[engl] It defied reason. Forming a band in order to raise from the dead a short, obscure musical period of lawlessness between 1965-67, in a day and age of predictable, artificial and uninspired "music". Coming from the 4 corners of LA County, The Sound Reasons got it together. Locals began seeing where it was at, because, every performance they saw, the boys brought the thunder and lightning down in the form of a hip shaking, pounding, jangly, fuzz drenched soundscape.To the Sound Reasons, music is THE THING with no artificial ingredients, and real SOUL. With the Sound Reasons, Rock and Roll, really, is alive and well. For this band, the only thing that counts is getting it tight, out of sight and nailing the elusive SOUND. This debut release is sure to turn your party, cookout, or freakout ON because these guys have the stuff. The stuff that defies Reason! Heavy Carton delux edition, oldschool sleeve glued backflip

[engl] The hallmark of a great band is its ability to progress, to change from record to record. Even a brilliant debut cannot sustain a group throughout their entire career. Thankfully for music fans, Space Raft has that ability in spades. Hints of the best of '60's and '70's rock are combined with the dynamism and immediacy of modern post-punk to produce an ever-shifting backdrop of melodic innovation that moves forward several leagues from their self-titled debut.Their new album "Rubicon" (out April 15 on Dusty Medical Records in the USA and Bachelor Records in Europe) takes the positive attributes of their self-titled debut and expands on every aspect of their sound; from pop-rock hooks (opener "Borrowed Time," standalone single "Paper Airplanes") to drifting melodies ("Vacation") to euphoric instrumental passages ("Disconnection Notice," "Red Arrow").This can be attributed in part to Space Raft's consistent membership; after working together for years Jordan Davis (guitar, vocals), TJay Christenson (keyboards), Jon Heibler (bass) and Tyler Chicorel (drums) have a second sense about what will and will not combine fluidly; this interplay is crucial to their multi-faceted sound. Also integral to their sound is the one-two punch of recording with Shane Hochstetler at Howl Street Studios in Milwaukee, and the mastering skills of Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering.

[engl] Whatever image that the name "Space Raft" might conjure up for you, just forget it. They are not specifically a psych band, or a retro-glam outfit, or a blatant '70's throwback. They are, instead, a classically brilliant pop-rock combo which incorporates elements of all the above while working by their own rules, beholden to no genre. Space Raft, their debut album, is proof positive of this. Formed in 2012 by ex-Mystery Girls guitarist Jordan Davis, former Temper Temper keyboardist TJay Christenson, Father Phoenix drummer Tyler Chicorel (who currently handles bass duties for the equally awesome Call Me Lightning) and Goodnight Loving bassist Colin Swinney, the band currently includes bassist Srini Radhakrishna (Circles, Football, France Has The Bomb), following Swinney's departure to California. The camaraderie amongst Space Raft's members is obvious upon listening to their music; there is a definite interplay between all of them that contributes to a fully-formed vision. Healthy helpings of melody, rhythmic diversity, and intriguing instrumentation make their self-titled debut LP a constantly shifting, magical entity. There's an almost science-fiction element to many of their songs, such as "Jupiter Calling" and "Anything is Possible" which is completely in line with the effects-laden guitar lines and washes of keyboard. However, Space Raft can abruptly shift gears into songs such as "We Are Not Alone" or "Rescue Mission" which are pop at its finest. Diversity is the key to Space Raft, a quality which, unfortunately, is sadly lacking in many modern bands.

[engl] Speedball JR was formed in the summer of 2000 during Ghent’s (surfcity Belgium) famous surf explosion. They originally played more traditional surf rock like Dick Dale, Bobby Fuller Four and the Ventures. Later on they developed a more trashy sound with more garage and sixties influences. In 2011, after some serious band changes they released their 3rd long player “Treble in Paradise”. All sleeve designs are masterpieces of hotrodtrash-art by Mighty Sam the renowned graphic artist.

