[engl] Baltimore's KNUB return with their first full length offering, "Crub", after several years of perfecting their low-end heavy rock Baltimore's KNUB return with their first full length offering, 'Crub', after several years of perfecting their low-end heavy rock through a demo EP and a split LP with Ohio's Brain Cave. What KNUB have done since their formation remains- focusing on raw power, hooks, catchy melodies, and tones so heavy you need a forklift to move them. In the same vein as 90's powerhouses like 'Aftertaste'-era Helmet, Stompbox, Handsome, and Quicksand, as well as more current contemporaries like Whores., Wrong, and Torche the sound of KNUB melds blunt force riffs with a vocalist who can actually sing and adds a layer of melody to counteract the bulldozing music. They are a live fixture throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, jaunting around frequently to prove that the sound on record matches the live experience. 'Crub' was recorded in two sessions, initially envisioned as a pair of EPs, but collected as one album instead.

[engl] For Dan art and music is what it’s always been: a journey, making rougher ideas smoother, something to look at, sit with, and a place to hold emotion and thought. Making music started early for him in the 90s, in the Ozark mountains of the US, when he began to make his brand of ‘lo-fi emo hip-hop’ using the name Listener. Dan went on to record eight albums in the hip hop duo Labklik and three albums in the hip hop group Deepspace5 as ‘Listener’. In 2002 he started touring full time as a solo artist under the name, and has since played thousands of shows in over 30 countries zig zagging across the globe. In 2007 and 2008 Listener became a band with Dan as the vocalist, bass guitar, and horn player. This non-stop touring period in Listener transitioned their music into what it is today with their unique musical voice coupled with Dan’s vocal brand and channeled poetry. He calls the music “Talk Music”. Dan is stepping out on his own once again and has created one of the most personal and connected albums of his career in “The Shapes We Make”. Dan continues to strive to combine all the loves of his life with a balance of time at home, building art, playing shows, creating music solo and in the band Listener, through his work as a painter, and as a mental health therapist at his practice in Kansas City. An idea/mantra he has used since his early days in making art has been: “Making the music that you are going to need, but you just don’t know it yet.” Dan's good friend Chris Nelson helped him put his music into practice in front of an audience, and thus, Listener—Dan's first band—was born. Armed with their raw songs about life and a vision to share this music with everyone, Smith and Nelson began touring and growing as a duo. They played gigs every night and everywhere they could, and concertgoers watched Smith scream and sweat his way through the songs. The duo became accustomed to being on the road together every day and evolved from musical partners in crime to best friends. Their music became more experimental and diverse. 2008-2009 was essentially one continuous tour, so they began writing and recording the next Listener album, "Wooden Heart," while on the road. Smith had recited some of the lyrics of "Wooden Heart" as spoken word poetry, but the lyrics were quickly adapted into songs. The album quickly became a fan favorite and created a worldwide following. This album marked the beginning of expanding touring activities worldwide and also their first contact with Sounds of Subterrania. As with so many artists, the coronavirus pandemic brought a sharp disruption to the band. Dan focused on the beginning of his career and began working on a solo album. His experience as a talk therapist, all his experiences as a touring artist, social upheaval, and, of course, the changed perspective that comes with aging, led him to rediscover his poetry and use music as a supporting element. Of course, he finds himself in the great American singer/songwriter tradition here, only enriched in a much more modern interpretation.

