WEBSTORE UPDATE: New Releases from BLOOD PRESSURE, S.H.I.T., BIG EYES, SIAMESE TWINS, and MORE!

 

GRAVE MISTAKE WEBSTORE:
http://store.gravemistakerecords.com

WHAT'S NEW FOR JULY 25, 2014:
http://store.gravemistakerecords.com/collections/all

A nice mid-summer update here so let's get to it - the BLOOD PRESSURE 7" is killer!  You might have heard some of these tracks on their demo from earlier this year and this is the full session, which I imagine sounds a bit nicer than the tape version. Picked up some new releases from the wonderful Lengua Armada including the KONTAMINAT 7", ALERTA ROJA LP reissue, and 2nd 7" from Toronto's one and only S.H.I.T.; finally grabbed a few copies of the latest release from BIG EYES - they offer two brand new tracks on their split with Florida's POST TEENS and hopefully this will tide us over as we all patiently await a new proper BIG EYES release. Grabbed some copies of the SYNDROME 81 Demo 7" - a pretty rad demo that came out last year gets the vinyl treatment, definitely worth checking out! Picked up a handful of other cool 7"s too like the latest from the Bay Area's REPLICA (also restocked their first 7"), and singles/eps from ZEX, LIFE CHAIN, PORKERIA, FORSEEN, and some copies of THE NEXT reissue

Some awesome LPs in this week like the US pressing of the RAKTA LP, the new LP from SIAMESE TWINS (a long overdue follow up to their single that came out a few years back), a highly recommended 12" version of the demo from Australia's NERVOUS TREND; the debut LP from THE ACHTUNGS (also restocked their single on Going Underground); picked up some newer releases from Six Weeks Records like the latest LP from Italy's ANTI-YOU abd a reissue from Florida's NO FRAUD; plus managed to restock a long overdue repress of the debut COKE BUST "Lines in the Sand" LP.  Got around to picking up a few copies of the MERCHANDISE / DESTRUCTION UNIT / MILK MUSIC split LP for my fellow record buying slackers, and if you are in need of a power / pop-punk fix, we've got the latest from SUGAR STEMS and STEVE ADAMYK BAND on Dirtnap, the latest LP from one of my personal favorites, BANNER PILOT, plus some newer releases on Salinas like the RADIATOR HOSPITAL LP, MARTHA LP, and SWEARIN Demo 12".

A TON of tapes in this update too, mostly from the prolific Flophouse Records out of DC. In addition to restocks on the highly recommended RED DEATH and ARMS RACE demos, we've got some new tapes like the "Across the Pond" UKHC comp tape, latest CORRECTION tape, COLLUSION demo, DISXEASE demo, JAVLA demo, and MODERN PROBLEMS demo. Also grabbed some demos from BIG TAKEOVER, REGULATOR, and FOREIGN LAWNS. Finally, for you "readers" out there, picked up the latest issue of EXCITEMENT LEVEL ZERO, a rad hc zine from here in Richmond well worth your $2.

Full list is below, check it out and thanks for reading.

 

Alex / Grave Mistake Records

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New in the Webstore for 7/25/14:

BLOOD PRESSURE "S/T" 7" (Beach Impediment Records)
Here's the first EP from Pittsburgh's BLOOD PRESSURE, yet another great band that the Iron City has yielded as of late. A few of these songs were available on a limited tape made by the band earlier in 2014, but this EP features the entire 6 song session in all of its glory. Consisting of members that have served time in the likes of DIRECT CONTROL, BRAIN HANDLE, EEL, and NO TIME, expect ripping hardcore with a certain demented vibe that an area like Pittsburgh tends to bring out in folks. Each record comes in a felt based pocket sleeve.

S.H.I.T. "Generation Shit" 7" (Lengua Armada Records)
Toronto’s S.H.I.T. delivers its sophomoric 7" of amazing punk insanity. This four-track stomper will drive you absolutely nuts with infectious luring riffs and pounding drums, topped with Ryan’s insane vocal berating.  Generation Shit is the soundtrack of right now! Get on it or get the fuck out!

KONTAMINAT "S/T" 7" (Lengua Armada Records)
Featuring members of Los Crudos, Sin Orden, Rat Bastards and Chronic Seizure, Chicago’s KONTAMINAT is the latest addition to the Midwest’s amazing history of abrasive, no-bullshit hardcore. Five well-crafted hardcore songs that pack power and rapid-fire energy with a catchy edge. Great shit!

BIG EYES / POST TEENS Split 7" (No Idea Records)
Post Teens are a Gainsville, Fla based band featuring members of Asshole Parade, Torche, Averkiou, and Dead Friends. Post Teens play a great style of music that's aggressive, blown out, fuzzed out, and catchy as hell.  Big Eyes is a three piece band from Seattle, Washington who formed in 2010. Big Eyes play a great style of melodic pop punk and garage rock with killer female vocals. Musically, Big Eyes influences are diverse and include bands such as Cheap Trick, Ramones, The Muffs, and The Descendents. Musically, the band features big riffs and a great garage flavor.  This split 7" features two new songs a piece from each band.

