Category: Features

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – ‘Hot Water’ – Flightless Records

Despite having a down right daft name, King Gizzard and his Lizard Wizards prove they can kick out a toe tappin’ jam with ease in their new tune ‘Hot Water’. Leaning on a flute indebted groove, this weird country boy ramble borrows heavily from 60s boogie boys Canned Heat, a serendipitous encounter indeed. Crank it up and let the good times roll. – Dave Palmer

Gengahr – ‘Powder’ – Transgressive Records

They may have a band name that will have most spell incorrectly, but on record, this dreamy indie quartet spell out their message in lush waves of laid back guitars and reverbed vocals. Rack up a line from their latest track ‘Powder’ filled with a cool dose of flaccid house. Out now. – Zac

Meatbodies – ‘Mountain’ – Famous Class/LAMC

If you like Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, In The Red Records and Mikal Cronin you’ve hit pay dirt, as some of your favourites have come out to play! Meatbodies is the band of a fella named Chad Ubovich, guitarist and crony of Cronin, and axe meister general in Segall’s Led Zep leaning power trio Fuzz. This self-titled record by his own band was recorded with the minimum of daylight and the maximum of smoke clouded vibes in a basement in San Francisco with Eric “King Riff” Bauer at the helm and Segall also on hand with an instrument or two. Like the best moments of Slaughterhouse and coming on like the Coachwhips, the Meatbodies are lean to the bone and waiting to take the throne. By which I mean the toilet from where they will defecate many more solid nuggets of garage goodness. – Nick Hutchings

Two Inch Astronaut – ‘Part of Your Scene’ – Exploding Sound Records

Countless bands look for the 90s for inspiration. Nothing wrong with that – there was a shit load of good music which came out of that decade. Two Inch Astronaut take the template laid out by DC bands like Dismemberment Plan and Jawbox and mix it with fuzzed out urgency and angular riffery that fans of early Biffy Clyro will appreciate. – Joe Parry

The Coathangers – ‘Drive’ – Suicide Squeeze

One of the more restrained tracks from Atlantan punks The Coathangers latest record Suck My Shirt, ‘Drive’ is no less spiky, despite its sugary sweet vocals and pining lyrics of lost love. – Joe Parry

Asylums – The Death of Television – Cool Thing Records

This lot are spot on. TV died years ago and is only there for the sheep-like morons who have absolutely nothing interesting in their lives anymore. Asylums explain their rage in this spitting minute and a half punk rock track that bursts with spazzcore-like energy fronted by scathing lyrics. Load this up and push it hard into the ears of every 9-5 commuter on the journey to their shit job. – Zac

Lola Colt – ‘Driving Mr Johnny’ – Fuzz Club Records

Mysterious six-piece psych collective Lola Colt have finally put the date on the calendar that their fans have been longing for. October 27th will mark the release of Away From The Water, the band’s long awaited debut album. To keep you entertained, they’ve just dropped a cosmic visual for album track ‘Driving Mr Johnny’. Check this out and prepare yourselves for an album of surely epic proportions. – Dave Palmer

Nite Fields – ‘Vacation’ – Felte

Nite Fields deliver admirable shoegaze swirls to please your retrospective ear. The four piece joined forces during the cold, wet Melbourne winter to craft a whole album’s worth of enticing sounds such as these, harking back to Ride and The Chameleons for influence. It’s due early next year via Felte. – Dave Palmer

Diarrhea Planet – ‘Bamboo Curtain’ – Infinity Cat

For ‘Bamboo Curtain’, the fantastically named Diarrhea Planet have slowed down the party punk they’re known for, bringing in some hazy early Weezer vibes. No less immediate than the more franticly paced back-catalogue, the track is a mini-epic that clocks in at just 1.53. – Joe Parry

Self Defence Family – ‘Cottaging’ – Deathwish

My favourite band of modern times, SDF from all over the world. Patrick Kindlon and co. return with another instalment of their Island series (this time recorded in Scotland). Two extremely strong tracks, the B-side, ‘Cottaging’ could be considered a career best. Kindlon’s lyrics detail a failing relationship which is both extremely intelligent and depressingly easy to relate with. Elements of post – punk and alt rock, if you have even the slightest interest in either of these genres, this is pretty essential. – Tim Lewis

