First things first, Happy New Year everyone. 2021, just like 2020 has been pretty fucked up due to Covid. 2022 looks as though it could be the same. But at least we still have loads of great new music to get us through. Let's finish the year with a brand new release from down under.
Hailing from Sydney, Daughter Bat & the Lip Stings featured on here in the summer of 2020 when one of my occasional guest reviewers, Simon Geddis, managed to grab a word with Angus Lewis, the man behind the solo project https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/07/daughter-bat-and-lip-stings-preemptive.html The song which featured on that update, Preemptive Strike, went on to make the JSPS Top 50 end of year chart.
There's now a new ep out titled More Love Songs and although it's come too late to feature in this year's chart it is going to get a plug today. It's 5 new tracks of diy egg punk. It's fun, it's catchy, it's available here : https://daughterbatandthelipstings.bandcamp.com/album/more-love-songs
This is my pick of the bunch, it's called Botched Boob Job...
Whilst we wait to see what musical delights 2022 has in store for us, let's have a look back at a song that featured on the show earlier this year but didn't make it onto the blog.
RABBIT are yet another one of the many great bands that Australia is offering up at the moment. They're from Hobart, Tasmania. They play a mix of garage rock and power pop and their sound manages to be both instantly familiar but also fresh and invigorating. Their intention is to write and release roughed up pop songs with "overdriven guitars and demo-quality recording." They line up thus; Maggie Edwards (vocals), Bobby K (guitar/vocals), Claire Johnston (bass) & Willy Wyers (drums).
They formed around 18 months ago and in October they released a debut 7" ep on Rough Skies Records titled Gone. It was recorded & mixed by Zac Blain and mastered by Mikey Young (pretty much everything from down under seems to be mastered by Mikey Young nowadays, maybe that's why everything ends up sounding so good). It features 3 tracks, all very impressive and you can find it here : https://roughskiesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gone
This is the title track, it's the result of a traumatic breakup and it's called Gone Gone Gone...
With Das Kapitans (https://www.facebook.com/daskapitans) managing to release an impressive 12 albums during 2021 (13 if you include the recent "greatest hits" compilation) I thought it would be interesting to ask them a few questions. I've not done an interview for a while as I was waiting for something that I thought might be a little bit different. As always, it's the replies to my questions which determine whether or not it's a good interview. Thanks to Steve, Simon and Lewis from the band, I think it's been a worthy exercise.
1) First of all, can I ask who's in the band and how did you come into existence?
Steve:
Simon does vocals and guitar, Lewis on drums, and myself on bass and shouts. Originally, I (Steve) was writing and recording stuff that wasn’t likely to be played by our band at the time Fuzz and the Felts (https://fuzzandthefelts.bandcamp.com/). I decided to go under the name of Das Kapitans and try and be a mysterious “band” releasing eps occasionally. Towards the end end of 2020, I did a few and got Simon to sing on them, to see how they sounded. When lockdown happened, Simon and I decided to just carry on writing stuff, without the restraints of needing to fit into the sound of Fuzz and the Felts, and we never stopped. Around the end of Summer 2021 we started some live rehearsals which is when Lewis (Fuzz and The Felts) joined us on drums. Heading into 2022 Lewis has become a fully signed up member and is now part of the songwriting process.
Lewis:
I like hitting things.
2) What music did you grow up listening to/what are your musical inspirations?
Steve:
I was in to all sorts of stuff growing up. My first true musical love was Wu-Tang Clan and all sorts of other hip hop of the early 90s. Hip hop artists that were pissed off. Then I was heavily into Nirvana/Sonic Youth/Mudhoney etc. The band that made me start playing guitar though was Supergrass. Their “I Should Coco” is still one of my favourites. In terms of Punk Music, my first proper introduction was when Fat Wreck Chords' “Survival of the Fattest” came out. It made me find so many other punk bands, and explore historic ones.
Simon:
Aside from the pop music that couldn’t be avoided in the early 80s, the first proper songwriting I got into was the Beatles, Kinks, The Smiths and T Rex as these were the records my parents and brother had around the home. That led me down a more indie/alternative route getting into music from Nirvana, Blur, Joy Division, Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Suede and lots lots more. My musical inspirations haven’t changed over time and I’ve used tonnes of these influences over the last 12 months. The track Socks On is my attempted guitar riff tribute to Graham Coxon, probably the biggest influence on my playing….at least I attempt to be 5% of the guitarist he is!