[engl] Germany's iconic deep funk collective digs into a new soundscape: “A Higher Frequency” was recorded with a nine-piece live to tape at legendary MPS studio in the Black Forest, adding an airy, jazzy flavour to their trademark raw and breaks-heavy funk. Ten tracks full of spiritual grooves, soulful themes, loose funkiness and organic interplay, captured with state-of-the-art 1960s gear in a super-vibey room - but the title A Higher Frequency is not just about the pristine analogue sound quality of the recording, it is also a reference to a trancendant wavelength where minds meet and music connects. Together with long-time friends and collaborators Daniel Kimaz on flute and Guillame Métenier, who worked his magic on the studio's historic Bösendörfer grand piano and Hammond organ, the group spent a week in the Black Forest, with full focus on the mission to capture the live energy and togetherness of the ensemble. The result is an album bursting with positive energy and power, rooted in a universal funk groove with excursions into many colourful branches like outernational, cinematic, soulful jazz, psychedelic & disco. The common thread is a propulsive, driving-forward feel: “Open The Gate” welcomes us with hard-hitting breakbeats and dramatic crime brass, followed by the cool groovin' piano-led soul jazz of “Get Loose”, while “Spinning” takes us on a ride through cinematic horn choruses and folky-psych flute and guitars. “Back And Better” is Nichola Richards' time to shine, laying her sweet vocals over the sparse hiphop-infused soul beat to tell a comeback story. “Sweet Company” is a lighthearted uptempo tune inspired by TV and library themes of the 1960s. The swampy groove of “Sparks Of Joy” best reflects the fun of the band playing together and “Phantom Power” combines a trademark Mocambo breakin' theme with an unusual instrument, an electric phin from Thailand – a nod to the many so-called “world music jazz” recordings that the MPS studio gave birth to. On “Can't Stop This Fire”, soul singer Carlton Jumel Smith from New York City takes over the mic as a special guest and brings the house down with a heavy funk delivery. “When We Roll” builds another highlight where bouncy drums play off disco-jazz horn themes and finally, the gospel-flavoured cine-soul epic “Homebound” drives it all home.

[engl] In 2003, upon the disbanding of seminal Swedish noise rock band Acid Ape, brothers Marcus and Kristoffer Kinberg started BACON WAGON. 2004 saw them record a self-released split 7” with fellow rockers Instrumen. After trying a bunch of guitarists, Marcus switched from drums to guitar/vocals, and in 2005, the band recorded and released a six-song EP, Savant, released on Maduro Records. Shortly after, Peter Johansson, who played drums in Instrumen, quit his band and joined BACON WAGON, which turned out to be the perfect lineup. In 2006, BACON WAGON hooked up with Baltimore noise rockers Dactyl for a split 7” on Hit-Dat Records and a US tour, and a couple of years later, the band was put on hiatus. The brothers Kinberg continued onward in the new outfit Hooves Not Hands, and Peter later started the punk band Slöa Knivar and death metal band Bastard Grave. Fast forward to 2023 when the BACON WAGON crew finally got their shit together and wrote a slew of new songs. The band now finally arrives with their first ever full-length album, Trauma Cake. Crackling with the expected caustic noise rock snarl and a filthy edge of tongue-in-cheek snark, Trauma Cake slaps the listener with ten ripping ragers fueled with punk energy and fuzz galore. One can picture the band members slyly cranking these dirges out amidst stacks of blown-out amps pumping forth plumes of blackened fumes while a cast of buzzed patrons light themselves aflame while slow-motion crowd-surfing. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Oliver Dahl at Studio Quaalude, Sweden, and completed with cover by Marcus Kinberg, Trauma Cake is prime auricle-abrasing sustenance for patrons of Hammerhead, Black Flag, Nirvana, Flipper, Tad, Melvins, Butthole Surfers, and anything with Steve Albini’s name in the lineup or the Amphetamine Reptile logo on it.

