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Foundation Vinyl Newsletter

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the latest Foundation Vinyl newsletter!  I had the pleasure of getting along to two very contrasting gigs last week.  On Wednesday, I popped up to Cafe Oto for a night with something of an experimental flavour, and featuring three Italian bands.  The opening act, Riccardo La Foresta, is definitely pushing the boundaries.  To my untutored eye, he had basically converted a drum kit into a wind instrument.  Now, I’m not entirely sure what would prompt you to do that, but the harsh, droning soundscape that emerged certainly had a very distinctive, almost cinematic, quality.  Next up were Sulla Lingua, who delivered a thumping set of electronic fuelled noise rock, and then the James Jonathan Clancy Band rounded things off in style with their entrancing saxophone laced alt-folk, the languid Had It All a particular highlight.

Then, Saturday night took a considerably more menacing turn.  Sunderland’s Geist, who were playing their final show, kicked things off in great style with their bleakly discordant metallic hardcore.  And then, it was The Hope Conspiracy.  Initially active from 1999 to 2009, they represented a gnarlier, darker version of that decade’s US melodic hardcore.  A sold-out New Cross Inn speaks to the place they still hold in many people’s hearts, although they were rather more at the periphery of my personal recollections of that era until their return earlier this year with the utterly uncompromising Tools Of Oppression/Rule By Deception.  And it proved to be a thoroughly fun evening of essentially old school pleasures – stage dives, pile-ons, and sweaty bodies!

And so, what do we have lined up in this edition?  We are all about Cincinnati’s consistently wonderful Feel It Records this week, with brand new releases from Corker, Disintegration, Class, and Louse.

Plus, we have our updated London gig listing that includes a just announced date for Clock DVA (25/10) and we also have a quick update on some of the great new records heading our way from Autsajder Produkcija, Discos Enfermos, La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, and Static Age amongst others!

Featured New Arrivals

Passions Like Tar by Louse / Shiver In A Weak Light by Disintegration / Hallways Of Grey by Corker / A Healthy Alternative by Class (clockwise)

CorkerHallways Of Grey

12 Inch

‘Pockets full, a statue, can no longer try.  In sand I find it hard to keep asking why.  Torn out some words to say, don’t care about your day’ (Hallways Of Grey)

Corker’s excellent 2023 debut LP, Falser Truth, was a densely layered melding of bristling hardcore, discordant post-punk, and industrial tinged noise rock.  Hallways Of Grey, eschews none of the Cincinnati band’s vibrant experimentation but it has, perhaps, more tightly harnessed their impulses to deliver a follow-up brimming with a vital immediacy.

The deadpan vocal delivery continues to weave its austerely allusive narrative, and the punchily resonant rhythm section is still relentlessly propulsive, almost mechanically fluid.  But the noisy discordance that previously flared has morphed into a sinuous intertwining of crystalline guitar and flourishes of coldly alluring synthesiser.  The hauntingly serpentine melodies that define the title track, Night Ride, and Vital Fall are fiercely contagious.  Meanwhile, Wiring and Nothing In None both fashion a bleakly seductive atmosphere.

And be assured, the band – who share three members with The Drin – still nurture a refreshingly unabated appetite for the off-kilter turn.  Both sides close out with cold wave leaning, electronic-led tracks, Forever Silent and No Necessities, the former featuring a delightfully enigmatic guest vocal turn.  Corker’s embrace is as darkly enticing as ever.

This record is in stock and ships on the official release date of Friday 18th October.

DisintegrationShiver In A Weak Light

12 Inch

‘Many dance on the divide, what in their voices they hide, mixing up the words, exchanging blows forever’ (Lost And Found)

Cleveland’s Disintegration make their full-length debut on Shiver In A Weak Light, following up their first EP from last year, Time Moves For Me.  They continue to evoke the ever-blurred intersection where the euphoria of synth-pop coalesces with the more melancholic hues of post-punk.  The result is an album that draws with relish on the rich traditions of its 1980’s influences, before reshaping them into a strikingly contemporary interpretation.

Pulsing synths and deftly inventive electronic programming form the band’s bedrock, which provides the room for the wider instrumentation of guitar, bass, and acoustic drum to subtly explore a more expansive palette than might otherwise be the case.  But it is, perhaps, the vocal hooks and soaring choruses carried so boldly by Haley Himiko, also of Pleasure Leftists, that are the defining propulsion.  Himiko’s delivery retains her trademark gothic-tinged power and further imbues it with a dramatic sense of pop theatre that is positively spine-tingling.

