[engl] "Smarts are a relatively new Australian band who began playing shows around Melbourne and surrounds towards the end of 2018. Combining frantic, yet taut and rapidly-paced rhythms amidst playful, almost child-like riffs and melodies that just about make you want to pull your hair out, Smarts are a sound of their own. The band stemmed out of a bedroom demo that was recorded for fun a year earlier by Billy Gardner (bass, vocals) and Mitch Campleman (guitar) in Geelong. After letting it collect dust for 12 months, they assembled a band to perform the songs live featuring Jake Robertson on drums and Sally Buckley on synth; and released the four-song demo cassette, “Smart World”. Stella Rennex later joined the band, largely filling out the sound with her eccentric saxophone parts. “Who Needs Smarts, Anyway?” was recorded by the band themselves over a weekend slumber in Geelong at the DIY studio setup; The Barracks, with finishing coats added in Melbourne before sending off to mix-master-Mikey Young in Rye. There’s a feeling throughout as if the whole thing could collapse into pieces at any moment, and just when you think it’s about to, Smarts weave their way out and into a new direction. Points of reference could be compared to the quirkiness of LA’s Suburban Lawns or Geza X, as well as citing influence from modern sounds like Japanese band Vodovo and the ever-evolving Midwest American punk scene. It could even be viewed as a refreshing and original extension of the so-called “egg punk” genre. The North American pressing of ""Who Needs Smarts, Anyway?"", limited to 400 copies, comes packaged with a double-sided risograph insert and download code. "

[engl] Pro-duplicated cassette edition of 150 copies. As the Decline of Western Civilization comes into full focus, our ears turn once again to Los Angeles. The first proper full length from Smirk could very well be the soundtrack to a Decline pt. IV, with tracks like "Living in Hell" and "Hopeless" delivered for a whole new generation of latchkey kids. 'Material' follows 2021's 100% TOTAL PUNK 'EP' and 2020's 'LP', which collected the first two cassettes-de-quarantine that began Nick Vicario's run as Smirk. If you've worn out your copies of those releases, then 'Material' needs no further explanation. But if you're wondering where the magic is - let's start with pure, quality songwriting. Vicario and his revolving cast of Smirk players have really done it this time. It's punk, California, paranoia, guitars, rhythm, and a sense of humor-slash-purpose joining forces to combat reality in the truest sense. Smirk have produced an impressive punk encapsulation of the times across the web of sound on 'Material'.

[engl] As the Decline of Western Civilization comes into full focus, our ears turn once again to Los Angeles. The first proper full length from Smirk could very well be the soundtrack to a Decline pt. IV, with tracks like "Living in Hell" and "Hopeless" delivered for a whole new generation of latchkey kids. 'Material' follows 2021's 100% TOTAL PUNK 'EP' and 2020's 'LP', which collected the first two cassettes-de-quarantine that began Nick Vicario's run as Smirk. If you've worn out your copies of those releases, then 'Material' needs no further explanation. But if you're wondering where the magic is - let's start with pure, quality songwriting. Vicario and his revolving cast of Smirk players have really done it this time. It's punk, California, paranoia, guitars, rhythm, and a sense of humor-slash-purpose joining forces to combat reality in the truest sense. Smirk have produced an impressive punk encapsulation of the times across the web of sound on 'Material'.

