Vile Assembly - Propaganda

Vile Assembly are the Liverpool based 3 peice who have owned a music studio in Liverpool for a couple of decades but hadn't contemplated making music themselves. Budding poet, and now lyricist and vocalist, Paul Mason was very firmly of the opinion that the world was a vile place, this opinion was reinforced following his decision to spend a month sleeping rough on the streets of Liverpool and San Diego. He found it both horrendous and inspirational and years later Vile Assembly were born in an attempt to shine a spotlight on the ills of modern society.

Great music, intelligent lyrics (in this case railing against corrupt politicians and corporate criminals), what's not to love. This single rails against the lies purported to be true by those that are pushing an agenda, "those that protect the elite whilst providing an illusion of democratic choice." It tells us to think for ourselves and not to be taken in by what we read, don't fall for their smoke and mirror tricks.  It's called Propaganda...

LIINES - Shallow

LIINES are a post punk / new-wave band from Manchester, UK who feature Zoe McVeigh (vocals/guitar), Tamsin Middleton (bass) and Leila O'Sullivan (drums) with comparisons ranging from Savages to PINS to Desperate Journalist. Their sound is an infectious, urgent and at times furious blend of Riot Grrrl, post-punk and alt-rock sounds which take in elements of their collective influences.

This is Shallow and is taken from their 2018 debut album Stop Start

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Tommy And The Commies - Power On Standby

These are a hooligan pop 3 piece from Sudbury. They released their debut album in 2018 and are back with a new EP titled Hurtin' 4 Certain and it boasts 4 awesome tracks. It takes all the best elements of bands like Buzzcocks, Undertones, The Clash, etc and mould them into a sound that's both very familiar and very fresh. It is pop punk for those who think pop punk isn't edgy enough. It's garage punk for those who yearn for bigger melodies. It's music to play for the nostalgia punks who seem to think no one's released anything worth listening to since they were in school several decades ago. This is The Jam influenced Power On Standby.

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The Raging Nathans - Don't Miss The Train

The Raging Nathans are a pop punk band from Dayton,Ohio.Mixing a classic Screeching Weasel style Midwest slant on the genre with seriously personal lyrics this band can go for the heart and the throat in the course of one song.

Their latest album "Oppositional Defiance" came out last Friday is 12 tracks of genuine heartbreak,anger and real life problems. This is a testimony from a band that's lived hard lives and 2020 was the breaking point. Pop Punk doesn't get much heavier,honest or relatable than this.

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Riviera Kid - Casual Racism

Riviera Kid are two best friends from Margate & Boughton who make "heavy melodic music with protest poetry lyrics." Johnny Yum Yum sings and plays guitars whilst Dan Atkinson sings and plays drums. They're DIY punks with day jobs living the weekend dream. They formed in the summer of 2018 and released their first EP, It's Not A Matter Of A Or B, at the start of 2019. It mixed elements of hardcore, grunge and punk to create a noisy and socially conscious statement of intent.

They returned a couple of months ago with a new EP. Titled Stay Positive it's another powerful slice of shouty punk goodness in which they enlist the help of Jim Jam, Kate Wintie, Liz Hayward and Jim Kemp on backing vocals.

This is Casual Racism and it comes with a lyric video.

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John K. Samson - Fantasy Baseball At The End Of The World

I have gone on about how great John K. Samson is before so I'll save you that again here. He is great though and dropped a surprise track on Friday. A sweet, beautiful little song about taking some strange comfort in the knowledge that Donald Trump will die someday, and in the meantime putting in the work to organise “something better, something beautiful.” My only complaint is that it's less than two minutes long and amounts to nothing but words and barebones guitar, but it accomplishes a lot with those limited resources.

Man, John K. Samson is great.

The King Blues - What If Punk Never Happened

The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London, England, credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word.

It is with a more spoken word track that I am going with. What If Punk Never Happened is a thought provoking track with some great lyrics.

The video includes these lyrics so I don't think there is anything else to say. Give it a listen, read along and have a think.

TV Priest - Runner Up

TV Priest are an up and coming post-punk band from London who feature Charlie Drinkwater (vocals), Alex Sprogis (guitars), Nic Smith (bass/keyboard) and Ed Kelland (drums).

Insistent drums, meandering and squealing guitars and stream of consciousness style lyrics all combine to make a heady brew. This is a band with a big future and have been hyed up by BBC Radio 6, the NME and Idles frontman Joe Talbot.

