Guitar Gangsters - Built To Last

Los Pepes - Sick And Bored

London's power pop kings Los Pepes are back today with a song from a new album that seems to have sneaked out with little fanfare. Maybe all the much deserved praise will begin at the end of this week as that's when it's down for release on the labels Bandcamp page but as it's streaming already I'm going to post one of the tracks today. 

The band line up with Ben Perrier (Vocals/Guitar), Seisuke Nakagawa (Bass/Vocals), Guilherme Rujao (Guitar/Vocals) & Kris "Killer" Kowalski (Drums) and it's fair to say that any new release from them comes with a guarantee it'll be catchy as hell. The new album is no exception. 

It's titled The Happiness Programme, it features both tracks from the excellent single they released earlier this year (Want You Back/Never Get It Right) plus 10 new compositions that are equally as good.

This is an early highlight and it is called Sick And Bored...

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Anthrax - Island Mentality

This is Anthrax the UK anarcho punk band, not Anthrax the US heavy metal band. They formed in Gravesend, Kent, back in 1980 during the time that Crass were sniffing out bullshit and Maggie Thatcher was breeding a generation of voracious capitalists. They were a band that we needed back then and we still need them today. 

They've just released a new album. It's their first for almost a decade, it's titled Serfs Out, and it's available from the band's Grow Your Own Records. As you might expect, they aren't happy with the state of the nation. They attack leaders ("care and compassion are no longer in fashion"), the media ("dumb it down dumb it down, vilify, throw it out there, repeat the lie") and those that enable this current shit show ("I'm so fuckin' proud of my country, I love to watch it fall from grace"). It's an album about the rich conning the poor with the help of a complicit media and it's simultaneously a great listen and a saddening one. It's about food banks, Brexit, greed and dumbing down. It's modern day life, maybe it's life as it's always been and sadly always will be. 

A few of the songs are re recorded versions of tracks that have appeared in recent years, a few are new, all fit together nicely to make up one of the best albums of 2021.

The track I'm highlighting here is the one that concerns itself with little Englanders yearning for a glorious past that didn't actually exist. It's called Island Mentality... 

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Pinch Points - Reasons To Be Anxious

Lining up with Acacia Coates (vocals/bass), Adam Smith (vocals/guitar), Isabella Orsini (drums) & Jordan Oakley (guitar), Pinch Points are an inventive and fun post punk outfit who've been getting plenty of good press and touring with the likes of Amyl And The Sniffers, Tropical Fuck Storm, Viagra Boys etc.

Reasons To Be Anxious is their latest single and it has back and forth female/male vocals telling us it's better to stay at home curled up under the duvet with the wi fi for company, it's far too stressful an experience venturing outdoors. On the flip side and clocking in at almost 4 minutes, Boy "dives deep into the cesspool of toxic masculinity and the repressed emotions that boys are socialised to deny, with disastrous outcomes for everyone." It's another good release by one of Aus' many great bands and it's going to be followed by a new album next March. 

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Klobber - Only In It For The Beer

Klobber are from Madrid and have recently released an excellent album titled Clap Time! The album is available from local label Take The City Records and the label describes them as Madrid's best punk band. I think Accidente may have something to say on that!

The Bandcamp page throws up comparisons with the likes of Zero Boys, Adolescents, The Clash & Circle Jerks. Classic punk rock influenced by some of the genre's greats. Subjects covered include white privilege, the power of the media, addiction and life during the pandemic. They're not just in it for the beer, they're a band with plenty to say. They've got some damn good tunes too. 

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MC16 - United States of Generica

United States of Generica is the new single by Shropshire trio MC16. The band's take on the single is that it "bemoans the process and solution of ‘Saving our High Streets’ which seems to condense down to ‘If we can help rich developers and rich brands become even richer then we will save it." Andy comments that “High streets have just become memories now. I remember some of the great characters of our high street like the man who was always dressed as a cowboy shopping with his Mum, and the busker with only one string on his guitar. Now its just a middle ground of mediocrity!” 

Guitarist and co-vocalist Carson chips in with “You can’t just blame the death of the high street on the internet. High streets are very product focused but me personally, I don’t buy a new brand label t- shirt every week but I would be more of a user if they were more service or experience focused and built on need not gain.” Drummer Duffy tells how “I used to think I was psychic. I could be in any city centre for the very first time and know where all the shops were. But then I realised that all the city centres are all just generic. I am not psychic Pah!”. 