Each track brims with its own carefully crafted identity.  From the darkly infectious Shot By Both Sides to the eerily stripped back Abandon, and from the percussive fervour of Messages to the catchily pulsating In Your Diary, this is a satisfyingly well-realised album.  And one that will insidiously see you breaking out the dancing shoes whether you want to or not.

ClassA Healthy Alternative

12 Inch

‘The truth has been obscured, So that we can feel secure, But the pressure’s gonna blow the lid, Billion dollar crimes, But who’s gonna serve the time’ (You Who Sucks The Rind)

Class return with their third full-length and follow-up to last year’s If You’ve Got Nothing.  And they continue to refine a sound that unashamedly draws its inspiration from late 1970s’ punk.  All of the Tucson’s bands hallmarks – layered harmonies, driving melodies, and catchy choruses – are firmly in place and delivered with customary gusto.  And, as ever, it is the dextrous quality of the songwriting itself that fuses these elements so effectively together to deliver a rollicking ride that belies its first glance simplicity.

The saxophone fuelled Bepop With The Rats, the deceptively infectious Not An Idiot, and the raucous closer You Who Sucks The Rind hit home with particular vigour.  Lyrically, tales of everyday life explore the perverse drivers of our economic system, as well our willingness to stick our heads in the sand, form the defining theme.  Class, however, also find time to pay homage to their influences on The Hits Are Here To Stay and on a cover version of Amory Building from the sole 1979 EP of Exeter punks, The Scabs.

LousePassions Like Tar

12 Inch

‘There was a merriment, in the ways we laugh, And the times we cry, Taste the happiness before it runs out, Be well, beware, be well, beware it’s a flaw’ (Passions Like Tar)

Post-punk, almost by definition, is a function of its competing inspirations and influences.  And Louse, who hail from Cincinnati and feature members of both Crime Of Passing and Cruelster, have honed an interpretation that feeds hungrily on the dynamics of gothic rock and darkwave pop, while staying firmly rooted in the surging intensity of punk.

Their debut album, Passions Like Tar, is defined by its lush instrumentation and lavishly detailed compositions as warm, shimmering guitars are underpinned with a bracingly sonorous rhythm section and flourishes of glimmering synths.  Meanwhile, powerfully melodic yet utterly forlorn vocals conjure a richly evocative portrait of isolation, sorrow, and the unrequited.

The result is an album that sweeps seamlessly from surging anthems (Joy In Pain) to mournfully ethereal laments (A Potter’s Field and Human Remains) by way of tightly honed eruptions of melancholy (Bed Of Knives), the latter of which disconsolately reminds us that ‘in these hopeful moments, the caged bird dies’.

Shows And Tours

Belgrado play Hootananny in Brixton on Sunday 27th October

This section lays no claims to being a definitive listing!  It is simply gigs coming up in London that catch my eye and that I think people who read this newsletter might be interested in.  I will always try and highlight where a show forms part of a wider UK tour.

17th October Teta Frais, Zeropolis (Shacklewell Arms)

25th October Clock DVA, Spit Mask, Nation Unrest, PC World (Number 90)

26th October Mother Nature, Pleasure, Skitter, WMDs (New River Studios)

27th October Belgrado, PC World, Death Drive, Night In Athens (Hootananny)

30th October Spectres, Josiane Pozi, Haeterodaemon (Moor Beer Vaults / UK Tour)

30th October Tyvek, Geo, Virvon Varvon (New River Studios)

31st October Speed, End It, Demonstration Of Power, Day By Day, Life’s Question (The Garage)

31st October Powerplant, Middleman, The Strongest Tool (New River Studios)

5th November Gillian Carter, Harrowed plus more (The Black Heart / UK Tour)

6th November Qlowski, Laggard plus more (The George Tavern)

8th November L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation, Petbrick, Stingray, Ekstasis, Traidora, Gilt (Number 90)

9th November Chalk Hands, Still In Love, Death Of Youth (New River Studios)

14th November Uranium Club, Hygiene plus more (Number 90 / UK Tour)

16th November Future Of The Left plus support (The Garage)

21st November Undying, Cauldron, Sentience (New Cross Inn)

21st November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Megzbow And Vinegar Tom, No Home, Fiscal Harm (Spanners)

22nd November Unbroken, Deaf Club, Shooting Daggers, Rifle, Eyeteeth (The Dome)

22nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Gimic, Gamma, Ritual Error, Sublux, Rubber (Avalon Cafe)

23rd November Deviated Instinct, Agnosy, Verrat, Rank, Traidora (New Cross Inn)

23nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring R.Aggs, Holiday Ghosts, Dean Rodney And The Cowboys, Vaiapraia, Marcel Wave, Grazia plus more  (Ivy House)

29th November Pitchshifter plus support (The Garage)

3rd  December Coliseum plus support (New Cross Inn)