This song is titled Runner Up

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The Bombpops - Notre Dame

The Bombpops is an American Punk Rock band formed in San Diego, California, United States in 2007. The band was formed by co-frontwomen Jen Razavi and Poli van Dam, followed many years later by the bassist Neil Wayne and the drummer Josh Lewis. The band has seen many formation changes since 2007, which contributed with the band only releasing their first full-length album, Fear of Missing Out, on February 10, 2017. The band's music is heavily influenced by 90's Epitaph Records and Fat Wreck Chords bands, such as No Use For a Name, Pennywise, Bad Religion, Strung Out and also bands like Green Day and Blink 182.

This year they released their second full length, Death in Venice Beach and I am going with Notre Dame from this released. "Like the flames to Notre Dame, nothing sacred here is safe," is a simple, effective lyric that lands well. Good lyrics and shows there are still newish bands making good music.

The Asteroids - Telephone

The Asteroids are a 4 piece (Asteroid J, K West, Mike West and Julian West) from Wales who've recently released 2 of an initial run of 3 singles. None of the tracks reach the 2 minute mark, they all kick down the door, rush in and slap you around the face before rushing out again. You can get them here.

Great guitar, killer harmonies, this is Telephone...

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Enola Gay - The Birth Of A Nation

Enola Gay are a post punk, shoegaze & noise band from Belfast Northern Ireland and feature a line up of Fionn Reilly (vocals), Joe McVeigh (guitar), Adam Cooper (bass) and Stevie Curtis (drums).

They recently released their debut single The Birth Of A Nation. It's a bass heavy and very powerful song and comes with an equally hard hitting video which contrasts professional media footage with handheld videos from people on the streets who were in the middle of the protests in an attempt to highlight the scope of the brutality towards peaceful protesters during the BLM protests. All profits go to The Bail Project, a non-profit organisation that helps bail the wrongly imprisoned.

This is The Birth Of A Nation

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M@d.inc - Way Down Shit Creek With No Paddle

M@d.inc are a London band who line up with Dave Leak on Guitar and Vocals, Fleagle on Guitar, Des Connolly on Drums, Gail Thibert on Keyboards and Backing Vocals and Paddy  on Bass Guitar.

They are heavily influenced by '77 era Clash and last year they released an album titled Treasure. If you like your punk rock to be melody driven and old school then it could well be for you.

This is the opening track, it's very catchy and it's called Way Down Shit Creek With No Paddle...

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Bodyjar - Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (Marching on Together)

It was never the song I planned to showcase from Australian pop punkers Bodyjar, but the circumstances of the last couple of days means... Why the hell not.

This is their pop punk take on the Leeds United anthem Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (Marching On Together).

Angel Du$t - Turn Off The Guitar

Ok, I am guilty of judging a book by its cover here... Angel Du$t sounds like either a god awful mainstream plastic hip hop / rap group / artist or a screamy awful metal / hardcore band... A bit further investigation shows that this a "super group" of sorts with lead singer Justice Tripp being best-known as the frontman for Baltimore bruisers Trapped Under Ice, one of the most influential hardcore bands of the past 15-20 years. Other members also play in fellow Baltimore hardcore wreckers Turnstile. Not my thing.

Then I saw somebody post about them and it appeared all might be be as expected... They don’t make hardcore. Instead, the band plays around with pop-punk, with power-pop, and with classic rock. They play acoustic guitars and sometimes harmonicas.
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland last year they released the excellent album Pretty Buff. This week they’ve followed it up by dropping the new three-song EP Lil House. The band recorded the EP with Elliott Smith/Beck producer Rob Schnapf, and its three songs that represent probably their poppiest tracks yet. These are catchy, peppy, uptempo pop-rock songs with zero detectable hardcore influence, and it’s not hard to imagine them ending up in alt-rock radio rotation or soundtracking commercials.

I was going to go with the lead single Never Ending Game, but I think I prefer the opening track Turn Off The Guitar. I think it kinda has a Bloc Party sound to it? May be just me, but it is a great summer indie pop type track.

Single Mothers - Half-Lit

Single Mothers is a Canadian punk rock band based in London, Ontario that formed in 2008. The band released its debut studio album Negative Qualities in 2014.

Today I am sharing Half-Lit from said debut album. Great sound and energy.

Western Addiction - They Burned Our Paintings

Western Addiction is an American punk rock band based in San Francisco. The band was formed by four veterans of the punk scene. Some of the members previously worked for Fat Wreck Chords. They have toured internationally in both the USA, Europe, and Japan.

