length work in their favor or pose a challenge.





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POW! – “Disobey”

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SF synth-punks POW! are back with a new LP for hometown powerhouse Castle Face and they’re leading into the album with new single “Disobey.” The track’s shredded and shambolic – dredging up shades of The Twinkeyz, Tubeway and The Units. They pair an insistent pummel with headspins of effects, guitars that unspool like discarded wire and the manic yelps of Byron Blum shaking listener’s out of their somnambulant safety. The cut’s got a paranoid core and like Timmy’s Organism or Mind Spiders, they’re not afraid to unnerve. Its just the tip of the future-fogged freakout, but good enough for now. Get jittery with the new track below.


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Gonzo – “Put The Money”

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Geelong punk foursome Gonzo are back with a sophomore LP on the crazily consistent Anti-Fade. The first cut, the poker parable “Put The Money” snaps and squirms with the vigor of their countrymen in Eddy Current Suppression Ring. The cut is bone-dry and brittle, rolling barbed taunts over a bedrock of rubble riffs that round up the post-punk verve of the best ’70s scene-stealers. This one’s not long on lyrics, but what the band lacks in linquistics they more than make up for in jerk-jilted rhythms and biting guitar tone. The new LP is out on March 29th.



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Hoover III – “Fathom”

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Following up their excellent album of space-sliced psych from last year, L.A.’s Hoover III return with a new single on French enclave Six Tonnes De Chair. Starting with a riff that scratches the ol’ runes of Sabbath in the sand, the band proceeds to drive the track in a lighter direction, welding the heavy guitar chug to echo-dripped harmonies. The track doesn’t just troll for grooves, though. As they arc into the second half the band stompboxes the warp drive and takes “Fathom” through a few layers of cosmos. Hoover III have been working a particularly potent strain of Space Rock in their first couple of releases, and if this new single is an indicator of where they’re headed, then the next LP threatens to be one to watch out for. In the meantime, this is a good reminder to shake the earthly tether once in a while.



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Red Mass – “Saturn”

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Montreal’s Red Mass, the loose collective centered around Roy Vucino and Hannah Lewis, are preparing their new album for No Coast/Label Étiquette in March and have sent over a new peek under the hood. “Saturn” tumbles a driving post-punk pace into grizzled garage territory. The song is dingy and driven- streaked by night and looking for lust. The drums pound high, loud, and lethal, but like New Order or The Church before them, they don’t succumb to the tropes of paint-by-post-punk, giving the song a twist with an acoustic overlay and a weave of synths. The record picked up production credits from Mingo L’indien of Les Georges Leningrad and producer/engineer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop) and they’re definitely pushing the band into crisper territory than Red Mass has explored before. Check the new cut below and keep an eye out for the LP on March 22nd.



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Vital Idles – “Break A”

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Last year Upset The Rhythm had a banner run, issuing great LPs from Terry, Primo!, Sauna Youth, and the affecting debut from Vital Idles. The latter was steeped in the best hallmarks of post-punk, churning slow-burn tension into the kind of album that winds up collector fodder for those with the right kind of ears. The band now doubles down on their sterling n’ sparse debut with a follow-up EP that’s got more of the rubber band snap of bass and bent metal beam guitars that make the best post-punk. Doing one better, though, the vocals of Jessica Higgens are tinged with just the right mix of aloof, angst, and accusations. Lead-off track “Break A” slithers through the speakers with a nighttime slink – icy, reserved, and brittle as crushed glass. The track proves that their debut was no fluke – its as good as anything that appeared there – and maybe even a head above. If this is only sharpened point of the EP, I can’t wait until the rest cuts deep and draws blood.



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