[engl] If you find yourself inexplicably getting misty over a record that is anything but feels-producing, the confusion might be yours if you didn't have the slightest inkling that we're still a little sore over here about Albini's passing. So to get to hear a record wrenched from the sinews of the pre- and post-Albini Electrical is not just a treat but something extra specially significant. Which the band could have completely whiffed on if they had been anything other than great, and even greater? The record they mixed there. But even better than that is that it's hewn from a very specific genre while at the same time both sounding and feeling pretty fucking genre-free (which is important if you're hailing from DC/Baltimore where the Fugazi shadow looms large). It's a grand buy...personal fave song at present? UNDER. So file under NECESSARY. And you can tell them I said so." - Eugene Robinson (OXBOW) It would be so easy to say something simple like “they don’t make ‘em like this Birth (Defects) album anymore” because it would be true. The Baltimore/DC area band recorded Deceiver / Mirror in 2017 and let it sit after dissolving. Truly, this band does not exist anymore and will never make another record. But what about this covers LP coming out? Clearly what was just stated was a lie. There is another Birth (Defects) record to follow. It’s not entirely of their own songs, and maybe just some of these folks played on it. See how I deceived you? I created an expectation and then ran over it. I caused drama where none needed to exist. Curiously, that (in forms both more and less severe) is what Deceiver / Mirror is about. The band explains that it’s “loosely about how anyone can be a liar no matter how good of a person they are and about the impact lying has on not just the people you lie to but those connected to that person you've lied to -- or even the people connected to you as the liar. Basically, the Deceiver side acknowledges of the weight everyone has to bear due to your mistakes; the Mirror side is about the acceptance that you (or anyone, really) are capable of hurting others and trying to learn from it and actually listen to the people you've hurt.” This record was born in an era of significant lies and is being released into another, where theoretically suffering people find salvation through lies that destroy communities in real time -- as if somehow that justifies telling these untruths in the first place. What, then, are the truths in this work? It’s heavily indebted to ‘90s grunge and noise, heartily recalling the whammy bar bend and distortion pedal power dynamic of Bleach- era Nirvana, the burly backwoods horror of Tad, and the deafeningly laconic riffs and studda-step rhythms of Cherubs. It dispenses with the need for ballads, each track swinging the bat around and hitting anything that walks into its flail. It’s gloriously not of this time nor any other – far too late for the trend, too early and unconcerned with any impending revival. It’s packaged with care in a gatefold sleeve and sonically in good hands from the start (recorded by Multicult’s Nick Skrobisz, mixed by Matthew Barnhart at Electrical Audio, mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service). And it lurches forth in a mode that becomes more unhinged and intense as the record goes on, in particular, the closing duo of “Trapped” and “Throne.” Ultimately, the real truth is that record was made for the band, their friends and family, and a slowly expanding circle of individuals who’ll connect to Birth (Defects)’ direct themes and broken angles as a self-fulfilling prophecy. No lies needed, no hopes of “making it,” no need for any further validation. There are a couple dozen bands in 2025 that’d kill to make something like this, and it’d never even occur to them. - Doug Mosurock

[engl] The ultimate (bile, guts and angst) outing from these top-notch Aussie dark punks... can't fault it really. Love everything about this. Arse's releases have already become classics in my mind. This is a band I'm going to keep listening to until the Sun burns out. Primitive Species from 2017 was a refreshing fusion of obnoxious techno-like intensity and primitive hardcore punk energy. ARSE’s identity sounds like a drunken, stumbling warning of something very ugly and violent coming your way. You can also dance to it if that’s your thing. Safe Word doesn’t bend radically from the face-melting formula previously introduced, but they do tend to flirt with more traditional “rock tropes,” and it works surprisingly well. At times when riffing out like SUICIDE or FLIPPER, the neanderthal singing reminds you of why you’re still here. During its eleven minutes on the turntable, Safe Word actually creates an album-like quality. I suppose ARSE is kind of what PISSED JEANS wish they were: great songwriting and musical abilities performed for dumb people. Safe Word was the next EP from Arse, proudly presented by Grupo and Erste Theke Tontraeger Records, direct from planet earth. Recorded amidst one member's medical catastrophe, nationwide touring and utter global decay, the trio follow up their lauded debut with the next phase in punk rock evolution -- a crucial meditation on humankind's tendency to lean into a fucked situation rather than get itself out. With no topic too hot, no stone unturned and no pooch left to screw, Arse are a band who thinks big, baby. Internal warfare, assured climate doom, the incurable ill of the male psyche, and a song exclusively about hating world leaders are all there to be discovered across these four burning mantras. Complete with live-wire guitars, sledgehammer rhythms and absolutely smouldering production from the band’s own Jonathan Boulet, Arse are truly a band on fucking fire. Kaputt. is the next phase of Australian insanity by ARSE, who's last recorded work came out in 2019, right before the world truly shat the proverbial bed. It’s all been leading up to this; a six-track blast on everything from climate denialism to crooked law enforcement that will excoriate your earholes and arseholes in minutes of raw power. Strap in.