Naomi Punk – ‘Firehose Face’ – Captured Tracks

These Olympian punks have lit up DIY spaces and large concert halls alike with disorderly garage tones since their inception in 2012. ‘Firehose Face’s ear shredding bass and guitar grind delivers a ditty that’s both aggressive and anthemic. Their second album Television Man is out now. – Dave Palmer

Die! Die! Die! – ‘Sister’ – Smalltown America

New Zealand trio Die! Die! Die! have just dropped their fifth album Swim. It’s a record of epic aural proportions, suited to those that crave comma inducing guitar fuzz. Let ‘Sister’ set the standards. – Dave Palmer

SSS – ‘Beige‘ – Prosthetic Records

Yep, Liverpool’s SSS are back with ‘Limp. Gasp. Collapse.’, their fourth slab of hardcore/thrash crossover genius, and they’re only getting better (and angrier) with time. ‘Beige’ kicks off with the band’s trademark breakneck speed and razor-sharp riffing, but the subsequent crushing breakdown is as unexpected as it is awesome. Oh, and check out those lyrics… you’ll never eat chicken nuggets again. – Alex Gosman

Serious Sam Barrett – AnyRoad

Yorkshire skate folk ripper Serious Sam Barrett has spent many a year on the road with a ‘board on the tarmac and guitar in hand, and new album AnyRoad is the perfect encapsulation of this life. The record’s perfectly crafted melodies underpin tales of love, booze and hillbombs. Taking elements of folk, country and rock ‘n’ roll, the pace switches effortlessly from high octane stompers to ballads without a song seeming out of place. An infectious enthusiasm for subject matter and for the music itself shines through brightly, this is the perfect encapsulation of RWTB! – Jono Coote

Institute – ‘Salt’ – Sacred Bones

Having already picked up a huge amount of hype from their incredible Giddy Boys EP on Katorga Works, Texas’ Institute are back with the Salt EP. Released by Sacred Bones, home to The Men, Zola Jesus and Pharmakon, it appears to be the perfect label for them. Oi influenced post – punk, two genres that seem to be somewhat in vogue within punk and hardcore, it very much feels like a record that could become quite important as times goes on. One wonders what the signing to Sacred Bones means for Institute, perhaps a more avant-garde approach for the next record? Perhaps something more accessible? It will be very interesting to see. – Tim Lewis

Sandworm – ‘Desert Warfare’ – Thrill Jockey

Sharing a split album with the more esoteric strains of Rhode Island band The Body, Sandworm play a route one squall that’s like a monster rising up from the Dune. ‘Desert Warfare’ is like a Taser to the sub-cortex, but the record from whence this came was probably forged over the more pleasant experience of sharing a pizza. Hawaiian? I’ll tell you why… cos Pat Reilly of Sandworm worked at a pizza joint with The Body drummer Lee Bufford. The other Sandworm member Ben Eberle went to watch The Body more than 100 times in Providence, and as providence would have it, ended up contributing vocals to their albums – and now to top that their band is on the other side of a record with their heroes. Sandworm’s music is as gratifying as a tasty slice of pizza but you’ll feel very dirty afterwards. – Nick Hutchings

DiE – ‘Bind Torture Kill’

The opening track of the second EP from London / Leeds punks. Their first record garnered much praise around the world, New York’s Alright festival flew them out to play on the basis of six (excellent) songs. DiE are clearly believers of the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach as this new record is more of the same. A perfect mix of SSD and Discharge, who can argue with that? They play the Static Shock Weekend next month and every show is a killer, be sure to turn up. – Tim Lewis

Obstruct – LP PROMO TAPE

Wading in on the front lines of the new wave of UK hardcore punk, Obstruct play pissed off blasts of straight edge madness influenced by early Boston and late 80s NYHC. This is music to get you down the front of the pit or pushing full speed down the street powersliding at cars, whichever is more appropriate at the time. Three short, sharp self-penned blasts bought to a close nicely with a cover of the Varukers’ Soldier Boy, this is hardcore music the way it should be! – Jono Coote

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So much bad stuff goes down on band tours that it’s sometimes fun to sift through them to find out what exactly goes on behind the scenes just for laughs. Thankfully Turbonegro were up for revisiting some of their nightmares ahead of their exclusive Halloween Massacre live show at the House of Vans this Saturday. Front man The Duke of Nothing (aka Tony Sylvester) and songwriter/bassist Happy-Tom (aka Thomas Seltzer) share the tales.

Tony, do you want to kick this off?