17th December Terror, Nasty, Combust plus more (229 / UK Tour)

17th-19th January Reality Unfolds featuring Broken Vow, Cassus, Dry Rot, Final Dose, Imposter, Perp Walk, Ringworm, Shooting Daggers, Stormo, and Wristmeetrazor plus many more (New Cross Inn)

25th February Love Letter, Heavy Hex plus more (New Cross Inn / UK Tour)

Coming Soon

Softcore by Cosey Mueller

Imminent

Artificial Go ‘Hopscotch Fever’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Bermuda Squares ‘Outsider’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Chain Cult ‘Harm Reduction’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Citric Dummies ‘Trapped In A Parking Garage’ 7-inch (Feel It)

Cœur À L’Index ‘Adieu Minette’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Cosey Mueller ‘Softcore’ 12-inch (Static Age)

Freak Genes ‘Delirik’ 12-inch (Feel It)

S.H.I.T ‘For A Better World’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Träume ‘Wrzask’ 12-inch (Quality Control HQ)

Early November

Alambrada ‘Ríos De Sangre’ 12-inch (Autsajder Produkcija)

Armor ‘Afraid Of What’s To Come’ 12-inch (11PM)

Bato ‘Human Cancer’ 12-inch (Not For the Weak)

Canal Irreal ‘Someone Else’s Dance’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Habak ‘Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener La Primavera’ 12-inch (Alerta Antifascista / Repress)

Human Trophy ‘Primary Instinct’ 12-inch (Iron Lung)

Invertebrates ‘Sick To Survive’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Love Letter ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful’ 12-inch (Iodine Recordings / 2nd Press / Restock)

Mižerija ‘Mižerija’ 7-inch (Doomtown)

Mirage ‘Immagini Postume’ 7-inch (Discos Enfermos / Restock)

Muro ‘Nueva Dogma’ 12-inch (Fuerza Ingobernable)

Qlowski ‘The Wound’ 12-inch (Maple Death)

Rotura ‘Al Otro Lado’ 12-inch (Discos Enfermos / Restock)

Savage Pleasure ‘Savage Pleasure’ 12-inch (Toxic State)

State Manufactured Terror ‘The US Government Is A Kleptocratic Doomsday Cult’ 7-inch (Autsajder Produkcija)

Venganza ‘Damnatio Memoriae’ 12-inch (Discos Enfermos)

Yellowcake ‘A Fragmented Truth’ 7-inch (Not For The Weak)

December

Lasso ‘Parte’ 12-inch (Sorry State)

Foundation Vinyl Newsletter

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the latest Foundation Vinyl newsletter!  Thursday night, I headed up to Shoreditch – an area seemingly perpetually trapped in the death throes of a 30-year gentrification onslaught – to catch the brutal double header of Bad Breeding and Uniform.  Rich Mix was a new venue for me and, if I’m honest, a slightly disorientating one.  Entering a venue through a brightly lit cinema reception was unexpected and the space itself was a stark yet sleek one, almost too sleek, the sort of thing a film director might conjure for their ‘rock club’ scene.  That said, they seemed delighted to be hosting the gig, and the sound was absolutely banging – I can’t recall hearing drums with such resounding clarity in a long time.

Following the harsh soundscapes of opener Ekstasis, Bad Breeding were in truly imperious form, darkly menacing, fiercely honed, yet never totally in control such is the sheer velocity of their delivery.  A typically brilliant set.  And then to Uniform, who faced the interesting challenge of how to integrate the defining title track from their new album, which clocks in at some 21 minutes.  Their solution was to close out with American Standard and, remarkably, this proved even more visceral live than on record.  Not least because of the harrowing, if life-affirming, crowd participation in the searing, howled call-and-response opening.  For just a moment, time literally seemed to fold in on itself.

Seeing these two bands alongside one another was also intriguing given their respective guitar styles.  As bands, Bad Breeding are more hardcore inclined, Uniform more metallic leaning, yet their respective guitar styles often invert this interpretation.  Matt Toll’s savagely discordant leads and solos conjure an alternative reality where, perhaps, Jeff Hannemann chose the righteous path of anarcho-hardcore punk over the darkness of Slayer.  In contrast, Ben Greenberg’s riffs are brutishly staccato, with a tone that literally jolts you to your core.  This was a punishing evening in all the right ways!

And so, what do we have lined-up this week?  We have four cracking new arrivals. Three are courtesy of the ever splendid Adult Crash – first up, the self-titled debut album from Uppsala’s PX-30 and then two new 7-inchs from Stockholm’s Prisão (Prisão II) and Oslo’s Problems (Beg For Release).  Then, we are back to these shores with the self-titled debut EP from Tyne and Wear’s Irked on Wrong Speed.

