This 7″ vinyl comes out in two different versions (black and red wth two different sleeves.) Punk pioneers V2 take us back to 1977 with “Johnny Rocco”, a song telling a story about true Manchester characters and “Car Crash”, a track with a strong DEAD BOYS vibe. If you’re looking for the original sound of late 70s punk, then don’t look any further, this one is for you! /Laurent C.
https://still-unbeatable-records.bandcamp.com/
Philadelphia’s CIVIL RATS are introducing themselves with 5 short powerpop/garage songs on this self-produced EP. “Snacks” starts the party with tons of punk energy before slowing the pace down with “Don’t Know Your Name” and its 60s garage accent. On the other hand, “Party Mood” definitely has a RAMONES vibe and “Too Much Information” and “Let’s Take a Quantum Leap” sound like a punker version of BLONDIE. Short but sweet, you’ll feel like you want to hear more after the last song. Keep an eye on this powerpop trio. /Laurent C.
This is the second album from this 90s influenced indie rock band from Saint-Etienne, France. While the album starts on a melancholic note reminding of the French 90s pop punk scene with “Albuzy Wings”, it gets much more exciting with the second song “Pagan Crap” that delivers some cool tight glammy rock’n’roll full of energy. These guys are into SENSELESS THINGS and MC4, it is quite obvious when hearing the guitar melodies and vocal harmonies in songs like “My Precious Friends” (you’ll hear some great Jerry Lee piano in this one) or “Eternal Sunset”. Sometimes early PLACEBO is not that far (“Out Of Time”) but the band also gets into more adventurous Britpop territories in “The Gift”, “You Got To Live” or “Half of Us” and its MANICS vibe. On the other hand, VANILLA BLUE also offers us some sunny pop punk in “Again and Again” and “In an Empty Seat.” The good surprise is the psych-punk tune “Panic” featuring POISON IDEA‘s Jerry A. “Sweetheart” is one of the catchiest songs on here and “Darker Than Blue” leaves us with a post-punk note. Definitely worth checking out! /Laurent C.
http://nineteensomething.bigcartel.com/
https://nineteensomething.bandcamp.com/
Members of IDOL LIPS and RAZOR LIPS have joined forces in this new trio taking their influences from ’77 punk rock and early TURBONEGRO. The production is raw and some cowbell opens this record on “Delinquent” so it can’t be bad… Punk’n’roll guitars riffs and hooligan vocals with a NEW YORK DOLLS guitar touch make these songs highly enjoyable especially when the choruses get catchy (“Burning”, “Fix Me Up”, “What About You”). The RAMONES influence can also be heard in “Fall Down” or in “Love O” and if you liked high-energy punk rock’n’roll from the 00s, then you will probably love “Can’t You See Me.” You’ll also get a bit of glam with “Miss No Fun” so there’s no doubt that these Italian guys knwo what they’re talking about when it comes to rock’n’roll. Try to catch them if you can! /Laurent C.
Lollipop Records have been running their label and record shop for long now in sunny Marseille, France. This new compilation was originally an idea from T.Boy (LULLIES) so it’s not surprising to hear Les LULLIES opening the record with “Dernier Soir” a catchy powerpop rock’n’roll song in French. Then you’ll hear the very good “Electric Fear” by PARADE who are more influenced by British indie rock and post-punk followed by SCANERS and their ’77 punk rock/new wave on speed from outer space influenced by The BRIEFS. ALVIDA offers us some fun candy powerpop with a French yéyé touch on “Moustique” while FOOD FIGHT seem to be more influenced by The CLASH in their song “Permanent Departure Master.” On the dirty garage side, you’ll find HOLESHOTS, POGY ET LES KEFARS from Marseille and LA FLINGUE (with some ex-HATEPINKS members) with a brilliant poetic song title “A genoux dans la pisse.” Side B starts with a good dose of punk rock : “Red Signal” by BOSS mixes 70s British punk with early 80s American new wave and BART AND THE BRATS brings the original DEAD KENNEDYS spirit back to life. Then, a bit of French powerpop with “Epluchure” by ASPHALT and some American influenced powerpop meets TEENAGE FANCLUB in a very catchy “Find Out (feat. Pogy)” by ALMOST LOVERS. 60s garage, powerpop and LOU REED mix quite well in “This Love In Me” by PLEASURES and The SUTTLES offer us a pretty good bubblegum song with “Lucy.” Marseille brings us more powerpop with FLATHEAD and “Sunset Girl” before TEENAGE HEARTS put an end to this album with their bootboy glam bovver rock song “Simple Needs.” They say this album should become a cult record in 15 years and maybe it will but the great thing about it is that you’ll hear a lot of new French bands and none of them suck!/Laurent C.
http://lollipop.records.free.fr/
GO PUBLIC! Was formed by four punk rock musicians from Lyon, France who played in bands such as SIXPACK, CONDENSE, PARKINSON SQUARE or NOT SCIENTISTS. Here they deliver 12 songs with various punk influences: “2 Old To Die” reminds me a bit of SCOTT “DELUXE” DRAKE solo stuff while “All Faith Is Lost” or “Snowball” clearly lean towards 90s emo punk. These guys are no beginners and know what they’re talking about, you’ll find traces of bands like DESCENDENTS, HÜSKER DÜ or JAWBREAKER in these songs. You’ll also hear a bit of up-tempo punk rock’n’roll in “Getting Late” or in “A Rose In Her Hair” and even a touch of FUGAZI in “fm 1” or in “634269”. The vocals remind me a bit of Australian punk rock’n’roller SIMON CHAINSAW at times (“Sheishimheisher) and the band gets more surprising when slowing down the tempo and getting more poppy in “In A Park”. If you like your punk rock tight with a dash of melancholy and lots of guitar melodies then look no further! /Laurent C.
