[engl] One of the most familiar faces in the busy Melbourne music scene; Jake Robertson (who you may remember from such class acts as Ausmuteants, Hierophants, School Damage, et al) returns in full-fledged form with another unruly record from his solo alter-ego ALIEN NOSEJOB. Thirteen months on since the hardcore-punk inspired concept album, ‘Once Again The Present Becomes The Past’, Alien Nosejob turns the ship back to front and sails in a new direction, yet again. Paint It Clear mixes sounds of classic 80’s new wave and post punk whilst sprinkling in the occasional disco track on top. But don’t let these descriptions throw you off - it still carries Robertson’s classic screech of cheeky yet witty lyrics and sharp songwriting hooks. After three home-recorded records prior to this, Mikey Young has finally been phoned in to take over the production controls and breathes a whole new way of life into Alien Nosejob. Never before has ANJ been heard in such fidelity. The clarity! The definition! The dynamics! It all shines brighter than ever before resulting in a record that Robertson’s “parents could actually listen to”. There’s a little something for everyone; whether it be 80’s Cure-inspired synths in Duplicating Satan, the robust Devo-like feel of Leather Gunn, the sing-along chorus of Crusader of Coles, or the melodic, minor closer that is Bite My Tongue. There’s even The Butcher; a piano ballad inspired by the Fun Boy Three, showcasing Jake’s skills as not just a songwriter, but a damn fine singer. Paint It Clear is Alien Nosejob’s fourth full length record since 2018 - it certainly proves he a nose for these things.

[engl] Get in on the crumbling ground floor with the debut 7" single from Richmond's own Cement Shoes. Following a promising 2017 demo on the Loki Label, heralded as a "meat and potatoes and LSD" hardcore punk production, the Shoes turn in two fresh cuts on this 45. Furiously scratching away at the ever-underwhelming state of contemporary hardcore punk, the principle songwriters of Brown Sugar, Fried Egg, and Haircut intervene to bring us a robust and epic pairing of tracks. Consider it a simultaneous toast to the sense of humor and originality of first wave hardcore/punk and a roast of the ever fashionable and generic trappings of the aughts. Each copy comes packaged in a glue pocket sleeve with lyric insert and digital download.

[engl] Ahh yes, the Shoes, baby! Richmond, VA's CEMENT SHOES lay down eight new tracks on, "Too", their debut album. If you're new to Da Shoes, their debut 7" single on Feel It in 2018 left both reviewers and punk/hardcore millenials utterly confused and divided. The sage journalists at Razorcake even exclaimed, "This is the kind of genuine hardcore punk that could reach a pretty damn wide audience if the world were a different place." Well, it's 2019 now and the world hasn't changed one degree for the better, buddy! Thankfully, Cement Shoes have returned to drive the point home with their finest-and-fullest-sounding record yet. The Shoes are truly cooking with gas now, bringing the best elements of snappy 80s punk/HC and 70s hard rock to sonic fruition, with the necessary tongue-in-cheek sense of humor intact. "Too" presents itself as a sonic rendezvous where the '83 LA cast of punkers from "Suburbia", "Funhouse" era Stooges, Alice Cooper Band, Totalitär, and Cider are all invited. The whole room reeks of cheap beer and reefer, wah pedals lie on top of dirty shag carpet, and Joe Pesci is there to emcee the whole thing. Confused yet? So are we. But screw it, here's an album that sounds as timeless as the precious tape it was recorded on. A smoldering effigy to the way rock music used to simply exist and excite, and a shining example of where the unlimited data of the aughts can actually be stretched.