Well, most of my experiences with the band before joining were always on the cusp between nightmarish and glorious: Two days holed up in the K-West Hotel with nothing for company except the band, the mini-bar, mountains of blow and a ready diet of Don Henley and Dimmu Borgir on the stereo. These things can be almost Lovecraftian in terms of cosmic horror. Or the record release party for Party Animals in Oslo, where I found myself so hammered on the copious free champagne that I almost accompanied Hank to an all-night after party at the Hells Angels clubhouse 40 miles outside the city! That was probably a close shave of monolithic proportion. Tom – You have the best stories from the days before my arrival, so you should probably take it from here.

Come on then Tom, spill those beans…

What HASN’T gone wrong on tour?! Mental breakdowns, mental hospital emergency rooms, overdoses, we even have a cocaine-induced heart attack on a plane on our shit-vee (a shit-vee is like a CV but for bands that God hates and therefore tries to destroy time and time again).

Has much blood spilled over the years?

There has been some bottle-throwing incidents that have cost quite a lot of blood. After one of these incidents in New York City some big guys in the crowd managed to spot the guy. They carried him out and beat the shit out of him while the NYPD just stood there smiling, they knew what had happened. Nazi skinheads in Germany a few times covered our stage with broken glass. But nothing some solid footwear couldn’t handle.

Who has had the worst broken bone injuries whilst being in the band?

I’ve broken a few fingers, but Pål Pot actually broke his neck and had to wear one of those collars for a year. He had a custom-made collar for stage use. Euroboy once had some dude trying to rip off all his strings with one grip, that was pretty bizarre.

Knowing that your road schedule changes if there’s something to deal with, have you missed many many connections along the way?

Missing public transport? Dude, we MISSED EVERY CHANCE IN OUR CAREER. But it’s not over. As an old drunk screamed at me outside the local pub waiting for it to open at 7 in the morning: “THE NIGHT IS YOUNG!”

What about hostile situations with fights, flames or bullets etc on the road?

It’s just been too much. But highlights include playing in a small park in the ghetto of Hamburg and some little turds were perched on a nearby roof firing on the small make-shift stage with signal flare guns. We didn’t really notice but the crowd freaked out and threw themselves face down on the grass. We just kept playing.

Any disasters with break ins, stolen gear, burglaries etc

Due to ongoing disputes with an insurance company we can’t really talk about this.

What about gigs? Stuff gets thrown about a lot, anything spring to mind that was thrown into the crowd that may have caused injuries?

Well, we did have a dwarf on a US tour, he was really nice to us guys in the band but he turned out to be really obnoxious to the guys in the crew, they HATED him. So on the last show of the tour they threw him into the crowd. He reappeared backstage 10 minutes later, with some hair missing!

Haha! What about stage divers and mosh pit incidents?

Once in Oslo some dude did a flip off the stage and planted his boots right in the mouth of a girl. That was ugly. On a lighter note, we tend to get a LOT of larger-sized dudes crowd surfing with no clothes on, it’s like some weird tradition or conspiracy that the crowd has going all across the globe. You see some 300 pound guy with a beard being held upside down with his fatty flabby amphetamine penis dangling in the wind, the dude is smiling with his eyes rolling around in his skull, and you think: «OK. This isn’t the reason I started playing in a band.» But you know what a wise man once said: A BAND GETS THE FANS THEY DESERVE.

Hahah! This is getting good. What about the tour bus itself, any near misses on the road in that?

There have been MANY «drunk person pushing his torso out of the air vent in the ceiling not seeing the approaching tunnel» near death episodes. Some idiot mechanic in Italy hooked the exhaust of the bus to the ventilation system, so instead of fresh air there was exhaust blowing into the sleeping bunks. This time it was my turn to go to the hospital. I wasn’t feeling too hot.

That sounds like fun. There must have been a few rucks too right?

We used to have huge beef with Gluecifer, another band from Oslo, over really obscure in-scene stuff. Basically it was this inane fight over who was «fake» and who was «for real». There’s a fight like that wherever there are two bands in the same village. Get the popcorn. Or get the poppers!

I’m sure there will be loads of poppers at the London show waiting for you! Looking forward to this Halloween Massacre set this weekend?