[engl] The entire press release could be summarized in one short sentence. ZYPH make punk for punks! That says it all. But this presents a small problem. What people classify as punk has become so broad that the term no longer has any inherent meaning. German rock bands, funny slapstick, even funnier rappers, and everything else fall under this umbrella. Add to that the funny discussion that one has the right to simply install a new definition due to one's late birth. Anyone who disagrees is one of the... well, you know the accusations yourself. I've actually decided to move on, leave the playground to others; after all, it's only right and proper for punk to dismantle and redefine itself (depending on one's point of view, of course). ... and then this, or rather, ZYPH. A friend asked me to listen to the songs, which he recorded in his rehearsal room on a 4-track recorder. He had mastered the songs a bit, but not much. Well, no sooner said than done. The songs played, and I wondered if he'd perhaps swapped the master. What I heard didn't sound like Mannheim, it sounded like Erfurt in '91 or Wegeleben in '95! Rough, uncouth, straightforward. You can't write something like that between two lectures. A sound from a time when we hung out in squats and waited for the next fascist attack, full of rage and fear. Punk without frills, without pseudo-witty lyrics, punk that's at home on the streets and that has no illusions about its future. I can't even begin to express how happy this record makes me. On the one hand, it's this little trip back in time, of course, and on the other, it's the joy that the rage I felt 35 years ago still exists. Incidentally, this rage and this despair were the reason we kids became punks. And ZYPH bring this feeling back to life. So if you like old post-reunification East German punk, you should give this a listen.

[engl] Five years since their previous EP, NYC punks Kaleidoscope return with Cities of Fear—an 8 song 12” of dark utopian hardcore punk written and recorded at D4MT Labs by the band in only a few days. Rougher and more chaotic than their previous records, like a crazed, spontaneous live offering from seasoned veterans, Cities of Fear sounds like a band returning to their roots, with the heavy, mid 80’s anarcho-punk of Wretched, Crucifix, and Iconoclast serving as their North Star. This record is a surprising and seething document from a group that, after a decade together, continues to experiment with their anger.

[engl] Tàrrega 91’s straightforward take on Discharge-inspired hardcore punk is a glass of fresh water in a polluted sea of bands trying to break through the algorithm and grab a few seconds of our ever-decreasing supply of attention. There are no gimmicks on Ckaos Total, just simple three and four-chord riffs, a driving drumbeat (you can guess which one), and thoughtful lyrics delivered with power and passion. Tempos vary from fast, to really fast, to ultra fast, with most songs in the latter category. Without studio effects, silly costumes, or metal chops to distract, the focus falls on the songs themselves, which distill a profound sense of hopelessness and frustration into a few defiant words to yell into the void. In their lyrics and artwork, Tàrrega 91? continues to draw inspiration from the 1991 uprising in their town that ended with the arrest of 86 young people, a history that makes them keenly aware of exactly what they’re pushing against. While so many contemporary bands emulate the aesthetics of punk’s classic era, on Ckaos Total Tàrrega 91 taps into the power of bands like Discharge, Wretched, and MG-15 by creating simple, sincere—and sincerely pissed—protest music.