[engl] Choncy’s 'Community Chest' is an itch-scratching debut album shaped by post-punk, garage, and hardcore-adjacent music. The album confronts the trials and tribulations of the modern day workforce culture day-by-day in the Rust Belt. The four piece band out of Cincinnati, Ohio embraces their original punk sound through uniquely biting vocals and fluctuating shrill guitars, all kept together with a potent and driving rhythm section. The album was recorded to tape at Amish Studios with Joe Tellman in Nashville, Tennessee. “Company Man”, the album's lead single, capitalizes on its post-punk rhythm and witty vocals, while “Beehive” parallels modern hardcore music. Choncy passionately shape their Midwestern identity across 'Community Chest' with an original sonic and visual prowess.

[engl] CLASS are back with 'But Who's Reading Me?', their third outing since teaming up with Feel It Records in June 2022. Recorded at Midtown Island Studios in their hometown of Tucson, Arizona, CLASS kick off their 2023 output with four stellar new cuts rounded off by alternate versions of two from their latest full length, 'Epoca de Los Vaqueros'. Fourteen minutes of punk, glam, garage, and power pop sounds swirled into one glorious EP from a group capable of writing and cranking out the hits on par with the best of 'em. The sky truly is the limit for the desert-dwelling geniuses in CLASS.

[engl] Class of Tucson AZ - instantly familiar, idiosyncratic to the max, a glorious collision in which several of American punk’s leading lights emerge from their vehicles unscathed (though I make no promises for the rest of you, see below). What more can I say about 2022’s most eagerly anticipated full-length album? ( a bit more as it turns out, which is fortunate as my fee is pretty expensive, onerous, even) These songs have the requisite crunch / glue ratio and more than anyone else in their idiom, remind me of moments that don’t happen nearly enough, in rock, in life, when your eyes are closed, anywhere. I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to presume the persons responsible for these gems are keen students of the last 40+ years of underground/overground sounds (the good shit anyway), but there’s a singular voice, a defined worldview if you will, somehow cutting through our bland, brutal, grim as fuck moment in history. If you think I’m building Class up a bit much, I can promise you this — there’s at least a half dozen people I know who will hear this record and immediately fall into the throes of a deep depression because they’re _not in this band_ . And if you’re wary of being hyped-2-death, spare a thought for me for just a minute. I’m the one who’s gonna have to talk them off a ledge (figuratively, it’s mostly single stories in this part of the country).

[engl] John Waters once said, "The only thing I wanna be is a negative role model for a whole new generation of bored youth." Well, perhaps Baltimore's Cold Feet were the generation that picked up on those sage words, and have crafted their own trashy, hardcore punk anthems on "Punk Entity". Following a promising debut 7" EP and several cassette releases, we find Cold Feet at the height of their game with eight completely scorching tracks. Caught somewhere in the crosshairs of the early 80's USHC craze, like the odd New Englander cousin who caught as much X-Claim! as Mutha Records bands - Cold Feet harness the power of "Get It Away" era SSD, steal the reckless abandon of the first couple N.O.T.A. 7"s, and indulge the bohemian sense of humor that Adrenalin O.D. rocked. These guys are complete underdogs, the secretly smart idiots that allow their guitar player to be Jim Lahey for a Halloween gig and still completely blow the place apart. Cold Feet are here to show ya that they're one of the most true-to-form hardcore bands of contempo HC punk and hammer the point home with "Punk Entity".

[engl] The Cowboy are back with a new EP pressed to high quality flexi disc at 45 RPM! Three tracks here from the Cleveland group, following in the vein of their much lauded ""Wi-Fi on the Prairie"" album that dropped in early 2020. ""Feel the Chi Releasing from You"" clocks in at exactly four minutes, pushing simple, yet brilliant and almost jazzy arrangements into snappy guitar rock that actually lives up to the early SST and ""Pink Flag""-era Wire comparisons that have been bestowed upon The Cowboy in the past. Pressed to convenient one-sided 7"" clear flexi disc with another dose of breathtaking artwork from B. Gaffney appearing underneath the transparent flexi & lyrics on da back. One-time edition of 275 copies.