Next, we have our updated London gig listing that includes just announced dates for Mother Nature (26/10), Belgrado (27/10), and Love Letter (24/02).  We also have a quick heads up on the great records coming our way, including a Feel It Records special next week with brand new releases from Class, Corker, Disintegration, and Louse!

Featured New Arrivals

Irked by Irked / PX-30 by PX-30 / Prisão II by Prisão / Beg For Release by Problems (clockwise)

IrkedIrked

12 Inch

North East England has, of course, a rich pedigree in producing very fine melodic punk bands.  But while much of this tradition is rooted in a sense of the melancholy, of histories lost and of futures unrealised, Irked’s bristling debut EP is focused rather more on our immediate predicaments.

Across the five tracks, the propulsive rhythm section injects a surging garage punk energy as the taut, lean guitars unleash riffage that shudders and jolts with a sinewy vigour.  Meanwhile, the vocals veer restlessly from urgent yelps to sardonic drawls by way of rhythmic diatribes, the only constants are a bracing intensity and a distinctive Tyne & Wear cadence.

The spasmodic fury of Snakes and the blues fuelled eruption of Crippling Empath sit either side of the rollicking Backstreets, which builds to a fierce crescendo as it confronts predatory male behaviour (‘It happens once, you let it slide, he didn’t really mean it, he’s a really nice guy’).  The vibrantly squalling Lanzarote charts the decline of standards in public life through the tongue-in-cheek lens of family holidays, although the track’s repeated mantra of ‘The worst is still coming’ perhaps remains more pertinent than any of us would like.  Then Move, and its tales of everyday frustration (‘Step away from the trigger before you press send’), brings proceedings to a boisterously infectious climax.

PX-30PX-30

12 Inch

‘Bryter ner vården bit för bit, Lämnar spillrorna till marknadens logic, Ren politik och ideologi, Ett decennium senare: vårdhaveri’ (Vägval Vårdval) ‘Breaks down care bit by bit, Leaving the rubble to the logic of the market, Pure politics and ideology, A decade later: care failure’ (Path Choice, Care Choice)

Hailing from Uppsala and featuring the guitarist from Herätys and Katastrof, you have a reasonable inkling of what to expect from PX-30.  And they do not disappoint.  Surging guitars, bruising breakdowns, and rabid vocals, underpinned by a relentless, utterly locked-in rhythm section, unleash a fierce onslaught of mangel-style d-beat hardcore that brims with a raw, unbridled intensity. From the savage opener Omgiven Av Idioter (Surrounded By Idiots) and the desperately infectious Vägval Vårdval, to the utterly stomping V​ä​nsterpartiet Populisterna (The Left-Wing Populist Party) and the bouncing Pappa Betalar (Dad Pays), the vehemence does not relent even momentarily.

Lyrically, the album delivers an acerbic critique of Swedish society, spanning from ruthless healthcare privatisation (Vägval Vårdval) to mindless consumerism (Tandl​ö​s Konsument / Tootless Consumer) by way of disappointment with the populist turn of the country’s political parties of the left (V​ä​nsterpartiet Populisterna).  Those who exploit the DIY punk scene are also in the crosshairs (Pappa Betalar), but an ode to the voices of Swedish radio (Flickorna På SR / The Girls On SR) offers a shaft of light amid the gloom.  And the meaning of PX-30?  It is apparently the paint type favoured by mural and graffiti artists, with the crisp cover art giving those of us not in the know a helpful nudge.

PrisãoPrisão II

7 Inch

‘Você se cala E vira a cara Seu Silêncio Ensurdece Seu Silêncio Mata’ (Foda-se) ‘You keep quiet, And turn your face, Your silence deafens, Your silence kills’ (Screw This)

Stockholm based Prisão (Prison), who feature members of both Axe Rash (vocalist Hilda here on bass) and Vidro (guitarist Lucas here on vocals and guitar), return with a new four track EP and follow-up to their 2022 debut.  They share Vidro’s affinity for catchy, groove-laden hardcore, but channel the crushing mid-paced riffage through a gnarlier, more abrasive prism.

The rhythm section is poundingly powerful but not overbearing, giving the riffs room to fully unfurl, not least on the swaggering highlight of Seu Deus Está Morto (Your God Is Dead).  Fiercely raw vocals are delivered in Brazilian Portuguese and eschew any extravagance.  Echoing the band’s name, they take on themes of social, familial, and self-imposed constraints and confinement with a satisfying directness.