SOCKS ON
Lewis:
I’ve got my dad to thank for a pretty wide variety of music experiences growing up. From early 90’s hip-hop (I knew all the words to Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle by the time I was 3) to Ian Dury and the Blockheads to Napalm Death. As I got older I got into metal and was in a (pretty good for our ages) Metallica cover band. Then about 17 or 18 I took a bit of a break from music to essentially drink and work. To be honest I’ve got Lloyd (from Fuzz and the Felts), Simon and Steve to thank for getting me back into it. I’ve got no aspirations, I like hitting things.
3) You released a new album every month during 2021. Are you mad? How did that idea come about, were you confident you'd succeed?
Steve:
Simon and I have stupid ideas and are both too stubborn and competitive to not do them. We released Joulukuu, in January, originally to use up a folder on the computer of around 70 song ideas we had. Then we decided to release them monthly to use them up, but to to make them sound like proper albums rather than collections of songs, we started writing the whole albums monthly. We were always pretty confident we could do it, as were pretty quick writers and stubborn.
Simon:
I don’t remember any point in the year thinking ‘we can’t do this’. It was more a case of having a few days where maybe I couldn’t be bothered, or thinking what’s the point….but those were fleeting moments in the whole process.
4) Who writes the songs? Was there a time during the year when you thought you'd not hit the next month's deadline or was it easier than you thought?
Steve:
The albums are a mix of songs written by Simon and Myself. They all go down as written by Das Kapitans though. Now Lewis is on board and we can start doing it at a “normal” pace, we are all contributing to songs. The only time we thought we might not make a deadline was when I had to work in the US for 3 weeks, so over a weekend, we wrote ten one minute songs and put them on the tenth album.
Simon:
We managed to always write more songs than we needed at the start of the year so we would always go into the next month with the comfort of knowing we already have 25% of an album in the bag if we needed it. I think we still have about 60+ songs ideas from 2021 that we didn’t use and probably never will now.
SCORE DRAW
5) You've released more music in 2021 than most bands have in their full discography, which album do you think is your best and which song do you think deserves to be a number 1 hit?
Steve:
For me “Man on Fire” is the best. It’s the most complete sounding one all the way through. Dark and angry. Song wise, I probably get lost in “Score Draw” and would like to see that hit number 1. I think there are a few like that, that aren’t immediately catchy, but go under the radar. I can't imagine our songs ever doing that though.
TOM CRUISE
Simon:
Favourite album? Man on Fire for me. It’s the album I feel I put the most emotion into the song writing. It was written in July when I was feeling generally hot, tired and annoyed with life. I think that comes across in the songs like SCUM and County Lines. Tom Cruise from album 1 will be a number 1, one day. Maybe not in reality, but definitely in my imagination.
Lewis:
I think we’re unanimous in Man on Fire. I think that’s the point where you could really tell that Steve and Simon had grown in their confidence of their songwriting ability.
6) Now that the year is at an end and you've managed 12 albums in 12 months, what next?
Steve:
Proper band stuff now. Got loads of gigs lined up, assuming they’ll go ahead. Also we’ve set up a proper full band home recording room, so we can get everything recorded nice and easy. So we're thinking possibly a series of eps and an album of thought out songs this year. We’re very aware that we could be seen as a novelty band, because of the project, so we want to make sure that when people see us live, we put on a really good show.
Simon:
Yeah I definitely want to slow down a bit. Still working just as hard but spending a bit more time on everything we do. Have a bit more quality control. More guitar parts, more time spent of vocals and mixing etc.
Lewis:
I’m looking forward to getting involved in the writing process, hopefully getting some of my influences across.
7) You've done some gigs, do you concentrate pretty much on a core group of favourite songs as the set list or given how much you're spoilt for choice could you play a completely different set list on any given night?
Steve:
So far we’ve been trying to use the energetic catchy ones that are fun to play and get the crowds going We do keep listening to other songs though and have a list of songs that want to get into the live set. The ideal would be to know hours and hours worth, and be able to pick and choose on the night, reading the room.