The reccently released their 3rd album Frail Bray and the song I am sharing today is taken from this. They Burned Our Paintings details the most notorious art exhibition the world has ever seen that happened in Munich in 1937. The idea came from seeing the Magritte exhibit at SF MOMA. He was on the tail end of the degenerate art scare and the threat of his work being destroyed led me back to this art show. There is a great documentary on YouTube about it. It seems incredible that this art was seen as something so dangerous that it had to be destroyed so as not to corrupt society. I make a poor attempt at speaking German in the song, bitte verzeih mir. There is a little tribute to one of my favorite bands, Belle and Sebastian in the line, “Go tell the minister, modern life is sinister.” The super riff in this song caused some atomic grumbling in the band because it almost feels like some kind of ZZ Top southern boogie. I may play guitar like I have two left hands with oven mitts but this riff is pretty hot, it just took Tony to play it “right.”

Kids Of Skids - Army Store

Kids of Skids are a 4 piece from Sydney who formed in 2018 and who feature a line up of Phe (vocals), Lucas (guitar), Ati (bass) and Mark (drums). They released a debut Self Titled ep in March on local label Innercity Uprising. 4 short blasts of energetic and aggressive punk rock with plenty of attitude and an impressive amount of swearing. There was a ltd edition cd (50 copies only) and it's also available as a name your price download on Bandcamp

Army Store is a sub 90 second barrage of fast paced banging and shouting about the joys of going out to buy a big shiny and no doubt very sharp knife.

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City & Colour - Body In A Box

Dallas Green is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. In 2005, he debuted his first full-length album, Sometimes, which achieved platinum certification in 2006. City and Colour began performing in small intimate venues between Alexisonfire tours. The name City and Colour comes from his own name: Dallas, a city, and Green, a colour. His reasoning for the name was that he felt uneasy "putting the album out under the name Dallas Green.

Body in a Box is a song that I always think about when somebody passes away and in particular the line "We celebrate the lives of the dead. It's like a man's best party, only happens when he dies". It's so true isn't it. Nobody tells you how they really feel or do a recap on your life until you're gone. This should really change.

Anyway, here is the track and the lyrics.




There's a funeral procession on the highway
Traffic screeches to a halt
There's people searching for a better way
To live their lives, oh
Johnny lived a good life, you'll hear them say
As tears of sadness soak the ground
The reaper crept in, took his breath away
In the middle of the night, oh
We celebrate the lives of the dead
It's like a man's best party, only happens when he dies
We gather 'round to pay our respects
While their souls are still searching for the light
Searching for the light
So please don't come to me on my dying day
Just let me go in peace
With all the things that I forgot to say
Racing through my mind, oh
And don't you bury me six feet under ground
Just burn my body in a box
And let my ashes blow with the wind
Out into the night sky
We celebrate the lives of the dead
It's like a man's best party, only happens when he dies
We gather 'round to pay our respects
While their souls are still searching for the light
Searching for the light
Searching for the light, oh
Searching for the light

Pure Love - Bury My Bones

Pure Love is an English-American rock band formed in 2011 by former Gallows frontman Frank Carter and ex-The Hope Conspiracy and Suicide File guitarist Jim Carroll, after Carter's departure from Gallows due to "creative differences". The band's musical style is a marked change from the hardcore punk backgrounds of the members.

They have released one album to date which is 2013's Anthems. Bury My Bones was the debut single from the album and some have speculated that the lyrics address his departure from Gallows. It's catch and a bit cock rock like, but a song I enjoy.

Dear Landlord - Three to the Beach

Dear Landlord are a punk rock band from Carbondale, Illinois. Bordering on super-group status with members of Illinois power-pop masterminds the Copyrights- Adam (bass/vocals) and Brett (guitar/vocals), and Minneapolis Weasel-worshippers Rivethead- Brad (drums/lyrics) and Zack (guitar/vocals) they carry the torch high, burning brightest when they step to the mic together for anthemic choruses cut by snotty leads and broken wrists flying at breakneck speeds.

This is Three to the Beach.

The Living End - Prisoner Of Society

The Living End are an Australian punk rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002 the line up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals) and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after the release of their EP Second Solution / Prisoner of Society, which peaked at No. 4 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. They have released eight studio albums, two of which reached the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart: The Living End (October 1998) and State of Emergency (February 2006). They have also achieved chart success in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. 

I am sharing Prisoner Of Society from the album of the same name. I great little punk rock song.

Propagandhi - When All Your Fears Collide

Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitarist Sulynn Hago.

