HIKE THE PEAK – Ether EP

Hike The Peak is a punk project helmed by Sheffield based musician Lee Byatt. In his own words, the band was launched “as a result of a mental health crisis during lockdown”, with Lee, wisely, realising he could use his musical talent and a revolving crew of friends to deliver a positive message. Following on from a selection of digital tracks – subsequently compiled as the ‘Only The True Fly Free’ album – this release couples another two absolute bangers in the skate punk mould, sharing a sound that’s guaranteed to take some listeners straight back to the late 90s.

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SELL YOURSELF SHORT – The Lowest Standard EP

Sell Yourself Short first formed as Best Regards in 2016. Various line-up changes and one rebranding later, the New Jersey punks re-emerged bigger and better in 2020 under their new band name. Their debut EP, ‘The Lowest Standard’ features three tracks that bounce between genres but, from a musical standpoint, bring the best out of the trio at almost every turn.

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Watch the new video from Chaser

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.

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CHASER – Look Alive EP

Now twenty years into their career, skate punks Chaser sound as blistering as ever on their 2020 release ‘Look Alive’.  Although only a two track 7” release, its pair of songs acts as a sharp reminder of the SoCal band’s blend of high octane riffs and social commentary driven lyrics.  Released at a time when the world appeared to be falling apart – mass protests in the US suggest an urgent need for a change of government and a global pandemic pretty much wrote off the year – their messages of unity and togetherness are exactly what’s needed.

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PROTECTED LEFT – Fossil EP

Following 2018’s ‘Posterity’s Sake’, Protected Left’s 2019 EP ‘Fossil’ combines fierce riffs with personal commentary to create a five tracker that should appeal to fans of Propagandi and of the noisiest end of Strike Anywhere catalogue. In terms of thrash oriented punk, it feels a little generic but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when played as well as it is here.

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