[engl] BEEF first began appearing in various basements and dives of Cincinnati on Labor Day, 2022. BEEF is the brainchild of drummer/lead vocalist Takoda Hortenberry, first joined by his wife Ally on keys/vox, and a cast of players in Richmond, Virginia. Following a slew of singles, an EP, and a relocation to BEEF's true home of Cincinnati, a new lineup featuring bassist John Hoffman (Vacation) and fellow Richmond expat/guitarist Sam Richardson was born. Influences include: punk, sex, violence, and red meat. BEEF recorded their entire eight song set on eight track tape just over the river at The Lodge in Dayton, KY in early 2023.

[engl] Illustrious Memphian creative Alijca Trout (Sweet Knives, Lost Sounds, River City Tanlines) returns with a new single under her solo-slash-group venture, Alicja-pop. Following in the haunting garage-pop reverberations of 2021's, "Howlin'", A-pop weave together a crisp double-A side of wistful r'n'r gold. "I'm Here I'm There" rides a driving rhythm beneath Trout's icy cool and confident layered vocals. Both propulsive and ethereal - stretching seamlessly to the flip, "Not Gonna Be Dumb", a euphoric dip into post-punk. Coated in synth and a piercing guitar lead, chants of "Time...it wa-a-a-aves you on" harmonize in a chilling finish to Alicja-pop's latest slice of brilliance.

[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] Artificial Go is a new four piece hailing from the DIY post-punk scene of Cincinnati, Ohio. Local labels Feel It and Future Shock have teamed up to co-release Artificial Go's debut album, Hopscotch Fever. Consisting of eight tight tracks, this debut is just that: an introduction. A little bit mercurial, a little bit iconic. Artificial Go is operating out of their own genre - not quite post-punk, not quite pop. Hopscotch Fever seems to have been recorded just outside of the collective-genre-periphery to form some sort of extraterrestrial kind of music. With angular guitar breaks, bouncing rhythms, and jolting vocals, Artificial Go is truly here on their own terms. -Jacob Mouser

[engl] BEEF first began appearing in various basements and dives of Cincinnati on Labor Day, 2022. BEEF is the brainchild of drummer/lead vocalist Takoda Hortenberry, first joined by his wife Ally on keys/vox, and a cast of players in Richmond, Virginia. Following a slew of singles, an EP, and a relocation to BEEF's true home of Cincinnati, a new lineup featuring bassist John Hoffman (Vacation) and fellow Richmond expat/guitarist Sam Richardson was born. Influences include: punk, sex, violence, and red meat. BEEF recorded their entire eight song set on eight track tape just over the river at The Lodge in Dayton, KY in early 2023.

[engl] As corny as it sounds, you can’t help but describe Bermuda Squares as a Minneapolis supergroup. Ringleaded by singer/guitarist Tony Milek, the band comprises members of Sinks, Neo Neos, Citric Dummies, Color Tv, green/blue, Retainers, Dummy, the Soviettes, IV, and Awesome Snakes. That pedigree alone provides a good idea of where you’re heading here. Clever pop for dumdums. Well crafted knuckledragging catchy fuzz hammered out meticulously by idiots.

[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] From the foxhole of the Rust Belt, Choncy fleshes out a frenzied, multifaceted approach to punk with their sophomore album, 20X MULTIPLIER. The Cincinnati four-piece delivers an intoxicating 9-song 12” tinged with personality and dumb luck following Community Chest, their 2023 debut on Feel It Records. 20X MULTIPLIER was recorded to tape at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville by Joe and Jack Tellman, providing a raw and unhinged sound. Choncy hones in on their sonic persona by bridging the gaps between angular post-punk and abrasive hardcore, pushing their sound to its absolute limits. With a chaotic mix of relentless bass, sharp drums, splintering guitars, and off-kilter vocals, Choncy provides a glimpse into the grotesque realities of life. Lead single "Dead Meat" shows the group putting their own spin on contemporary punk, segueing into "Default", an anthem for those who will be forever indebted to the neoliberal institutions. The album is filled with profit margins, budget cuts, and man-made horrors beyond your comprehension. Choncy’s 20X MULTIPLIER displays a maniacal yet ingenious approach to punk that can only be compared to hitting a slot machine jackpot or maybe committing tax fraud and running for the Secretary of Defense. Let this record be a proclamation of what could have been - if only they knew the right numbers to pick.