While their earlier work was aligned with the punk rock and skate punk tradition, in later years Propagandhi records have moved towards a heavier and more technical heavy metal-influenced sound. Both in their lyrics and hands-on activism, the band's members champion various left wing and anarchist causes and veganism, and have taken a vocal stance against human rights violations, sexism, racism, nationalism, homophobia, imperialism, capitalism and organised religion.

From their seventh and latest full-length album Victory Lap, this is When All Your Fears Collide. Great riffs and a great song.

The Front Bottoms - Twin Size Mattress

The Front Bottoms are an American folk punk band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. The Front Bottoms are lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich as recording members and others brought in for touring.

They have a number of albums under their belt and tour extensively. I became aware of them in 2013 when they released a video for "Twin Size Mattress" on YouTube in the promotion of their next record. This was their second studio album, Talon of the Hawk which was released on May 21, 2013.

The type of folk punk I like with very relatable lyrics. This is Twin Size Matress

Accidente - Caníbal

Accidente was one of my favourite new discoveries last year and they already have a track on this blog. I am signed up to alerts on their Bandcamp and got a notification that a new album was out on their Bandcamp at name your price.

Their 4th full length, Canibal is exactly the sort of classy melodic punk rock we've come to expect from Spain's best band (imho). It's titled and whilst we have to wait a little longer for the physical release, the digital version is available now as a name your price download.

As ever the lyrics are in their native tongue and the provided English translations reveals that both personal and political themes are the order of the day. The music is upbeat and very catchy even though the subject matter may be somewhat deeper. 

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ME SIENTO SOLA EN ESTE BAILE
Y EN LAS DISTANCIAS CORTAS
IMAGINO COMPROMISO
DONDE SOLO HAY SOMBRAS
UN MEDIO PARA UNA META
FUGAZ, DE USAR Y TIRAR
UNA PIEZA DE RECAMBIO
QUE SE PUEDE DESECHAR

MERCANCÍA, COMPRAVENTA CANÍBAL
Y ESTA LÍQUIDA EXISTENCIA VACÍA

ME SIENTO SOLA EN ESTE BAILE
Y EN LAS DISTANCIAS CORTAS
IMAGINO RELACIONES
DONDE SOLO HAY SOMBRAS
ENCUENTROS MONODOSIS
CUERPOS PARA CONSUMIR
UNA PÍLDORA PAL EGO
QUE SE OLVIDA FÁCIL

MERCANCÍA, COMPRAVENTA CANÍBAL
Y ESTA LÍQUIDA EXISTENCIA VACÍA

***********************************

I FEEL ALONE IN THIS DANCE
AND IN THE SHORT DISTANCES
I IMAGINE COMMITMENT
WHERE THERE ARE ONLY SHADOWS
JUST A MEAN FOR A GOAL
EASY, USE AND DISPOSE
A SPARE PART
THAT CAN BE DISCARDED
MERCHANDISE, CANNIBALTRADING
AND THIS EMPTY LIQUID EXISTENCE
I FEEL ALONE IN THIS DANCE
AND IN THE SHORT DISTANCES
I IMAGINE RELATIONSHIPS
WHERE THERE ARE ONLY SHADOWS
SINGLE-DOSE MEETINGS
BODIES TO BE CONSUMED
A PILL FOR THE EGO
EASILY FORGETTABLE

MERCHANDISE, CANNIBAL TRADING
AND THIS EMPTY LIQUID EXISTENCE

Omega Tribe - Dandara Dos Santos

Omega Tribe formed in Barnet in 1981 (as Deadly Game) before splitting in 1988. There was a brief reunion in 1995 but it was 2016 before they got back together properly.

They've just released a new 6 track ep on Grow Your Own Records which is available on 10" turquoise with flecks vinyl, cd and digital download on Bandcamp.

Musically their sound may have changed but their ethos remains the same. On the surface Dandara Dos Santos is a gentle sounding love song until you listen to the lyrics. It's a tender tribute in memory of a 42 year old transgender woman who was beaten, tortured, shot and bludgeoned in Fortaleza, Brazil. It's a case that highlighted the high number of attacks on transgender people. You can read more here.

Red London - Symphony For The Skins

Red London are a long running band from Sunderland who formed in 1981 and who's influences include the likes of The Clash, Angelic Upstarts, SLF, Chelsea and the band who released the song they took their name from, Sham 69. Old school and proud, big melodic singalong anthems are very much the order of the day.

They've recently released their first album since they reformed and long term fans will recognise a few of the tracks as re recorded versions of old favourites feature but he new songs match them all the way.

This is the title track, Symphony For The Skins...