SYNDROME 81 "Demo" 7" (Offsides Records)
Vinyl pressing of the demo from France's SYNDROME 81.  Syndrome 81 delivers 6 songs full of disappointments, nihilism, anger.  6 tracks oscillating between Oi and Hardcore between Blitz and Negative Approach, between 82 and early uk Hardcore, between rage and melody, between Manchester and Detroit.  that came out not too long ago.  "The demo features five of the catchiest oi jams this side of Blitz. Their sound is influenced more by UK oi – and UK82 – than French oi, although some of the riffs sound like a more melodic take on No Class. What comes through most, though, is Blitz’s new wave singles, especially New Age. The guitar line from Une Vie Pour Rien sounds like it could’ve come right off that 7”. Overall the band has a more hardcore punk sound than most oi coming out, but keeps a great balance between melody and aggression."

REPLICA "Beast" 7" (Prank Records)
Blasting urgency with the song-driven edge of early 80's so-cal hardcore mixed at top speed with the brash edges of 90's East Bay punk, this second EP on Prank by Oakland's REPLICA features six tracks of powerful hardcore underlined with undeniable catchiness.  Fueled by lighting-quick drumming, pummeling bass lines, ripping riffs, and snarling vocals,  "BEAST EP"  was recorded at the end of the tour they did last year with Japan's COMPLETED EXPOSITION and it features songs that have long been staples of the band's live set. The EP was recorded at Earhammer by Greg Wilkinson and features a deluxe cover with multiple illustrations by local artist Jon Carling.

ZEX "Wanderlust" 7" (Wired For Sound Records)
Out of a dingy garage in Ottawa, Canada comes ZEX, a brand-new Rock 'n' Roll band fueled by '77-'79 Punk Rock and New Wave of British Heavy Metal singles. It's pointless to name-drop the group's influences—just listen to the lead track, "Savage City," and the B-side, "Buy or Die," which perfectly shows where they're coming from. Though the band features Jo Capitalicide (Iron Dogs, ex-Germ Attak), ZEX isn't a side project or a weekend band; this is a band on a mission.

LIFE CHAIN "Uniformed Cowards" 7" (Adelante Discos)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada's best kept secret is far from being kept hidden any longer. Hell, even Halifax itself is crawling out of the shadows of obscurity in regards to their hardcore punk scene. With members of CONCRETE ASYLUM, ABJECT PAX, and CONTAGIUM, just to name a few, this unique scene has spawned LIFE CHAIN, who presents their debut EP in top-notch DIY fashion. "Uniformed Cowards" brings the kind of isolated sounds you can only achieve from being somewhere almost as remote as Halifax on the edge of the eastern coast of Canada. It would be too easy to simply pin this record as five tracks of raw d-beat "noise not music" because there is much more happening than what you may hear on the surface. The whole of sides A and B are one continuous journey of manic musical destruction that are relentless in their delivery with each track segueing with the uneasiness and urgency of the track before it. The vocals are haunting and desperate and reach out and pull you into the buzz saw wall of sound which keep you trapped in the entirety of the EP. The record is drenched with reverb, delay, and powerful dbeat which is obvious from the get-go but there is a constant seemingly eerie and unnerving overall feel which leave the listener in an anxious state of despair as if being kept in a locked padded cell, arms bound by delirium. Hand screen-printed 3/4 fold-over covers with a fold-out silk-screened poster included. Limited coke bottle-clear vinyl still available!

PORKERIA "Miserable y Cruda" 7" (Adelante Discos)
After a full U.S. tour and just in time for their two month-long European tour, PORKERIA drops their debut EP. Here you have three new songs taken from the same recording session as their debut LP but these new tunes seem almost like a bit of a deviation from their previous release, yet without losing the same raw and crudeness. This new release presents a little more of an 80's Scandinavian influence but with the same classic Spanish sounds as the LP and the hints of melody do not let up. Side A takes up two tracks "Bastardo Falso" and "Perdidos," and saving the best for last, the whole of the flip side is reserved for the three and a half minute standard mid-tempo punk favorite "No Volvera." As always, English translations included.