[engl] The Vacant Lot are a first wave punk band from Canberra, started in 1978, that released just one EP in 1981. They played a few gigs and broke up shortly after but not without having a full set list of free-thinking, anti-establishment, Wire/Magazine/Buzzcocks inspired tunes to call from. And call they have! 'Creatures of the Night' is a collection of songs mostly written in '78/'79 but never recorded. Now with a fresh line-up (including Alien Nosejob's Jake Robertson!) they finally see the light. We asked singer George Howson about where the impetus comes from and he shot back with: "Writing songs is something I have to do. I wanted bring life some of our earliest songs which were never recorded, and to pair them with lyrics that did justice to their energy and power. A lot of my working life outside the band takes place in that edge territory where bush intersects with farmland, which provides much of the setting for the lyrics, inspiring the images and sensibility. My interest is in exploring internal and outer landscapes, and to try to make sense of the complex interplay between the two. This EP is also a tribute to Bruce Hart (now deceased), with whom I co-wrote most of our early music; finishing off unfinished business, layering new sensibilities on old, and honouring that original creative partnership." The Vacant Lot combine high energy garage music with potent lyrics, telling impressionistic stories as truthfully as they can through the juxtaposition of stark images transcribed directly from the world around them. Organic song-writing, collaboration, allowing accidents to find their way into the finished form. Keeping a thread of connection intact from their rough beginnings while allowing new modes of expression to evolve both musically and lyrically. Great material lasts forever and The Vacant Lot have a wealth of it backed with the talent to deliver it in style with a boatload of energy and "heaps of fun".

[engl] Perth’s COLD MEAT are finally back and unleash a five track 7” EP full of their confrontational punk rock. The sound is brittle, primal and raw with the crisp guitar work leading each track. In parts it sounds like a more aggro BRATMOBILE and in others it has the innocent charm of the FATAL MICROBES. It’s in your face, direct and within seconds of hearing ‘Prick at the Pub’ you already know the lyrics are both tongue in cheek and observational. From provocation perverts relentlessly chewing your ear off at the bar to exploitative high-end art havens promoting sprawling wellness. Innovation through social elevation. Who wouldn’t want to go to a cake and arse party?

[engl] “LOVING, JOYFUL AND FREE” by MOTHER NATURE. Cynical con-marketing for something as unloved, unjoyful and unfree as any SECOND CHILD. Strap it on and you’ll be back yomping through their uncanny valley of HARDCORE STANDARDS. Elevation comes from half-remembered licks, lifted from some strange sources indeed: YDI, LAUGHING HYENAS and even the phasered single-string solos of THE SCIENTISTS. In keeping with the LEEDS credo, there are even some UNSUSTAINABLE PITS scattered about. On “Loving…”, the MAMAS don’t bring THE POPPERS, beyond amyl-headache tempos that remain resolutely mid-. Sure, sometimes they show enough songcraft to court catchy, but these NATURALS never let it cop a full feel. It’s that ol’ ‘show-and-no’, handed down through the corecraft of COLD SWEAT to these MUTHAS. “ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?” – because these MOTHERLESS FUCKS surely are. CRED piled up in inverse proportion to sales during solid stretches with PERSPEX FLESH, MOB RULES,BRAIN DEAD, WHIPPING POST and THE FLEX. But by 2025, long robbed of their youth and beauty, what was left but to grow older and uglier. MOTHER NATURE ain't looking right pretty, but she's whispering your name again….Friend, that’s some OEDIPAL KICK right there. - Conor Rickford Limited to 350 on rosé coloured vinyl.

[engl] Has it really been seven years since the last THE NUMBER ONES record?? Luckily for all the pop pickers in the world they are back with a two track 7", their first with new bassist Pete O'Hanlon. Both tracks have everything you’d want from THE NUMBER ONES - joyous and uptempo songs with hooks galore that get stuck in your head after one play. ’Sorry’ lasts just over two minutes and is a stonewall classic. It’s like a prime BUZZCOCKS 1979 7” single mixed with a rawer production from any number of the Good Vibrations label or Rip Off Records releases. The flip ‘Blind Spot’ (complete with a guest appearance from Al and Amy from TERRY) has a more 60’s edge but still with the classic power pop sound you’d expect and love. This band should be a household name. First pressing is 550 copies on black vinyl in a custom pocket sleeve.

