NUCLEAR SPRING DISCOGRAPHY

The complete discography of overlooked US snots Nuclear Spring, released on cassette by Doomtown. Members of this band played in and went on to join CREEM, Ajax, La Misma, NOMOS and others, their pedigree sound capturing a perfect nexus of influence between very early Punk Rock and US Hardcore that makes for irresistibly simple songcraft and burly, hard edged fury. Single note Guitar lines scramble for consonance, crusher chords minimalist and brimming with slashing power, Bass and Drums interlock and rock in march stepping, melodious haste, each mostly mid-paced song covered in dude croons, wails and yowls from one male/one female voice, both possessed of sophomoric rage and youthful enthusiasm. Virulently catchy, loud and vituperative, burning with life and incensed at unequal social outcome, and informed by scenes like UK82 and even a little streak of Oi, Nuclear Spring is positively ion charged with Punk Rock power. Rips beginning to end.

Doomtown Records

C.O.F.F.I.N. – ‘AUSTRALIA STOPS’

The latest full length album from Children Of Finland Fighting In Norway. C.O.F.F.I.N plays a firebrand shitstorm of Garage Rock, Punk, Hardcore and Rock & Roll, potent beyond decency and seriously combustible. They combine these elements with masterly drunken aplomb, songs careening through Oi stomp to Blues to dusty ol’ piano Glam and back, presenting a cohesive boogie bogan gumbo of redneck power! Catchy as fuck, bright and burning Guitars with wicked licks, impressive and dare I say subtle Bass work imbuing power and harmony to the already greasy gorgeous axe work, and hard as fukk workhorse drumming with loads of swagger, topped with throaty and gruffly melodious vocal delights, a brash bastardry of all manner of hard rock styles resulting in toothless grinning mayhem. Ultra Posi, ultra pissed up and ready to dance or fight, your choice cunt. My mind is far too disordered to usually commit to a best of the year type deal, but I can fucken tell yous now that ‘Cut You Off’ is the best single I’ve heard this year, and probably last year too. Oath.

Bad Vibrations Records

RAT CAGE – ‘SAVAGE VISIONS’

Rat Cage follow up their incendiary 2020 full length ‘Screams From The Cage’ with rancor and vim, ascending their Hardcore Punk to a plateau of powerfully potent, anthemic riff soaked perfection. An utterly head kicking, tory lumping, chainsawing cut of catchy as fukk Kang mayhem, UK 82 knuckle-up bounce and brusque, teeth rattling Mangel, D-Beat & Anarcho Punk, and Punk Rock &Roll each represented within the face smashing mace strike of desperate, furious Hardcore, a barnstorming hosanna to the dispossessed and downtrodden inmates of brexit Britain, terrified drunken rats with callous smirks in the fukking pit of despair. Darkly anthemic throttling chords and soaring, brazen, blazing 4 note blues crusted leads slammed out with murderous intent, wallowing in thuggish harrying melody, a torrent of saturated drums leaping from fast to fucking fast to doomed plod to stomping mid-paced tumble enmangled with total bulldozer mid bloody Bass, and full throated super pissed violent vocal outcry, a voice of wounded despondence and outrage amidst the fire sale capitalist meltdown of england’s post tory social abattoir. ‘Savage Visions’ careens from fist banging Punk Rock chorus consonance to blank eyed Hardcore chord wall with the verve and swagger of champions, an indispensable masterwork of modern Hardcore Punk. This is England ’23.

La Vida Es En Mus

THE CHATS – ‘GET FUCKED’

Inexplicably more energetic than their debut full-length, The Chats’ second album is a total ripper. They seem more pissed off this time around and I’m all for it. Sure, the Aussie punk humour is still there in tracks like “6L GTR” and “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane”, but then there’s “The Price of Smokes” which starts off seething in its indignant displeasure before boiling over into a maelstrom of bloody-eyed lividity, railing against the cost of living. They’re a truly formidable power trio here – like I said earlier, they’re drawing more energy than before but have also become frighteningly tight; every song blasts through with the power and precision of a laser cannon. New guitarist Josh Hardy seems to have a few more tricks up his sleeve than the last fella, peeling out occasional Hendrixisms and surf tones with blitzkrieg efficiency. On the subject of efficiency, this little dose of aural amphetamine clocks in at only 28 minutes, so when The Chats tell you to “GET FUCKED”, you’ll have time to do it over and over again.

Bandcamp

DIRTY NIPS – ‘CAN O’ DIRTY DEMO NIPPLES’

A foetid collection of raw ‘n’ nasty garage psych demos spewed forth from the gutters of Bristol. Looks like this is Dirty Nips’ first release, and god damn, they come swinging right out of the gate. “For a good ol’ nasty time”, reads the tagline on the front cover, and that’s exactly what is delivered. As with all good demo tapes, this one sounds like it was recorded on a shoestring budget and is all the better for it (just checked the credits – recorded in various basements. Perfect.) considering the material that lies within: dirty great swathes of blown-out fuzzrock, clad in harsh, buzzing guitar tones and crowned with similarly warped vocals. There’s a couple of lysergically soft “Barratt-plays-the-blues” type moments to dig too; but they’re over pretty quickly before you’re once again savouring the sensation of having your skull battered to pieces by a dozen pairs of sweaty, greasy tits. I recommend getting a cassette copy that can be bagged on their Bandcamp page; there’s five bonus jams on the flipside after the demos. A great burst of promise from some new kids on the stoner block. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Bandcamp