PERMANENT RUIN "Hell is Real" 7" (Adelante Discos)
"HOLY FUCKING SHIT. That’s out of the way, so let’s talk about the debut Permanent Ruin EP. This is INSANE – breakneck thrash with huge divebombs and red-eyed intensity. The first scream singer Mariam lets off on opener “Legacy” sounds like it’s going to jump off of the record and wrap itself around your throat. Six tracks and it never lets up for a moment, Perm Cru ratcheting up the tension significantly from their demo/flexi covered here a few months ago, with each track running so fast it sounds like they’re trying to get away from themselves, lest their own asses be kicked. That’ll never go down, though. Maybe it didn’t take eight years of Republican bullshit to really get political punk kicked back into gear, but rather the five years and counting of misery that followed. Boot’s still down on your throat. The breakdown at the end of “Unwasted” is the perfect capper to such a vicious and relentless record. Can’t wait for their next one." - Still Single

NEXT, THE "Make it Quick" 7" (Cheap Rewards Records)
The Next formed in early 1978 after seeing the Sex Pistols play their home town of San Antonio. They soon moved to Austin and became one of only a handful of punk groups in the area, helping to jump start a scene that would later be one of the most recognized in the country.  The Make It Quick EP was released in short supply in 1979 and touted some of the fiercest tunes of the era including the classic "Cheap Rewards." Few realize the song wasn't originally intended for the EP. After dusting off some old 1/4" reel tapes we discovered not only an unreleased and forgotten song titled "Stupid Girls," but also a live radio appearance where the band discusses their upcoming EP with "Mr. Wonderful," "Monotony" and "Stupid Girls." Cheap Rewards is not mentioned.

ROCKERS, THE "S/T" 7" (Cheap Rewards Records)
THE ROCKERS formed in 1977 by longtime songwriting team John “Rock” Perga and Phil Schraub. They wanted to put a live act together to showcase their pop sensibilities, so they added Bryan Allinsmith and Carl Jeppesen to the line-up and began perfecting melodies that incorporated two and three-part harmonies. The Rockers primarily played shows in the bay area and built a significant local following. At the end of 1979, they went in the studio and recorded four of their original songs. Trying to emulate the sound of their favorite British Invasion recordings, they succeeded in producing a highly polished and remarkable sounding 7" EP that was released on their own Alcatraz Records in 1980.  Regarded by many power pop enthusiasts as one of the top records of the genre, Cheap Rewards Records is proud to offer this fully authorized reproduction for a budget price so that fans new and old can enjoy this timeless masterpiece.

FORSEEN "Structural Oppression" 7" (Mind Rot Records)
U.S. Pressing of this crushing 7" by one of Finland's best, Foreseen. For those of you unfamiliar with Foreseen they are a band from Helsinki, Finland playing crossover style hardcore in the vein of Nuclear Assault, S.O.D. and Carnivore. This 7" is a bit of a teaser for their upcoming LP which should be out later this year on 20 Buck Spin. You will probably be hearing more and more about Foreseen in the future and they do have plans to come to the U.S. in 2015 so keep an eye out.

ACHTUNGS, THE "Full of Hate" LP (Going Underground Records)
Debut long player from Finland's The Achtungs , brilliantly deranged maniac music. These guys remind me a lot of the really good Big Balls and the Great White Idiot tracks, you know when they nail it they fucking nail it. Both catchy and dangerous a mix of Stab your back and I have a date. Punk Lives 2014, courtesy of some creeps from Finland and a record store in Bakersfield. You are welcome.

SIAMESE TWINS "Still Corner" LP (Eunuch Records)
Brand new LP from Massachusetts/Illinois dark dream pop trio Siamese Twins.  "Siamese Twins is one-part twee and two-parts goth—the former by way of singer/guitarist Liz Panella, the latter from singer/keyboardist Meghan Minior and bassist/visual artist Jamie Jones. The darkly-shaded dream pop trio came on my radar around the release of their 2011 demo tape. It was a familiar sound—the dim guitar-crunch of Black Tambourine, Elizabeth Fraser's cool, textured vocals—but I couldn't stop playing it. Especially on "Don't Forgive Lightly" and "We Fall Apart", Siamese Twins had an immediacy that seemed to cater straight to my interests. (And perhaps that directness comes from recent backgrounds in punk/hardcore bands like Ampere, Libyans, and Confines, among others.)" - pitchfork.com

RAKTA "S/T" LP (540 Records)
This is what a perfect record sounds like. Every time I talk about it I end up sounding like some blubbering idiot. This music is equal parts post-punk, incantation and psych—hook laden as fuck. RATKA is an all-female band from São Paulo, Brazil, that seem to have come from out of nowhere to make most of the current post-punk/anarcho wave completely irrelevant. This is the next level in this style, borrowing elements from all the spooky classics, but adding something so undeniably new and unique that the game is permanently changed. RAKTA eliminates all sense of retro-ness to the style and come off like they just now invented the damn thing. The songs create an otherworldly atmosphere while still keeping your feet tapping. It transports you to this weird dimension that feels like it’s trying to keep you inside of it forever. It would have been the perfect soundtrack for a Maya Deren film. The record comes with a red-and-black on white poster that only adds to the mysterious bruxa vibes that the music gives. Check out my year-end top ten list in MRR #370 for even more gushing about this record. Highest recommendation! - Maximum Rock N Roll  Each copy comes with 1 of 4 different 24"x36" silk screened poster.