[engl] From the depths of Cleveland, THE COWBOY return with their third album! Whether you've been a believer since the trio's debut long player on Fashionable Idiots, or are just now tuning in - you've arrived at something great. THE COWBOY have found a formula that truly works and excel at pushing it forward in new and exciting ways. For the uninitiated, it's a sound steeped in 70s/80s punk and some of the noise rock that's followed. A style both razor sharp and played with a breeze-like efficiency. 13 brilliantly simple and bright bursts of Ohio r'n'r, most clocking in around the 90-second mark. It's almost entrancing how great THE COWBOY are on this masterful thirdalbum. "Riddles from the Universe" is packaged in a gatefold jacket designed by Professor B. Gaffney which folds open to reveal an entire galaxy of imagery and lyrics that tie everything together on this cosmic vinyl album.

[engl] Here to take the (20)20's by storm, Cleveland's THE COWBOY bless us with their second full length, "WiFi on The Prairie". Yes, there's more genius to this album than the title alone! Hot on the heels of a new EP on Drunken Sailor, "WiFi on the Prairie" follows with twelve tracks of brute, urgent guitar music steeped in Cleveland's rich rock history. THE COWBOY apply a wonderful angularity to the old budget rock formula, (see 2/3 of the lineup's previous work in HOMOSTUPIDS for further proof) while locking in / jamming out on another level. THE COWBOY are IT - an endearing trio that treads on the competition and writes on a futuristic par. Just don't ask 'em for the WiFi password.

[engl] Continuing on in their ever-prolific and sensational run of releases, The Cowboys are back with five tracks of pure analog gold on "Lovers in Marble". Recorded by the band in Cincinnati and mixed with John Hoffman (Vacation), this EP finds The Cowboys as cool and collected as ever, with Keith Harman's driving piano lines and vocal range atop the mix. It's quite the divine distillation of garage pop melody, (think 'Loaded' era VU, Walker Brothers, or Emitt Rhodes) given a sinister coating of The Kinks and Syd Barrett, curious production flourishes intact. The Cowboys have truly spent their quarantine days well, pairing brilliant pop compositions with some of the best instrumentation and recording quality across their ever-expanding discography. "Lovers in Marble" is a pivotal Cowboys release, perhaps their most accessible, but also most refined piece of work yet. A perfect sonic respite from the long, dark days of 2020.

[engl] Out with the old and in with the new! Just in time for Spring we have a fresh album from The Cowboys - now spread between their hometown of Bloomington, to Chicago, and Cincinnati. "Room of Clons", their fifth album, is possibly the group's most ambitious and diverse body of work to date. Those familiar with The Cowboys' previous output for Feel It - most notably 2019's "The Bottom of a Rotten Flower", will be well acquainted with the group's penchant for songwriting across the upper echelons of contemporary garage, punk, & powerpop. "Room of Clons" asserts itself as a varied hallmark of stylistic prowess, ranging from The Cowboys' trademarked Midwestern punk odes of previous work, all the way to a massive postpunk-leaning hit (yes, you're reading right) backed with a snarky pop number accented with kazoo that would surely please even Ray Davies himself. Further along, we're treated to several tracks with frontman Keith Harman taking the lead on piano, propelling his otherworldy vocals to the same towering clouds that Scott Walker and Emitt Rhodes occupied in '69 & '70. "Room of Clons" stretches even further, but never strays from attention, as The Cowboys delve into new, exciting, and largely uncharted territory - perhaps their most abstract work, but just as worthy as their now towering discography that never ceases to impress.

