R.I.P.
Portland’s R.I.P. has carved out (with a scythe of course) a niche of their own with their gutter doom metal sound. Like a cross between Saint Vitus and Witchfinder General with a visual flash, their new album, ‘Dead End‘ is out October 9 on Riding Easy Records and is produced by Billy Anderson (Melvins, Sleep, Swans).
SCIENCE MAN
I get the feeling the pandemic lockdown has been extra tough on John Toohill. We featured the manic noise of his Science Man project back in March 2019 and I doubt he has slept since with various other projects. There is a second Science Man LP on the way, but in the meantime, he has dropped a 9-track EP titled ‘Match Game‘. You get the expected industrial piranha frenzy here, but this time there’s also a nod to the frantic catchy garage punk of Jay Reatard.
Available on Swimming Faith Records.
YARD ACT
I just can’t get enough of the off-kilter brilliance of ‘Fixer Upper‘ from Leeds lads Yard Act. Maybe it’s because I can actually relate to the lyrics and have probably had this kind of small talk conversation. Anyway, this two-track single is solid gold and plays in the same post-punk sandbox as Leeds legends Delta 5 with the piss-taking snide of Sultans of Ping FC.
GTRRC II
Cover tunes for me are hit and miss, especially when you’re messing with Thin Lizzy, The Saints, and Slayer. Add in a little ELO, and some Village People and you have quite a dog’s breakfast. But this second volume of covers (the first featured a band comprised of Research Reactor Corp and Gee Tee, but here they’ve enlisted some friends) is a fun collection. Sick Thoughts doing Lizzy’s ‘Killer on the Loose‘, Adoom Pissfart with ‘Sick On You‘ by The Boys, and Erik Nervous with a surprisingly killer version of Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood‘.
YOUNG FRANCIS HI FI
Super catchy bubblegum punk from Brighton, England featuring Young Francis who usually plays as a one-man-band on guitar and vocals. There’s only one song so far but it’s a speedy, brief little three-chord punk-pop happy pill along the lines of Mean jeans. This is definitely on the radar.