NERVOUS TREND "Demo" 12" (1859 Records)
Nervous Trend's 2013 Demo now on vinyl! Dark Post Punk from Perth, Australia. “Perth/Melbourne band Nervous Trend, featuring Chicago expat Jen Mace on vocals, released a five-song demo EP last October. Sonically, the band do melodic, propulsive post-punk with a real urgency to Mace’s vocals that slots them in nicely alongside Deep Heat and Infinite Void.” - http://www.messandnoise.com

ALERTA ROJA "Algo Esta Cambiando … Y Muy Violentamente" LP (Lengua Armada Records)
Argentinean punk recordings from the years 1982-1986. ALERTA ROJA existed and survived under the nose of a violent and oppressive military dictatorship. The band played gigs in Buenos Aires in the early ’80s, giving a voice to a generation of angry Latin American youth. After so many years, these seventeen tracks are finally getting a proper vinyl release under the name “Something Is Changing…And Very Violently.” Alerta Roja’s influences pulled from music that managed to cross the ocean and fall into the hands of its members—one might hear The Clash, Pistols, or Wire seeping from the groves, but don’t be surprised if you get a small dose of The Cure or Joy Division as you listen to this gem. Alongside as other amazing bands from South America (Peru’s Leuzemia, Zcuela Cerrada, G3, or Uruguay’s Los Invasores), Alerta Roja reaffirms that despite the conditions and lack of resources, these nations produced some amazing punk music/attitude.  QUE VIVA EL PUNK LATINO AMERICANO!!!!!!  QUE VIVA ALERTA ROJA!!!!

ANTI-YOU "Blank Stares" LP (Six Weeks Records)
No band has defined the old school mentality and sound of the early US hardcore bands more than Rome, Italy punks ANTI YOU. Many bands try futilely to capture the spirit and sound of those great days, but only a band of veteran punks, well studied and with unequaled talent, like A.Y really get the job done right.. They can bring the whole era together seamlessly, taking razor sharp, fast European hardcore influence from bands like MOB 47 and RAW POWER and colliding it with the intensely catchy sounds of the early US 1982-84 scenes, channeling MINOR THREAT, ARTICLES OF FAITH and NEGATIVE FX while retaining solid originality, giving the punk world a new set of classic punk songs for this current millennium. This new, limited 12" really just pushes the whole circle-pitting mess over the top!! 500 made.

NO FRAUD "Revolt! 1984 Demos" LP (Six Weeks Records)
Six Weeks Records has unearthed the earliest material from Florida's No Fraud dating back to before their first legitimate demo and subsequent 7" and LP. These tracks, mostly recorded in a garage in 1984, represent this classic band at their most ferocious, 18 songs of pure, undiluted hardcore punk played at insanely high speeds (think D.R.I.) and with an intense, youthful energy. The package is complete with lengthy and thorough liner notes by founding member Dan Destructo and jam-packed with classic photos, flyers and news clippings documenting the intense and dangerous lifestyle of 1980s punks living and playing in Florida. Limited edition of 500 copies.

FRANTIX "My Dad's a Fuckin' Alchoholic" LP (Alternative Tentacles Records)
Aurora’s Frantix transfixed the early 1980s Colorado punk scene with their unique sound and chaotic live show, releasing just two 7-inch EPs before evolving into the equally renowned grunge band The Fluid, Sub Pop’s first non-Seattle signing who helped lead the label’s grunge invasion of the mainstream. The group’s complete recorded works—both EPs plus rare, unreleased and great-sounding demo and live material—are collected here, most tracks appearing on vinyl for the first time ever. Though many people mistakenly believe that Mudhoney’s well-known version of “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic” is an original, this is the true KBD classic! The mix of Ricky Kulwicki’s unstoppable, lava-flow guitar, Matt Bischoff’s droning, carpet-bombing bass, Davey Stewart’s train-wreck drums, and Marc Deaton’s teenage-zombie vocals is downright legendary. Frantix were never just hardcore, and one can hear it on their very first recordings from 1980: beneath the songs’ amphetamine stutter and sonic tachycardia are strands of rock ’n’ roll DNA belonging to Johnny Thunders and Keith Richards. “Dancin’ to Punk” and “FM Ear” are smeared with lipstick traces of the Modern Lovers. The classic “My Dad’s a Fuckin’ Alcoholic,” equal parts Black Flag and Flipper with a touch of the New York Dolls, sports a simple but unforgettable bass riff and sing-along chorus and was a local favorite that grew to national underground prominence after its original release. Frantix shared the stage with national acts and punk legends like Black Flag, TSOL, Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys.