[engl] Moons of Saturn, formed in 2021, Stockholm Sweden. Peder Andersson and Håkan Göstas had been a part of the band «The Curse» that were active between 2014 to 2020, They made 3 albums during this time. Then Håkan Göstas decided to move on and make another band with a different touch but still hard rocking. Peder was his first choice for the job as the bass player. Then Mankan Magnusson joined on drums. A true power trio was born. In spring 2024 they recorded 12 songs for thier debut album. Recorded at Televinkler Studio in Gothenburg by Tobias Winterkorn. Mixed in NYC by Micheal Giblin from the Split Squad. Raw power but with great cathcy melodies. The perfect band for a hot rocking night at your favorite rock n roll venue.

[engl] Oh! Gunquit Are a British band known for their energetic blend of rock, surf, and garage music, with a touch of psychobilly and punk influences. Formed in the mid-2010s, the band is recognized for their vibrant, high-octane performances and a distinctive sound that mixes vintage rock 'n' roll with modern edge. Their music typically features catchy melodies, reverb-drenched guitars, and a retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of both classic and contemporary garage rock. The band's lineup has changed over time, but the central core of the group created by Tina Swasey (Vocals) and Simon Wild (Guitar) have remained a constant and they've maintained a reputation for being a fun and electrifying act on stage. Their tracks often tell stories with a quirky, humorous touch while keeping a raw, rebellious vibe. Their most notable releases include songs like "Dance like F*ck" and "So Long Sucker", and they’ve earned a solid following for their ability to merge catchy pop hooks with a gritty, lo-fi sound.