Yeah, I’m really excited to come play at the House of Vans in London. I have a long, sentimental relationship with London skateboarding. Our little skate gang used to buy our boards at Alpine Action in Notting Hill, the guys who worked there seemed like old REALLY worn-out Motorhead roadies, I have no idea why they were selling skateboards and BMX to little kids. So many cool skate spots in London: the South Bank, Meanwhile under the Westway, the pool at Romford, the oval bowl in that park in Kennington, and that funky old skatepark in Brixton. Good times.

Photo: TN rocking the LA massive shot by Steven Thomas

Any advice for young bands getting ready for the glorious life of rock n’ roll:

Just keep playing. We grew up playing death punk. It’s been our way to learn about people and the world. No regrets. And hey: THE ETERNAL NIGHT IS YOUNG.

Turbonegro fans will be happy that we have held back a few free tickets for Saturday night’s event. Grab them here asap. First come, first served to 50 people. We will email you if you made it!

Find their catalog on iTunes.

Interview by Nick Hutchings

If you tell your mates you like Pissed Jeans, they look at you all funny. When you explain that it’s a band on Sub Pop Records they assume they are loud. And they’d be right. But they’re also really funny. Singer Matt Korvette fronts a band powered like a V12 engine, tauter than a washboard stomach, yet that’s as macho as it gets, since his whip smart lyrics deal with the emasculation of modern man and self loathing on a scale not seen since Larry David last pounded the streets of LA.

Last year they released “Honeys” (Crossfire Album of the Year) which was like Killdozer meets The Jesus Lizard, and despite the title was no paean to their potency with the ladies. Instead it mostly dealt with the pain they feel looking in the mirror in the mornings. They make an almighty noise but sing about healthcare, insurance, awkward parties, office bores and cafeteria food. This may sound like it’s a novelty but Half Man Half Biscuit have made a career out of it, and this is not half baked, it’s full pelt. Think “National Shite Day” just got diarrhea and crapped in your cochlea.

They have just re-released their first album “Shallow”, originally out in 2005 on Sub Pop, and it’s a visceral thrill, showing glimpses of “Bleach” era Nirvana and the very best Amphetamine Reptile used to offer but with filled with subject matter that’s right now, modern manxieties and boy-sterous tales of ineptitude. It’s a heady mix, even if it sounds like Korvette is documenting the do-ing in of his own head. If The Clash or Guns N’ Roses were the gang you wanted to be in, Pissed Jeans are the one you were already in and didn’t know it yet. They give you permission to feel awkward in your own skin and yet let your receding hair down.

I had the chance to ask Korvette some pertinent and some impertinent questions exclusively for CITC.

I love it, how do you think the “Shallow” reissue stands up?

I’m glad you love it! I think it stands up pretty well. That’s one thing that I really like about Pissed Jeans – we haven’t done a ton of records, and I am really proud of every record we’ve done. We still play songs off Shallow live, and a lot of people seemed to be unable to get it or even aware of its existence, so we figured it was a good idea to make it available again.

I have been a big fan of your work for a while and I often find myself relating to, and laughing with your lyrics – does this mean you feel sorry for me?

What? No. I don’t think enjoying my lyrics is anything to be ashamed about. I don’t even think my lyrics are a big deal at all, which is probably why people seem to enjoy them. There’s not a lot of murder and intrigue in them.

How much of Pissed Jeans work is about being an emasculated man? Even the idea of having Pissed Jeans is one of mortal embarrassment right?

I don’t know about emasculated, so much as a ‘real’ interpretation of being a man? Or maybe rather, just my interpretation of manhood? I’m sure it means different things to different people. Embarrassment is a feeling that can be thrilling and horrifying, and writing about that sort of stuff is a good way to kind of work myself through it.

I find that in a lot of drama and adverts, the husband/father figure these days is portrayed as hapless, loveable but basically an idiot, why is that? Do you agree? If so, what do you feel about it?

I think it’s just clearly a representation of our sexist culture – men are allowed to be rotund dolts who remain in charge, while the women have to maintain improbable figures and perform the balancing act between “prude” and “slutty”. I think it’s utterly horrible, and it leads to a lot of miserable mentalities and, perhaps indirectly, violence against women. Fuck that.

Is there “Hope For Men” and what is it?

You’re talking to him.

So the “Shallow” reissue features your first 7” “Throbbing Organ” – what with that and the song “Ashamed of My Cum” there’s a certain amount of sexualized self-loathing going on – how much is autobiographical, how much is second person story telling and how much is for pure shock?

