I’ve been out of the game a bit this year and the releases have piled up, so here are a handful of tunes that have shown up on the radar.
MONONEGATIVES/MYSTERY GIRL (Split)
This is kind of an odd split but who says both bands have to sound the same? London, Ontario’s Mononegatives drop three tracks of frenetic garage synth punk. ‘Kayfabe‘ (the WWE practice of pretending everything is real – you can learn something new every day) is a quick flash of anxiety. ‘Time Warp‘ is a brooding post-punk gem that floats in the Total Control sphere while ‘Vision to a Screen‘ is buzzing and jagged. I love the evolution and am looking forward to the next full-length.
Albany, NY’s Mystery Girl offers up a brand new track, ‘Loveline‘, a loose and ramshackle power-pop rocker along with a cover of the Hollywood Brats / The Boys nugget ‘Tumble With Me‘.
Out on Brain Slash and Feral Kid Records.
ZERO ZEROES
On their 2020 self-titled debut, Germany’s Zero Zeroes laid down some pretty degenerate rock and roll. Their latest single picks up where they left off, with two tracks of scruffy punk rock that will satiate anyone with a hankering for the Dead Boys or New Bomb Turks.
Out on Bachelor Records.
MORON’S MORONS
Moron’s Morons’ 2020 full-length release ‘Looking For Danger’ was an adrenaline overdose and they’ve come out swinging post-pandemic with the latest EP ‘ White Brothel Creepers‘. The Warsaw punks lay down three blistering rockers, full of shit-kicking attitude and energy. It makes you dream about checking them out on a hot sweaty night in a dive bar.
Out now on Wanda Records.
HEDONIST
I am not always into the choked-out death growl vocals in a lot of death metal, but what are you going to do when you love a good riff and pounding rhythm section? Hedonist from Victoria, British Columbia certainly brings the latter and the boiling gurgle has grown on me. Their EP/Demo – ‘Sepulchral Lacerations‘ picked up by Neon Taste Records is a powerful study in all things metal. Slayer-fueled riffs and 90s death metal (Entombed/Dismember) energy.
FUTURE GIRLS
I must admit somehow Halifax’s Future Girls is new to me. I feel a sense of shame as a Canadian trying to stay up on things, I missed their amazing debut ‘Motivational Problems‘ in 2016. Well, I’ve corrected that, and they have a new outstanding 5-track EP called ‘Year Long Winter‘. I love the sound this band delivers. It’s pop-punk for sure, full of catchy hooks and emotion, but with deliciously crunchy guitars and bass. It takes me back to making mixtapes with Jawbreaker taking up every third song.
Out on Dirt Cult Records.
TELEPORTERS
On their three-track demo ‘A Demonstration of Neighboring Realities‘ Teleporters, well teleport, between meaty surf rock and a sort of sci-fi version of the Dead Kennedys. In an X-Files twist, the three tracks purportedly contain the audio recording recovered from something called the Chronological Anomaly Detection Agency, of government agents interrogating an unnamed individual. Other than the fact that they are from Ontario, I don’t know much else. This rocks though.
208
The strangely named 208 is an absolutely filthy garage duo from Detroit. On ‘Nearby‘, which I believe is their debut full-length, they lay down some abrasive and primitive weirdo punk a la Black Time, with a few short detours into experimental noodling. I love the DIY aspect of it, only wishing the vocals were a little higher in the mix. But this is a band definitely worth keeping an eye on.