URINALS, THE "Negative Compatability" 2LP (In The Red Records)
In The Red is proud to announce this double-vinyl release of The Urinals’ Negative Capability, originally released by Amphetamine Reptile on CD in 1996. Before changing their name to the less restricting 100 Flowers and becoming one of the most respected underground post-punk-pop acts in the US, Los Angeles’s seminal trio released eleven songs during their 1977-1980 tenure—ten on their three 7-inch singles and one more on a 7-inch compilation, all on their own Happy Squid label (they were about the only Los Angeles band to do that back then). This retrospective triples their output to 31 songs! Want to hear America’s Wire, only twice as primitive (if that’s possible), with one quarter the sound quality? Even when they are covering the Soft Machine’s “Why Are We Sleeping?” they sound like a three-step primer on minimalism, in scratchy, fast, burping, nutso punk with clipped vocals. You can see why the Minutemen covered “Ack Ack Ack Ack,” but it’s the real solid, melodic stuff—such as the Last-inspired harmonies of the great A-sides “Black Hole” and “Sex,” and “Scholastic Aptitude,” and the instrumental “Surfing With the Shah” (which foreshadows the coming of 100 Flowers and later offshoot Trotsky Icepick)—that makes so many Angelinos remember this goofy but great trio so fondly. Negative Capability has an unrelenting, authoritative intelligence and sense of humor. —Jack Rabid

MERCHANDISE / DESTRUCTION UNIT / MILK MUSIC "USA 2013" Split LP (540 Records)
The Milk Music / Merchandise / Destruction Unit split LP is a document of a 2013 US tour which drew worldwide attention from those interested in the modern US rock underground from a seemingly unlikely combination of bands.  When we say “unlikely” we don’t want to suggest they are ill-fitted. While the songs occasionally scrape against one another in disparate tone and pace, the resulting sparks thrown off do little to affect the overall congruency of these bands, a communal trip and a beautiful come down: we move from the introverted warmth of Merchandise to the sensory overload of Destruction Unit into a blissful, careering drift in the capable arms of Milk Music. The booklet that accompanies the record, designed by Destruction Unit’s J.S. Aurelius, collates some of the fliers and photos from the road, and gives one pause to consider: is this is a document of the best of the American psych underground in 2013/2014?  That’s high talk. But let’s get high: these bands have a relentless work ethic and their members tour continually in these and many other high quality bands, and if they’re not in your city tonight they’ll probably be there tomorrow, so start the party tonight, here, with this record, a perfect place to get acquainted with some of the energy of the heavy current that is flowing through the underground right now.

EX-CULT "Midnight Passenger" LP (Goner Records)
Ex-Cult’s Midnight Passenger is the result of a never-ending obsession with the open road. It’s the sound of five people spending the last year in countless dive bars and disgusting motel rooms, sleeping on dozens of dirty floors. Since recording with Ty Segall in 2012 the band hasn’t come up for air, putting under their belt four US tours and tons of weekend trips with the likes of Segall, OBN III’s and Captive. In these sanme dive bars across the USA Ex-Cult truly found their sound. While some of the songs were played for audiences as early as January 2013, it wasn’t until a West Coast tour in June that the blueprint for Midnight Passenger really started to form. Taking pieces of every tour back home with them, the band honed a sound that captures the desperation of the first record while integrating new techniques of negative noise. Recorded by Doug Easley in January 2014, Midnight Passenger delivers ten songs meant to be heard together, each one following a different, damaged storyline. The buzz-saw guitars, krautrock rhythms and sneering vocals are all still present, but with Midnight Passenger, Ex-Cult adds a few layers of psychedelic slime to their sound.

STEVE ADAMYK BAND "Dial Tone" LP (Dirtnap Records)
Ottawa’s Steve Adamyk Band returns with their 4th LP (released barely a year since the last one), Dial Tone, and it’s their best yet!  For this release, SAB travelled to Oakland, CA to record with Matthew Melton of Warm Soda/Bare Wires fame. Melton grew up in Memphis and that influence definitely shows on Dial Tone.  While still plenty fast and catchy, Dial Tone shows the band dialing (ha!)  back a little on the break-neck punk/pop tempos of previous releases, with increasing nods to classic rock n’ roll form.  If 2011’s Forever Won’t Wait was their “pop” LP, and 2013’s Third was their “punk” album, let’s call this one their “garage” rock masterpiece!  Throughout their history, the sometimes 3, sometimes 4 piece Steve Adamyk Band has always had a fluid lineup. On these recordings (their first LP to have the same lineup as the previous album) SAB is Steve Adamyk (duh), Davey Quenselle, Dave Forcier, and Sebastien Godin (also of Sonic Avenues fame) alongside with guest appearances from Matthew Melton and the Primitive Hearts’ Danielle Agnew.  2014 has already been a busy year for the band, releasing a 7” on La-Ti-Da Records, touring Japan with Needles//Pins (7” on Dirtnap coming soon!) and playing Dirtnap showcases in NYC and Ottawa. Expect lot’s more to come, as prolific as these guys are, there’s no sign of ‘em slowing down anytime soon!

