Pink Suits - C.O.F.F.E.E.

  

  Quite often this punk malarkey can be a serious business. Serious bands addressing serious topics of the day. Margate duo Pink Suits (https://www.facebook.com/pinksuitsband) can happily sit in the company of those bands. But at the same time they add a touch of flamboyance. They're not afraid to make serious points in a fun way. This song (and accompanying video) is lots of fun.

  They featured on here almost 3 years ago with a track from their impressive debut album Political Child  https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2021/04/pink-suits-my-old-mans-dustman.html

  Album number 2 is on it's way, it'll be titled Dystopian Hellscape and the 2 teaser singles released thus far strongly indicate they're no one hit wonders. You can find the debut album and the 2 new tracks here :  https://pinksuits.bandcamp.com/

  If you haven't seen this video yet, I strongly advise you to click on it. Raise a pot, this is C.O.F.F.E.E.... 

Fire Man - World Peace, Eventually

   

  I've had today's song lined up to post for a couple of weeks since it went down a storm on the show. It's by Fire Man (https://www.facebook.com/firemanband/), a new band to me, who are from New York. 

     They've been around for a while but my first experience of them is their new ep, Territorial Conquest 2024. The first song, the title track, is a good introduction. It's mid paced, passionate hardcore, the kind of song that impresses you with both the musicianship and the lyrical content. The next track starts with a sample of John Brown's Body and over it's 6 minute runtime gives plenty of food for thought (this is the track that the 3 Bandcamp reviews pick out as their favourite from the ep). 

  I won't bore you by mentioning every song, I'll just advise you to check them out yourselves. It's available on cassette and digital download (all profits will go to Doctors Without Borders) :                 https://firemannyc.bandcamp.com/album/territorial-conquest-2024

  This was the song that initially caught my attention, it's called World Peace, Eventually...

When all is said and done Will you be breathing out the dust made from all our bodies The time for war is now, Yeah, we are being watched right now in books we make the story No time to question why Yeah, I look out and question why We bomb ourselves for glory We live in fear of words, We choose a death cult made of words and suffocate the peace What side will you be fighting? If you’re not here, where are you? It’s time to stand for justice World peace, eventually We know what’s coming next Yeah, we all know we’re coming next They love the taste of weakness Will you allow the feast? Or will you spill blood for the meek? Defending who is weakest? It’s time for sacrifice Will you give up a tiny slice To show that we mean business I’ll give my life for this Yeah I would give my life for this For justice, then for peace What side will you be fighting? If you’re not here, where are you? When will you stand for justice World peace, eventually World peace is coming next Someday

The Scumbags - Give a Fuck

  

  The Scumbags (https://www.facebook.com/thescumbagsuk) are a new West Midlands trio who've been attracting a lot of attention recently. Both locally and further afield (they were recommended to their record label, Council-Pop Records by none other than Kepi Ghoulie). 

  They've just released a debut 7" single and it's available on banana yellow vinyl (limited to 100 copies so get in quick to avoid disappointment). There's also an option to pay £20 for a bundle of cool stuff including the single, a t shirt, keyring, badges & stickers. You can find out more here :       https://council-poprecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-scumbags-give-a-fuck-limited-edition-bundle

  The single features a couple of lively tracks, one about an encounter with the boys in blue (as a travelling football fan in my youth I can attest that the west midlands police could be a bunch of twats) and the other a spikey fuck you to back stabbing rats.

  From your favourite new band, this is Give A Fuck... 

The Shitfits - My Right

  

  The Shitfits (https://www.facebook.com/the.shitfits.2023) are a female fronted, three-piece Power Pop Punk band settled in Portland, Oregon. They feature a line up of Tiff O'Knee (guitar/vocals), Jose (bass) & Bowden (drums). I played a song on the show by them last November and made a mental note to watch out for the release of their debut album. 

  That album is now with us and it was a wise idea to watch out for it. It's titled Collateral Damage and it's 10 tracks that combine catchy melodies with something a little more grittier (just how I like my pop punk). It's available on vinyl or digital download https://theshitfits.bandcamp.com/album/collateral-damage

  A topical hot potato, this track's about women having the right to choose in a world dominated by men. It's called My Right... 