[engl] Back in the late 70's, a small Louisiana town would quietly become home to "The Band That Souled The World". The Soul Patrol hailed from the northwestern Louisiana town of Many (pronounced man-ny), just across the Toledo Bend Reservoir from Texas. Junior high pals Buckshot Coxe (vocals, guitar) and Kenny Weaver (vocals, bass, percussion) laid the groundwork for The Soul Patrol, later graduating from Many High and crossing state lines to jam in Denton, TX while Buckshot briefly attended college. Upon returning to Many, drummer Kerwin Alexander - and his particularly loose and soulful style - was added to round out the trio, now jamming in their basement space known as THE CAVE. While their live shows at small clubs went over poorly - Weaver recalls, "We were kinda anti-everything in the area and no one got us at the time" - The Soul Patrol made it into a long-since-forgotten local studio to cut a two song demo in 1979. From there, the band decided to order a custom pressing of 50 copies (!) on their own STUD Records imprint. Almost all of the sleeveless 45s were given away to friends and at parties, vanishing into near-total obscurity for over four decades. Oh yes, THAT single - well it's simply jaw dropping stuff. A double-sided monster that simultaneously kills across the hard rock/proto-punk/Bloodstains/Killed By Death spectrums. Loud, raw, loose, Southern, and WAY ahead of the curve. "Mara" is a bona fide rocker, anchored by Buckshot's brilliant vocal and guitar lines. But hell, "Take Back the Night" truly steals the show, with an incredible fuzz guitar tone driving the main riff home while Coxe screams "HERE WE GO!" to kick off the side. An incredible punk moment, almost like the cocaine mix of "Raw Power" Stooges bashing into the verse riff of "Sub-mission" by The Sex Pistols. And it's all totally replete with attitude, excelling in the same department as fellow US first wave punk regionalists like The Crap Detectors, The Gizmos, and The (Iowa) Dogs. The Soul Patrol existed until 1981, turning in a second 45 and LP on the White Horse label - neither of which quite match the veracity and sheer raw excellence of their STUD 45. Shortly after their self-titled LP, Buckshot Coxe moved to Amsterdam and would later pass there, followed in passing by Kerwin Alexander. Reissued and widely available for the first time ever, THE SOUL PATROL's debut 45 has been carefully transferred and remastered from Kenny Weaver's personal copy (one of a handful known in existence) and paired up with a newly created picture sleeve by resident Louisiana punk Drew Owen (Sick Thoughts). First 250 copies on translucent orange vinyl with 500 more on black, all with hand-stamped picture sleeves accompanied by an insert featuring liners from Kenny Weaver and a small treasure trove of reproduced ephemera from The Soul Patrol archives, plus a download code.

[engl] Cut from a magnetic, jagged edge of the Louisiana underground, Spllit open up an entirely new can of worms on 'Infinite Hatch'. A dozen new originals, mined from the minds of Marance and Urq, prove to be quite the follow-up to their introductory 2021 effort, 'Spllit Sides'. Transitioning from home recording project to roadworthy live unit - anchored by Raegan Labat (bass) and Ryan Welsh (drums) has worked wonders for Spllit's style. Their approach to composition remains wonderfully fried - a galaxy of textured sonic synapses, totally wired and deeply imaginative. Yet, in the midst of this collision of sounds, there's beauty. Anxieties transcend into swirling dual-vocal pop art experimentalia, while guitar work taps into something Magical. Spllit's old friend MIDI again contributes to the smokestack of layered tracks, though somehow - IT ALL MAKES SENSE. Crystalline soundscapes from humid human minds. 'Infinite Hatch' is a rare flavor, strikingly different based on how you approach it, yet cohesive. Spllit are triumphant sonic chemists, cooking in the avant-lab that's way, way out there.

[engl] Somewhere out there, a new sound known as Next Level Music exists. The hot and humid Amite River basin of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the unlikely, albeit natural inflection point for such a sound - created by a duo with a driving penchant for originality, known as SPLLIT. The story of Spllit begins with a fun challenge of sorts: to write and record split sides of an album in under a day's time. Enter Urq and Marance, and their arsenal of odd-shaped guitars, synthesizers, glass and metal percussive gadgets, marimbas, and so-on. "Spllit Sides" slowly rises from a cacophony of tape splicing into clear and concrete Next Level Music. Like an acid tableaux vivant ~ a swirling sonic whirlwind of loose and odd time signatures come into play along with the occasional pop sensibility. Originality remains key in Spllit's formula, but let's establish some sonic kinship - maybe a Devolved, Deep South version of The Flying Lizards. Or a deep fried Eno sitting in with The Magic Band. This Heat from a place that's actually hot and has quietly housed eccentrics like The Zoomers for decades. Freaky shit from a fun(ky) new cloud. Spllit's first album features seven brand new cuts and a fresh coat of ether applied to their previous "Spllit Together" cassette, with a vibrant mastering job courtesy of Caufield Schnug (Sweeping Promises). Spllit Sides comes packaged in a 20pt. reverse board sleeve with full color insert and download code.