[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] "Bursting out of a burning trash heap like some mutated, blitzed skeleton in a leatherjacket, Citric Dummies thrash their listeners with a heavy dose of pulverizing punk madness on their latest LP Zen and The Arcade of Beating Your Ass. The Minneapolis based trio have previously released a handful of endlessly infectious records on US and Euro labels like Erste Theke Tonträger, Fashionable Idiots, and Another Label- luring in unsuspecting punks with their aberrant, tuneful noise. Citric Dummies rip turbocharged, catchy songs riddled with big hooks that are inhaled like paint fumes by fans of niche KBD gems and classics like The Ramones and The Misfits. The band has signed with Feel It Records to release their most dialed and corrosive record to date- a pièce de résistance for LSD enthusiasts and jabronis alike. Produced by Erik Nervous (known for his own project as well as production work with The Spits and Liquids), Zen and The Arcade of Beating Your Ass Is a masterclass in unpretentious and unrelenting party punk. The cover is a clever mockery of Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade waving a friendly middle-finger paying homage to the punk heroes of yore. Citric Dummies power through 14 songs in 23 minutes in a psychotic frenzy. The songs conjure chaotic and hilarious glimpses into the everyday life of a hesher self-deprecating, taking copious amounts of illicit substances, and kicking the teeth out of the phonies that step in their way. Sonically, Citric Dummies have honed their knuckle-dragging craft, and sound more unique, more evolved, and more like themselves than ever. The arrangements, riffs and lyrics are meticulous yet effortless, like they've practiced so much the music flows through them, spike in vein. Zen and The Arcade of Beating Your Ass is the manifestation of these three droogs stepping off the fleshy escalator and into the gaping void of pure rock n roll elation." -Sims Hardin (u2isagovernmentdrone)

[engl] "My mates went on holiday to the Isles for this one. Galactic romantic entropy three sheets to the 'Wind. Saxy glimmers, broken sunbeams, oil dancing in a puddle of water in a parking lot somewhere in St. Louis or Birmingham. And just as first-wave yankee punk was decidedly solipsistic, the Poms folded in a more civic bent to explain the zeitgeist of generational disaffection. Is "Scared To Care" about spikey punks whose apartments are littered with Amazon boxes? Is "Biggest Sale of The Year" an indictment of late-stage capitalism? Is "The Milkman" an effective populist who wants you to sink so that he can swim? Is this record more political than those dystopian hardcore records you sold when a nice girl opened your eyes once? Merely conjecture... It's an album dripping with clandestine musical intelligence, artisanal song-writing, great voices. The illegitimate son of Dinosaurs' bassist isn't in the mix this time, but I can assure you his spirit is there - I can almost hear the glass of side mirrors cascading to Richmond Ave on a drunken bike ride 15 years before Josh Allen and Conway The Machine made The City That Always Sleeps cool! (NOT recommended... you truly cannot cheat Carma). What is soul? Soul is finding your own catalytic converter at the thrift store. Soul is trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters on your 37th birthday and it not going so well. Soul is wearing those attractive bygone eras on your sleeve without hesitation or embarrassment. Pentatonic rock didn't exactly bubble from a serious bog, and when adults who partake become artistically conservative, grow egos in a Petri dish somewhere in the well-adjusted hyper-capitalist cityslicker life they've created because they can seemingly play Vibrators riffs better than the actual kids, everything is lost! Class know this, resisting that spiritual deficit of our collective moment with the voice of honest men trying to have fun in this fuckin' wacky world, unafraid to rhyme words like "narcissist" and "anarchist". I mean, how many songs wouldn't have a pinky toe to pirouette on if "school" and "fool" didn't rhyme?! Now get your ass to Class." -Brandon Gaffney

