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 be busted!” gag, but this is the first time I actually fell for it. Completely and totally. I ejected the tape, flipped open the stereo’s protective flap, toggled the speaker pan lever back and forth… …READ MORE

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 seconds of the opening track alone touches all those bases instantly, letting you know exactly what you’re in for. I’m not really sure what in the world could make this cassette any better, unless of… …READ MORE

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 things a bit dingy, grimy, and lo-fi. It doesn’t take much for a talentless hardcore-punk band who recorded their demo in a trash can to impress me. If the passion and energy comes through, I’m… …READ MORE

Extremely limited-run posthumous cassette discography from the Capital Region of New York state. The full output of the band was a demo cassette released right around the turn of the century and now also a live recording of the final ECFU set. Of course I should mention that the band featured future members of ACID REFLUX, THE JURY, LIMPWRIST, and more, but I would rather focus on other aspects of this wonderful release. ECFU were an endearingly shitty band who played sloppy, fast, hardcore-punk. The kind of band that, for… …READ MORE

Debut solo-project release, every aspect done by Krystian Quint, best known from being in Detroit garage-punk band THE STOOLS. Personally, when listening to this tape I hear 9 songs of well crafted power-pop / glam-punk / rock-n-roll, but I’ve always said that music on the ‘pop’ spectrum allows listeners to hear what they want to hear. A few of the tracks which are slower and have more of a nostalgic feel I am sure people could make indie-pop, alt-rock, and PAVEMENT comparisons. I saw THE STOOLS live more times than I… …READ MORE

Three-piece alternative rock band from Moline, IL, or maybe just a solo project in disguise, as the cassette credits only “Jakob Fucking Martin.” The A-side has seven tracks, while the B-side is hand-labeled: “Side B: ????”. The big reveal for me was that mine was blank, though online I discovered that the band offered to custom-record a B-side of each tape for an additional $3: “Can’t guarantee it will be a good song, or that the audio quality will be any good.” Honestly, after hearing the slick, professional A-side, I… …READ MORE

Twelve song cassette from what is quite possibly the most prolific underground project active today. BZDET is a solo recording project that began during Covid lockdown, and the sheer volume of releases is staggering—even I, who put out the band’s collection cassette on my own tape label (Tetryon Tapes), can’t fully keep track. Thinking that this was their newest output, I jumped on ordering a cassette so as not to miss my opportunity since XTRO releases cassettes in severely limited quantity. As it turns out, of the 21 releases listed… …READ MORE

A brother-sister egg-punk duo based out of Brussels, Belgium with vocals reminiscent of early anarcho / peace punk stuff not unlike HONEY BANE in her earlier recordings with FATAL MICROBES when she, too, was a young teen. PISS RULES combine that youthful exuberance with driving, kooky, mostly electronic based song writing, still performing live with the brother on physical guitar duty. This is art-punk that somehow navigates the built-in pretense and comes off sounding incredibly sincere. The opening track “Common Person”, clocking in at a mere 53 seconds long, is… …READ MORE

Six-song debut release of slow, meandering, drum-machine driven, warbly bedroom-pop songs. A solo recording project from Montreal that feels rooted in nostalgia. Songs seem written to make the listener wistful for…something. Maybe it’s love…maybe it’s lunch…maybe even the songwriter wasn’t entirely sure what they were going for. Some tracks are atmospheric and pretty, though at times it feels like nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. There are 90’s throwback elements and alt-rock aspects, but like the unexpected, slow, pretty song a 90’s alternative rock band might toss in the mix to try… …READ MORE

With an opening track being an instrumental version of the Billy Joel song ‘Just the Way You Are’ where each line seems to be testing a different Casio keyboard preset, I had no idea what to expect from WATERHEADS. After that, however, we have 8 ripping songs in 7 minutes of throwback 80’s style US hardcore-punk, not unlike ADRENALIN O.D. Fast, spastic, juvenile, and incredibly infections. This is my kinda hardcore. Throw in the occasional erratic guitar solo or synth plink-plunk and WATERHEADS end up being pretty damn memorable. The… …READ MORE