RELEASE: THE LOWEST - Cult
RECORD LABEL: Hasiok Records RELEASE DATE: 5 May 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Warsaw, Poland STYLE: Hardcore Punk / Metal REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
Truly dark hardcore record by The Lowest from Warsaw, members of such bands as Nothing Between Us and Reality Check. This is their 4th release according to bandcamp. OK, they also had a compilation in 2013 which also came out on Hasiok Records in 2018. So, yeah, I decided to listen to it one more time after some months and heard it from the other side. I don't mean I found it less cool before, it appeared on my radio show by the way:)
The first song Alpha is kind of intro to the record, which is perfectly preparing you to the other songs, but still gives you an option for fantasy, how it's gonna sound like. Band is combining the dark metal riffs with hardcore parts and singalongs, which, I think, makes it sound individual. I really enjoyed reading the lyrics while listening, especially in "144 000", anyway they make the record sound kinda mysterious. I must say, I was always thinking of Fall Of Efrafa while listening, not much, but still, it's interesting if they were influenced by the band somehow. It's not new, many bands use this sound or try to, don't know if they make it on purpose. In the case of The Lowest, they don't use it everywhere, only partly, which is good. Even though I'm listening to this release for the second time right now, on a sunny day, outside, it gives you many space to think about things a lot. I enjoyed it. I'm always wondering how the bands are putting the tracks order, because, when I did it with my band, it was a lot of discussion, but The Lowest did it perfect, I assume the thought about this a lot. And, yeah, Omega is the best as the last song of this record. Cover is well done and perfect for this music. My personal tops are: Ceremony, Follower, 144 000, Omega. IT'S 8/10
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RELEASE: COLD BRATS - S/T EP
RECORD LABEL: Nothing To Harvest Records / Summercide Records RELEASE DATE: 31 Oct 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Bucharest, Romania STYLE: Hardcore Punk / Post-Punk / Noise REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
May be one of my most awaiting cancelled shows in this spring in Hamburg. Cold Brats should have been touring over Europe together with Pakt, but they did a small tour with Education from Rome in January, which is really cool. The band has members of such projects as Void Forger, Rotheads, Cardinal and Bastos, to be honest, I knew only last one, the rest is... thanks discogs:)
Luckily, I've got this 7'' few day ago, finally I could dig a little bit in the shops in Hamburg again. This record is the 2nd one of 3 records by punks from Bucharest. 3rd one has all songs from the previous ones + 1 new. I really love electronic parts and noisy guitar on this record, it's a new cool thing in the bands sound nowadays, and yeah, I guess it was saxophone in the last song, "Life, And Nothing More", fucking great, this all makes them sound really unique. The art is really cool, I also found a poster with lyrics inside the record and it's crazy, looks like a very well made poster. The band mixing english and romanian in their lyrics, at least in first song, Split Sabers. I really can't make many references to other bands, but there probably are many, may be using saxophone also took place in last Halshug record, but anyway it's really great. My personal tops are: Split Sabers, Republic Of Dust (I assume the text is about Romania, really cool one), Life, And Nothing More (love acab songs haha). It's perfectly sounding hardcore punk record with some cool experiments with a sound, and yeah, noisy enough. Cold Brats has their own recognizable sound as I've mentioned before. As I don't know much about punk scene in Bucharest and Romania itself, it makes it more fascinating. I've just heard this record 5 times in a row and many more in the recent months, it's more than worth it! Hope to see them live one day. IT'S 9/10
RELEASE: DISCOVERY - Earth To Fucker EP
RECORD LABEL: Erste Theke Tonträger RELEASE DATE: 21 Mar 2020 BAND ORIGIN: Bay Area, CA, USA FORMED: ? STYLE: Hardcore Punk REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
Second release by Discovery from Bay Area, CA. I just found out it was a second one, first one sounds like rehearsal room recording, which is probably was. So, Earth to Fucker is a debut EP then. It came out on one of one my personal favorites, Erste Theke Tonträger from Mannheim, just in the beginning of this strange year, 2020. It sounds like many hardcore punk records nowadays, but when I listened to it to the end for the first time, I wanted more, another time, and i bought a record at a friend's record label and mail order in Hamburg. I think it worth to do a small review, despite the fact I still don't really know how to do this properly.
To be honest, the first impression is the cover, it's really cool, I suppose it has a reference to a second song, "Bore Hole". First song make you feel the record from the start, I love this drums part in the beginning and yeah, "fuck you pig, i'll bury you in your shit". Luckily, I have lyrics and they're just great, "bore hole bore hole make me sick to make me well", I love it. Earth to fucker remembering me some of the old Warhog songs, but it's only the advantage. It's the well done record, it has everything I love in hardcore punk music, cool musical part, great catchy lyrics. Despite the fact that I can say that each single song on this record is a hit, my personal tops are: "Bore Hole", "Machine", "Nothing", "Earth To Fucker". The band luckily made a small tour on the west coast in January, just before pandemic. I wish I can catch them somewhere on tour and hopefully soon. IT'S 9/10
RELEASE: DARK THOUGHTS - MUST BE NICE
RECORD LABEL: Drunk Sailor Records (UK) / Stupid Bag Records (US) RELEASE DATE: 12 Dec 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Philadelphia, PA, USA FORMED: ? STYLE: Punk REVIEWER: Coffee Punx CONDITION: Coffee is cool
This will be not an impersonal review, because i really love this band, i know the members of the Dark Thoughts a little bit and it had already appeared on may top 10 of 2019. Still think all 3 LPs and 7" are just great from start to the beginning. I still love watching their live videos, they're full of energy as well as their live shows as well, check out this one: LIVE AT LOVEJAIL (FULL SET), December 1st, 2017.