[engl] With his first full-length album „Ruinenkampf“, to be released via Hamburg based label Bureau B, Das Kinn embarks on a musical tour de force through the ruins of our time. An electronic armada and kickbox phonetics lead us through haunting soundscapes somewhere between DAF, Kosmische Kuriere and Frankfurt Bahnhofsviertel. Beats on full blast. Bones rattle. Warm synthlines played by cold hands. A saxophone ponders the after. Hymns for the demolition. Sonic meditations on decay. Music for the solemn decline. Toben Piel likes to visit cemeteries. In those places of peace and idyll he finds the distance to contemplate transience and consider the hereafter as a concrete location. His debut album „Ruinenkampf“ comes from the same mindset – distancing himself just enough to get straight to the point with a running start. It certainly doesn't sound anything like peace and idyll. It has more to do with the cassette scene, the 1980s, with staccato vocals, and synths somewhere between DAF and Kosmische Kuriere. Underground aesthetics. Torrents of melody, sophistication, constantly oscillating between anthem and demolition. And the crass power of that voice! These are eight pieces of intensive listening, always right on the mark. So how does it work? How can anybody create something like that? Well, this man in his forties from Frankfurt, still young at heart and ever hungry, has substantial experience: first with Antitainment (2005-2010), then together with the magnificent Charlotte Simon in Les Trucs, through his cassette label MMODEMM, and also as a musician on various theatre stages. Yet with DAS KINN he feels that he has now finally created music with a true sense of self-liberation. Maybe it's simply down to age? Where perhaps he once used to think too much, to control things and strangle ideas in the pursuit of perfectionism, this time he has devised a broader concept as an antidote. Speed. Focus. Conclusion. Not to devalue his previous work – but here there is a presence of mind that allows all that prior experience to prevail without being overly aware of it. Jaamis-vu, the first track, is well chosen in its opening position: the only cover, originally by the band Teurer denn je, from East Berlin’s avant-garde in the late 1980s, before the wall came down, and sounding like Kurt Weill going for a walk with Einstürzende Neubauten. It serves as a prelude, rising directly to the highest heights: hymnal, deliberate, right at the peak of Piel's craft. And even though the words are not Toben Piel's own, they already seem self-descriptive, proclaiming in German: I am a mannequin / Who doesn't like shop windows. That is the aesthetic tension in which we first find ourselves. Oneironaut sei wachsam then takes off with Piel's staccato voice, his surreal artificial language already fully developed. It works exceedingly well. Ruinenkampf follows from there, gives the artificial word a hectic space, takes you into the fallow wastelands through which Das Kinn moves. The fierce Alle rüsten auf, which in its aggression somehow evokes associations with Frankfurt street rap, addresses the contradiction between the self-optimization and world destruction that we find ourselves exposed to, or expose ourselves to: What is it you are preparing for? The last days? Souterrain, in the middle of the album, brings a welcome moment of respite. But it is more than just an interlude. Das Kinn walks us through a wide hollow. The drones and fighter jets up in the sky are far away and harmless. We have a moment for tender reflection. Even if we soon have to climb out of that hollow, back into the conscious ruins, here we feel detached, as if floating above the clouds. It is a beautiful moment, especially in contrast to the violence of the seven other pieces: instrumental, without a beat, but with a saxophone in the mood of a bluesy neo-noir. Back above ground, we encounter Die Ratten, expressive and aggressive: The rats seek their captor / They seek and find salvation in the Volksempfänger. This swan-song can also be read politically, about the current idiocy that spews from everything, unfathomable in its boundless stupidity. Tempel des Todes dramatically sets us up for the grand finale and manages the balancing act of powerfully dragging itself onwards. Reflection takes place: I, a human being in all this madness, am a body, a temple. I will disintegrate within it over time. That's pretty heavy. Then almost conciliatory at the very end is Nichts, with its pseudo-therapeutic speech samples, offering self-help for the performative life on the brink. Yet Das Kinn responds with cynicism. No matter what is raised in these observations of everyday life, Toben Piel throws his Nichts at every phrase. It is existentialism to the point of despair, artfully captured in the sardonic lecture: You are right here and you feel nothing / It's okay. Music is the only artform that can simultaneously tear down AND build. We find ourselves present at this event of simultaneity. When the dust finally clears from the jagged debris, standing amidst the ruins is Das Kinn: prophet, witness, mercenary. In a basement studio, bunker-like beneath the filthy sidewalks of Frankfurt, completely shielded from the outside world, a captivating narrative has emerged with these eight pieces. An album that drives and absorbs, setting escapism to music and focusing on the present. „Ruinenkampf“ raises a question that even Toben Piel does not answer, does not need to answer: Is this the story of a post-apocalypse – or are we in an echo chamber of the present? We all know that this boundary has now become blurred – and that can be heard here. In the musical battle amongst the ruins, the horror, the absurd, the mockery and the rage all come together through Piel's stony gaze, forcefully sung in his kickboxer phonetics. Yet he retains a sense of beauty in the accompanying brutality. There is something very positive to be found in this music. It is all the more compelling because the concession to pathos and dramaturgy, which are abundant here, is inherently life-affirming. In the ruins of civilization, something is being fought for that should endure. The fact is, anyone who tells a story with such vehemence wants it to continue. So no need to be glum. Chin up, and on we go in a crazy goose-step over the ruins of our times. These days, Don Quixote comes from Frankfurt and sings in Dada! He is well prepared. ?– Hendrik Otremba

[engl] The fourth demo and the last one of the saga! No more words would be needed. Prison Affair - EP IV is not just a musical work but a statement – a powerful expression of isolation, rebellion, and the search for freedom. Perfect for those who want to lose themselves in the hidden corners of the music landscape and feel the pull of unique auditory experiences. If you want to put some wacky, wild, “blink and you’ll miss it” style nerd-punk in your ear holes, PRISON AFFAIR is probably what you’ve been craving. With vocals echoing back and forth between the shrieking and megaphone-assisted to deep and menacing reverberations, there seems to be a chaotic balance in place here but just barely. Technically, you’re told that you’re listening to four sub-two-minute tracks, but the experience is more of a singular six-minute-plus manic dream. It’s as positive as it is sweaty and uncomfortable. It’s impossible to recommend a single track when they’re all tied together like a perfect knot and the whole experience is so yummy and easy to digest. Addictive eggy, thrashy synth trances are here, with steady, monotonous vocals jumping through the fast-paced melodies, achieving complexity and implying layers in their sound as they mix theme songs with crazy catchy tracks.