Simon:
I think we’ve got about 20 now that we could pick from. There are so many songs from 2021 I want us to have in the bag. But then new songs come along and I want to do them too. Maybe one day if enough people care we could play some of the albums in full. Maybe a 12 night residency at Wembley Stadium. One night for each album.
Lewis:
There’s sooo many songs to choose from but I think it’s important that we get our sets polished and focussed.
FUTURE LOVE (Live)
8) You started Das Kapitans due to Fuzz And The Felts being unable to get together due to Covid, would you consider Das Kapitans to be your priority now or will Fuzz And The Felts take precedence once (or if) the virus eases off?
Steve:
Fuzz And The Felts was great fun, but a much more difficult writing process. We had a sound that we needed to write to. With Das Kapitans, our writing style is our sound.
Simon:
I think we’ve got a lot more Das Kapitans to be doing before we consider whether Fuzz Felts do anything else. There’s been no official break up so we will see where the next few years take us.
Lewis:
I like hitting things for anyone that will let me hit things.
CANNIBALS
9) Tell me about Socks On Records and recommend who we should be listening to...
Steve:
After a few albums were released, we were sending music out to small indie record labels for some reason. We kinda figured, in the spirit of DIY lets just do it all ourselves, so we came up with Socks On Records. Essentially, its a Bandcamp only collective of like minded artists rather than a traditional record label. It’s a way of artists sharing audiences and helping each other with promotion etc whilst going under the name of a record label. We have some great acts on there. The Morphics are garage punk/new wave and remind me of a mixture of Man? Or Astro Man? mixed with B52s or The Cramps. Cliff Hazzard is an extraordinary avant-garde writer who is super inventive with what he does. He wrote “10 Inches” for out “10” album. Soviet Films are an epically powerful band that will have your head in an absolutely spin trying to figure out what they’re gonna do next. Dan The D is a legend round these parts. He’s an artist of such talent with albums recorded all over the world. Pinfold are a great young alternative band with a big future. All the acts on Socks On put our song writing to shame.
10) As obviously 12 albums in one year isn't enough, you've signed off 2021 with a "Best Of" cd/digital download called That'll Do For This Year (The Best Of 2021). Did choosing the tracklist cause punch ups in the ranks or was it an easy task?
Steve:
We’re actually quite boring. It all came together fine. Simon narrowed it down to start with, I went through it and cut it down to what I though was the right length for a cd. Turns out I didn’t trim it enough, so Simon finished it. All amicably. In hindsight we could probably do a second best of with the songs we took off.
Simon:
As there have been so many songs it was near impossible choosing a best of album that other people would also consider the best songs. I guess we could’ve called this “Simon and Steve's Best Songs That They Could Fit On A 79 Minute CD”
So here it is, the annual Just Some Punk Songs chart. As with last year's chart, it's 100 songs posted over 2 days. Only 1 song per band is allowed, the ones in the Top 20 are pretty much the best of what the year unearthed, the ones below are also all great but the chart positions could vary on any given day. Apologies for anything I've missed out but I hope you find plenty to enjoy and maybe even discover something new. The Top 100 will be posted on Boxing Day.
They're back on here today with a song from a brand new album titled Ishguin. This time around they treat us to 8 tracks and it's a worthy follow up to Fracasco. It kicks off in style with an aggressive track titled No Futuro (which pretty much sums up how many people see things at the moment "Chaos, violence, destruction, mass media, misinformation, political anxiety and depression. No, there is no future, there is only corruption.") It's a sub 60 second call for resistance ("there is no evolution without revolution") and it's a great way to start proceedings.
Things continue in a similar vein, passionate performances married to lyrics about fighting on behalf of the downtrodden, the wealth gap between the haves and the have nots, corruption in the police force, low wages, poverty and equality. It's a great release by a band with plenty to say and you can get it here : https://lasratapunks.bandcamp.com/album/ishguin-2
An highlight amongst many highlights, this is a song about resisting with hope. It's about dreaming of a better future. It's called Utopia...
