New York’s Bad Mary were not exactly well known by the end of 2015 – even by internet standards – but they already had an enjoyable album and potentially brilliant EP to their credit and had worked phenomenally hard at building a grass roots following. For the female-fronted punk-pop/hard rockers, the world was still very much theirs for the taking.
Tag Archives: punk
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Descendents – Hypercaffium Outdatum Offensium
At Real Gone, we love the Descendents. We’ve followed the various band members’ careers intensely for decades, through side projects and even through related production work coming from Bill Stevenson’s Blasting Room Studios. We’ve purchased pretty much everything from the Descendents and ALL catalogues and more besides.
In 2016, they announced a return with their first new album in a almost a decade and a half. You’d think we’d be over the moon. After all, we should be thrilled that some of our favourite punk musicians are adding to their already lauded back catalogue, especially after almost giving up hope of any new material…
We’re not. In fact, we’re upset. In fact, we’re utterly offended. In fact, we are so offended we’re BOYCOTTING the new release and we actively urge all punks with any kind of social conscience to think about joining us.
ANXIETY JUNKIES – Gentrified Homicide
Released in May 2015, Anxiety Junkies’ debut album ‘Self Sabotage’ was a low budget but well accomplished foray into hardcore punk, presenting a bunch of short and sharp tunes that really drove home the band’s DIY leanings. Barely a month after release, drummer Alex moonlighted with Forced Entry, giving an insight into how – although miles from DC, New York and other places readily associated with hardcore – Georgia, too, had its own burgeoning scene. Exactly one year on from ‘Self Sabotage‘, the Junkies made a full return with ‘Gentrified Homicide’, an angry politically charged release that takes in a few more influences than before.
NIGHTMEN – Fifteen Minutes Of Pain
If you imagine the sounds of proto-punk from 1975 transferred via Sweden, you’ll know almost instinctively how this release from Nightmen sounds. This Scandinavian quartet dish up some really honest and authentic music on this audio love letter to the days of New York Dolls and the Ramones’ debut; the twelve tracks crammed into under half an hour showcases the sounds of leather and sweat, with a little camp trash thrown in for good measure. In short, ‘Fifteen Minutes of Pain’ might be heavy on the recycling, but the energy combined with a knack for hooks and riffs makes it an essential listen.
THE LIPPIES – The Lippies EP
This 2014 EP from The Lippies brings punk rock aplenty, sharp feminist attitudes and even sharper arrangements across six tracks for a brief, but thrilling listen. Although very much a DIY affair, it’s got a fantastic sound quality and production value, meaning right from the get-go the talent within this music unit can be heard so clearly. …And this is a good thing: although so much punk benefits from a fuzzy, lo-fi attitude, it would have been a shame if these songs – and the bass sound which drives them, in particular – had been lost due to a muddy end sound.