[engl] Spread Joy may as well be their own musical genre. An immediate flavor and mercurial 'Qu'est-ce que c'est?' begin their second album with the 45 second opener "Ow". Coincidentally, the album spins at 45, just like Spread Joy's self-titled 2021 debut. The Chicago group came out of nowhere, mid-pandemic, with a stunning ten track LP on Feel It. Returning to the warm analog environment at Jamdek Recording Co., Spread Joy have truly honed their craft across these 17 minutes and 17 seconds. This is the kind of punk-forward music that is made to be heard and felt, far from the distorted mirror of the web. A group living free, moving at their own speed, and making music that will be remembered - that's Spread Joy, folks!

[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] 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.

[engl] The Motor City does it again, folks! From the birthplace of some of the most significant sounds of the past sixty-odd years, the Stools are certainly no exception to Detroit's musical legacy. The trio's self-professed "Nuggets vs. Killed By Death" sound is back in full effect on 'R U Saved?', which could be considered the first proper Stools full length after a slew of EPs and singles. Whether you're just hearing 'em for the first time or have been tuned in through past releases on Drunken Sailor, Goodbye Boozy, Third Man, and Big Neck - the Stools are at the top of their game here in 2023. Twelve songs in twenty-three minutes, a blaze of bluesy punk damage born from a steady diet of the Stooges, Negative Approach, and the Gories with a dash of that far-gone Memphis sound in the mix. The Stools are a fine-tuned unit across 'R U Saved?' - an album chock full of replay value from the raw, unpretentious, and industrious Detroit trio.

[engl] Oh boy, now we're cooking. Now we're in the court of Sugar Tradition. Only a city like their hometown of Detroit could foster such a refined appreciation of rock'n'roll, r&b, and garage punk - and Sugar Tradition clearly have IT. The trio, consisting of Antonio Keka (guitar/vocals), Kevin Irwin (drums), and Arlo Betley (bass) are a complete force of nature live - contemporaries of the Stools, Toeheads, and 208. They're also fresh off a tour supporting none other than the Detroit Cobras. Sugar Tradition have managed to capture that raw, driving Motor City sound in damn near perfect form on 'More Sugar', their vinyl debut on Feel It Records. "Rockin' Baby" kicks things into gear, anchored by a driving piano line that plays off a pounding rhythm section, allowing Keka's guitar and vocals to rule the high end of the mix. There's some tasteful harmonica and tambourine peppered throughout, but it's the raw, fuzzed-out sonics heard best on "Don't Leave Me" that may just steal the show. Oh yeah, did we mention the roaring rendition of Chuck Berry's "Come On"? It's all recorded live, too. A stupendous fourteen minutes at 45 RPM. Sugar Tradition are one of the brightest sets of young heads on the face of planet rock'n'roll right now, and 'More Sugar' proves that to a tee.

[engl] Straight from the depths of an unused Boston-area concrete laboratory comes the debut of Sweeping Promises. Written and recorded with a patented ""single mic technique"" just before quarantine, ""Hunger for a Way Out"", is a post-punk leaning gem of unpolished DIY sound. The title track kicks things off in absolutely classic fashion, full of spirited hooks that echo the early Rough Trade sound. Angular guitars and sharp synth notes float atop a raw rhythm section, while Lira Mondal's effervescent vocals truly define Sweeping Promises' sound. There's something simple yet otherworldly about these tracks - you have the DIY prowess of Kleenex/LiLiPUT and Girls at Our Best!, a brooding new wave-y minimal synth sound woven in, and an undeniable pop-leaning appeal captured in vibrant monaural glory. It's hard to mistake these ten tracks of naturally urgent and driving post-punk for anything other than sheer brilliance. Sweeping Promises deliver in spades on ""Hunger for a Way Out"".

[engl] THE TOMS was originally released in 1979. The project of Tom Marolda, a New Jersey musician, he recorded the album in his home studio, playing all the instruments himself. In the years since its release, it's become a highly prized treasure amongst power pop fans around the world, at least those lucky enough to discover it. Beatlesque melodies abound on a record that sounds anything but lo-fi. Feel It Records is proud to re-release this long sought after gem with 11 bonus tracks plus Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) performing "The Flame" for the first time ever released! -John M. Borack, Author, Shake Some Action 2.0: An Updated Guide to the 200 Greatest Power Pop Albums

[engl] For many years, Tommy Marolda has been a versatile member of the American music industry: a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer, Grammy-nominated songwriter...the list goes on. But record nerds like me know Tommy because of a single weekend in 1979. He was scheduled to record demos with the Smithereens in his New Jersey home studio, but their last-minute cancelation gave Tommy a small window to record something of his own. After three days of hitting the record button and dashing back to his instruments, Tommy had more than 30 slabs of pop perfection on tape, 12 of which became his seminal power pop LP 'The Toms'. Other tracks from that weekend session have trickled out via reissues of 'The Toms' over the years, but little did anyone know Tommy recorded enough material to fill up three long players! Presented here are the last of the 1979 Toms sessions. Savor them like the rare commodities that they are."