SUGAR STEMS "Only Come Out at Night" LP (Dirtnap Records)
Only Come Out At Night is the second Sugar Stems album to be released on Dirtnap and follows last year's wonderful and warmly received "Can't Wait."  Sugar Stems are still the best power pop band going today, and again the band has delivered a beautifully crafted and immaculately produced collection of songs. Continuing in the direction of Can't Wait, this album finds Betsy's songwriting reaching new levels of sophistication and maturity. And with the added dimension of keyboards, the band's sound is fuller and richer than ever.  Longtime fans hoping for impossibly catchy melodies and big hooks will not be disappointed in Only Come Out At Night.  Betsy has become a veritable powerhouse on vocals, and the band as a whole has never sounded tighter or more assured.  Boasting the band's most beautiful melodies to date along with near flawless production, Only Come Out At Night will delight existing Sugar Stems fans and attract a whole lot of new ones. Whether you're a power pop aficionado or a lover of great music in general, this is one you won't want to miss.

SWEARIN' "What a Dump" 12" (Salinas Records)
The original six-song demo from this Philly/Brooklyn four-piece.  Originally only on cassette, these songs are a bit more straight ahead pop-punk than their later LPs.

MARTHA "Courting Strong" LP (Salinas Records)
The debut LP from this four piece pop-punk from Pity Me, Durham, UK that draws from power-pop and jangly guitar work to create a really energetic catchy record without being saccharine sweet.

RADIATOR HOSPITAL "Something Wild" LP (Salinas Records)
As Radiator Hospital, Sam Cook-Parrott makes imaginative indie pop befitting of his 22 years-- a guy who seems to have all stakes invested outwardly in matters of the heart while stuck too deep in his own head to make it work. His noisy power-pop and home-recorded blues draw from vintage bubblegum and soul as much as twee, injected with the high-pitched anxiety of his own persona, a crushed romantic with a mind always racing to no real finish line. "Everytime he calls you/ I can hear a change in your breath," Cook-Parrott sings on "Our Song", a most resonant highlight from his new Something Wild LP. He spits the words fast as the inner-logic of his brain. "Your voice is hushed and controlled/ Maybe you're just tired of straining your throat/ Or maybe there's something you don't want me to hear." That voice may faintly recall one of the year's best records - WAXAHATCHEE'S Cerulean Salt. Cook-Parrott sang on the LP's "Peace and Quiet" and has recently toured with Waxahatchee on bass. Something Wild on its own should appeal to fans of Waxahatchee's emotional candor and the smart pop-punk abandon of her sister Allison Crutchfield's band SWEARIN'. Fittingly, Allison sang on Wild cut "Are You Feeling Me?", and Swearin's Kyle Gilbride helped record the album at the house they all share in Philadelphia, as he did Cerulean Salt.

BANNER PILOT "Souvenir" LP (Fat Wreck Chords)
By now BANNER PILOT have cemented themselves as a pillar of the ever-swelling Midwest punk scene and continue to reinforce that claim with each subsequent release. 2011’s Heart Beats Pacific elevated Banner Pilot from a band that was notably influenced by the likes of Dillinger Four, Alkaline Trio, and Screeching Weasel, to a band with such a trademark sound and style that they were the ones doing the influencing. Their latest full-length, Souvenir, only serves to strengthen their legend. On every track NICK’s gritty vocals urgently belt out poetically penned lyrics over the top of edgy up-tempo guitars and sprawling bass lines. Pairing instantly catchy melodies with aggressive and smart instrumentation, Souvenir finds a way to be equally comforting and invigorating. To be blunt, these guys literally keep getting better with every album. How is that possible, you ask? Performance enhancing drugs? Deal with the devil? Secret mentoring sessions by Phil Spector? It’s hard to say, really, but sometimes it’s best not to ask questions and just enjoy the results.

SPITS, THE "Kill the Kool" 2LP (In The Red Records)
The space-age mutant punk rockers known as The Spits have been at it for more than a decade now and are showing no signs of slowing down. Their demented, out-of-control stage act (which often includes blood and fire) has inspired many a mosh pit and near-riot. The band’s five albums (all self-titled) and countless singles are brief blasts of hyperactive aggression with a weirdo, mongoloid electro twist that makes them completely unique. Imagine if some of the creatures from film Mars Attacks got a hold of the first Ramones album, Black Flag’s Damaged, skateboards and some musical instruments and decided to start a band, and one would begin to get an idea of where The Spits are coming from. The Spits and In The Red are happy to announce the proper release of Kill the Kool. Previously pressed in an edition of 500 and sold on tour only, this collection has been re-mastered, expanded to a double LP (which spins at 45 RPM) with extra material, and housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve featuring artwork by comic book artist Keenan Keller. The 22 tracks are pulled from singles sides, outtakes and demos, yet Kill the Kool plays like one of the most cohesive Spits releases rather than an odds ’n’ sods patchwork. To anyone who has yet to investigate The Spits, Kill the Kool is a perfect introduction. It encapsulates everything the band does best—from creepy, weirdo synth tracks to full-on Killed By Death punk rockers. To anyone already familiar with the band, you know you need this!