I've been a bit lax with updates during the last week or so but there's some cool stuff lined up to see out the year. I've been hard at work putting together the annual Just Some Punk Songs Top 100 Songs of 2021 chart and that'll be posted on the 30th & 31st of December. There'll hopefully also be an interview with the year's most prolific band any day now. And although there may not be updates every day as you're used to, there will be some. Including one today which is a timely reminder not to drink and drive this Christmas.
Death Of The High Street are a 4 piece punk band from the Midlands featuring a line up of Scott Baxter (lead vocals and guitar), Andy Purves (guitar and backing vocals), Ash Simpson (bass) and Joe Hodges (drums). They've been together for a year and released a debut single titled Exit in August after being snapped up by the legendary Alan McGee for his It's Creation Baby label.
They've recently released a cheap & cheerful video which they made themselves a year ago for a song which takes a wry look at a social concern which is most prevalent at this time of the year. It's a musical mash up of punk, alt and grunge and it suggests the band will have a very decent 2022. It's available now on streaming sites.
They say that good things sometimes come from tragedy
Well baby, this ain't one of those times...
A welcome back to Just Some Punk Songs to "four mongoloid brothers pissing people off with their immature antics and playing pure Red-Blooded American Punk Rock from Crystal Lake!"
That's right, Friday The 13th obsessives The Jasons (https://www.facebook.com/thejasonsband) have a new release. They've been stalking and slashing their way through the pop punk scene since their 2014 S/T debut album, writing songs about the blood thirsty movie franchise with titles such as We're Gonna Ki-Ki-Ki- Kill That Girl, You Should Never Have Reopened That Camp, Mommy Got Beheaded By A Bimbo etc... Not only do they do pop punk exactly as it should be done (catchy as hell but with more emphasis on punk than pop), they're great fun.
Their new release is the Jarvis House ep. The Jarvis House features in Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter and sees Jason Voorhees escaping from the morgue and returning to Crystal Lake to continue his killing spree. The ep features 4 tracks, 2 new and a couple of re recorded favourites from the band's 2016 Get Fucked album.
Meet Dials. They're a post punk 5 piece from Portland, Oregon who line up with Alex (Guitar), Laura (Vocals), Mary (Drums) Rose (Guitar) & Shauna (Bass).
I'm afraid I don't know anything else about them other than they've a new 7"on the way on Black Water Records. It's going to be great. How do I know? Because of the 2 songs they've just put on Bandcamp. Not sure if that's everything from the 7" but both tracks are excellent. Check them out here https://dialsbandpdx.bandcamp.com/album/dials
Firstly, it seems as though peaches aren't the only things you might happen upon whilst strolling on the beaches.
And secondly, WOW! What a great compilation of cover versions GTRRRC 3 is. The previous comp (https://geeteeband.bandcamp.com/album/g-t-r-r-c-ii) knocked it out of the park with 20 killer lo-fi reinterpretations of classic (and not so classic) songs. This latest instalment takes things to the next level with a mammoth 46 songs. The tracklist is pretty damn awesome. Haven't you always wanted to hear Buck Biloxi covering Joy Division? How about Nick Normal doing Poison Idea? Aussie rock giants C.O.F.F.I.N. blitzing their way through Funkadelic's Super Stupid? The songs are scrappy as hell and all the better for it, the cast list is a who's who of the lo-fi/garage punk scene, the album is essential listening. What's more, you can find it as a name your price download here : https://geeteeband.bandcamp.com/album/g-t-r-r-c-iii
If you want the double 12" vinyl (slime green or white) then check out either Legless Records (https://leglessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/gtrrc3) or if you're in the US or Europe/UK keep an eye on Under The Gun and Erste Theke Tontraeger as they'll be getting it in a couple of months.
It seems a bit lazy choosing the opening track to highlight but boy, it's a brilliantly trashy take on a song I was previously unfamiliar with. Originally recorded by early 80's Canadian band Rude Norton (who weren't around for long but who's line up included members of The Subhumans, The Pointed Sticks and D.O.A.), this version is by Satanic Togas (https://www.facebook.com/thesatanictogas666). It's titled Tits On The Beach...