[engl] This is a fine 7” from L.A.’s own SPEEDBUGGY. After an album release on one of the Bad Religion dude’s “Porterhouse Records”, an album and a mini album on “Cargo Records” and a sold-out 10” on “Man’s Ruin”, we’re proud to present Speedbuggy’s debut 7”. The time is now, so how long do you wanna wait? This is great Country-Punk-Rock’n’Roll, catchy Country-Rawk with a slight “middle-finger-in-the-air-attitude!” … or whatever you wanna call it. “Bitter Man”’s gonna kick any Hillbilly’s ass and “Blacktop Highway” is something for ya shaky lil lady. I would say it’s the right tune for the perfect combination of an ice-cold beer and a damn-hot chick. Just tasty! A soon-to-be-classic! This band is featuring the x-guitarist from NOFX, by the way. And this Lonestar release will have a extra-cool vintage-style artwork on a rough paper to make it a real Original. I can’t say more then I bet you’re gonna love this one

[engl] DEBUT LP by Chicago's folk rock darlings, SPIKE AND THE SWEET SPOTS! Limited pressing of 300. Also out on Randy Records, USA. At a time when it seems that most rock n roll bands bury their vocals under a mountain of reverb, with the lyrics mostly unintelligible, and the voice treated as just another instrument, Spike and the Sweet Spots stand as a powerful counterpoint. They are a band for whom good songwriting and good lyrics are at the forefront. Above everything, Spencer “Spike” Johnson is a songwriter – a man who idolizes such lyrical heavyweights as Bob Dylan, Daniel Johnston, Lou Reed, or more recently The Dutchess and the Duke, Home Blitz, or Juan Wuaters. And with role models like those, you can rest assured that you will never hear a Sweet Spots song with cliché or rehashed lyrics. And on their debut album “Strange Breed”, every song is thoughtful, heartfelt, clever, and well executed. For the last ten years, Spike has played in Chicago’s favorite party rock band, The Yolks, and lent his pen to write many of their best songs. But at the same time was ripping it up with The Yolks, he was sometimes writing songs that did not match the high energy rock n roll songs in a typical Yolks set. And so he started his own group as a vehicle for these great songs he was writing that were too mellow for The Yolks, but too good to just let lay fallow. Such a path from garage punk to folk rock is not uncommon in rock n roll. Think of Greg Cartwright who went from The Oblivians to the Reigning Sound, or Jesse Lortz who went from The Fe Fi Fo Fums to The Dutchess And The Duke. And the results are similar for Spike and the Sweet Spots: a great folk band with a rock n roll heart that writes great, memorable songs. For the last few years, Chicago has been keeping this amazing band our little secret, but with this debut LP, the secret is finally out! Spike and the Sweet Spots are amazing, this album is amazing, so go out and get it, open up your ears, open up your heart, and let the love flow!

[engl] Rock’n’punk done right, as only Australians can do. Tattoos, bad haircuts, and repetitive solid riffs. HEARTBREAKERS and STITCHES amphetamine swagger with COLOURED BALLS, SAINTS, or POWER street smarts.

[engl] Split System, the Aussie group featuring Jackson Reid Briggs (Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters) on vocals and Arron Mawson (Stiff Richards) on guitar, took the punk world by storm with its debut EP this past spring. That was hardly surprising given the talent involved. But whatever my expectations were for Split System, the Melbourne-based outfit far exceeded them. Not just another "super group" (also on board are guitarist Ryan Webb [Speed Week], bassist Deon Slaviero, and drummer Mitch McGregor [No Zu]), Split System is straight-up one of the most powerful and exciting punk rock and roll bands of recent memory. The band's EP was a smasher, and now debut album Vol. 1 emphatically follows suit. My god, this record is a monster! Essentially Split System's sound is classic Aussie punk. That may sound like nothing new, but this band executes the style with a force and fury rarely heard these days. It doesn't hurt that Jackson Reid Briggs is one of the best rock and roll screamers going. He's got a fire inside of him. Meanwhile, Mawson and Webb form one hell of a guitar tandem. And that rhythm section is insane. These are all brilliant players who come together to make an extraordinary band. Vol. 1 comes storming out of the gates with "The End" and never lets up. Of course we knew some of the previously-released tracks ("Hit Me," "Demolition," "Climbing") were going to rip. But the newer material is just as good and will just about melt your face off. Songs like "Ringing In My Head" and "Grip" are pure energy and ferocity, while closing track "Feelings" has a mellowed-out Saints feel. This band knows how to rock and roll, and there are literally no songs on this album that don't entirely kick ass. Sometimes we think of these all-star groups as "side projects," but such categorization would sell Split System woefully short. If we're talking about the top three or four punk bands in Australia right now, this has to be one of them!