Some RAMONES influenced punk rock by our favourite pop punk record label, Monster Zero Records!
Sweatpants Party “S/T”
Kevin Apers offers us 12 songs in The APERS vein. From fast angry punk (“I.K.E.A.”, “Fucking Useless”, “Elevator”) to RAMONES tributes (“Gimme Gimme Wok Treatment”) and cool punk rockin’ songs (“Happy Heart”, “Wasting No More Tears”, “Super Disappointed”), you’ll get all the ingredients that used to makeThe APERS so great. It’s not hard to imagine that songs like “I Will Never Drink Again” or “Weird Brain” can only be killer live, so keep your eyes open.
The Wimpys “Lookin’ Westward”
This Japanese band started in the mid-90s and you can hear that they know what they’re talking about! Their music is a cool bastard son of rock’n’roll and punk as you can hear in “Back On The Attack”, “Seventeen Seventeen”, “Walk Like A Man”, “Fun Tonight” or in “Work Out.” The spirit of the RAMONES can also be heard in “Too Busy” or in “Sad Little Girl” and you’ll even hear surf rock touches here and there and in “Back To The Summer Beach” as well as a bit of powerpop in “Excuse.” Good old rock’n’roll with punk energy. Sometimes you don’t need more to have a good time!
The Pigeon Boys “Detox/Retox”
These guys from Innsbruck, Austria play fast melodic pop punk à la NO FX but can also lean more on the powerpop side with “The Day You Gave Me Your Heart” or “My Heart Is Beating For You.” You’ll also get some RAMONES influenced punk rock with “Spaceship” or “The Night Himo Died” and a touch of 90s emo punk in “Quit Pro Quo.” Party punk all the way!
The Budweisers “Look out, Below!”
As you can imagine, this Spanish band isn’t a straight edge hardcore one. I was expecting some silly punk pop but songs like “500 Days Of Summer”, “Deepest Of My Heart” or “I Should Have Cried” have a bit of melancholy into them and the RAMONES influence is obvious in songs like “Look Out Below”, or in “Take A Ride.” The band also gets more in the rock and roll territory with “In The Basement” or in “Weirdo.” Oh, and these guys can also sing perfect vocal harmonies, always a plus in that style!
Monster Zero
Label / Mailorder / Distribution
Big Budget-Looking Video Made On Gonzo Girl Trip During COVID
“…..riot grrrl energy that today’s world needs.”-The Aquarian Weekly
Big corporations are peddling deceiving “disposable plastic.” Recycling programs are being discontinued due to cost effectiveness. And here we are frozen in indecision: what do we do for the ailing planet? Helpless and hopeless, some say f#$@ it, and others get punk rock about it and make a rousing statement. Today, the post-riot grrrl four-piece band, How Tragic, takes a stand with its achingly-beautiful apocalyptic “Goodbye Cruel World” video.
“The world is burning, the ship is sinking, and people are like ‘what’s the point in even trying anymore?’” says the Brooklyn, New York-based songwriter, singer, guitarist, producer, and
director Paige Campbell. “It feels like we can’t do anything to help; it feels like there’s no point in trying; it feels like we don’t know who to believe and what is the truth. There’s a special place for people who still have the fight left in them, and this is their song.”
The “Goodbye Cruel World” video boasts breathtaking landscapes; stylishly, high-concept cinematics; and a captivating video performance by Paige. The backstory behind the video is that Paige, and two of her friends, found themselves stranded together when the pandemic took over. They were confused, terrified, and kind of curious if they could spend lockdown doing something creatively constructive. The trio set out on a cross-country adventure that stretched from the vintage elegance of the Silver Sands Motel in Southampton NY; to North Carolina in a ghostly KMart location being liquidated, and the gorgeous sand hills in Jockeys Ridge State Park; to Bisbee, Arizona at a vacant beautiful hotel and artist retreat and in the desert; and, finally, back to New York City months later with How Tragic reuniting for a filmed street performance at Coney Island.
“Goodbye Cruel World” is a mid-tempo punk song with a touch of 1950s balladry overtones, and it’s as seething as it is sensual, smoldering with ill-fated romantic ideals. One choice passage reads: We hemorrhage apathy, As The World Turns/There’s not much else to do but sit and watch it burn/Goodbye, cruel world/Goodbye, cruel world/and this wasteland/Goodbye cruel world. This is a song for the ages, but we will probably be looking down at our phone checking out influencers, and the meticulously-curated lives on display when the earth explodes in a big ball of fire. But we can’t say we weren’t warned.
Previously, How Tragic (unsigned) has been championed by rock legend Rodney Bingenheimer who introduced the band on his radio show where he premiered the single “Deathwish.” The quartet has issued the 4-song EP, Past Lives—co-produced by Paige alongside producer, engineer, and mixer Matt Chiaravalle (Courtney Love, Debbie Harry, Warren Zevon)—and debuted as a headliner at the iconic rock venue the Mercury Lounge.
http://spaghettytownrecords.bigcartel.com
soundcloud.com/spaghettytownrecords
Veglam 