It comes from a very real place – I didn’t have to imagine a guy who wishes they didn’t waste an hour jerking off, you know? I guess part of it was for shock – I wrote that song in like 2003 or so, and there weren’t many hardcore bands approaching sexuality in a way that’s deeper than “I’m horny”, maybe.

“Shallow” starts with the song “I’m Sick” but it’s not in the same vein as Mudhoney’s “Touch Me, I’m Sick”, you are genuinely talking about being ill, plus in “Honeys” there’s “Health Plan” which details your fear of going to the doctors – why is this such a recurring theme?

Because I am fairly obsessed with my own mortality, and getting older. It’s kind of a fascinating thing, to realize your body isn’t as sprightly as it was five or ten years ago. And it’s also motivation to keep myself from falling into total disrepair. Plus, when you’re injured or have the flu or something, it’s kind of impossible to think about anything else.

Has there ever been a time when a gig has made you feel literally sick?

No, I don’t think so. I actually barfed for the first time during a show last year, but it was from sheer physical exhaustion, and no one knows because I politely ran off stage and barfed out of sight. It was more of a retching than full-on blown chunks, though.

You make banal subject matter sound really angry, how difficult do you find daily life, and how rubbish is modern life?

I think life is both miserable and joyous – who would disagree? There’s a lot of pointless crap involved though, and the beauty of being a vocalist and lyricist is getting to say whatever you want about it. It’s really quite fun.

“Bathroom Laughter” from “Honeys” is a real anthem; does it come from observation at drunken house parties? The video is funny but very dark – the bit where the production assistants are clearing up but ignoring the plight of the infomercial presenter seemed unfortunately totally believable. Have you ever seen those horrific Canadian public information films on safety at work – they seem so banal and end so shocking – it really reminded me of those…have you seen these?

I haven’t! I try to stay away from horrifying YouTube videos. I get affected too easily.

Killdozer seems like a touchstone, how big a lyrical influence has Michael Gerald been?

Seeing as I have to deduce from context clues that Michael Gerald must be the vocalist (or at least lyricist) in Killdozer, I have to be honest and say that he has been of zero influence to me. Never was a big Killdozer fan, but maybe they come from a time and place that I personally missed out on. I have no problems being compared to him and Killdozer, though! Whatever people here in us, that’s cool.

I’ve read that sometimes your audiences come expecting one thing and end up on either side of the auditorium parted like the Red Sea, holding onto the walls for dear life – why do you think that kind of thing has happened? Is it students attracted by the obnoxious name but not being able to cope with the reality?

Really? I never noticed that. I think people generally get what they expect, but also, if it’s a crazy and wild show, it’s because of the crowd that came. If people want to politely sit in chairs and watch us, that’s cool too – we aren’t going to leave the stage and attack anyone, we stay put. Any crowd that is amazed by the violence and energy is probably also the reason for it.

“Shallow” has a touch of Nirvana’s “Bleach” about it – how big an influence were / are Nirvana?

I love Nirvana, and we had a few moments where we’ve though “okay, that’s a serious Grohl drum part” or “that’s kind of a Nirvana-ish riff, don’t you think?”, but honestly those moments happened more on King Of Jeans and Honeys than Shallow.

What do you think about that song they did with Paul McCartney?

I haven’t heard it. I can only assume it kicks major ass.

Have you seen the Amphetamine Reptile film? What do you think of all those bands, I had the 1993 AmRep sampler and you could easily have been at home on that?

I haven’t, but I’d really like to! I love music documentaries. I think Am Rep is cool, although I very rarely spend my time listening to records on that label. Much respect though.

There’s a definite early 90s sound but what makes you right now (the lyrics) – do you give a damn about being right now?

I think it’s important that I write about things that are affecting me, and those things are generally happening in the present – thankfully I am not still deeply grieving over my high school dating career or Little League baseball performance. I want to write songs that are relatable ten years from now, but still very much about the present. There aren’t nearly enough people writing songs about iPhones and portable electronic devices, that’s for sure – that shit is utterly shaping our history and existence and it’s scary as hell.

I recently interviewed The Jesus Lizard about their album “Down” which was my favourite but which they hated – how personally do you view your work after the fact? What if someone misunderstands your work and loves it for the reasons you never intended?

I would be disappointed if someone misses my sarcasm and thinks like, bad behavior is good, but I don’t know that that has really happened. Like I said before, I’m really proud of all the records we’ve done overall, so that’s a nice feeling. There are other records I’ve done with other bands that I can’t say that about.