[engl] "The fourth album by the Cowboys (from Bloomington, Indiana) is kinda like a modern Midwestern version of THE WHO SELL-OUT or SOMETHING ELSE BY THE KINKS--a basic R&R band stretching its wings to embrace more varied musical elements and dig into deeper subject matter. The Cowboys grow up! And they grow in number too, with Chris Kramer (Nobunny/Slushy) joining the brilliant Mark McWhirter for a killer guitar team. Vocalist/songwriter Keith Harman alters his whooping nasal-punk a bit, with a more naturalistic approach when it fits the mood. His songwriting skills are mighty. Zackery Worcel (bass) and Jordan Tarantino (drums) provide a solid, relentless groove. There are 16 hooky gems in this new LP. To compare the Cowboys’ songs to Pete Townshend and Ray Davies was no casual thing up front. Check “Doghouse Rag” for primo late-60s Kink-kwality pop. Then there’s the insanely hooky “Some Things Never Change,” with its nod to early 70s Sparks. This song should be a smash hit RIGHT NOW! And dig “Bodie, Don’t Jump” in all its bubblegum glory! The deceptively short “Deuce” with its 70s-style pop exploding into VU-like noise, etc. It’s very cool to see a modern R&R band progress in the true sense of the word--to mature and seek new horizons. I’ve personally seen them when they opened the very first show by the reunited Gizmos in 2014, and then when they played with us again in Chicago 2017, to this new album. It’s an impressive climb. For anybody into garage-rock or power-pop, this has gotta be an instant CLASSIC! But I’m just gonna call it rock’n’roll." --Eddie Flowers, Vulcher Magazine/The Gizmos

[engl] At long last, a proper American pressing of the incredible Volume 4 cassette from Bloomington, Indiana's hometown heroes, The Cowboys. By now, you might be familiar with the stripped down, yet intelligent and powerful rock'n'roll force of The Cowboys - perhaps from their recent full length on Hozac or from their earlier cassette output which was collected onto an LP by Lumpy Records. Volume 4 captures The Cowboys at a near-perfect intersection of their earlier, lo-fi moments of Gizmos-esque Midwestern punk snarl and the more tuneful, soul-spun moments of recent output. This definitive edition of Volume 4 reproduces the ten song tracklisting of the original 2016 cassette edition released by fellow Bloomingtonian Kora Puckett (of Bugg, Laffing Gas, and Chud) on his Turd Wurld imprint. From the opening hook of "When She Came Back" (available on vinyl for the first time here, as well as the lead cut on side B, "Porridge"), The Cowboys showcase a songwriting knack and musical ability that is rarely achieved, nor captured so well in a studio setting. Keith Harman's next-level vocal delivery leads the charge across the entire album, ranging from the strong, anthemic chants of "I Feel Therefore I Am" to the deep, melancholic closing moments of "Actors". And what's more? The musicianship across this entire album is every bit as impeccable - beginning with the forceful and driving rhythm section and continuing to the absolutely unbridled guitar playing and tone, the sum of which shapes the texture of the entire recording. A score of Bloomington-based guest musicians, including Durand Jones (leader of modern soul sensations, The Indications) and John Terrill (formerly of the early 80's new wave group, The Dancing Cigarettes) only adds to the already searing mix. Altogether, The Cowboys have captured something truly unrivaled and exceptional on Volume 4 - an album that speaks from a homespun, Midwestern vantage point and fires on all musical cylinders. The end result: ten absolutely classic sonic reductions of epic proportion. This definitive edition of Volume 4 has been cut at 45 RPM by Josh Bonati and includes a new insert with artwork from The Cowboys' own Zack Worcel plus a digital download code.

[engl] A stunning combination of style, vision, and execution. Crime of Passing, alongside related projects like The Serfs and The Drin, are at the helm of Cincinnati, Ohio's vibrant post-punk underground. Led by Andie Luman's fervent vocals, Crime of Passing's self-titled debut album is a wondrously textured web of sound. Shades of early 80's post-punk, synth-driven electro pop, and heavier Industrial/Krautrock tones combine across an album both instantly memorable and futuristic. Nine cold tracks for a new dark age. limited on 300 copies.