Corker - Distant Dawn (Guest Review By Paul Charles Hammond)

  

  Last September, regular contributor Ralph Rivera recommended we check out A Fitting Compensation by Corker "possibly the MOST "Modern" sounding record of 2023."    https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2023/09/corker-fitting-compensation-guest.html

  Today, Punk AF (https://www.mixcloud.com/punkafradio/) host Paul Hammond is equally impressed by the band's follow up release...

  A couple of hours before doing my Punk AF show this week I got several ‘Bandcamp’ notifications about new releases. This late in the day I would normally roll these into the following week but this time I decided to check a few out. I saw that ‘Corker’ from Cincinnati had released a new track called ‘Distant Dawn’.

  I’ve heard and played the band before and thought they were OK, the album ‘Falser Truths’ was a mixed bag of cross genres and styles without any defining identity for me. ‘Distant Dawn’ blew me away instantly, 3 minutes of fast paced, guitar driven punk rock, full of hooks and very well produced. This is a very distinctive defining sound and I hope this is the direction they go.

  Their Bandcamp says it’s a first taste of their new album coming this year. If this track is anything to go by then, like the band name it will be a corker! https://corker.bandcamp.com/track/distant-dawn

  Distant Dawn...

Mr. Splice Guy - The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise

    

  I don't often post covers on here but this is the 2nd in 3 days. Hopefully it proves as popular as the previous one. 

  Mr. Splice Guy are a new collaboration between Brand New Luddites (https://brandnewluddites.bandcamp.com/) and Underwater Bosses (https://underwaterbosses.bandcamp.com/). Their vocalist has this singing malarkey in his genes as he's a descendent of Von Trapp Family (who were immortalised in The Sound Of Music).

  They've just released a new ep called Procedural Degeneration on Sharawaji Records which is available on cool looking red splatter on yellow 10" vinyl, cd or digital download :   https://mrspliceguy.bandcamp.com/album/procedural-degeneration 

  It features 6 Devo covers that take the essence of the originals and adds twangy surf rock guitars. It tackles both the "hits" and the "lesser known classics" and it adds a pleasingly fresh spin. 

  This was always one of my favourite Devo songs, one I bought on 7" vinyl on one of my frequent school lunchtime trips to my local indie record store. It's called The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise...  

loveshovel - Don't Look at Me (Guest Review By Paul Austin)

  

  

Australian punk band loveshovel have really impressed me with all of their 4 tracks they have so far released. Why do I like them? Modern punk with melodies and great songs. I think their 4 tracks are now out on an EP called “Dirty Word.”  https://open.spotify.com/album/7EJ1f0aAwpfuiNGWtx93Qm

 First track “No Hunks” is a no nonsense protest song against men who still don`t know what is acceptable. Next track “GOT BIT” is a cautionary tale of crypto currency, say no more. 3rd track and my favourite on the “EP” is called “Don`t Look At Me”, chiming guitar at the beginning before it explodes into “Don`t Look At Me, Don`t Talk To Me, You`re Drunk”, continues at a frantic pace until the last minute where it slows down before re igniting. The last and newest track is the title track “Dirty Word” and is probably the most “musical” but no less enjoyable. Overall a great EP that has enough to keep you going back to it and I shall certainly be keeping an eye out for future releases.

   This song's about working late, getting to the party and feeling out of place amongst a bunch of pissed up revellers. There's only one thing for it... Give me a fuckin' drink! It's called Don't Look At Me... 

 

Accidente - Boys don’t cry

  

  Regular readers will know I'm a fan of Madrid band Accidente (https://www.facebook.com/Accidentepunk). I last featured them on here only a month ago (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2023/12/accidente-atajos.html) but I noticed they've contributed a cover of one of my favourite songs to a new compilation album titled HCXHC - VOL VIII.

   The comp is available from HARDCORE HITS CANCER and 100% of the donations will be earmarked for LA CASA DELS XUKLIS (afanoc.org), Barcelona, Spain. A foster home for children and adolescents with cancer and their families. You can find out more and get the comp here :  https://hardcorehitscancer.bandcamp.com/album/hcxhc-vol-viii

  You'll recognise the song, it was a hit single for The Cure in 1979 and it's a crowd favourite Accidente have played live down the years. It's called Boys Don't Cry... 

