The Lillingtons - Automaton

Titled Can Anybody Hear Me? (A Tribute To Enemy You), today seen the release of a new EP from Newcastle, Wyoming kings of pop punk The Lillingtons. It is a fitting tribute to San Francisco's, Enemy You who may have never been the most high profile of bands but they did produce a small but impressive body of work. Tragically, Enemy You frontman David Jones passed away in 2015 but his memory lives on. The EP is 6 lovingly rendered covers of songs originally recorded by a band they had a strong kinship with.

It's available on vinyl and cd from Red Scare Industries (a portion of proceeds will be donated towards to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). You can also get the digital version via Bandcamp. 

I am sharing the opening track which originally appeared on the 1999 album Where No One Knows My Name.

The Enemy You version is here

It may be a cover but it sounds like classic Lillingtons. Please don't let it be their last release. Enjoy!

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Enemy You Bandcamp

Jeff Rosenstock - SKrAm

If there’s anyone who loves surprise-releasing albums more than Taylor Swift and Beyonce, it’s Jeff Rosenstock. A couple of weeks ago, to mark 4/20 apparently, he dropped Ska Dream, a ska version of his excellent 2020 album, No Dream. It’s the closest we’ll get to him bringing back his short-lived but brilliant ska band, Arrogant Sons Of Bitches. I am actually going with a track I have already posted on Mixtape. At the end of 2020 I posted Scram from No Dream and today I am sharing the Ska version of that track SKrAm. It's a great version of an already great track. I may actually prefer the Ska version to be honest.

Lucy Dacus - Night Shift

I first stumbled upon Lucy Dacus n 2018 when she formed Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. Earlier the same year she released Historian which is her second album. Night Shift is the first track and first single from the album. I feel that you either listen to the first 30 seconds of this or to the whole thing 30 times in a row. It is quite a journey of a song but it is a great track.

The Boatsmen - Big Waves

Hailing from Örebro, Sweden, The Boatsmen feature a line up of Håkan Ficks, Martin Ficks, Jacob Martinsson & Johan Söderberg. They've just released their 4th studio album and boasts a sound which they describe as "Ramones, MC5 and The Beach Boys in an exciting drunken fisticuff" they're one of a number of bands that are mixing and matching the best elements of rock n roll, punk and garage rock and somehow, all of these bands are managing to put out killer releases. The new album is titled Versus The Boatsmen and it's the perfect soundtrack to get fucked up to.

Highlights are plenty so I was spoilt for choice for a song to feature. Really impressed with Friday Night Forever which is like a lost Black Flag classic and When I'm Drunk which has a great video to accompany it. I have going with Big Waves which has an impressively melodic chorus to counterpoint some hard riffing. 

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The Senton Bombs - Another Way

The Senton Bombs are from Blackpool and they formed in 2004. They line up with Joey Class (bass/vocals), Johnny Gibbons (guitar/backing vocals), Damien Kage (guitar/backing vocals) and Scott Mason (drums). They play "punk infected rock n roll" and are influenced by the likes of The Clash, Guns N Roses, Megadeath, Supersuckers, Rancid etc. They recently released their 6th studio album, it's titled Aerial Threat.

The riffs are many, the musicianship tightly honed and the choruses offer crowds plenty of opportunity to sing along when their energetic live shows get going again. All but 2 of the tracks go past the 3 minute mark but your attention span never wanes, a sure sign that the album is all killer no filler.

This is Another Way... 

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Before They Are Hanged - These Times Alone

Derbyshire punks Before They Are Hanged were planning a full length album titled Welcome To England but with the pandemic we have an EP coming out next month.

I am sharing These Times Alone, which is a song on the subject of mental health issues.

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Me The Guts - Intensive Suicide Encouragement

Me The Guts are a Canadian punk band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan who I know very little about and can't even remember how I heard them! Their new album “Spilt Guts Over Rough Cuts” came out on April 20th and today I am sharing Intensive Suicide Encouragement.

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The Stinkeyes - Junk Male

The Stinkeyes are a 3 piece from Wisconsin with a line up of Emily Kapellusch (Bass and Vocals), Haley Teniente (Drums) & Jordan Kapellusch (Guitar and Backing Vocals). They've just released an EP titled Inside joke and it's a fun listen. Subjects include self criticism, sex pests and 'comfort' food.