The drumming in Pissed Jeans is immense, what drummers do you admire and why?

Chris Corsano, Brian Chippendale and Han Bennink instantly come to mind. I love drummers that are absolutely totally crazy and capable of insane physical feats. Sean, our drummer, is pretty good, although I want him to work on his upside-down one-handed snare rolls.

Technique is obviously high in Pissed Jeans but how important is showmanship?

Interestingly, I feel that showmanship is far more important for us! I don’t have to worry about having actual talent, but the other guys have been playing their instruments for decades and it’s second nature. We just want to have fun when we’re playing live, really, and I think showmanship, or anti-showmanship, are a big part of that.

You guys look so unassuming; you could be office workers when you walk out on stage, which belies the audio power that emits. As a fellow short-hair Joe Average I have always found that inspiring, dating back to when Helmet first emerged – what role models did you have? How much do you enjoy confounding expectations?

My role models were not office workers, thankfully. I don’t know, I love to dress up in interesting clothes and costumes, probably more than your average person does, but playing shows often results in destroyed clothes, so I generally wear stuff I don’t care about. I think we look decent on stage though, not too nerdy.

The Jabberwocky festival was cancelled, so no UK appearances this year, when do you next plan to drop by?

We came to the UK anyway, cancellations be damned! You missed it. No plan to come back to the UK at the moment, but it’s been a yearly thing lately. We’ve been to the UK way more than California in the past five years, and I’m not sure what that says about us.

Pissed Jeans album ‘Shallow’ is out now from Sub Pop’s Mega Mart or in your favourite record shop that stocks fucking cool punk records. Find it, buy it, listen to it and then destroy it.

Death From Above 1979 – ‘Government Trash’ – Last Gang Records

THAT BASS SOUND IS BACK. You know the fucker. It’s an absolute beast and it’s coming at you like a train in this newly released track by the monstrous DFA 1979. Most unoriginal sounding bands fail with double the amount of members, but DFA’s new tunes smack you in the ear like a rush of crack. Welcome back. – Zac

Half Japanese – In Its Pull – Joyful Noise

It may have taken 13 years for some new music from Half Japanese but it was worth it. Many have tried the lo-fi punk thing and made it sound crap but this is an example of how you do it in style. Look out for the new album Overjoyed on Joyful Noise. It’s a treat. – Zac

Twin Peaks – ‘I Found A New Way’ – Grand Jury Records

Chicago’s Twin Peaks deliver infectious, guitar driven anthems that will make you want to run around like a turbo charged Bruce Springsteen. This is a pop song crafted the right way: short in length, jammed with infectious hooks and a message that inspires. Let ‘I Found A New Way’ set the standards. – Dave Palmer

Sheer Mag – 7”

Channelling a classic rock vibe via psychedelia, indie and 70s punk, the debut EP from Philadelphia’s Sheer Mag is four tracks of fuzzed out joy. Odd time signatures, lo fi recording and a vocal as drenched in distortion as the guitar licks make this the perfect soundtrack to a BBQ with some cold ones. Woozy highlights come in the form of ‘Point Breeze’. – Jono Coote

Foxygen – ‘Cosmic Vibrations’ – Jagjaguar

Californian psych rockers Foxygen’s new single ‘Cosmic Vibrations’ opens with a brain-frying burst of noise before the band lurch into a pure Neil Young drawl and drag that bubbles with acid-fried country psychedelia. Their new album …And Star Power arrives in a month and if this sample track is anything to go by, it’s going to mulch your minds. – James Sherry

Nai Harvest – ‘Buttercups’ – Dog Knights Productions

Fans of odd vinyl shapes rejoice. The new Dog Knights Productions’ Flower Split continues the sound Nai Harvest honed on the brilliant Hold Open My Head EP earlier in the year. Despite new efforts from Playlounge, and both bands covering eachothers material, Nai’s ‘Buttercups’ is the clear highlight here. A mix of shoegaze, twiddly emo and 90s alt rock, it shouldn’t work but somehow it does, get into it. – Tim Lewis

Dads – Chewing Ghosts – 6131 Records

Self-effacing punk rock is hardly a brand new concept, but it’s so easy to get wrong. Thankfully, ‘Chewing Ghosts’ by New Jersey two-piece Dads get it just right with their Replacements meets Cap’n’Jazz power-pop. – Joe Parry