Destroy The Idols - A Glimpse Of Hell

  

  Destroy The Idols (https://www.facebook.com/Destroytheidols) are a skate punk band from Essex who I played on this week's Just Some Punk Songs show but who've also been getting noticed by "proper" radio stations, including the BBC. They're new to me but if I've worked this out correctly they were called If All Else Fails but they recently changed it due to other bands having the same name. 

  They've just released a lively debut (under their new name) ep titled The Gunn. It's named after their guitarist Stuart Gunn who played on the ep before heading off back to Australia. The other members of the band are William Third (Guitar/Vocals/Songwriter), Andy McBane (Bass) & Pete Harrison (Drums). Amongst their influences they list the likes of NOFX, Lagwagon & Rancid.

  You can get it as a name your price download here :

 https://destroytheidols.bandcamp.com/album/the-gunn-ep

  This is the opening track, it's called A Glimpse Of Hell... 

The Pingers - Speed Signs

  

  Another new Australian band for you today. The Pingers (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090893810507) are a quartet from Cooma, New South Wales who've just released a debut 8 track ep. It's titled Pink Mitzi and it's one hell of an introduction.

  The line up of the band is Teagz (Vocals), Casey (Guitar/Vocals), Ollie (Bass/Vocals) & Steeno (Drums/Vocals). They're a whole bunch of shouty, foul mouthed fun. Their live shows look well worth catching, here's a clip of one of the songs from the ep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdH6tEBb68A 

  They endorse drinking, punching cyclists and telling their friends about their social faux pas. They'll have you singing along to their version of an Agnostic Front classic or shouting the lyrics "BIG CLITS LITTLE DICKS..."

  You can get the ep here : https://thepingers.bandcamp.com/album/pink-mitzi 

   This song suggests they like living life in the fast lane, it's called Speed Signs... 

Virvon Varvon - GOOGLE IT

  

  "You just need to type it in..." 

  It's been 5 years since I last featured London band Virvon Varvon. At the time I described them as "Garage punk that's catchy as hell, scuffed up pop that brings to mind the kind of trashy but oh so cool bands that Tina Lucchesi has graced" https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/04/virvon-varvon-mind-cancer.html

  The song I featured was the title track of the Mind Cancer cassette which was released by Girlsville  https://girlsville.bandcamp.com/album/virvon-varvon-mind-cancer

  Now Girlsville are unleashing a new cassette from the band titled Four Bars Of Hate. Maybe a better title for it would be 8 Tracks Of Chaotic Punk Fun! The scuffed up pop tunes are still present and correct, it's an album that impresses from the get go as vocalist Hanne Highway suggests forcibly that maybe Baby should be left in the corner. That's far from the only treasure on a release that demands repeat plays though as you'll discover if you click here : https://girlsville.bandcamp.com/album/virvon-varvon-four-bars-of-hate-2

 

  The track I'm highlighting is a brief piece of advice. GOOGLE IT... 

Grave Faces - Living For Nothing

    

"If you don't stand for something

  Then you're living for nothing..."

  A new band for you today (don't you just love getting in on a band at the start of their journey). 

  Grave Faces (https://www.facebook.com/thosegravefaces) are a new UK punk quintet from Teeside. I've not much info on them as they've not really done anything yet but they do have a gig lined up at Off The Ground coffee shop in Middlesbrough on Friday 23rd February where they'll be sharing a stage with Onlooker and Fast Blood. Get your tickets here : https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Middlesbrough/Off-The-Ground/Onlooker--Fast-Blood--Grave-Faces/37168935/

  And they've also just released a first demo track. It's one of those DIY punk earworms that sounds both familiar and fresh. It's melodic and memorable, strong vocally and the instruments are played with plenty of  vim and vigour. It makes me want to hear more which I guess is exactly what a calling card is supposed to do. 

  You can find it here : https://gravefaces.bandcamp.com/album/living-for-nothing

  https://linktr.ee/thosegravefaces

  This is Living For Nothing... 

Steve Colbourne - National Service (Guest Review By Paul Austin)

  

  If you enjoy discovering new music you may be familiar with Paul Austin's Facebook group New Music for punks/new wavers which aims to introduce people to new music that deserves an audience.  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063450477170

  It's pretty much the same mission statement as this blog so I was happy when Paul got in touch to ask if he could send me his first ever attempt at "journalism." As far as new music recommendations go, it ain't half bad...