ProblemsBeg For Release

7 Inch

‘Bend body into office chair, contort into cubicle, Bite tongue though I want to shout, Trapped but no Houdini, I can’t get out’ (Repetitive Stress)

In an era when everything can feel transitory, somewhat fleeting, the eight-year gap between the debut album, No Solution, of Oslo’s Problems and this, their follow-up EP, seems almost reassuring.  What is equally reassuring is that Beg For Release rather vividly demonstrates that anger does not mellow with the passing of time.  The roared opening to the utterly unhinged title track – ‘Spoiler alert: you are going to die!’ – leaves little room for doubt.

The seven tracks are fuelled by a baleful malevolence as harsh, at times, almost blown out guitars and a fiercely frenetic rhythm section unleash an uncompromising battery.  Eruptions of blistering speed feed into swirling breakdowns, the frenzied climax to Wanna Watch hitting the mark with a particular ferocity.  The feral vocals seethe with nihilistic fury as they explore the dehumanising frustrations of modern life, a rage most vividly animated on the  rampant opener Repetitive Stress and absolutely bludgeoning closer Absence Of Choice (‘The problem with the survival of the fittest, Is the face beneath my feet’).

Shows And Tours

The Hope Conspiracy play New Cross Inn this Saturday (12th October)

This section lays no claims to being a definitive listing!  It is simply gigs coming up in London that catch my eye and that I think people who read this newsletter might be interested in.  I will always try and highlight where a show forms part of a wider UK tour.

9th October James Jonathan Clancy Band, Sulla Lingua, Riccardo De La Foresta (Cafe Oto)

11th October Hey Colossus, Lower Slaughter, Irked (New River Studios / Hey Colossus are also playing The Fighting Cocks, The Railway Tavern, and The Sebright Arms over the weekend with varying supports)

12th October The Hope Conspiracy, Geist, Still In Love (New Cross Inn)

17th October Teta Frais, Zeropolis (Shacklewell Arms)

26th October Mother Nature, Pleasure, Skitter, WMDs (New River Studios)

27th October Belgrado, PC World, Death Drive, Night In Athens (Hootananny)

30th October Spectres, Josiane Pozi, Haeterodaemon (Moor Beer Vaults / UK Tour)

31st October Speed, End It, Demonstration Of Power, Day By Day, Life’s Question (The Garage)

31st October Powerplant, Middleman, The Strongest Tool (New River Studios)

5th November Gillian Carter, Harrowed plus more (The Black Heart / UK Tour)

6th November Qlowski, Laggard plus more (The George Tavern)

8th November L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation, Petbrick, Stingray, Ekstasis, Traidora, Gilt (Number 90)

9th November Chalk Hands, Still In Love, Death Of Youth (New River Studios)

14th November Uranium Club, Hygiene plus more (Number 90 / UK Tour)

16th November Future Of The Left plus support (The Garage)

21st November Undying, Cauldron, Sentience (New Cross Inn)

21st November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Megzbow And Vinegar Tom, No Home, Fiscal Harm (Spanners)

22nd November Unbroken, Deaf Club, Shooting Daggers, Rifle, Eyeteeth (The Dome)

22nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Gimic, Gamma, Ritual Error, Sublux, Rubber (Avalon Cafe)

23rd November Deviated Instinct, Agnosy, Verrat, Rank, Traidora (New Cross Inn)

23nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring R.Aggs, Holiday Ghosts, Dean Rodney And The Cowboys, Vaiapraia, Marcel Wave, Grazia plus more  (Ivy House)

29th November Pitchshifter plus support (The Garage)

3rd  December Coliseum plus support (New Cross Inn)

17th December Terror, Nasty, Combust plus more (229 / UK Tour)

17th-19th January Reality Unfolds featuring Broken Vow, Cassus, Dry Rot, Final Dose, Imposter, Perp Walk, Ringworm, Shooting Daggers, Stormo, and Wristmeetrazor plus many more (New Cross Inn)

24th February Love Letter, Heavy Hex plus more (New Cross Inn / UK Tour)

Coming Soon

Hallways Of Grey by Corker lands next week

Next Week

Class ‘A Healthy Alternative’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Corker ‘Hallways Of Grey’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Disintegration ‘Shiver In A Weak Light’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Louse ‘Passion Like Tar’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Later In October

Artificial Go ‘Hopscotch Fever’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Bermuda Squares ‘Outsider’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Chain Cult ‘Harm Reduction’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Citric Dummies ‘Trapped In A Parking Garage’ 7-inch (Feel It)

Cœur À L’Index ‘Adieu Minette’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Cosey Mueller ‘Soft Core’ (Static Age)

Freak Genes ‘Delirik’ 12-inch (Feel It)

S.H.I.T ‘For A Better World’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Träume ‘Wrzask’ 12-inch (Quality Control HQ)

