MIKEY ERG – Bon Voyage EP

Best known as a member of The Ergs!, Worriers and sometime collaborator with For Science and House Boat, the ever-busy Mikey Erg embarked on a solo career in 2011. His second full-length album, 2019’s ‘Waxbuilt Castles’, found Erg moving away from his typical pop-punk and taking more of a singer-songwriter stance. Often veering into (pre-country music) Ben Kweller territory, it sort of suited him, but came as a surprise for some fans.

For those who disliked Mikey’s more reflective side on that album, some consolation comes with 2020’s ‘Bon Voyage’ EP’ moving back to punk. The EP was specially commissioned by Stardumb Records and Mikey immediately thought about the punk EP’s of his youth, of how they were often a gateway to a new band, often featured exclusive tracks and often featured a cover tune along the way. ‘Bon Voyage’ ticks all of those boxes.

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Listen: Carter USM legend Jim Bob shares new 30 second single!

“Not a day without a murder / Not a week without a bomb” proclaims Jim Bob, somewhere near the peak of his new single. A burst of punk rock anger shows the one-time Carter USM frontman in a particularly angry mood. …And rightly so, since the world seemed to be falling apart as we all hurtled into the new year, unaware that things were in fact about to get worse.

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INCISIONS / PIZZATRAMP – Do You Know Who You Look Like (split release)

This 2020 split release from TNS records brings together four previously unreleased tracks from Incision and Pizzatramp – two bands that had made some fairly obvious waves on the UK underground punk scene over the previous couple of years. Valuing speed and anger over almost everything else, it’s one of those 7”s that’s pretty much bound to make an instant impression.

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JAGGER HOLLY/THE WINDOWSILL – Saving The Genre, And You Know It… (split)

When approaching a release called ‘Saving The Genre, And You Know It…’, it’s likely you’re expecting the performers to carry a certain amount of arrogance. You’re certainly heading in with high expectations. You might even expect that a title like that would be setting itself up for a fall…

NOPE! This split release between Euro punks Jagger Holly and The Windowsill is bloody amazing.

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THE LIVERMORES – The Livermores

The Livermores’ 2019 self-titled disc follows a couple of EP releases (including a fun split with Proton Packs), is advertised as a full album but still only clocks in at a length that some bands would still consider an EP. In an especially lean twenty four minutes, though, this band smashes their way through a full thirteen tracks of speed-driven punk, creating a listen that’s both enjoyable and incredibly energetic.

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