[engl] The Alloy Six's third album Delicate Days is a rock album with roots in 60s and 70s rock and pop music but with an eye on the future. Ten new strong songswith jangly and fuzzed guitars, organs, and fine vocal harmonies.

[engl] Five unreleased, energetic punk rock songs from Hamburg's C3I, featuring the busy musicians Arne Wagner (e.g. TORPEDO MOSKAU, NOISE ANNOYS), Rudi Raschberger (e.g. 3000 YEN) and Jens Brandl (e.g. WITTE XP), meet JIMMI PELZ FISTFUCK USA, who have mercilessly blasted out their 5 new tracks, which cut into the convolutions of the brain like out-of-control chainsaws.

[engl] The Galileo 7, featuring the songs of Allan Crockford, formerly base player of UK garage heroes The Prisoners who paved the ground in the 80s for the British baggy scene and 90s Britpop, is a sonic sensation combining the flash and power of freakbeat with the harmonies of baroque psych, power pop, and a dash of swirling psychedelia. In collaboration with the band, Busy Bee has picked the best of the best and made this wonderful compilation of Galileo 7-nuggets that will truly blow your mind. 2025.

[engl] Sweden was a well-known scene for some of the best garage rock bands emerging in the 80s. The Backdoor Men may have been the most brilliant example of them all with the amazing vocalist Robert Jelinek, also known for his achievements with The Creeps. During a few years The Backdoor Men released some of the most epic jangly garage/pop/folk there was, decades before bands like The Hives. On this definite compilation everything is included - the singles, the cassettes, the demos. Enjoy a piece of 60s style dance blast.

[engl] Cornflake Zoo was one of many untamed garage rock bands that burst out of Sweden in the wake of The Nomads. Their debut single, Hey Conductor, dropped in 1985 on the legendary Tracks On Wax label – the same stomping ground as the early days of The Creeps. With fuzzed-out guitars, a swirling Farfisa organ, and raw energy, they tore through the scene, releasing an EP, another single, and making stellar appearances on international garage rock compilations. But by the time they pulled the plug in 1990, their sound had transformed from ragged, riff-heavy garage rock to shimmering, melodic wimp-pop. And every note they played was pure magic. Now, we’re thrilled to announce the release of the ultimate Cornflake Zoo compilation, Knights Of Fuzz! This collection captures all their released tracks and throws in a few bonus tracks for good measure. It’s time to unearth Haninge’s best-kept secret and experience the sounds of a band that truly deserved to conquer the world.

[engl] When most people think of Florida, they might picture retirement villages with seniors playing pickleball, luxurious Lamborghinis cruising to the beach, or leather-skinned swamp folks with a passion for NASCAR. However, Florida is also home to some of the fiercest punk bands imaginable. HEAVEN'S GATE is one such band. Instead of exuding the raw grime of ASSÜCK, HEAVEN'S GATE channels their rage into a powerful, concise, blast-beating behemoth. "TALES FROM A BLISTERING PARADISE" builds upon the animosity this fearsome foursome shared with us via their debut self-titled EP a couple years back, revealing a grotesque embodiment that has only become more exacting and deadly since that initial release; which is no surprise considering the extensive catalog of these folks, past and present. This record is eight tracks of seething, white knuckle extreme music - nothing more, nothing less.

[engl] Behold! Previously only released on the digital format in the year 2022 as they became available and then via a series of 7"s on the Paranoid Northern Discs and D-Takt & Råpunk Records labels just last year, Beach Impediment is delighted to present these eight tracks on the 12" format to the North American populus. Much like the rest of the offerings from ???? thus far, these songs are top notch and thankfully did not fade away into cyber obscurity. Limited to a one time pressing of 500 copies, each record comes in not only a jacket adorned with the stunning art of Joe BB but also features an immense fold out poster by the acclaimed punk artist, serving as quite the visual compliment to the devastating compositions on this slab.