It's a great single and a worthy addition to an impressive back catalogue of single releases which can be found on Bandcamp.

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Dicklord - Don't Tell Me

Byron Bay punks Dicklord sound like a mix up of L7 and Amyl And The Sniffers. They recently released LP number 2, Pre Menstrual Attitude which boasts a dozen songs which mix anger and humour. It's the sound of a band that are pissed off but not po faced. It's not for the faint of heart. It's available on vinyl and cd via Valve Records and their Bandcamp.

This track is called Don't Tell Me... 

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The Ramonas - Last Punk In The Village

Brighton punks The Ramonas have released a video for their song Last Punk In The Village. The song is a highlight from their new album, Haphazard, but it's by no means the only "hit." The band (Lisa Lathwell (lead vocals), Maxine Cahill (guitar), Victoria Smith (bass/backing vocals) & Camille Phillips (drums)) are on top form throughout. The lyrics touch on subjects such as the demise of Donald Trump, corruption, sexism, the environment, mental health and Dee Dee Ramone's Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame Speech. Musically, they manage to hit hard but pack in plenty of catchy tunes too. The album's available on cd and digital download whilst a limited edition vinyl release will be available in 2022 on ProRawk records USA. 

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51st State - Great British Public

51st State are a duo from Exeter. They describe their music as Bass & beat punk/dub/industrial. Louder Than War's Nathan Brown, whilst reviewing previous ep Plastic called their sound a hippy-punk mashup of anarcho punk, ska, dub, thrash and space rock. I think it's fair to say the band like to experiment and that you never quite know what to expect. 

On their new single however (or at least on the song they've just released a video for), they've gone for a more traditional anarcho punk sound. And very good it is too. 

The single will be out soon on Grow Your Own Records (as is the case globally, the single is at the mercy of the vinyl pressing plants which are all logjammed at the moment). Pretty sure the wait will be worthwhile. 

This is Great British Public...

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Grit - Parazone

Grit are a female fronted punk band from Dublin who recently released their debut album. Shatterproof is an excellent debut album which builds on the promise of 2 very fine singles. 10 tracks of gritty, oi infused punk rock with catchy tunes and well written lyrics. Topics covered include Irish revolutionary military commander police commissioner and fascist asshole Eoin O'Duffy, struggling to make it through the day, women fearing for their safety if they go out alone, living in poverty etc. It's a release that I didn't know was coming and it's a very welcome surprise.

Parazone is the opening track, it's a song of which the band say "the subject matter seems to be escalating every day. The same story of property vultures and destroyed neighborhoods all over the world. Don't let them kill our city! Dublin still has a soul!"

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Dirt Byrds - This Country

Dirt Byrds are a 3 piece from Bangor (Northern Ireland, not Wales!) who line up thus; Keith Farr, John McLachlan & Chipper Robinson.

Their latest release is an album titled Dirt. It's a dozen tracks and the band's intention was to make a record that "sounds like a banging demo rather than a polished studio track, it’s a street punk song after all." They succeeded. 

Dirt sounds great and the songs, written by Keith Farr who wrote songs for Belfast legends Runnin Riot, are timeless classics. There's times when listening to it that you could swear you were listening to outtakes from the sessions for Inflammable Material. Topics covered include refusing to be downtrodden, seaside riots, elections being a waste of time, the battle of Cable Street and parasitic politicians. Definitely an album of the year contender, it's available via Dammit Records on cd and digital download.

This is the opening track and sets us up nicely for the rest of a barnstorming listen. It's called This Country...

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The Bare Minimum - Woah

The Bare Minimum are a punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Playing a heavy but fun brand of punk threaded together by frantically catchy hooks, landing somewhere between irony and nihilism, they subvert pop songs into meditations on bar culture, boredom, and scene politics. So there you go!

Woah is their latest single that I am sharing today.

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Lady Bird - Infants

Lady Bird are a trio (Sam Cox, Alex Deadman, Joe Walker) from Tunbridge Wells who play a similar style of fresh faced indie punk to another excellent band from that area, Slaves. Their upcoming album is due out on Christmas Day via Alcopop Records and it's one I'm very much looking forward to. You can pre order it on their Bandcamp.

As a teaser of things to come I am sharing Infants.