[engl] Both broadening and defying the sounds of their first two 7” releases, Delivery continue their claim for the title of hardest and fastest working band in town on their debut full length LP ‘Forever Giving Handshakes’. Collecting songs written over the Melbourne five-piece’s two year lifespan and following on from the band’s bedroom project origins of ‘Yes We Do’ and the expanded one-two punch of ‘Personal Effects/The Topic’, ‘Forever Giving Handshakes’ captures Delivery at full force for the first time, leaning into the fully-realised live sound they’ve been quite actively working on since their first show in March 2021. Here the band collate a 12-track garage-punk opus, their five distinct voices simultaneously pulling songs in different directions while an undeniable chemistry reveals a combined hive mind ascending on a clear group mission… to rock. If you didn’t have the Delivery phenomenon yet, you’re about to. Marking the beginning of a victory lap for Delivery, the album rounds out a sprint of unrelenting live shows, impressive support slots and two stellar 7”s, all within a tidy 18 months. ‘Forever Giving Handshakes’ is a statement from Delivery and one of the strongest Australian punk debut albums of the past decade.

[engl] Following on from the release of the Yes We Do 7”, Delivery are back with ‘Personal Effects/The Topic’, a double single release that continues to expand on the group’s razor-sharp blend of garage, post-punk and new-wave pop. While the four tracks on Yes We Do were developed around the sound of the project’s initial home demos, ‘Personal Effects/The Topic’ capture the five-piece working in full collaboration for the first time. Across these tracks, programmed beats and synths make way for heaving live drums, relentless guitar interplay and left-of-centre saxophone bursts, while the band’s triune vocals (split between Rebecca Allan, Lisa Rashleigh and James Lynch) are more dynamic and incisive than ever.

[engl] Pro-duplicated cassette release compiling the "Yes We Do" and "Personal Effects" 7" releases. 6 tracks as a repeat program on yellow shell cassettes w/ white imprint.

[engl] Los Angeles punks DIRTY & HIS FISTS deliver a knockout four song EP on their vinyl debut, following a standout demo cassette. For the uninitiated, DIRTY & HIS FISTS have quickly become one of the best American punk bands alive, and one of the few to match powerful writing and performance with some of the best studio production out there. The Fists easily eclipse their demo with this new EP, incorporating a crunchy layer of synth, pounding rhythm section (featuring new drummer Sam Bosson), and ace production from guitarist/vocalist Mike Kriebel, who you may recognize as producer of recent Beat Sessions for Uranium Club, Urochromes, and P22. An undeniably great and memorable American punk record. Packaged in a reverse board pocket sleeve with an 7"x11" lyric insert and digital download.

[engl] Fashion Pimps And The Glamazons. A new Cleveland rock group, cut from the same musical DNA that has spawned wonders like Folded Shirt, Cloud Nothings, Donkey Bugs, and countless others. It's fashion. Angular. Punk. Richard Glamazon's tortured, warbly guitar refuses to talk in power chords, stringing notes around high powered synth blasts from Noah A (Profligate). Steve Chainsaw anchors the low end while espousing freaky plans and twisted dreams through hypnotic, layered vocals. Jayson G lays into the drums like only a true Fashion Pimp ©an. The Glamazons prove to be immaculately tight, driving their amplified Rust Belt experience into the ether. Jazz 4 Johnny holds court with Ubus and X_Xs past, yet the sound isn't quite Terminal, Drome, or even Mustard...it's the future, baby! Have you met Fashion Pimps And The Glamazons yet? Jazz 4 Johnny comes packaged in a full color gatefold jacket designed by Professor B. Gaff, with a tiny download code hiding inside.