One of my favourite songs from last year was by a trio from London called Rabies Babies. It was titled Rape Is Rape, Even If The Rapist Is In A Band That You Like (https://rabiesbabiespunk.bandcamp.com/track/rape-is-rape-even-if-the-rapist-is-in-a-band-that-you-like). The band commented on it thus; "Just because a man is in your favourite band it does not mean that he is incapable of sexual assault. This song is made from comments on social media after some men in bands on our local scene were accused of sexual assault. We are shocked at how the ‘cool guys’ are excused for their actions and the victim of the assault is blamed or accused of lying."
Today's song deals with the same topic and whilst somewhat different in style is still every bit as powerful.
Heart Attack Man are from Cleveland, Ohio and feature a line up of Peric Peegan (vocals, guitar), Adam Paduch (drums), Ty Sickels (guitar) & Logan McNeal (bass). They play a mix of hardcore, emo & power pop and if I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of all their music. It's not bad by any means but it doesn't quite connect.
I have to admit though, new ep, Thoughtz & Prayerz is more my cup of tea. Opener, Puke, is an angry rant. It's a beast of a song about the disdain felt for someone who's crossed the line. Next up is the title track and it's another sonic behemoth about a phrase that seems all to often to roll off the tongues of uncaring celebs and world leaders. The last couple of songs on the ep revert to type and are big chorus pop punk singalongs but are decent enough and will please long term fans.
But it's the meat in the sandwich which is the standout. Track 3. The one that would possibly be written off as a 90's pop punk throwback if it wasn't for the scathing lyrics and the underlying sense of rage that spews out. It's a song that addresses an issue that shouldn't be an problem in 2021 but unfortunately still is.
Nervous Triggers (https://www.facebook.com/nervoustriggers) are a punk rock band from Asbury Park, New Jersey. They feature a line up of Jay Insult (lead vocals), J Nixon (bass/vocals/guitar), Patski (guitar), Christopher "Gobo" Pierce (guitar), Chris LeSavage (drums) & Marisa Bergquist (synths/electric piano/anything with keys). They debuted 5 years ago with the 6 track Demo 2016, followed it up a year later with an ep titled Do The Drool and then put out a cool end of the world themed single earlier this year called Good Run.
Now they're finishing 2021 off on a high with another single, this time they treat us to "a new wave throwback about all the awesome stuff that made the 1980s RAD: DEVO, Superman IV, Nintendo, the looming threat of nuclear annihilation from the USA and Russia, skinny ties..."
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Non-proliferation was the goal, but now the point is moot
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
They're revoking the treaties
They're rebuilding the walls
The good old KGB is back, baby
They're tapping all of our calls
They're enriching uranium
Nostalgia's all the rage
The Cold War was the coolest
Bring on the new Atomic Age
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Non-proliferation was the goal, but now the point is moot
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Superman was on a Quest For Peace
To throw the nukes into the sun
But Lex Luthor made a nuclear beast
Lex Luthor has a nuclear gun
Lex Luthor's in the White House now
Our efforts added up to nothin'
The biggest supervillains in the world
Have got their fingers on the buttons
And now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
Now the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
We're going on the march, so dust off your old Cold War boots
Because the future's so bright, I gotta wear a radiation suit
As we come towards the end of 2021 it's traditional that we look back at the last 12 months and start compiling our "best of" lists. It's always good to attempt the impossible task of collating our favourites from the year into some sort of order then wondering both how we forgot to add so and so and also how no one else's list is as good as our own!
It's also a time to look forward to what next year will bring.
One band that are building up a head of steam are two sisters from The Wirral (Liverpool) called Yee Loi (https://www.facebook.com/yeeloipunkrock). Rose (guitar/backing vocals) is 14, Matilda (vocals) is 12, they're half Chinese/Vietnamese and in case you're wondering, Yee Loi translates as two girls. Unsurprisingly they seem to be getting plenty of comparisons with another band on a meteoric rise, The Linda Lindas.
Their early releases included covers of classics by bands like The Ramones, Johnny Thunders, The Stooges etc and they're very good. Even better is the proof that they're not just a covers band offered up by their original compositions. Debut album No One Eats For Free contains 8 of their own songs and tracks like Be Like Johnny & ZWT suggest these talented sisters could one day be selling out stadiums like their heroes. You can find their music here : https://yeeloi.bandcamp.com/
This is their most recent Bandcamp addition, you'll no doubt recognise it as a Ramones cover. It's performed with great energy and confirms the girls are very talented indeed. Glad To See You Go...