This is Junk Male... 

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Chris Catalyst - King Of Everything

You may not recognise the name, but multi-instrumentalist Chris May for the last twenty or so years has been on stage and played with so many British and American bands, I’m sure loads of you out there will have definitely seen him perform.

The list is endless: but to name a few the likes of Ginger Wildheart, the Sisters of Mercy, Ugly Kid Joe; he has also played keyboards for Terrorvision, and has had his own band Eureka Machines. He also went out as Robochrist, where he performed with stage props and face paint.

During the pandemic he has regularly performed live gigs from his home on You Tube with 50% of proceeds going to different charities.

His latest solo project is titled Kaleidoscopes, and was released on Friday 2nd April.
There are numerous influences throughout with everything from Bowie to The Clash and The Cars.

I am sharing the second track. “King of Everything”  is a post punk number with a terrific catchy melody and an anthemic chorus, and plenty of whoa whoas.

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Ravagers - Down That Road

Ravagers are a street rock n roll band from Baltimore. They've a new album on the way, it'll be titled Badlands and it's going to be out in September. They released a track from it last year called Nasty Night and now they've dropped single number 2.

It's called Down That Road and it's a catchy rock n roll singalong that'll lodge itself firmly inside your brain. 

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Lisasinson - Corazón

Lisasinson is a graphic and musical project that started in November 2018 at the Fine Arts campus in Valencia, with Miriam (vocals and guitar), Mar (vocals and guitar), María (drums and backing vocals) and Paula (bass and backing vocals). They've just released a new mini album titled Perdona Mamá. 9 infectious tracks of "youthfulness, spontaneity, rebelliousness and overflowing energy."

It's available as a 10" Mini-LP and digital download and this track is titled Corazón.

This track is titled Corazón...

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Emily Flea - Park Bench Creep

Emily Condon was the vocalist with punk 3 piece The Fleas. This is a track that's one of the highlights of an impressive new compilation album titled Girls Are Loud Volume 2 which has been compiled by Punk 4 The Homeless. It boasts 22 songs by female fronted recording artists in solidarity with the girls at Hope Orphanage, Sierra Leone... all proceeds go to Hope Orphanage.  It's available on cd and as a digital download from their Bandcamp.

Emily's contribution sees her taking aim at lecherous guys who deserve "a fucking punch." It's called Park Bench Creep...

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Boots On The Table - Sick Of Politics

Boots On The Table are a new street punk band that boast the vocal talents of Rob McLarnon, who you may know from Buck Eejit.

I am sharing a newish track that bemoans the calibre of politicians on both sides of the left/right divide and it's called Sick Of Politics... 

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Power Drill - Prison & Pills

Power Drill are a 4 piece powerhouse from Lennox Head, a seaside village in New South Wales, Australia. They released Haven A Beer, almost exactly a year ago and followed it up in May with a single titled Vomit ( "a simple song about sinking too many bevs and chundering" which makes one wonder if The Chats have a bunch of older brother out there somewhere).

And now they're back with a 6 track ep titled State Of Emergency in which they sing about running from dodgy money lenders, Amyl (nitrate, not ...and the sniffers), MILFS, and absentee PM Scott Morrison. It's a modern day snot nosed joy and you can get it over on Bandcamp.

This is the opening song, it's called Prison & Pills...

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the SUCK - J Prozac On A BMX Bike

the SUCK are a band I don't know much about. They describe their sound as no bullshit street rock for fans of the Ramones, HEAD, The Vapids and NECK.

They recently released their sophomore album, Boris Sprinkler (Boris The Sprinkler being the Green Bay, Wisconsin, punks who released a 1998 album titled Suck). It's 10 tracks of catchy pop punk. They sing about stuff like martini drinking secret agents, drinking, Dungeons and Dragons, 20 sided dice and... more drinking.

This is the closing track on the album and the most melodic.

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Slobheads - Rothman Blues

Slobheads are a young trash punk duo from South West London featuring Harry Jarvis (guitar/vocals) and Macey Sherman (drums). They surfaced in 2017 with the Sod's Law ep and followed it up a year later with another called Neighbourhood Nasties. 2 guys with attitude that sing about getting drunk and political ideology that fall somewhere between Slaves and Cool Jerks.