MEN, THE "Tomorrow's Hits" LP (Sacred Bones Records)
The Men's new LP for Sacred Bones is the tongue-in-cheek-but-still-auspiciously-titled Tomorrow's Hits. This is their first album recorded in a high-end studio and, appropriately, the result is their most high fidelity album to date. That being said, it is still an incredibly straightforward record. Tomorrow's Hits is a concise collection of songs that nonetheless expands the band's ever-evolving musical palette. It's an album full of genre-bending risks, but it reinforces the overarching theme that has come to define its makers: The Men are a great rock band.

V/A "Across the Pond" UKHC Compilation Tape (Flophouse Records)
(Current UK HC comp assembled by Liam from The Flex) w/ Die, Violent Reaction, Flex, Arms Race, Obstruct, etc ++. Released by Milk Run and distributed in the USA by Flophouse.

COLLUSION Demo Tape (Flophouse Records)
Collusion are sick new DCHC band that, while being part of a specific scene, maintain their own grounding and stand off to the side in their own way. This music on this demo reminds me alot of No Justice's "Still Fighting" with a frustrated gruffer singing. This is some hardcore that definitely still falls on the "punk" end of the spectrum. The lyrics are chuck-full of hate, frustration and angst. Great shit. Members of Coke Bust, Public Suicide, Misled Youth, Pure Disgust, etc etc.

CORRECTION "Promo 2014" Tape (Flophouse Records)
Maybe you remember CORRECTION from their demo (Flophouse #1, what the fuck is up?), but it's time to check back in with this Gothenburg, Sweden straight edge hardcore punk powerhouse. This batch of songs, intended to be a 7" for CTW Records in Europe, step up the crusty Scandi vibes (or "Kängiga skandivibbar" pa Svenska). You can expect a caustic combination of: Judge, Skitsystem, Citizens Arrest, Mob 47, and maybe an oddball like Darkthrone (or something... I don't fuck with that shit). These over the top, hyper-political/critical lyrics aim their sights first at the lowest hanging Swedish fruit: "Intellectual sewer / No substance abusers / Disposable Culture / Energy leakage for habitual users." Fucking hard.

DISXEASE 2013 Demo Tape (Flophouse Records)
Disxease are a Sao Paulo, Brazilian mean-as-fuck aggressive straight edge hardcore punk band. This demo highlights their love for early Boston crew-esq with six quick bursts of madness. Portuguese alumuni includes the same cast from such 625 acts as: I Shot Cyrus, Infect and Descarga. This tape flies by in an absolute frenzy and you'll be barking along to this demo on repeat, shouting "Fuck all borders, burn your flags!" Hardcore sem fronteiras!!!!

JAVLA 2014 Demo Tape (Flophouse Records)
Washington DC's repeat offender youth criminals are back again with their take on classic Swedish hardcore punk a-la TOTALITAR. The anger is genuine and the songs are quick explosions of hardcore intensity.

MODERN PROBLEMS Demo Tape (Flophouse Records)
Modern Problems are a sharp breath of pure, uncut oxygen from Buffalo, NY. Strap up for some fast, aggressive, straight edge youth crew hardcore PUNK! I could go on forever about how great this band is and how much they stick out from the majority of their peers in this sub-sub-genre, but I'll keep it short: no cheap-beats, raw recording, no fucking insta-pro-gram-shirt-core here, awesome lyrics. The songs are fast, short, catchy, hard and best of all the Uniform Choice-style vocals are executed with confidence and conviction. As a huge NO REASON fan (How good is "Walk Away"!?!), I was also amped to hear that this band shared song-writing personnel. While still totally maintaing its own vibe, this is the band that I have been waiting for since TFS put out "What We Know." These old timers have just reset the bar and have no regrets for their fucking youth!

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Demo Tape (Mind Rot Records)
Solitary Confinement is Virginia Beach's latest offering to the world of hardcore and punk and we here at Mind Rot Records couldn't be happier to be releasing their debut recordings. Forming in late 2013 and quickly recording a 5-track demo this band has been turning heads at every show they play. Playing hardcore in the vein of Boston greats: Last Rights, SSD and Jerry's Kids, Solitary Confinement isn't one to be missed.

FOREIGN LAWNS Demo Tape (Demo)
Foreign lawns from milwaukee, WI break the mold for hardcore bands by playing a style that blends all the best parts of mid to late period Black Flag and other early SST bands, features members of Bored Straight if that means anything to you

REGULATOR Demo Tape (Demo)
New demo from the Richmond area, 4 sick barebones hardcore blasts in the vein of INFEST or NEGATIVE FX.

BIG TAKEOVER Demo Tape (Offsides Records)
BIG TAKEOVER Demo is out now. This band comes from California and plays classic NYHC in the vein of Outburst, Breakdown , Agnostic Front and more.

LARM "Reunion 2005 The Netherlands" Tape (Offsides Records)
LARM set from their 2005 Reunion

NIGHT STALKERS, THE "3 Songs Promo" Tape (Offsides Records)
New 3 song promo tape from France's THE NIGHT STALKERSAfter a first effort with a heavy Ratcage/ early T&G vibe, Nightstalkers have grown up mixing straight hardcore/punk bursts with mid tempo songs. The band's malignant nature is evidenced on their slower tracks, the singer's snotty voice adds to the mix.Six tracks exploring out society's deep and morbid drives. You'd better pray that it will be a therapeutic record for these Brest sickos so you don't find them at your door.