Some very catchy indie/power pop for you today from Kids On A Crime Spree. They're a California based trio featuring a line up of Mario Hernandez (vocals/guitar), Becky Barron (drums) & Bill Evans (guitar) and they've been releasing melodic bubblegum gems for a decade or so.
January 21st will see them releasing a new album titled Fall In Love Not In Line and on the evidence presented by 2 early singles it could well be a little bit special. They aren't a punk band per se, just as regulars on this blog such as The Exbats and The Courettes aren't punk bands. But without punk, none of those bands would exist, at least in their current form. As much as Kids On A Crime Spree have a love of Phil Spector and 70's power pop, there's also plenty of other influences to pick up on. Take latest single All Things Fade, is that a Jesus And Mary Chain/Shop Assistants style intro? (watch the video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zwLYw_GGLY).
The other single they've teased us with is even better, It really is totally moresome, you'll want to play it on repeat. It's called When Can I See You Again...
One good thing about this blog (at least as far as I'm concerned as it keeps things fresh and keeps my enthusiasm levels up) is that I can be sitting there thinking I've not seen much to excite me today, maybe I'll have a break and look again tomorrow. But then just as I'm about to step away from the pc I'll see a comment on Facebook like the one I've just seen from Richter Scale Records' head honcho Steven Milton in which he says "Decent power-pop from California. Could see Drunken Sailor or No Front Teeth releasing this..." The comment, plus a decent looking record sleeve led me to take a listen and to be honest, I think you should have thrown around a few more superlatives Steve!
So, gleaning what little I can from Bandcamp, Ingrates are Justin Jurgens & Nick Norrman, a duo from Amboy, California who's charged up punk and power pop sound is a homage to some of those classic 70's punk singles that we all know and love. The A side (the one I've posted below, is "a covid era pub rock anthem about finally being paid a decent working-class wage through unemployment." It makes me think of scruffier version of Los Pepes. It has all the melody of that band but with a more rough and ready feel. The flip side, Leather Lover, is "a bittersweet power pop love stomper about a long lost lover (a stolen leather jacket)." This one brings to mind The Exploding Hearts.
I think it's their debut release (although that's based on nothing more than a lack of anything else on Bandcamp!) and it excites me as much as when I first heard another similar sounding band, Tommy And The Commies. You can get the single here, it's excellent so don't miss out on what will hopefully be the genesis of a killer new band... https://ingrates.bandcamp.com/album/dont-wanna-work-b-w-leather-lover-2
This is just getting shoved into the folder marked Best Songs Of 2021 ready for the end of year chart. It's called Don't Wanna Work...
They say that all good things must come to an end and unfortunately that seems to be the case with Hereford 3 piece Terminal Rage (https://www.facebook.com/TerminalRagePunkBand). A couple of weeks ago, an announcement from Raphael La Roche on behalf of himself and Bob Griffin informed us that they would no longer be playing in the band as guitarist/vocalist Rich Lovell was moving to Portugal. Difficult enough to keep a band going at the best of times but in this Covid/post Brexit age nigh on impossible. The news has just been confirmed by Rich but it looks as though all 3 members will continue making music. There's also a farewell ep.
They've put out a couple of top releases since then, including an album titled Common Road. If you've not heard them yet then you can expect powerful, political punk from a "band who gob off with political angst and are led by a frontman who has severe anger issues and a quite foul mouth."
The new ep is titled Breathe and as is often the case with bands that split up it's possibly their best material yet. 4 tracks, all very enjoyable, check 'em out here : https://terminalrage.bandcamp.com/album/breathe
After due consideration, I'm picking this as my favourite, it's called Dead Man Walking...