They've recently returned with a very fine new single about another of their vices, smoking. "It's about all the cravings, the poncing and begging for a snout when you run out but the possessiveness of having your own pack of cigarettes and not wanting to share with overs. knowing and feeling the effects of smoking but not having a caring in the world about the implications. its dirty and horrible but do we care enough to quit? Course not!" It's an unmistakably British bluesy stomp with gang vocals from Ross Brunton helping to give it a big, beefy singalong feel. You can get it as a name your price download on Bandcamp.

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Play Dead - Skint

Play Dead are 3 teenagers (Joe Blair (Guitar & vocals), Ollie Clarke (Bass & backing vocals) & Louis Englefield (Drums)) from Herne Hill, London who recently released a belting debut ep titled Skint. They've been making a few waves with airplay on both Radio 1 and 6 Music.

This is the title track, it's a problem most of us can sympathise with in these austere times, it's called Skint.

For Those I Love - You Stayed/To Live

For Those I Love is the pseudonym of Dublin-based songwriter/producer/vocalist David Balfe. Recording was under way for this album when Paul Curran, his best friend and fellow member of Burnt Out killed himself.

The resulting album is a tapestry of spoken word poetry, clips of voicenotes from friends on WhatsApp (including Curran) and sounds that draw on memories of driving around at night with mixtapes of The Streets, Burial and Mount Kimbie, ‘For Those I Love’ conjures up all the emotions of an illegal rave (before, during and after), while celebrating friendship and reflecting the true colour of urban life.

It is hop/hop, indie, electronic, trancey.... and it is great, in my opinion. It is not only an immaculate debut, but a beautiful record that speaks to anyone who’s ever loved and lost, anyone who might be mourning or just processing the days of youthful abandon, or perhaps those who need reminding that you can’t have shadows without the light.

It was a tie between You Stayed/To Live and Birthday/The Pain for which track to go with, but I have gone for You Stayed/To Live this week. What I will say is that it might not initially feel like your thing for some. Persevere. You won't regret it.

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards - You’re Being Watched

You’re Being Watched is from the same EP as the track posted yesterday. The Texan outfit are one of the more unique and creative bands to come out of the USA ska scene. The track is about the paranoid feeling of being watched and trying to convince people that you’re not going crazy. The song starts with a very traditional ska punk style. The saxophone playing gets the song off to a fun start before the vocals come in and the song goes off in a completely different style. Vocally you would probably find more similar bands in the crust punk world, with some venomous singing going on. There is a slight change again for what I guess is the chorus, where a vocal that sounds like MC Bat Commander from The Aquabats come in. So much is going on and I love it. 

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Sgt. Scagnetti - Cultination

Sgt. Scag (as they are often known) were actually an active band in the North East of America in the late nineties. They were known for their fun and unpredictable live shows. Like many bands from the era, they split in the earlier 2000s but have played a couple of reunion shows in recent years as well as releasing some new singles.

Their latest appearance is on a split with Hans Gruber And The Die Hards and it is a great way to introduce themselves to the new era of ska punk fans. Sgt. Scag’s song on the split is titled Cultination. This is a great introduction to the band. It begins with quite a lengthy brass-fuelled introduction before lead singer Steve’s soulful vocals come in. The opening verse has a great call and response section between Steve and the rest of the band that really hooked me in. This is all played at a nice, mid-tempo pace before the band speed things up for the chorus. So much goes on in this song with changes in tempo and melody but the band seamlessly blend it together so it never feels stop/start. As the song finishes there are some great gang vocals and harmonies and ensure the song ends with a bang. The track is about the Internet influencing children to become mindless robots and how that’s a bad thing.

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Vanilla Muffins - No Punkrock In My Car

The inventors of a genre named "Sugar Oi!", Vanilla Muffins are a Oi Melodic Punk Rock band from Basel Switzerland. This track is taken from their 2003 album The Drug Is Football.

Enjoy!

