It seems unbelievable that we’re now half way through the year, but here we are. We discovered and shared a truckload of new music during the first quarter, half expecting things to fizzle out as we moved towards the northern hemisphere summer, but it really wasn’t the case. If anything, the year’s second quarter was every bit as strong.
Tag Archives: punk
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Still riding high from the praise of their 2020 7″ ‘Look Alive’, US skate punks released their fourth long player ‘Dreamers’ in the spring of 2021. With thirteen new songs that really capitalised on the strength of the previous single, the album was rightly praised by a broad selection of punk zines and websites. From the anthemic sounding ‘Echoes’ with a barrage of whoahs used effectively throughout, the social commentary of ‘2020’, and the outright optimism of ‘See You At The Show’, it was an album that offered a broad spectrum of modern punk fans something to enjoy.
HUNTINGTONS – Judy Judy EP
Between 1996 and 2003, Baltimore punks Huntingtons churned out a string of pop punk and Ramonescore LPs that secured a cult audience. Although never as fondly remembered as some of the scene’s bigger names during that era, their talents for Ramones obsessed riffs were more than obvious and what they lacked in household name status was made up for with industry support. At an early stage in their career, they attracted the attention of Tooth & Nail Records and legendary producer Mass Giorgini of Squirtgun, Lillingtons and Screeching Weasel fame. They also shared stages with Teenage Bottlerocket, MxPx and several other pop punk greats.
DEECRACKS – Serious Issues
Over the years, Austrian punks DeeCRACKS have often been a reliable source for good, honest, ragged street punk. Following the release of their ‘Call It A Day’ EP in 2013, the band have gone from strength to strength, but with its combination of straight up punky riffs, nods to 60s surf rock and occasional flirtation with something more commercial, their 2021 release ‘Serious Issues’ is easily one of their best LPs to date. In sixteen songs and less than half an hour, the band’s love of speed and directness is often at the forefront, but sharper songwriting and a few melodic twists also give the album a varied approach ensuring it never becomes stuck in a rut, or worse, sounds like “just another punk/Ramonescore album”. In punk terms, ‘Serious Issues’ is a bit special.
GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY – Self-Indulgent One-Take Woefuls EP
Goodbye Blue Monday’s third release, the ‘Misery Punk Ruined My Life’ EP, was one of 2018’s strongest DIY punk releases. Between a barrage of massive riffs and some thoughtful lyrics dealing with mental health issues, the Glaswegian band marked themselves out as one of the UK scene’s most intelligent acts.
Despite sterling support from Make That A Take Records and some very positive online press, things seemed to go quiet in the GBM camp a short time after. It wasn’t until 2020 any new material materialised, but a pair of digital singles (‘Love In The Time of Corona’ and ‘Exile’) made good on the promise of earlier recordings by way of musical crunch and more social commentary. A world grinding to a halt and a lack of social interaction enforced by a global pandemic also meant that fans would have to wait even longer for a brand new EP or album, but the band closed the first half of 2020 with a surprise acoustic EP to tide everyone over.