[engl] Mid-1960's Richmond, Virginia had little to offer aspiring local artists. Enter Martin Gary, a local kid who grew up working at Gary's, the primary record shop in town that his father opened in 1939. Starting in junior high, Martin Gary became interested in producing local bands, however Richmond lacked any real recording studios. Gary first linked up with The Barracudas, a teen group from nearby Sandston, traveling up to Washington, DC's Edgewood Recording in June 1966. The resulting session produced a 45 on the Cuda imprint, establishing NewBag Music for publishing, and using Gary's Records (which would grow into an 8-store chain) as distribution. More 45's soon followed in '67 and '68, with Gary creating the Groove label that would release The Hazards ""Hey Joe"" (one of the best versions from the late 60's garage explosion), King Edward & His B.D.'s ""Beg Me"" (a snappy garage/soul hybrid with horn section), and the monster soul cut ""Gotta Be a Reason"" from Bernard Smith & Jokers Wild. Trips to Virginia Beach resulted in a 45 on the appropriately-dubbed Beech label for Group Nine, early adopters of a psychedelic rock sound reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane. Summer 1968 found Gary and The Barracudas reuniting and moving studios to Recordings, Inc. near Baltimore, with now legendary engineer George Massenburg. This session produced ""Days of a Quiet Sun"", The Barracudas' heavily psyched-up take on a Group Nine original with Massenburg on Moog synthesizer (one of the first units on the East Coast!). ""Days"" was backed with ""Apple Pie"" on 45 and released in late '68 on Satori, the last of Gary's short-lived labels. Following ""Days"", Gary produced a demo session for Richmond's Bosom Blues Band - an amazing bluesy hard rock group that nearly signed a major deal with Capitol Records. ""Days of a Quiet Sun"" collects the best of Martin Gary Productions, including several unreleased (like a '73 outtake from notable fingerpicking guitarist Duck Baker) and alternate takes, all professionally transferred and remastered from the original sources. ""Days of a Quiet Sun"" shines a light on the raw energy and musical colors that swept through Virginia in the late 60's, most of which hasn't been available in over 50 years.

[engl] Quite simply one of the hardest working bands in contemporary punk and hardcore, Vanilla Poppers are back with their most urgent material to date. Following an excellent 2017 LP on Lumpy, 3/4 of the original lineup relocated from Cleveland to Melbourne, Australia, home of vocalist Christina Pap. The four new tracks on "I Like Your Band" find the Poppers on top of their game, driving home hook-laden punk hits beneath Pap's ruling vocal presence. And what's more? The band's gritty, live charm is captured at its best here by Billy Gardner (Ausmuteants, Antifade Records) and dialed in on the mix by Mike Gill (Perverts Again, Cruelster). A near-perfect EP delivered with the precision and attitude of first wave 70s PUNK and executed with the style and confidence that few contemporary acts possess. "I Like Your Band" comes packaged in a glue pocket sleeve with artwork from William Chapman plus lyric insert and download code.

[engl] Right alongside a stellar 2020 single and 2018 LP on the esteemed Beach Impediment label, NYC's VANITY offer up another double A-sider for Feel It. "Anticlimax" rolls out of the gate with a cool, Stones-esque confidence, resting on the otherworldly lead guitar of "Groovy" Mike Liebman (formerly of VEXX and RIK & THE PIGS). This irresistibly catchy, glammed-out rocker is backed up with "A Seat at the Table" quickening the pace atop a brilliant walking bass line. While VANITY have excelled in everything from Oi! to Britpop in their fascinating time as a band, both the songwriting and production on this single may be VANITY's highest mark yet.