Early November

Armor ‘Afraid Of What’s To Come’ 12-inch (11PM)

Bato ‘Human Cancer’ 12-inch (Not For the Weak)

Canal Irreal ‘Someone Else’s Dance’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Habak ‘Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener La Primavera’ 12-inch (Alerta Antifascista / Repress)

Human Trophy ‘Primary Instinct’ 12-inch (Iron Lung)

Invertebrates ‘Sick To Survive’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Lasso ‘Parte’ 12-inch (Sorry State)

Love Letter ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful’ 12-inch (Iodine Recordings / 2nd Press / Restock)

Muro ‘Nueva Dogma’ 12-inch (Fuerza Ingobernable)

Qlowski ‘The Wound’ 12-inch (Maple Death)

Savage Pleasure ‘Savage Pleasure’ 12-inch (Toxic State)

Foundation Vinyl Newsletter

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Foundation Vinyl newsletter!  Saturday night, I had the pleasure of being flattened by Morrow at the New Cross Inn.  I got down a little late, unfortunately, so my evening kicked off with the full-throated, NWOBHM-infused d-beat of Śmierć.  Then it was Morrow, who I last caught some five years ago supporting Svalbard, on what I’m pretty sure proved to be their final live outing until last weekend.  And it is fair to say that there was quite the crackle of anticipation as they took the stage.

As an utterly crushing set unfurled, it was hard not to compare their sound with that of their ‘sister’ band, Wreathe, with whom they currently share four members.  The constants are the ferocious drumming and roared vocals (full credit to Alex CF on that front because it was clear that he should probably have been tucked up in bed with a Lemsip rather than commanding a stage in south London!).

But Morrow deploy their guitars in a more restrained manner, the focus being on locking into an unrelenting rhythm.  This gives room for the strings to drive the melody – the cello delivering the low-end melancholy, the violin the soaring defiance.  And when it all locks in together, it feels like your ear drums are being being simultaneously caressed and lacerated.  Let’s hope the wait for the next show is not quite as long!

And so, what do we have lined-up this week?  We have four cracking new arrivals to get our teeth into for starters.  First up, we have the debut album from Sooks, Moral Decay, and the latest full-length from Alien Nosejob, Turns The Colour Of Bad Shit.  We also have two new 7-inches – firstly, Gimic are back with We Are Making A New World and, then, Thought Control return with Sick And Tired Of The Talking Heads.  As always, full write-ups below.

We also have our updated London gig listing and a quick heads up on the new records heading our way, including imminent arrivals on Adult Crash, Feel It, and La Vida Es Un Mus Discos!

Featured New Arrivals

Turns The Colour Of Bad Shit by Alien Nosejob / We Are Making A New World by Gimic / Moral Decay by Sooks / Sick And Tired Of The Talking Heads by Thought Control (clockwise)

SooksMoral Decay

12 Inch

‘Doctor, doctor, would you agree? Strong teeth and minds aren’t just for the bourgeoisie, Doctor, doctor, what do you see? A future medical system that’s safe and free?’ (Medicareless)

Hailing from Perth, Sooks trade in fiercely honed hardcore punk.  Its bare essentials are delivered with a tightly bristling aggression, yet it is the band’s ability to seamlessly shift gears that, perhaps, most seizes the attention.  The key to this dynamic is an absolutely rampant display from lead vocalist, Ange, who segues from the stridently assertive to the sardonically rhythmic by way of death metal grunts and off-kilter flares of melody without a breath being taken.  This febrile shapeshifting rather brings Petrol Girls to mind in terms of both it’s virtuosity and utterly uncompromising attitude.  Personal stand outs include the stomping Lithium Delirium, the wonderfully unhinged Medicareless, and the raucous Idiom/Idiot.

Lyrically, the album’s 14 tracks explore the full breadth of our current social predicament.  Economic inequity is the focus of U.D. (‘Contribution means nothing if it can’t be measured in numbers) and Lithium Delirium (‘Drive an hour to the mortgage belt, Cookie cutter living hell’).  Medicareless tackles the relentless privatisation of healthcare, while Content Machine (‘Attention starve, My optical nerve, Temporal carve, My time ain’t free’) and Quiet Quitting (‘Simmer super slowly with your rage, Corpospeak makes me want to be the change’) feast on the twin contemporary evils of social media and stultifying work.  And an assured feminist framing is also riven through the album, most visibly on The Bends (‘My body is more than it can produce’) and Cycles (‘Boost my iron with the moon, Destroy my cocoon’).

Alien NosejobTurns The Colour Of Bad Shit

12 Inch

Alien Nosejob is the solo garage punk project of Jake Robertson, a stalwart of the Australian DIY punk scene across a myriad of projects, including Ausmuteants and Hierophants.