DANGÜS TARKÜS – ‘ROCK’N’ROLL FOR THE PEOPLE’

Sugary Punk Rock n Roll from strange man-shape Dangus Tarkus, also of the excellent Nancy and The Muff Divers. Muffed up weirdo pervert Punk Rock Power Pop, tasty licks and kickin shits! Stripped back Rock N Roll goof ups, furiously odd outsider Joey Ramone Punk Rock. Reminds me of 80’s Ramones a lot. Excellently lo-fi non-production. The hooks are extra catchy, the tone is extra silly, bleary eyed wailin vocal, Garage rockin’, Power Poppin’ goodness. Snotty, sassy fun for freaks. What more can be said?

Bandcamp

OH SEES – ‘PROTEAN THREAT’

Recent LP from the mindscape of John Dwyer and his magical marvelous Oh Sees (or OC’s, or Thee Oh Sees…) A shattered kaleidoscopic squirt of noisy acid Kraut Garage Rock, adorned in liquid metal mirrorsuit and ready to launch into orbit. Crumpled Bass distortion, psychedelic surfin’ Guitar leads, squealing effects and synths in hyperactivity, catching incessant melodies and riding them down to a nub – a multitude of strange singing, whispers and chatters amidst the driving and driven Spacewar Punk Rock, dancing and swinging, buzzing Bass lines run the gauntlet, unwinding speed blast Space Rock-ish, sci fi synths and mad earwomy shit, grooves forever. Rocking and chilling, freaking out and grooving too – ‘Protean Threat’ is Krautrock squared, taking the Motorik mesmerism of Can or Neu!, and melting it down into a pool of psychedelic Punk Rock contamination. Predictably wonderful.

Bandcamp

THE UPSIDEDOWN FLAMES – ‘CREEPS AT SHOWS’

Satyrs prowl the streets with napalmed hearts, romantic cadavers ablaze, snotty irradiated Industrial Post Punk recorded on a Geiger counter with completely warped mutant Guitar sounds, Kevin Shields style with those whammy bends, killer narco bass buzz, everything driowned in a reverb hum perfection, warmly contaminated and suffocating like a fine powder in the atmosphere, melancholy and catchy songs – anarchic ‘Street Kraut’, super simplistic filth Post Punk Rock, irreverently glum and angry, stabbing neurotic and simple as a punch in the throat. Excellent bizarre gonzo lyrics, electronic beats and acoustic drums, Bauhaus on speed, storming and stomping through the abandoned world of the future primitive. Fucking brilliant and all too short.

Fuck Yoga

THE MUFF DIVERS – ‘NO MUFF TOO TUFF’

The Muff Divers from the States, both members are in other killer Punk, Rock and Hardcore bands like Culo, Nancy and Dangus Tarkus, amongst others. Sleazy Punk jizz, tongue in cheek Ramonescore Punk Rock for the uneducated and barely legal. Fuzzed up tuff guy chords and lots of bluesy licks, yelpy vocal and excellently simplistic drumming. Minimal and masterful, super catchy and totally dick ‘n’ puss crazed, childish and badass, fast and fucking awesome. Muff maestros, indeed.

Bandcamp

GAS RAG DISCOGRAPHY CASSETTE

Gas Rag’s complete discography (I think), released on cassette by the excellent Pissed Off! Records in Malaysia. Volatile, unstoppable Hardcore bulldozer shit, scummy and fucking crummy. Gas Rag’s aplomb for fist-smashing, wild rocking chords and burning simple lead lines makes their particularly filthy brand of Punk totally pissed up on cheap alcohol substitutes, leather-gloved and morally decrepit – Fuzz encrusted Swedish D Beat and mangled US Hardcore hate, stomping rager anti-art school irreverence, vicious, cruel and fukken mindless. Lickin’ slashin’ white hot Guitar sounds, mid-range Bass strangle rumble with foot-down-fast and hard drumming, storming rounding toms and nihilist aggression sleaze grunt and yell vocal. A prurient delight of minimalist Hardcore nihilism and 2 chord Rock N Roll hubris. Score.

Pissed Off! Recs

BLASTING CONCEPT SELF TITLED

Blasting Concept’s self titled LP is a scuzzy manic Hardcore Punk / swampy 70’s Hard Rock bastard hybrid. Think Bl’Ast (duh), Black Flag (duh) and pre-Eagles Joe Walsh sharing a chopper with hooded death in the fukken sidecar, with barn-burning Blues riffs and leads, mid to fast paced biker Punk Rockers for burnouts with killer yelled vocal keeping things on the Punk side of Hard Rock, snotty and swampy, bluesy and pissed up. Totally loaded with catchy hooks and leads, a heaving desperate rhythm section, very nasty, burned up production – reminds me also of Zeke, but with slightly less obsession with pure speed. This is a seriously great little record! Sounds like a mad bomber ride into enemy territory. Don’t sleep.

Bandcamp