  I get sent a lot of new music to listen to so how do I sort out the stuff I like….well at the end of the day it all comes to personal taste…..mine are quite eclectic having lived through and experienced and enjoyed a variety of genres from punk, post punk, indie, brit pop and electronica.

 I was recently contacted by a singer/songwriter from the Nottingham area called Steve Colbourne, who pointed me in the direction of his album “Erysimum”  

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Rtkcp9fU6eYz8pbhqsCLC

  First thing that hit me was there are some great well constructed songs on there and pretty good production, which I find always helps during the initial listening experience. Musically it`s quite hard to pin down, lets just say it kept an old punk interested through most of the tracks with hints of New Model Army/Killing Joke and some heads down no nonsense punk rock and roll.

 The opening track “Red, White and Blue” has a propulsive bassline and a great guitar riff that sets the standard for the overall feel of the album with very few low points Standout tracks for me are the most “punky” tracks on the album called “National Service” and “Another Monday Morning” and the early Killing Joke…esque “Broken English” and the more brit pop tune “Genetically Lucky”. Overall a great listen.

  This is National Service...

Baby Mullet - Take a Hint

  

  Baby Mullet (https://www.facebook.com/babymullet69) are the three piece female fronted rock band from Naarm/Melbourne who featured on here last year with a track from their My First Sex Tape ep (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2022/08/baby-mullet-not-your-toy.html). 

  On that song they were calling out boys with bad intentions and they return today with a new single which is similarly themed. This time around they're giving a bit of advice to those guys who won't take no for an answer. Sorry fella, you're out of luck, you suck, get fucked. You can find it on Spotify :  https://open.spotify.com/track/0xuUbJNrgrTeLjfPxRn6Xc

  It's called Take A Hint... 

MC16 - Polytechnic

  

  I think this makes it half a dozen Just Some Punk Songs appearances for Shropshire trio MC16 (https://www.facebook.com/MC16band) so they must be doing something right. They've been drip feeding us some excellent singles over the last 5 years (https://mc16band.bandcamp.com/). 

  Their latest release is a track on the January 2024 edition of Dammit Record's Dam-Nations compilation series (they feature alongside other cool acts such as Lone Creep, North Sea Fever, Be Fair etc...).   

  You can find the comp here : https://dammitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dam-nations-january-2024

  Often on comps you'll find that bands offer up throwaway tracks that they aren't going to use elsewhere but happily MC16 bring home the bacon as always with this one so I wouldn't be surprised to see it resurface again, hopefully on an album (hint hint lads!). 

  It's called Polytechnic...

Polytechnic, we are learning faster Polytechnic, we are learning faster Live wire, live wires Make bigger fires Live wire, live wires Make better fires I got myself a Mickey Mouse degree No doors opened, no opportunities Polytechnic, we are learning faster Polytechnic, we are learning faster Live wire, live wires Make bigger fires Live wire, live wires Make better fires Please read it, it sounds important Who sent it? it looks important Who signed it? It looks important You can’t stay in bed all day, when you wanna earn a living for your strikers pay You can’t stay in bed all day, when you wanna feel special on your birthday You can stay at work all day, if you wanna watch your kids in the school play You can’t stay at work all day, if you wanna decorate your hallway

Fast Eddy - In Too Deep

  

  The chatroom for last night's Just Some Punk Songs show seemed very keen on this song, with a couple of listeners deciding it was their favourite song of the evening. As good a reason as any to get it on here.

  Fast Eddy (https://www.facebook.com/fasteddydenver) are a quartet from Denver, Colorado who's line up features Arj Narayan (drums/backing vocals), Micah Morris (vocals/guitar), Lisandro Gutierrez (guitar) & Devon Kane (bass). They play tuneful garage rock with influences ranging from The Stooges through to The Hives with a dash of power pop added to the mix. You can find their earliest releases here : https://fasteddy.bandcamp.com/album/s-t 

  2022 saw them release their most recent album, Take A Look, and they'll be following that up with a new album which will be titled To The Stars. It'll be available via Spaghetty Town Records (USA), Boulevard Trash (USA) and Beluga Records (EU). The first single from it dropped last month and was called Spirit Commander (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXsRVvled3U).

  This is the new one, it's about relationships, inner conflicts and having to decide whether to carry on going through the motions or to get out. It's called In Too Deep... 

Knowso - Last Of The Punks

  

  The old guard is gone...
  We are the last ones standing...