Dead Man Walking
Do as I say Not as I do Growing their pension Is the life for you they own our life, we’re their pound of flesh They’d even to charge to draw your last breath
Work Life crisis Another job to break you in two I’m out of patience As the BBC tells me what’s true Another liar Another suited Empty MP with his minister’s car Another boardroom, another world A shattered life, you won’t go far A bricked up window, keep the rabble out Homeless yeah? They won’t give you a shout You need to earn their inherited keep He’s your boss But your wasted life ain’t his bastard loss
You’re a dead man walking When they’re done with you Dead man walking But you’ll never have a clue Dead man walking A bullet in your head Dead Man walking No penny for your thoughts because there’s nothing left
Counting your cash Trying to look flash Don’t care about your workforce When there’s money to be made Then when you don’t need us We’re dropped like a stone You take more care of your Latest phone I’ll see you in hell Where life’s not so swell Cry for help To forgive your mess People died Your heartless cunts While the news reports Another Distraction Stunt
You’re a dead man walking When they’re done with you Dead man walking But you’ll never have a clue Dead man walking A bullet in your head Dead Man walking No penny for your thoughts because there’s nothing left
Imploders are a hardcore punk band from Toronto who impressed earlier this year with a Self Titled 7 "ep (https://neontasterecords.bandcamp.com/album/imploders). Riding high on a wave of positive feedback they recorded a radio session for Toronto's long running Equalizing Distort Radio show. 10 live tracks on cassette including 6 new songs, they've just released it as a killer new cassette titled EXD.
If you love your music to be short, fast and heavy as fuck then you need to check it out. There's 300 copies of the cassette and it's available along with the digital download from Neon Taste Records : https://neontasterecords.bandcamp.com/album/exd
Neon Taste are also working with the band on a new 12" which will surface in 2022.
This is the explosive opening salvo from EXD, it's also pretty damn catchy as far as hardcore stompers go. It's titled Beatin' On The Brain...
Ouzo! (https://www.facebook.com/ouz0.band) are a "4 piece rock and or roll band" from Melbourne featuring a line up of Nathan Korver, Aidan Link-Freeman, Josh Peeters & Veeka Nazarova. They released an ep last December titled Dried Tomato and then featured on the Just Some Punk Songs show in October with a track called Balloons. The flip side of an upcoming single, it was a fresh sounding blast of energetic post punk that didn't sound much like anyone else but did make the listeners want to hear what the A side had to offer.
And now we know. It offers up another very good song which I'm sure will go down equally as well when I play it on tomorrow's show. It's available on 7" through Weather Vane Records (AU), Polaks Records (EU) & French Wine Records (EU)
A great song AND a great compilation to say nice things about today.
First up, The PCBs. A trio I know very little about other than that they line up with P J Curran (Vocals/ Guitar), Andy Nazer (Bass/Guitar/Vocals) & Charlie Waygood (Drums/Vocals) and that they released an album in 2020 titled View From My Window (check it out here : https://weekendoffenderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/view-from-my-window-cd-album). I've had a listen and they're fun, old school punk rock with on occasion, a healthy dose of cynical humour.
Earlier this year they released an ep on Weekend Offenders Records called The First Day Of The Rest Of Our Lives and it's more of the same. They're the kind of band that leave you kicking yourself for not discovering sooner but relieved that you got there in the end. Get the ep here : https://weekendoffenderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-first-day-of-the-rest-of-our-lives
Now for the reason why I stumbled upon them. One of the tracks from the ep is a highlight on the 3rd instalment in The Hunt Sabs series of benefit compilations. Like the first 2 comps, it's crammed with music from some of the best bands around; Rubella Ballet, The Cravats, The Menstrual Cramps, Icons Of Filth, MDC, Virus, Omega Tribe and loads more. Plenty to enjoy with all profits going to North Wales, North London & Glasgow sab groups. You can get it from On The Run Wreck Chords on cd and digital download : https://ontherunwreckchords.bandcamp.com/music
Rik and the Pigs were the 80's hardcore influenced lazy punk slobs from Olympia, Washington, who were active between 2015 and 2018 and who previously featured on here in 2017 with the title track from the Blue Jean Queen ep (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/12/rik-pigs-blue-jean-queen.html). Also on that ep was a reworking of an earlier fan favourite titled TV Bloopers and that's one of the songs that have resurfaced on a new album titled The Last Laugh.
It's been released on Lumpy Records and features 9 tracks, 4 recorded in February 2018 by Mike Kriebel in Los Angeles and 5 in February/September 2018 by Tony Santos in Fullerton. The centrepiece of the album is the sprawling 7 plus minutes of Life's A Bust but that's complimented by a supporting cast of very fine slacker punk anthems. There's 500 copies available on black vinyl and a digital download. Check it out.., https://lrdisk.bandcamp.com/album/the-last-laugh
Reminding me a little of Night Birds and bands of that ilk, this is TV Bloopers...
