[engl] Talk about a band...WHY BOTHER? are not only doing it themselves, but doing it for themselves. With zero interest in performing live or promoting their music online - the Mason City, Iowa four piece have been back in the basement writing and recording highly original punk music faster than it can be pressed to vinyl in this day and age. Their earliest material was collected on 'A Year of Mutations' and issued on LP by Feel It in 2021 - since then, the band has been building towards their first full length, and hot damn does it deliver! Speck's guitar sound is cut straight from the ultra-trebly Killed By Death sound as Terry's vocals and '73 Univox 100 synth cut over top of the wildly dexterous rhythm section of Pamela and Paul. It's a sound both classic and futuristic from a group of Midwestern weirdos living outside the tech bubble, spinning their own web of sound straight from 8-track tape. So if you need a dose of true original punk rock in 2022 and beyond, WHY BOTHER? can give you that fix.

[engl] Serenading Unwanted Ballads is the fifth album from Iowa's WHY BOTHER? and a testament to the fact that they will never make the same record twice. Full of twists, their unique approach to Midwestern synth punk becomes their own sound of Gothadelic, weirdo madness. Several of these tracks make their first vinyl appearance after surfacing on previous E.P.s and singles, while a newer mix of "Some Don't Dance" speaks to the unwavering creativity of the group. "Testify", recorded by friend (and contributing song writer) Aaron, while serving his life sentence at Anamosa State Prison, adds a layer of originality and bleakness to these unwanted ballads. WHY BOTHER? have made yet another album by themselves, for themselves, and for anyone else willing to be serenaded by the doom of what awaits in the shadows. Feel It Records is proud to be the ONLY record label that can offer you such things.

[engl] Iowa's WHY BOTHER? are back mere weeks after their debut LP with an eleven song cassette! Just in time for Halloween, WB? give us five new cuts on Side A backed with an assortment of remastered hits from previous small run tapes and lathe cuts, including an epic cover of "Whiskey Man" by THE WHO to close things out!

[engl] The Zits were a short-lived phenomenon, forming in February 1981 and disbanding upon graduation from Oakton High School in late May. Initially dubbed Nic Beery and The Zits, the group quickly shortened things to The Zits while rehearsing and playing a mix of basement parties, high school events, and community centers. Within a few months, The Zits had a solid repertoire of punk originals and covers, which included The Ramones and The Undertones (see track 5 for a great version of "Can't Get Over You"). Inspired by a classmate who had pressed a solo 45, The Zits pre-sold copies of their very own single, and booked time at Eastern Recording in Glen Burnie, Maryland to record their two strongest tracks. Produced by Scott Wilson of regional new wave act The Intentions, the two tracks - "Sick on You" and "Beat Your Face" were quickly mixed and sent off to be released as a 45 on singer Nic Beery's own Olympic Records. Both tracks are total teen punk hits with great snotty vocals, crunchy guitar, keyboard, and some of the best dry heaves ever committed to tape! Nearly 40 years later, the single - and it's appropriately low-brow picture sleeve - has gained a reputation as a bonafide Killed By Death/Bloodstains-comp level hitter, and appears here remastered from the original 8 track tape. But that's not all! The Zitmusic archives yielded an incredible cache of unreleased cassette material taken from rehearsals and live shows. "Back in Blackhead" also features 7 previously unheard cuts, including what could have been the second Zits single - the killer "Bertha Was a Slut", the warped twelve bar "No Dough Blues", and several other exuberant teenpunk anthems. The Zits may have not had the sex or the drugs, but they certainly tackled the rock'n'roll better than most other class of 1981 bands can claim. After receiving a promo copy of The Zits 45, Greg Hawkes of The Cars replied via postcard, "I played your record and thought it was pretty ridiculous." Thankfully that ridiculousness has been preserved on "Back in Blackhead" - the ultimate Zits collection.