  Knowso are from Cleveland, Ohio and have been around for almost a decade but I have to be honest and say they've never really clicked with me. They're not your typical verse, catchy chorus, verse kinda band that you can sing along to. They're a little more ambitious than that. Angular guitars, jarring rhythms, abstract lyrics...

  They released a couple of albums (Specialtronics Green Vision & Rare Auld Trip/ Psychological Garden) which were distributed in the UK by Drunken Sailor Records  https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/specialtronics-green-vision-lp https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rare-auld-trip-psychological-garden-lp but I never gave them much more than a cursory listen.

  But their new album, Pulsating Gore, seems to have worked it's magic on me. I'm enjoying it. I'm not sure if it's more accessible than previous releases or if my brain has just decided it was wrong before. Check it out and see what you think... https://sorrystaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/pulsating-gore

  The song I'm highlighting first attracted me due to the title but it's also a very cool track. It's called Last Of The Punks... 

Consensus Madness - Let's Go to War

  

   Come On Soldier... 

  

  Got to admit, I don't know too much about Consensus Madness. I know they're from Chicago and that they released a very enjoyable debut Self Titled 7" on Iron Lung Records back in September  https://ironlungrecords.bandcamp.com/album/consensus-madness-lungs-249

  I know they combine punk rock with hardcore, and I know that I like them.

  I also know they recently closed out 2023 with a 5 track demo ep on Open Palm Tapes. Inviting you to pogo till your legs give out, it's an energetic outpouring of rage at the mundanity of living in a capitalist society. You can find it here : https://openpalmtapes.bandcamp.com/album/op-27-consensus-madness-2023-demo

  Don't waste your brain, Let's Go To War... 

Stuart Pearce - Nuclear Football (Guest Review By Martin Carter)

  

I First came aware of Stuart Pearce from Nottingham when Mick kindly sent me a link to their Bandcamp page telling me that they were similar in sound to The Fall whom I've been a diehard fan of since first hearing them in 1978. Without hesitation I clicked on the link and started to listen to some tracks from their debut album "Red Sport International". I could immediately hear the Fall sound influences in some of the tracks but obviously they were more than a direct copy but also had some great ideas of their own and I pre-ordered the red vinyl without hesitation. It is now one of my favourite albums from last year and one I regularly listen to.

(A song from Red Sport International featured here : https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2023/07/stuart-pearce-forza-garibaldi.html)

Onto this new release which has one studio recording "Nuclear Football" which is another great track in the same vein as their previous tracks. An upbeat keyboard led song with great vocals and lyrics on one of their favourite topics "football" . There are four more tracks on the EP which were all recorded live and sound excellent including a live version of the lead track. I would love to see them live at some point in the near future and based on the sound of this it would be well worthwhile. They are back in the Studio in February to record their follow up album according to their Instagram page which I'm already looking forward to hearing. I've always been passionate about music and the older I get finding something that sounds fresh and hits the target gets less and less often but Stuart Pearce are definitely high scorers. The Nuclear Football EP is now available as a digital download on Bandcamp.

https://stuartpearce.bandcamp.com/album/nuclear-football

This is Nuclear Football...

Vista Blue - Somebody's Favorite Band

   

  A Happy New Year to you all. Inspired by the song I'm featuring today, I've decided to kick 2024 off with a tribute to all those people who are toiling away in relative obscurity releasing great new music that 99.99% of the general populace will remain forever unaware of. But to those band's I say, there's at least one person out there who loves you and is grateful for your efforts.

  I mentioned yesterday that it was this blog's 10th birthday and it's also 10 years since Vista Blue started crafting their oh so catchy power pop/pop punk earworms. I've not checked but I'm pretty sure they've featured on here more often than anyone else. That being the case I don't need to tell you anything else about them, I can just use this update to say thank you to all the under appreciated musicians out there who brighten up our lives with their creativity.

  It's a theme that Vista Blue run with on their new ep. Alongside a great cover of one of my favourite Queers' songs they have 2 original compositions. One implores all of us to make our own record. Make something that guys like myself can play on our podcasts or enthuse about in our end of year lists. The other, the title track, pays homage to a "nothing special" band that no one knows but must be someone's favourite.

  You can get the ep here : https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/somebodys-favorite-band

  This is a song by Somebody's Favourite Band...