I know everybody are comparing Dark Thoughts with Ramones, and Jim (guitar/vocals) said in one of the interviews to CLRVYNT: "The Ramones are the only band that we’re all interested in and that we think about.". I love this statement actually. Anyway it's not the same, or, if Ramones were active right now i wish they were at least the same as Philly's three-piece. Anyway, they have their own sound, which i will recognize in any situation. Let's go to the release, i decided to rate releases with different categories, which are stupid, so i won't name them, this is how the rating is made in the end. Let's start with cover, it's simple as well as on first release, but it still attracts your attention from the first moment. For me, personally, the first song is almost always really important and it's just great choice to put "Hesitate" there. It's really fast almost as all releases by the band, but not as fast the first one, which is cool, they're mixing fast and slow songs, i mean there's nothing new, but still cool. I assume all the lyrics are about love, and reflecting about what's happening with a person who feel it. It's quite cool, it's still nothing new but i love those songs, they're matching with me in different periods of my life, but i guess many people would say it, people need those songs all the time. The songs order is awesome, i didn't feel that there can be anything on the different place, but i still don't know if i can say something rational about this, it sounded round and complete, that's all. And yeah, every song is a hit, at least for me, but i would highlight "Imaginary Lines" for the part "driving in the north at night", it's so fucking cool, "Do Yo Dream", "Scan The Radio", "I Can't Remember" and the last one, "Must Be Nice" is just top, i could listen to it on repeat and did it few times already. I personally love all songs on this record and i'm already listening to it at least once a week since it came out, so, it's really top record for me. Best thing to hear in the morning with coffee to get your mood up and reflect on your life a little bit. IT'S 10/10 CUPS. P.S. Oh, yeah, i forgot to say, i made a podcast with Amy and Jim last summer, check it out:
RELEASE: CHUBBY AND THE GANG - Speed Kills
RECORD LABEL: Static Shock Records (UK) RELEASE DATE: 17 Jan 2020 BAND ORIGIN: London, UK FORMED: ? STYLE: Punk, Garage REVIEWER: Weedy Punx CONDITION: High
First sounds are punching right in ya face. It's already a really great record, i've heard it few times before, but it wasn't so comprehended. First song, wow, with some "oi" elements, like Sham69 or so, or i'm just too high. Fast, like Ramones on maximum, with lot's of classic punk sounds i really love. I've heard some Clash or Joe Strummer in the slow songs, it's cool, it's a new way to deal with classics, you can't be wrong, pub rock. Oh, i guess i need a beer. Guitar solos in between are fucking amazing. 3rd song is just great! oh, wow, there were some harmonica sounds. Texts are cool as well, sometimes funny, sometimes hard, sometimes they're really matching with me, they're great for what they play, speed kills haha. OK, i see where it's all coming from, they're from London. It explains many things right now. And yeah, come to Moscow, this is cool song.
The release is really catchy, i had a moment i was a little bit bored, but it was may be only half a song or so and then back with the attitude you just wanna dance with till the end of the record, so called pub rock. At least more than half of the songs are just fucking great with a really great ending. It's probably worth it and i'll take it to the list when i will think about tops of this year. I haven't heard their previous releases if they were some, i really should... ok it was their debut, thanks pitchfork... I still don't know how to rate right, i've just made a stupid scale with categories and i'll try to do it with it. It's a secret scale no one will ever see, weedview, buuuh. IT'S 9/10 WEEDS
RELEASE: SHANTIH SHANTIH - Someone, Anyone?
RECORD LABEL: Wild Honey Records (IT) RELEASE DATE: 8 Nov 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Atlanta, Georgia, USA FORMED: 2013 STYLE: Indie Rock, Garage Rock REVIEWER: Weedy Punx CONDITION: High
This is my first review and i hope it will be not the last one. Don't know where to start, i'm writing this in a strange time, corona virus is spreading out all over the world and it looks really bad, even though i couldn't think about this like that about a week ago, but it is as it is. Anyway it's cool time just to relax and enjoy things like listening to music and reading something cool. But supporting people is cool too, don't forget it, in these times it's really important.
Let's start, the record is already rolling. It's remembering me many bands right now, who are using surf rock elements in their sound, but it doesn't sound exactly like any of them, at least not all songs. It's a little bit "surfy", but just in some places and not in all songs and it makes it good. I like surf rock, especially, if it's mixed in the other style, even though, indie rock, as it is written at discogs, is not far away from that. Can you imagine crust-surf for example? I don't really, but somehow it sounds right now really cool, oh, this will probably be a thing soon, try it, it's free:). OK, back to the record, I even fell some motives of The Beatles in one song, it was strange. What is really cool, there're some hits on this release, at least 2, i won't name them, haha, try to find your own. This really is quite a good record, the songs are on the place where they should be, i think, but may be i'm just writing this to fill the place, no, i'm not, but it looks like i already wrote some more words, yay. I'll probably listen this one some times more. I'm really trying to deal with rating, don't like to rate such things, but why not to make it in this way. IT'S 7/10 WEEDS |
AuthorPunk collective based in Hamburg and Berlin. Archives
January 2021
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