[engl] Maybe your demands of punk are a little too high. Maybe they’re a little too exacting - you know what you want, but you don’t know how to get it. Maybe you’ve got an itch that’s needed scratching since you first heard ‘(I’m) Stranded’ (sounds like a doctor needs to look at that, mind). Maybe all or none of these things are true and you’re just in search of three or four chords and some righteous snot. Reader, you have come to the right place. Split System came sauntering out of Melbourne back in 2022 with a self-titled 7” and a debut LP (the sensibly-titled ‘Vol. I’), and as a listener of exquisite taste, one or both of those items will have carved out their own spaces within easy access of your record player. With members of acer-than-ace garage punkas Stiff Richards and Speed Week among their number, not to mention the redoubtable Jackson Reid Briggs, they deal in a gloriously back-to-basics take on punk that’s part Undertones, part Royal Headache and part Chris Bailey - all hooks and glory, all the time. They’re so much more than the sum of their parts and they make this shit sound effortless. Well, here’s an update for you: they’re back! Second album (the equally-sensibly-titled ‘Vol. II’) is now upon us, and a thoroughly tremendous follow-up it is too. As soon as opener ‘The Wheel’ slams into your speakers, it’s clear that they’ve lost none of the pep or power that made their debut such an essential listen; if anything they’re even more raucous and revved-up than before. Yep, that’s jargon for ‘they rule hard’, and let me add here that you could listen to this album 100 times in a row or simply try inserting dynamite sticks with lit fuses into your ear canal; either way, your poor little mind is gonna blow. It’s an album made entirely of bangers (still on that explosion metaphor, are we?) - the concise questioning of ‘End of the Night’ is as pure a punk rock nugget as you could ever wish to uncover, and ‘The Drain’ is just energy distilled to a perfect series of hooks - with a passion for rock’n’roll in its most scintillating form. Just listen to it. That’s all you need to do.

[engl] There are times when you discover a debut release, give it a few honest plays, and simply look forward to what's next. Then again, there's the rare occasion when an album flat out smacks you in the face with sheer brilliance, demanding repeat listens. Such is the case with the self titled debut from Spread Joy. The Chicago group, consisting of some familiar faces from Negative Scanner and Human Beat, were due to play their first show in March 2020. While that moment has been postponed indefinitely, Spread Joy have quietly crafted a future classic. These ten tracks are a remarkably simple and near perfect distillation of the 'Pink Flag'-era Wire sound - giving way to frenzied No Wave dashes while executed with a speed/precision that approaches hardcore. Oh, and there's no denying that the mix is anchored by the vocal prowess & persona of Briana Hernandez, in a performance evoking visions of greats like Su Tissue and Lizzy Mercier Descloux. Ten tracks in fourteen glorious minutes - as if Spread Joy have synthesized the best moments of the last 40-odd years of punk into one timeless pairing of tracks. If ya think it's too short, you're wrong. Just flip the record over and let the Spread Joy sink in.

[engl] The Staches, two girls, two guys from Geneva, Switzerland. Together for ages, almost brothers and sisters, they are bent on mixing garage, female punk from the 80’s and lo-fi pop. Driven by the fire of their youth, they criss-cross Eu-rope, a little bit of USA, and they did more than a hundred of gigs. On stage, The Staches are full of energy and love. Their first LP « MACHINE » (Burning Sound Records, CH) was released in May 2014 and their first single « There’s Something in Between » (La Suisse Primitive Records, CH) came out in October 2014. A second single « Como Se Dice » (Frantic City (F) / Azbin Records (B)) went out in February 2015 and the maxi 45 « EP III » (Six Tonnes de Chair (F) in September 2015.

[engl] Star Party is a new Washington State group formed during the quarantine days of 2020. Carrie Brennan and Ian Corrigan (Gen Pop, Vexx) have joined forces to create something new - a sound they proclaim as "saturated, misty coastal rock". Their four track demo is comprised of two originals and covers of Shop Assistants and Cher (by way of Bob Dylan). It's a sound that draws inspiration from eighties Scottish punk and noisy American dream pop of the nineties, with a dash of Seamus Heaney and Alex Taylor hanging in White Sands, New Mexico for lyrical inspiration. Star Party have turned in a curious and compelling set of pop tunes on this 2020 demo and are already hard at work on new material for the brighter days ahead. Pro-duplicated cassette edition of 300 with pink shell and double sided J-card featuring artwork from Star Party's own Carrie Brennan.