Scared of Chaka - All My Friends Are Ghosts

Scared of Chaka is an American punk rock band based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that was formed in 1993 by guitarist/vocalist David Yanul Hernandez, bass guitarist Dameon Waggoner and drummer Jeff Jones. Jones was later replaced by Ron Skrasek. The band played a Dickies-inspired mix of garage and pop-punk, following in the footsteps of local Albuquerque act the Drags.

Today I am sharing All My Friends Are Ghosts from the 1999 album Tired Of You.

The Sentence - Riot

Formed in 2018 in Lancaster The Sentence are Watty (vocals), Steve (Guitar), Spike (Bass), Andy (Guitar) & Ged (Drums). They're an old school band playing anthemic street punk and singing about the boys in blue, taking responsibility for your own actions, civil unrest, missing a loved one etc.

This is about uproar on our streets and it's called Riot...

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A.A Williams - Into My Arms

 Yes it is who you think it is covering the song you think it is...

Last month A.A Williams released Songs From Isolation which is a beautiful series of stripped down covers. It is mainly stripped back to piano and vocals only, as we have seen on previously released tracks through lockdown. There are new versions of tracks by Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones and Smashing Pumpkins, while squeezing even more pathos from The Cure’s mighty ‘Lovesong’. It is well worth a listen and some tracks on repeat.

Her take on Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ is brilliant and just when you thought you had everything you needed from this track the hushed intimacy here makes its sorrow all the sweeter.

Dinosaur Jr. - I Ran Away

Sounding as fresh as ever, this track is the first single from the new Dinosaur Jr. album and also features Kurt Vile on 12 string guitar.

The new album will be the 12th Dinosaur Jr album, this band are timeless to me, reminds me of when I was younger whilst still sounding so fresh and exciting. Top band! 

I love this track and if this is anything to go by the album is going to be outstanding! Released on April 25th, can’t wait.

Justin Townes Earle & Dawn Landes - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind

This is so good, Dolly Parton’s Do I Ever Cross Your Mind covered nearly a decade ago by Justin and Dawn.

Following the passing of Justin last August she decided to release this track to show how happy and care free Justin could be, his exact words at the time were ‘we recorded it for the fuck of it’.

Uplifting and a breath of fresh air. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Jazz hands to the finish!

Leftards - CCP

Hailing from Wollongong, Australia, Leftards are Lez Miserable (guitars), Dr Sound (drums), Uncle Jim (bass, backing vocals) & Ronny Wreckless - vocals / "percussion").

They have 3 EP's to their name, starting with 2018's Apocalypse Cabaret this was followed with Deep C Divers and then in December they released Artifuct.

It's 5 tracks dealing with subjects such as uneducated know-it-alls, internet warfare and hair metal band tattoos. They're a band who are better than they let on and they've just released a video for the lead track, a song which I think is decrying the government as the enemy and comparing it with the Chinese Communist Party.

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Les Shirley - Fuck It I'm In Love

Les Shirley are a power rock trio from Montreal and line up with Raphaëlle Chouinard (guitar & vocals), Sarah Dion (bass) & Lisandre Bourdages (drums). They formed in 2018 and released a debut Self Titled ep the following year. Now they're back, singing about "love, girl power, and conspiracies" on their debut album Forever Is Now. It's easy listening but not mundane. It is catchy and some great background music.

One of the biggest ear worms of the year so far, this is Fuck It I'm In Love...

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Markus - Scooter Boy

Markus are a 3 piece from Munich comprising of Markus Beger, Markus Burnuthian & Markus Will and have just released their 4th EP. They kicked off in 2019 with Die Leyla which featured 9 noisy tracks, none of them going past the 60 second mark. The tracks were a little longer on last March's Meeresbrisée whilst November's Moon Boots was another dissonantly brief affair. Last month they released Reservoir, described as post-punk/noise rock it is mainly fast and shouty.

Today I am sharing Scooter Boy.

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The Hold Steady - Unpleasant Breakfast

Recorded in 2019 and released around a month ago, Open Door Policy is another album I have been sat on whilst I try and work out what track to go with.

I have gone with Unpleasant Breakfast. It is funky, groovy, fun and heart-breaking. I don't think they have another track like it in their back catalogue. This is the centrepiece of the album and one of a few standouts for me.