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NOi!SE - Lost

NOi!SE are a 4 piece streetpunk band from Seattle who I first came across due to the single Mass Apathy which featured Skinhead Rob and all proceeds went to charity.

They are back with a couple of new new singles. Lining up with Matt Henson (vocals/bass), Nate Leinfelder (vocals/rhythm guitar), Jesse O'Donnell (lead guitar) and Kenny Dirkes (drums), they dropped the first of those singles a few days ago. It's available from Pirate's Press Records on 12" UV digitally printed vinyl (limited edition, 500 copies) and as a digital download.

Matt Henson has always had one of the most distinctive voices around and he's sounding both on top form and very passionate as he asks if anger and greed have led us so far astray we can't find our way back. A triumphant return from a vital band. This is called Lost...

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Diaz Brothers - Melancholy Hand Grenades

Diaz Brothers are the melodic punk 5 piece from Sunderland featuring past and current members of several other bands. They've just released a debut Self Titled album and it's as good as you'd expect from a bunch of musicians with such pedigree. It's hard to choose a favourite song as they're all pretty much punching at the same weight but I'm going with Melancholy Hand Grenades...

The album is available on vinyl (with cd included) from Boss Tunage
 
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The Suicide Machines - Awkward Always

The Suicide Machines are an American punk rock band formed in March 1991 in Detroit, Michigan and disbanded in May 2006. Since 2009, the band has occasionally played reunion shows. During the course of their career the band released seven full-length albums on the labels Hollywood Records and Side One Dummy Records. Though they experienced several lineup changes over the years, founding members Jason Navarro and Dan Lukacinsky remained regular fixtures. The band's musical style initially blended elements of punk rock, ska, and hardcore into a genre popularly known as ska punk or "ska-core," which characterized their first two albums. During the middle of their career they shifted gears, moving away from this sound and producing two albums with a heavy pop rock influence. Their next two albums moved back towards their mid-1990s style, bringing back heavy ska punk and hardcore elements.

At the end of March they released Revolution Spring which is their first album in 15 years. I’m always a bit sceptical when a band decides to release a new album for the first time in a long time. Their first single Awkward Always put all these doubts to bed. This is a more ska sounding song about feeling like you never fit in as a child and continuing to have that feeling through your adulthood. In the punk and ska scene, I imagine this song hits a chord with a lot of people so it was a great choice as a lead single. It’s also a lot of fun to skank and dance along to and the refrain with the great gang vocals will bring a crowd together.

Falling Sickness - Still Thirsty

Falling Sickness was a Riverside, California based punk band, consisting of Fritz Aragon (vocals, guitar), Zach Howe (vocals, bass), Gabe Gil (vocals), and Mike Angel (drums). After six years of being an unsigned band and playing mostly local shows, Falling Sickness were signed to Hopeless Records in 1995. Their debut record Right on Time was released soon after in January 1996. The record which chronicled the first six years of the band is "about drinking, daydreaming and fucking up; a testament of our youth. After all, when we started [Gabe] was only 17 and Fritz was 14". Their next, and final, record as a band, Because the World Has Failed Us Both was released in February 1998 also on Hopeless Records. 'Because the World Has Failed Us Both' is "about our growing up" and focuses more on worldly politics rather than the teenage politics of 'Right On Time'. In 2000, Falling Sickness disbanded. Since then, Fritz and Angel have formed the band Dogs of Ire 2000-2010. Fritz and his brother, Brenton, are currently in a thrash punk/hc project called MOXIEBEAT on their own label, Ethospine Noise, which has 24 releases to date.

Lead singer, Gabe Gil, died on September 8, 2015 at the age of 43 due to organ failure.

I am going with Still Thirsty from their 1998 album Because the World Has Failed Us Both.

Sublime - Santeria

Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Eric Wilson (bass), and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, resulting in Sublime's breakup. In 1997, songs such as "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.

Sublime released three studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums (one of which also contains never-before released material), three EPs, and one box set. Although their first two albums—40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin' the Hood (1994)—were quite popular in the United States, Sublime did not experience major commercial success until 1996 with their self-titled third album, released two months after Nowell's death, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "What I Got", which remains the band's only No. 1 hit single (on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart) in their musical career. As of 2009, the band has sold over 17 million albums worldwide, including about 10 million in the U.S. alone. Michael "Miguel" Happoldt and Marshall Goodman "Ras MG" contributed to several Sublime songs.

The track I am sharing today is Santeria. It makes me want to go to the beach, grab a beer and laze back.