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Bart And The Brats - Livin´ In The Future

Based in La Rochelle, France, Bart And The Brats is the solo project featuring Bart De Vraantijk who you may know from bands such as Wild Zeros, Teenage Hearts, The Janitors, The Pneumonias, Skeptics and more. Bart has been brought up on a diet of late 70's punk and no doubt has plenty of Killed By Death and Bloodstains comps in his collection.

The new ep features 3 tracks with sharp guitars, loud bass, pounding drums and snotty vocals. It's titled Livin' In The Future and it's out on Spanish label Take The City Records  

All 3 songs are winners but it's the title track that's on Youtube so that's what you're getting. A prime cut of budget rock, this is Livin' In The Future...

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The Chevelles - Steve McQueen (I Wish I Was)

The Chevelles are from Perth, Western Australia, and have been around for over 3 decades. They play a mix of power pop, punk and garage rock and feature a line up of Duane Smith (Vocals/guitars), Adrian Allen (Guitars/vocals), Jeff Halley (Bass/vocals) & Ian Tubbs (Drums).

They've been pretty quiet in recent times but are going to be releasing a new album next year. They recently showcased the first single from it. It's on Wicked Cool Records and it's streaming on their Bandcamp

A nice blast of infectious psychedelia, this is Steve McQueen (I Wish I Was)... 

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Surfbort - Youth Group Therapy

An album that's providing me with much pleasure this morning is Keep On Truckin'. It's by Surfbort and it's essential listening. It's packed with should be hits. It's commercial enough to pick up mainstream acclaim but cool enough to keep us more discerning types happy too. 

We've already had the pleasure of a few of the tracks such as FML, White Claw Enema Bong Hit and new single Big Star but by no means are they the only high points. Songs such as Open Your Eyes, Dicks In Space, Youth Group Therapy (just to name a few) are equally infectious. It's an album that's consistent throughout. 

With so many great highlights to select from, I'm going with Youth Group Therapy.

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Flangipanis - Good Little Taxpayer

Brisbane 4 piece Flangipanis are back with a new album (their 8th) titled Fuckin' Woo which will be released on Friday. Good Little Taxpayer is their single from it and it is an incendiary track, which is typical Flangipanis, walking the line between hardcore and pop punk, there's a big, beefy pummelling sound that doesn't forget to simultaneously be very catchy indeed. Vocalist Jodie Lawlor is on fine form bemoaning the daily grind of the over worked & under paid. We're expected to shut our mouths and be good little drones. It's not just work though that's the problem, society in general is pretty shitty. Jodie's advice, burn it fucking down.

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Campaign Of Terror - Divide And Fall

Campaign Of Terror are a new UK punk band that have recently posted a couple of songs to Bandcamp with more tracks on their way.

Divide And Fall is about how those in power are encouraging a Them vs Us society. This is Divide and conquer.

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Dazy - Invisible Thing

In August of 2020, James Goodson, a music publicist based in Richmond, started posting songs on Bandcamp under the name Dazy. Goodson played all the instruments on that song, recording them with a sloppy lo-fi urgency, but the songs sounded huge. Dazy’s music is sticky, fuzzy, overwhelmingly catchy power-pop, and it’s got hooks for days. Goodson didn’t make a huge deal about pushing those songs out to the world, but the songs were too good to stay hidden on Bandcamp.

After a series of two-song singles, Goodson released a couple of slightly longer Dazy EPs, Revolving Door and The Crowded Mind, earlier this year. This week, he announced plans to release everything he’d made with Dazy thus far on a new cassette called MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD: The First 24 Songs. That compilation, which is already out in the world, includes three new songs, including the single “Invisible Thing.”

Hearing all 24 of these short, compact bursts of melody in a row is just crazy. This doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that an active band or artist would make. Instead, MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD sounds like a greatest-hits compilation from one of those ’90s bands that signed to a major label after Nirvana but then never blew up even though the songs all kicked ass, since they wouldn’t go along with the label’s plans to record in a pro studio. But this is all just one guy, and he’s still cranking these bad boys out. There’s not one skip on this collection; it’s nuts.

It is the single that I am going with today. This is Invisible Thing.

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Loose Nukes - Inferno

Formed in 2016 and from Houston, Texas, Loose Nukes released a split 7" with Under Attack earlier this year and now the Black Mass demos LP which features 11 hard hitting cuts.= has come our way.

If you like your punk music to pummel you senseless then you can find the album on Bandcamp. 

This track's called Inferno...

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