NO MISTAKE "Connect the Dots" Tape (Offsides Records)
If you like Negative Approach, SSD, Straight Ahead, Youth of Today, and all that - here you go. "Hard, fast, brutal" (Sparkplug) 9 songs, about 10 minutes of music. Features ex-GO! (Mike Bullshit), Permanent Ruin, In Disgust, and singer used to be a Slapshot roadie, for what that's worth. From Sparkplug mag: ?Once upon a time hardcore had no metal influence. It was as poppy as homicide. Great dinosaurs roamed the earth with names like SSD, YDI, Jerry's Kids, Negative Approach, and so on. You could honestly feel the bands were actually straining themselves terribly if the song made it to TWO WHOLE MINUTES?!?!?!?! This sounds EXACTLY like that. You aren't going to make guitar poses, fall in love, dance in a quirky cute manner. Yer gonna SLAM and yer gonna dig it. Good production, straight ahead attack hard core, just like your mamma used to cook up.

EXCITEMENT LEVEL ZERO Zine - Issue #4 (Zine)
Two years since the previous issue, ELZ hardcore zine out of Richmond calls it a day with one final go. Pat tells it like it is one last time (don't worry though, a new zine is coming), not giving one concern as to who he's alienating nor impressing.  This issue has an interview with the creator of COMBAT STANCE fanzine from the 80's (accompanied by some hilarious reprints of illustrations from the original zine), an interview with Boston's PEACEBREAKERS , and some solid record and tape reviews.  Short, to the point, and no bullshit.

MAXIMIMROCKNROLL #375 - August 2014 (Maximumrocknroll)
Holy smokes, time flies when you’re having fun! Despite a rent raise and USPS wanting to dig through our holey pockets, we’ve still managed to bring you a new supreme edition of Maximum Rocknroll — MRR #375, August 2014! In this issue we talk with Iberian powerhouse UNA BÈSTIA INCONTROLABLE before destroying the US on their upcoming tour; in honor of their very exciting 20th anniversary, we get a special extended interview with Extreme Noise Records; plus an in-depth story on one of Leningrad’s punk progenitors, Andrei “Svin” Panov. In this issue we also feature HC’s newest darlings GLUE from the great country of Texas, too cool for your school Cool Death Records from Down Under give us the skinny on their new releases, and two floor-thumping air-punching stripped-down punk bands from Japan, EIEFITS and THEE MIGHTY FEVERS. Serbian rock ‘n’ rollers S.U.S. discuss breaking the norm in Serbia and bringing back the glam in punk, Barcelona’s VÈRTIGO tell us about their local scene, MISCALCULATIONS from the UK talk about their minimalist yet calculated approach to music, and a tour diary from Canada’s BORN WRONG takes us on a bender and lets us live vicariously through the band’s HC misdeeds. Plus two photo spreads, a special “New Blood” spread, your favorite columnists (plus guests!), book, zine, demo, movie and of course the most extensive record reviews section in punk rock print y’all—plus much, much more! Cover art this month by Jordan Poggerpants.

RESTOCKS 7/25/14:

ACHTUNGS, THE "S/T" 7"
BIG EYES / MEAN JEANS Split 7"
CAREER SUICIDE "Cherry Beach" 7"
DICKS "Peace?" 7"
GAS RAG "Human Rights" 7"
GENERACION SUICIDA "Con La Muerta A Tu Lado" 7"
MARKED MEN / THIS IS MY FIST Split 7"
NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS "Total Dementia" 7"
PSYCHED TO DIE "Scatter Brained" 7"
RED DONS "Auslander" 7"
REPLICA "S/T" 7"
TENEMENT / SCREAMING FEMALES Split 7"
TRANZMITORS, THE "You Get Around" 7"
VAASKA / IMPALERS Split 7"

CARBONAS "S/T" LP
COKE BUST "Lines in the Sand" LP
CREEM "S/T" LP
DEAR LANDLORD "Dream Homes" LP
DICKS "Kill from the Heart" LP
EXPLODING HEARTS "Guitar Romantic" LP
JAWBREAKER "Unfun" LP
MARKED MEN, THE "Fix My Brain" LP
MARKED MEN, THE "Ghosts" LP
PORKERIA "La Mierda De Siempre" LP
RADIOACTIVITY "S/T" LP
SONIC AVENUES "Mistakes" LP
SPITS, THE "III" LP
SPITS, THE "IV" LP

ARMS RACE Demo Tape
KOMPLOTT "Sei Vivo, Sei Morto a Nessuno Importa" Tape
OBSTRUCT Demo Tape
RED DEATH Demo Tape

DISTORT #43 Zine