THE LIPPIES – The Lippies EP

lippies epThis 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.

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GOLOHOR – In Saeculis Obscuris EP

golohor epFrom Belarus comes Golohor, a death metal band that’s so underground that at the time of release for their 2016 EP, the only mention of them on the internet comes from the web page of the Russian record label distributing their CD/download. It’s almost as if the band members never previously existed; there’s no bio, no photos, no social media presence. That’s odd; even guys with black and white facepaint and pseudonyms usually have some kind of online presence, but for Golohor, there’s this EP…and that’s it.

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MANON MEURT – Manon Meurt EP

manon meurt epOriginally self-released, this debut EP from Manon Meurt finally gained a bigger distribution after being picked up for vinyl release via Label Obscura, a Canadian based label in 2016. It’s great that these Czech dream poppers are given the opportunity to branch out and reach new ears, since in terms of style, things don’t often come much finer. Their six track wax takes in so many great dream pop and shoegazy moods over the course of approximately half and hour; their pensive and droning sounds appear wholly nostalgic and (mostly) quite brilliant.

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MAMMOTH SPIRIT – Mammoth Spirit EP

mammoth spirit epThroughout 2014, Brooklyn based garage rockers Greasy Hearts were phenomenally busy. Between May and December that year, they issued three cassettes and played a number of live shows. There was talk of another release in 2015, but nothing materialised and then at the very end of the year, three Greasy Hearts members resurfaced as part of Mammoth Spirit, a more complex band trading in the much of their straight up garage stance for an unpolished hybrid of blues, funk and retro psych sounds with an old soul.

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SAD BLOOD – Legion Of Gloom EP

sad blood epLondon-based emo outfit Sad Blood knew they had to follow their ‘Ultimate Warrior’ release with something special; a release that improved on their core sound and didn’t just feel like a retread of previous work. The resulting five tracks are somewhat special – hearing ‘Legion of Gloom’ (especially for the first time) is akin to taking a trip back two decades. A couple of chords is all that’s required before opening track ‘Heavy Petting Zoo’ – a tune absolutely drenched in a feeling of revivalism – is set to impress listeners who once found themselves enamoured with nineties emo.

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