[engl] In yet another beer-fueled entry to Cleveland's storied rock'n'roll lineage, Flea Collar step up to the plate and smash home nine hits on their self-titled debut album. The Rustbelt gang of four (affectionately known as Spot, Sparky, Cookie, and Blitz) have spent the past decade'n'change honing their collective chops in groups like Bad Noids, Brown Sugar, Spike Pit, and Woodstock '99. Anywho, since their inception as Flea Collar with 2021's 'A Hole Is A Hole' on Tetryon Tapes, the gang landed at Rumpus Room Recording with Poopy Necröpondé (Sockeye) engineering their full length effort. Whether your opinion of Cleveland leans more towards r'n'r mecca or mistake on the lake, there's clearly something in the water supply and BOY, is it baked into what Flea Collar have created across these twenty-six odd minutes. Taking cues from the Non-Commercial side of CLE punk, British heavy metal, Japanese hardcore insanity, and good old fashioned Midwest rock'n'roll - Flea Collar have turned in an epic debut that lands somewhere between tongue-in-cheek & the impending dog bite illustrated on the front cover. Where this album fits into the utterly confounding cesspool of twenty-twenties culture is a coin toss, but the true heads out there may just GET IT. Flea Collar fucking rules!

[engl] How much longer can we (LIVE)…if we’re only an (IMAGE)? That’s the question Freak Genes (FG) pose in their new album Hologram. Put down your electric scriber. Answers on wax only. Discover the difference between manifest and (MIRAGE), solid and (SHAPELESS), real and (INFORMATION_REDACTED). But here is what we actually know: Freak Genes are Charlie Murphy (LIFE_FORMS, GAMMA, FRESH_SPECIMEN, ISOLATION) and Andrew Anderson (PROTO_IDIOT, KAKE?). Hologram is their (FIFTH) album. The (LABEL) is Feel It Records. The playing length is (INFORMATION_REDACTED). There are (THIRTEEN) tracks.

[engl] Freak Genes continue their descent into angular electronics with Power Station. Musicians are replaced by machines, natural sounds are swapped for noises. The result is synthetic pop for problem times. Charlie Murphy (Internal Credit / Isolation) and Andrew Anderson (Proto Idiot / KAKE?) orchestrate affairs, wrangling synths, drum machines, guitars and found sounds. Think 154-era Wire but with a reduced budget, or DAF minus the disco. The album was recorded in bedrooms and borrowed spaces from 2018 to 2020. It was mixed and mastered by Mikey Young. Formed in 2016, Freak Genes previous albums are Playtime, Qwak Qwak and III. They’ve performed in both shitty and swanky venues across Europe. They’ll be on stage again in 2021, pandemics and other global catastrophes depending.

[engl] After four self-released cassettes, Montréal's premier art-punk/neo-proto-punk band Protruders makes its vinyl debut with a 25-minute 12-inch of very groovy sounds. The sound is a bit clearer and maybe a little beefier—some of the noise gives way to a more relaxed and expansive approach. The psych quotient is higher. But the heart of the band is still beating for the sort of raw open-minded non-generic punk that once came from the likes of Rocket From The Tombs, Swell Maps, Dead Moon, Dancing Cigarettes, etc. “Fruit Hang” has a perfect mid-70s style garage feel—like a Boston pre-punk band tearin’ it up at the Rat! This could be the hit, kidz! Skronky sax gives “Hydrophytol” a kinda Hawkwind/no-wave feel. And dig “No Stone”—a slower one, catchy as hell—I swear it could pass for an outtake from the Saints circa 1978. Solid—another hit! At five minutes, the title track stretches things out a bit. This one has a definite Ubu/Voidoids vibe—nasty angular spazz-punk with a little more sax blat added. Very nice guitar stuff happening here. We get some weirdo HC action on “Stabilizer” and more hot guitar squiggles. “Tax 101” is maybe a “typical” Protruders song—that means good! “Wrong Way Sign,” pushes things over the six-minute mark, with a strong psych-punk feel (Wipers?) and some totally swell rock-jam stuff at the end. Wow. This record is a significant step for the band and an impressive way to start their vinyl career as they gain the higher visibility they deserve. Most excellent! -Eddie Flowers (Vulcher Magazine/The Gizmos)