[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] "The Artist works in a museum And that museum is rocknroll In a world of meme punk rockabilly grandads It’s the classicists that really have something to say. Straight lines, hooks, and a clear path to your heart. They might not be dbeat heart throbs But no one else can give you that feeling that you can hold on to a moment Like you are driving too fast down route 60 And it’s never going to end. In 20 years when you skulk the dark alleyways of wherever punk’s red fern grows, they won’t be talking about Dwight Twilley, the Looks, or the Nerves, they will be looking for a little CLASS." -Tobi Vail and Hayes Waring

[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] From a city quickly gaining steam as a minor post-punk mecca, Corker emerge from the Cincinnati underground with their debut full length, 'Falser Truths'. Corker are the proverbial fly in the ointment - soaking up every glorious facet of the past while swirling new thoughts and sounds into one highly engaging debut. Corker were first introduced to popular consciousness with 2021's 'A Bell That Seems To Mourn' on Cincinnati's own Future Shock Recordings, headed by Dakota Carlyle (Crime Of Passing, The Drin, The Serfs). Following several tours of the Midwest and surrounds, Corker began recording 'Falser Truths' in 2022 - the same year Feel It Records transplanted their operations to Cincinnati. What seems like an almost-inevitable partnership began with Feel It issuing the 'Lice' single just as 2023 arrived. Paired with eight additional tracks recorded and mixed just over the Kentucky line at The Lodge with John Hoffman, 'Falser Truths' is not only intelligent, but bold, charismatic, and free. There's little restriction to Corker's formula - whether they're lifting latent fingerprints of the post-punk past, rendering landscapes of Industrial wasteland, or bending rhythm and tone with Krautish ambition - the end result is resoundingly original. Genre purists be damned! Corker stand apart from their contemporaries on 'Falser Truths' - an album realized by a fresh set of eyes and ears, driven far beyond the earthly bounds of now.

[engl] Fragments of the past intersect with a dynamic sonic vision on Hallways of Grey, the second full length from Corker. Expanding upon the dense, rhythmic post-punk of their 2023 debut - the Cincinnati group have not only tightened the screws on their repertoire, they've upped the ante significantly. Decamping from drab studio confines to the expanses of an Indiana farm, Hallways of Grey finds the collective style and creativity of Corker flourishing. While the delivery and dark-to-light balance might echo shades of what Adrian Borland patented decades ago, Corker add their own color (more than just grey, mind you) in a convincing manner across the album. Lead cuts, "Distant Dawn" and "Vital Fall" showcase the range and dexterity that Ohio seems to inherently cultivate, but tracks like "Forever Silent" (featuring Angie Willcutt from Artificial Go and ROD) and the finale, "No Necessities", are like a death trip from the cosmos down to the factory floor. It's a focused frenzy towards the finish line, a rush of calculated execution, a mad dash run with style.

[engl] Poontang Twang, Cosmo J., David Kossoff, and Nigel Partridge make up the band Cosmo Jimmy. This foursome hails from a town that has a beaver for the town mascot named Seymour Of Hamilton. The album was recorded at Songgram studios in early 1987, produced by Tommy Marolda (The TOMS, Richie Sambora, Smithereens). Members of Cosmo Jimmy played the local Jersey circuit when they decided to record their song “Batteries Not Included” for a movie soundtrack project, but the movie was never released. The song became a single for the new Scorpio Records label. The 12 track album was then green lighted to be recorded with song influences ranging from XTC to the Rolling Stones. Using analog recording equipment including Tascam 16 track DBX recorder, Tascam 24 track mixing board, Hammond B-3, Magnatone and Vox guitar amps, Yamaha Baby Grand Piano, Gibson and Fender guitars and bass, Hohner Harmonica, Vibraphone and Ludwig Drums, the album was recorded within a two week period. Under That Dress was scheduled for release on Scorpio Records - and despite making it all the way to test pressings, the album never saw the light of day. 36 years later, Feel It Records (responsible for recent reissues of Marolda's late-70's recordings as the TOMS) is proud to issue the Cosmo Jimmy album for the first time ever.

[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.