London's power pop kings Los Pepes are back today with a song from a new album that seems to have sneaked out with little fanfare. Maybe all the much deserved praise will begin at the end of this week as that's when it's down for release on the labels Bandcamp page but as it's streaming already I'm going to post one of the tracks today.
The band line up with Ben Perrier (Vocals/Guitar), Seisuke Nakagawa (Bass/Vocals), Guilherme Rujao (Guitar/Vocals) & Kris "Killer" Kowalski (Drums) and it's fair to say that any new release from them comes with a guarantee it'll be catchy as hell. The new album is no exception.
It's titled The Happiness Programme, it features both tracks from the excellent single they released earlier this year (Want You Back/Never Get It Right) plus 10 new compositions that are equally as good. Their best release yet? I'll need a few more listens before I can decide but it's certainly up there with their very best. It's available through Spanish label Snap Records on double mint vinyl and digital download : https://snaprecordsspain.bandcamp.com/album/los-pepes-the-happines-program-funlp-039
I could have pretty much picked any of the songs to highlight but I'm going with Sick And Bored...
Hopefully you've all heard of Anthrax (https://www.facebook.com/anthrarx). As in Anthrax the UK anarcho punk band, not Anthrax the US heavy metal band. They formed in Gravesend, Kent, back in 1980 during the time that Crass were sniffing out bullshit and Maggie Thatcher was breeding a generation of voracious capitalists. They were a band that we needed back then and we still need them today.
They've just released a new album. It's their first for almost a decade, it's titled Serfs Out, and it's available from the band's Grow Your Own Records. As you might expect, they aren't happy with the state of the nation. They attack leaders ("care and compassion are no longer in fashion"), the media ("dumb it down dumb it down, vilify, throw it out there, repeat the lie") and those that enable this current shit show ("I'm so fuckin' proud of my country, I love to watch it fall from grace"). It's an album about the rich conning the poor with the help of a complicit media and it's simultaneously a great listen and a saddening one. It's about food banks, Brexit, greed and dumbing down. It's modern day life, maybe it's life as it's always been and sadly always will be.
A few of the songs are re recorded versions of tracks that have appeared in recent years, a few are new, all fit together nicely to make up one of the best albums of 2021. You can get it here on cd and digital download (the vinyl version will be out on Friday) : https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/album/serfs-out
I'll play a different track on the Just Some Punk Songs show later today (https://www.facebook.com/events/627462865369573) but the one I'm highlighting here is the one that concerns itself with little Englanders yearning for a glorious past that didn't actually exist. It's called Island Mentality...
Teenage Bigfoot (https://www.facebook.com/teenagebigfoot/) are a trio from Philadelphia featuring Tiffany Tavella (bass/vocals), Joe Gdowik (guitar/vocals) & Jake Wunderlich (drums). They've been plying their fun, 90's pop punk influenced wares since 2013 and have built up a solid back catalogue of music (https://teenagebigfoot.bandcamp.com/). Their latest release is a new album titled Weapons Against Darkness and it's pretty damn impressive.
Pop punk influenced it may be but it's the powerful, punchy brand of pop punk, not the anodyne kind. I played I Can't See on the show a few week's ago and the rest of the album lives up to that teaser track. It's pacy, bounce around party music for punks who want to go to a show and get all sweaty.
This is another highlight, it's titled The CIA Killed Bill Hicks...
"It's just a ride; life's but a dream--"
said the preacher man from Georgia, of no faith.
He spoke of love and corporate greed,
they put a bullet 'tween his eyes for irony.
Drowning in ads and dim lit screens,
there was no need for convincing.
He just wanted to tell the truth.
Young in years, but miles ahead,
they didn't like the things he said.
The CIA killed Bill Hicks.
They blamed it on a life unclean,
traded a coke habit for nights of desert trips.
He met with gods and UFOs,
but they knew his mind was just another threat.
Drowning in ads and dim lit screens,
there was no need for convincing.
He just wanted to tell the truth.
Young in years, but miles ahead,
they didn't like the things he said.
The CIA killed Bill Hicks.
