Towards the end of the first quarter of 2025, Bristolian indie rockers Oswald Slain released their debut EP ‘Kiss Me On The Mouth’, but this wasn’t the first time some of the band members had been in the spotlight. Guitarist vocalist Charlie Fitzgerald and drummer Rhii Williams had previously released material under the name Little Thief, and delivered one of 2021’s best albums. Realising they’d taken Little Thief’s garage rock sound as far as it could go, they teamed up with other musicians and branched out. Not that some of Oswald’s debut was massively far removed from the old sound; Fitz’s vocal retained a distinctive edge, and a couple of the songs definitely sounded like a logical extension of the Little Thief world. Nevertheless, ‘Kiss Me…’ was a strong first outing, and keeping the wheels greased, the band delivered an equally enjoyable follow up single ‘Firing Line’ barely a couple of months later.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
CHEAP FIX – Soul Tune / Dead Mouth
‘Re-Animator Blues’, the first release from Texan garage punks Cheap Fix, really didn’t mess around. The two track 7” hit their potential audience with two speed driven bangers that valued an authentically raw sound. This immediately set them as an act to watch, assuming they didn’t suffer an immediate creative burnout.
PERPACITY – Let It Roll EP
In the spring of 2025, electronica duo Perpacity returned with an unexpectedly alternative sounding EP. Not only did some of the music from ‘Lille Flamme’ take on a slightly more angular sound than previous Perpacity tracks, but a decision to present the lyrics in Danish made everything a little more obtuse. Not that it was an entirely inaccessable release: at its best, the three numbers still showcased a musical unit who understood the need for a melody, even if those melodies were sometimes a little cold.
TAXI GIRLS – Rainy / The Lion’s Share
On their 2023 EP, Taxi Girls packed a whole world of distorted and punky riffs into a little over eleven minutes. Sometimes sounding like a Frankenstein creation made from the best elements of Bully, The Soviettes and Shampoo, the material valued abrasiveness over finesse, but every one of those EP tracks served up a fantastic sound from the crossroads of indie and garage punk.
CHIMPAN A – Music Is Art Vol. 1
A collaboration between Magenta’s Robert Reed, vocalist Steve Basalmo, and a revolving cast of prog and rock oriented musicians, Chimpan A have a sound that’s varied and complex, but also often accessible. Although their 2020 debut album favoured longer arrangements, their overdue follow up ‘Music Is Art Vol. 1’ is home to a few much stronger, shorter pieces. There are a couple of epic tracks to be found during the eight song journey that blends pop, rock, electronica and prog influences into a smart and seamless menagerie, but the bulk of this long awaited release centres itself a little more around actual songs.