[engl] From the spirited stomping ground of New Orleans comes an unlikely, albeit unique and vibrant vinyl debut. The story of Waste Man begins like many an unknown artist in NOLA - opening countless gigs for a bar tab, occasionally touring and releasing some under-the-radar cassettes, but all the while crafting a highly original sound. 'One Day It'll All Be You' is a complete shock to the system - it's the classic punk/hardcore base strung out on a clothesline, then run through an absolute storm. A beautiful storm indeed, berthed from an appreciation for the left-of-center classics catalogued by SST circa '84/'85 (Saccharine Trust, Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Flag) and worn through the unstable modern psyche. Talk about four young guns replete with the influences, musicianship, and group dynamic to apply that beautiful formula to the future! Now we're talking about Waste Man. There's the occasional pop-leaning hook, but as the album dances away in a flurry of ragtime piano, it's quite apparent that Waste Man have arrived at one heck of an original sonic reduction. A truly memorable album from that left-most swamp of conscience.

[engl] Singularity. A quality that rarely reveals itself in the overloaded data and screen glow of the twenty-twenties. From deep in the heart of Texas - the trio known as Wet Dip are that jarring, lightning strike of sound like nothing before them. Sisters Sylvia and Erica Rodriguez grew up in the arid, isolated Panhandle region of Texas before making their way to Austin and forming Wet Dip with Daniel Doyle. After meeting Caufield Schnug and Lira Mondal of Sweeping Promises during their time in Austin, Wet Dip made plans to venture up to the Sweeps' new home studio in Lawrence, Kansas to record Smell Of Money, their debut album. These nine tracks scream something new. The stark honesty of Sylvia's lyrics and vocal delivery, alternating between English and Spanish, is something to behold. Underneath that, Wet Dip treat us to a no-wave ride into the future. No one else sounds like this. You'd even be hard pressed to notice the renditions of the Pixies "Silver" and Gloria Trevi's "Pelo Suelto" in the context of how Wet Dip operates. They reimagine the bland canvas of contemporary Austin into something new, exciting, and jarring. And that's the beauty of Wet Dip, because they do it seamlessly and with a belief in themselves that's not only something to be celebrated, but all their own.

[engl] Mason City, Iowa's WHY BOTHER? return with 'A City of Unsolved Miseries', their third album in as many years. Their patented basement recording setup has yet again captured something magical, thirteen originals in all. From the fringes of a small, landlocked Midwestern city - WHY BOTHER? have honed in on a punk sound that is original, self-driven and shows no signs of slowing. Swirling in darker thematics, such as the still unsolved 1995 disappearance of Mason City TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit, the album speaks to every outcast living out their days underneath dark, grey skies. However the music strikes you - WHY BOTHER? have defined yet another chapter of their enigmatic existence with the genius sounds captured on 'A City of Unsolved Miseries'.

[engl] In the heart of the heartland, a mere ten miles from where the airplane carrying Buddy Holly crashed into a frozen cornfield, lies Mason City, Iowa. A town so small that it's pre-pandemic punk scene (with 20+ bands) went almost entirely unnoticed. That is, until the music of WHY BOTHER? and the "Punk on the Plains" compilations (curated by WB? drummer Paul), were made available by Tremendo Garaje - one of YouTube's most obsessive gateways into contemporary underground punk music. WHY BOTHER? is Terry on vocals + synth, Speck on guitar, Pamela on bass, and Paul on drums. Their sound takes the classic Midwestern punk approach of The Zero Boys and Toxic Reasons, adding in warm layers of synth and sci-fi thematics ala The Spits and darker post-punk moments in the vein of early Joy Division. Yet there's so much more to this band that defies comparison, for WHY BOTHER? are truly a singular experience. "A Year of Mutations" collects tracks from the first four WHY BOTHER? EPs, all of which were released in limited cassette and 7" lathe cut runs in 2020 and 2021. These have all been remastered, paired with several new tracks exclusive to this release, and repackaged in a fresh layout with artwork from D.H. Strother. WHY BOTHER? have no plans or intentions to perform live, but their basement 8-track recording setup shows no signs of slowing down. Expect more in 2022 & beyond!

[engl] Would it be October without a new WHY BOTHER? album? "Calling All Goons" is WB?'s fourth album in three years - a lexicon for the freaks, a beacon of hope amidst the digital deluge, or just a true artist's piece depending on how you see it. And that's the beauty of WHY BOTHER? They are the enigma. A band that extends from the roots of Midwestern punk while adding something new to the conversation. This is the kind of rare phenomenon that is outwardly difficult to describe...so step into the world of WHY BOTHER? and let these new 13 tracks dilute your mind forever!

[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] 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!