Paws – ‘Needle In The Hay’ – Cath Records

Documenting their first trip to LA by recording an entire live set to tape, Glasgow’s Paws dropped the resulting album earlier this month. It’s an intense and ferocious 13 songs, showing a terrifyingly good live band then – fuck knows how great they are now. At the top of the pile, just eclipsing the Mark Hoppus-approved ‘Jellyfish’, is a reborn ‘Needle in the Hay’, curing Elliott Smith’s morose lament by making it as vicious and urgent as it should be. – Chris Bunt

Hookworms – The Impasse – Weird World Records

The first cut to be taken from the Leeds psyche-weirdos Hookworms’ new album The Hum, ‘The Impasse’ jumps straight in with an MC-5-esque smack in the face, capturing the spirit of their ferocious live shows. – Joe Parry

Cymbals Eat Guitars – ‘Warning’ – Tough Love Records

Taken from Cymbals’ third album, Lose, ‘Warning’ steams in with sincere sentiment and attitude. However, pop sensibility looms in the form of spiraling guitar melodies and soaring choral harmonies. If you’re after a new indie rock guitar anthem,’Warning’ is the hit you need. – Dave Palmer

Heat – ‘Susisfine’

Adopting an irresistably catchy chord progression and a spiraling vocal hook, Montreals Heat churn out ‘Bohemian Like You’-style grooves that you simply can’t refuse. If you’re a sucker for a neat guitar riff then ‘Susisfine’ will have you in a spin for sure. – Dave Palmer

Pine Hill Haints – Ms Pacman

A laid back toe tapper of a track characterised by a piercing musical saw, this appreciation of traditional instruments not only makes for a unique live show, but adds an unexpected element to already beautiful and exciting musical arrangements. This is the sound of a group of people bringing together a variety of traditional elements and managing to create something completely unique. If you don’t know them, check their back catalogue out; then go out and see singer Jamie on tour with Serious Sam Barrett this September. – Jono Coote

Code Orange – ‘Dreams In Inertia’ – Deathwish

Deathwish Records’ Code Orange Kids have gone through a whole lot of changes for their upcoming LP, I Am King. Most noticeably, things have all gone a bit creepy. Now known as Code Orange, flags proclaiming “Thinners of the Herd” are showing up during live shows, the video for previous single, ‘I Am King’ featuring messages being carved into bodies and now this. ‘Dreams In Inertia’ is their slowest song yet but is certainly no less intense. Nooses tied and bodies sinking into bath tubs, this new video is both surreal and eerie, complimenting the monotonous trawling drums and chiming guitars perfectly. – Tim Lewis

Citizen Blast Kane – ‘Sandwich Time’ – Riffbuhl Records

Hailing from Hackensack, New Jersey Citizen Blast Kane play ultra raw and snotty garage punk rock and they’re PISSED OFF at having to wait in the queue for their sandwiches when they wanna eat. Just watch the video and sneer. – James Sherry

Citizen Blast Kane – Sandwich Time from Johnny Celentano on Vimeo.

Wilson – ‘Passing On The Left’ – New Damage Records

If you like the idea of a hardcore rock ‘n’ roll party soundtrack played by five sweaty Detroit dudes, then Wilson’s Full Blast Fuckery debut is for you. ‘Passing On The Left’ encapsulates pretty much everything that’s great about these guys, packing thunderous riff action, some serious shredding and THAT ‘woah-oh-oh’ chorus into less than 3 minutes. It’d probably sound even better blasting out onto a raging, booze-drenched pit, but for now, just crank this one up LOUD. – Alex Gosman

Cardiac Arrest – In the Mouth of Madness (three song taste)

This three song taster from St. Louis hardcore band Cardiac Arrest promises a very good record indeed. Reminiscent of early Boston hardcore or even Negative Approach, in that it throws a healthy dollop of street punk into the mix. You know immediately what you are getting with this, loud, fast and angry, but clinging onto a sense of melody like a pitbull, this is hardcore at its finest. – Jono Coote

No Form – Goddess of Fire/Barrier

Absolute wacko hardcore from up North, ‘Goddess of Fire/Barrier’ was recorded as the opener for Reagent Records’ new compilation and it’s the perfect way to set things off. Always avant garde, frantic violins start the song but this is no Floorpunch rip off, walls of feedback and vocals caked in reverb may follow the trends you’ve seen in bands such as Gag and Perspex Flesh, but No Form find a way to put their own twisted twist upon it. – Tim Lewis