Year: 2026

How this band is not a household name is absolutely mind-boggling. What began as a New Jersey based solo project in 2018 really stepped on the gas once Covid lockdowns kicked in. The only time I was lucky enough to catch this band live was in a dingy basement in New Brunswick, NJ. It was…

Nine-song debut demo out of Buffalo, NY. SVS jam-packs each of these tracks with as many riffs as you can possibly fit into songs that rarely cross the one-minute threshold. Somehow they still find time to toss in wildly catchy breakdowns without ever coming across as macho or tough. SVS plays relentless hardcore-punk while managing…

DELICIOUS MONSTERS follow up their debut full-length cassette on Tetryon Tapes with what sadly ended up being their final release. A last gasp in the form of a five-song tape staying true to the form we’ve come to expect. Milwaukee, WI upbeat post-punk loaded with a heavy dose of zany, art-punk eccentricity. While that dose…

I really had no thoughts or expectations about what LUCKLESS was all about when I was preparing to listen to this cassette. Very unassuming, minimalist artwork surrounding a four-song cassette, labeled with a label maker. LUCKLESS is a four-piece band from Toronto, ON comprised of guitar, bass, drums, and synth. Vocal duties are shared between…

This band has been kicking around for a while at this point. I booked them on a tour in the early 2010’s and they were absolutely outstanding. Blistering, relentless hardcore-punk from Fort Wayne, IN. A group of people that when they rolled up to the gig you simultaneous felt the desire to befriend them and…

Jake King has been operating under the T.T.T.T. banner for a few years now, while also releasing music as J. KING, JACOB KING, and now… JAKE KING. From release to release I find myself having no idea what to expect, since the stylistic lines between these aliases tend to blur. My gut feeling has been…

Five song solo egg-punk project from Montreal, QC. I’ve seen the tape named ICSTQ standing for I Can’t Stand To Quit, but on both the front cover and the spine of the cassette there is no “I” in Can’t Stand To Quit. The tape begins with the allegedly titular track of “ICSTQ” which starts off…

Popping this cassette into the tape deck of my 1989 Dodge B350 tour van, I was convinced that something was broken. The stereo salvaged from the junk yard? One of the speakers? Maybe the tape itself? I can’t begin to count how many records I’ve heard that begin with the classic “uh-oh, your stereo might…

Chicago / Northwest Indiana area supergroup featuring members of NANCY, LIQUIDS, and BLEEDING GUMS. Supergroups sometimes stumble under the weight of their own hype, fans expect fireworks but all they get is smoke. Not here, tho. This is absolute goddamn perfection. Catchy rock-n-roll riffs mixed together with no-nonsense, no cheat-beat punk. Hell, the first ten…

A group of long-running Rochester, NY heavy hitters delivering Revolution Summer–inspired post-hardcore. Well crafted songs with no shortage of riffs, and it’s good! Dare I say… too good? The recording is very clean, slick, and professional. More often than not, that can act like a strike against a band for someone like me who prefers…