And, it is fair to say that single life is working well for Robertson.  This is Alien Nosejob’s seventh full-length, including 2018’s debut Various Fads And Technological Achievements.  Robertson’s prolific output is reflected in the songwriting itself which brims with restless sincerity and off-the-cuff inventiveness.  Fuzzy guitars, whiplash solos, tight rhythms, and knowingly acerbic vocals form the bedrock, and, on this latest instalment, Robertson energetically imbues proceedings with his typically idiosyncratic take on late 1970s’ punk.

Boisterous saxophone, darkly hypnotic synths, and cavorting keys are all deployed to great effect not least on the fierce opener Bird Strike and the absolutely rollicking Trapped In Time.  Meanwhile, The Ostrich and Another Uniform offer more stripped back, but no less infectious pleasures.  And the album title?  It apparently derives from the case of a heroin smuggling New South Wales police officer, with corruption forming a lyrical theme throughout, woven among the wryly observed tales of daily strife and punk culture.

GimicWe Are Making A New World

7 Inch

‘Destruction the solution, war the solution, dereliction the solution, the solution is no solution’ (We Are Making A New World)

Gimic return with a fizzing follow-up to their excellent debut EP, Defer To Hate.  The Bristol band continue to hone their very distinctive clean guitar hardcore that frenetically refracts a myriad of seemingly disparate influences through a Dischord leaning prism without it ever feeling like that it might be an odd thing to do.  Snarled, rasping vocals and a funkily limber rhythm section provide the band’s cornerstone, while the guitar weaves its own intriguingly serpentine path across three tracks that brim with unexpected invention.

The writhing Irrational Demographic kicks proceedings off with its dissection of the polarised echo chambers of much contemporary debate, before Plastic Prison explores how the same dynamic sees us construct our own confinement, building as it does to a fiercely dissonant crescendo.  The flip side sees the more expansive, slow-burn title track take centre stage and it doesn’t disappoint as it dismantles the warped political consensus that has led us to our current malaise.

Thought ControlSick And Tired Of The Talking Heads

7 Inch

New Jersey’s Thought Control return in venomous form with their third 7-inch, unleashing eight new tracks of nihilistic fury in just under 10 minutes.

Thought Control’s starting point continues to be rooted in the classic dynamics of bruising 1980’s US hardcore but with an added dash of raw street punk energy, and even the occasional nod towards early 2000s’ youth crew.  A gritty production perfectly complements the crunch-meets-sludge guitars, frenetic rhythm section, and burly, fuzzed out vocals.  Rampaging opener, Social Suicide, perhaps, perfectly embodies the band’s uncompromising spirit.  But no nonsense doesn’t mean no flare as the melody fuelled, Oi-tinged title track and the swaggering closer Anti-Christ Rock’n’Roll vividly demonstrate.

Shows And Tours

Uniform and Bad Breeding play Rich Mix this Thursday (3rd October)

This section lays no claims to being a definitive listing!  It is simply gigs coming up in London that catch my eye and that I think people who read this newsletter might be interested in.  I will always try and highlight where a show forms part of a wider UK tour.

1st October Parsnip, Grazia, Sasshiya (Moth Club)

3rd October Uniform, Bad Breeding, Ekstasis (Rich Mix / UK Tour)

12th October The Hope Conspiracy, Geist, Still In Love (New Cross Inn)

17th October Teta Frais, Zeropolis (Shacklewell Arms)

30th October Spectres, Josiane Pozi, Haeterodaemon (Moor Beer Vaults / UK Tour)

31st October Speed, End It, Demonstration Of Power, Day By Day, Life’s Question (The Garage)

31st October Powerplant, Middleman, The Strongest Tool (New River Studios)

5th November Gillian Carter, Harrowed plus more (The Black Heart / UK Tour)

6th November Qlowski, Laggard plus more (The George Tavern)

8th November L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation, Stingray, Ekstasis, Traidora, Gilt (Number 90)

9th November Chalk Hands, Still In Love, Death Of Youth (New River Studios)

14th November Uranium Club, Hygiene plus more (Number 90)

16th November Future Of The Left plus support (The Garage)

21st November Undying, Cauldron, Sentience (New Cross Inn)

21st November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Megzbow And Vinegar Tom, No Home, Fiscal Harm (Spanners)

22nd November Unbroken, Deaf Club, Shooting Daggers, Rifle, Eyeteeth (The Dome)

22nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Gimic, Gamma, Ritual Error, Sublux, Rubber (Avalon Cafe)

23rd November Deviated Instinct, Agnosy, Verrat, Rank, Traidora (New Cross Inn)

23nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring R.Aggs, Holiday Ghosts, Dean Rodney And The Cowboys, Vaiapraia, Marcel Wave, Grazia plus more  (Ivy House)

29th November Pitchshifter plus support (The Garage)

3rd December Coliseum plus support (New Cross Inn)

17th December Terror, Nasty, Combust plus more (229 / UK Tour)

17th-19th January Reality Unfolds featuring Broken Vow, Cassus, Dry Rot, Final Dose, Imposter, Perp Walk, Ringworm, Shooting Daggers, Stormo, and Wristmeetrazor plus many more (New Cross Inn)

Coming Soon

Passions Like Tar by Louse

Next Week

Prisão ‘Prisão II’ 7-inch (Adult Crash)

Problems ‘Beg For Release’ 7-inch (Adult Crash)

PX-30 ‘Self-Titled’ 12-inch (Adult Crash)

Later This Month

Artificial Go ‘Hopscotch Fever’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Bermuda Squares ‘Outsider’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Chain Cult ‘Harm Reduction’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Citric Dummies ‘Trapped In A Parking Garage’ 7-inch (Feel It)

Class ‘A Healthy Alternative’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Cœur À L’Index ‘Adieu Minette’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Corker ‘Hallways Of Grey’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Disintegration ‘Shiver In A Weak Light’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Freak Genes ‘Delirik’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Habak ‘Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener La Primavera’ 12-inch (Alerta Antifascista / Repress)

Louse ‘Passion Like Tar’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Love Letter ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful’ 12-inch (Iodine Recordings / 2nd Press / Restock)

S.H.I.T ‘For A Better World’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Early November

Armor ‘Afraid Of What’s To Come’ 12-inch (11PM)

Bato ‘Human Cancer’ 12-inch (Not For the Weak)

Canal Irreal ‘Someone Else’s Dance’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Human Trophy ‘Primary Instinct’ 12-inch (Iron Lung)

Lasso ‘Parte’ 12-inch (Sorry State)

Muro ‘Nueva Dogma’ 12-inch (Fuerza Ingobernable)

Qlowski ‘The Wound’ 12-inch (Maple Death)

Savage Pleasure ‘Savage Pleasure’ 12-inch (Toxic State)

Foundation Vinyl Newsletter

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Foundation Vinyl newsletter!  This week’s live music was of a rather less abrasive nature than usual, but no less stirring for that fact, as I headed off to catch Me Lost Me at New River Studios.  Lo-fi guitar-drum duo Richard Lewis kicked the evening in good style, to be followed by the rather richer palette of singer songwriter, Tenderwild.  This shifted from the ethereal to the more strident without ever drifting into folk-rock territory.

Now, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for darker explorations in folk and the alluring blend of hauntingly melancholic vocals and experimental electronics that are the hallmarks of Me Lost Me definitely hit the mark.  Drawing heavily on last year’s excellent RPG full-length, her set was properly captivating, the one-two of The Oldest Trees On Earth and Mirie It Is While Summer I Last proving particularly powerful.  There was also the airing of a new track, Compromise, to the whet appetite and it is a stonker, introducing clanking industrial beats to the already heady mix to striking effect.

And so, what do we have lined up this week?  We have our take on four cracking new arrivals.  First up, the return of Uniform with the absolutely visceral American Standard and then the blistering Regeneracion from Generacion Suicida.  To round things off in style, we have two reissues from Raein – Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre and A Collection of Splits and EPs 2004 – 2015.

We also have our updated London gig listing, which includes the day splits for November’s Attempting Something Weekender (21st-23rd), and a quick heads up on some of the great releases soon heading our way from Drunken Sailor, La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, Feel It, and Toxic State amongst others!

Featured New Arrivals

Regeneracion by Generacion Suicida / Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre by Raein / American Standard by Uniform / A Collection of Splits and EPs 2004 – 2015 by Raein (clockwise)

UniformAmerican Standard

12 Inch

‘The following songs are about a lifetime of making myself vomit. They are about the lies I tell myself and the reality of what bulimia nervosa has done to my mind and body. They are about the havoc that my disease has wrought on my personal relationships and the pain it has caused the ones unfortunate enough to love me. I want to change. I want to want to change. I don’t know if I ever will, and I am so sorry.’ (Michael Berdan, Uniform taken from his essay in The Quietus, 24th July 2024)

Uniform’s progression across their earlier four stand alone albums had been one of almost incremental refinement from the raw industrial eruption of their 2015 debut Perfect World to 2020’s more darkly anthemic Shame.  In many respects, American Standard feels like an altogether more dramatic evolution.  All of the band’s defining characteristics – harshly infectious vocals, punishing percussion, and doom-infused riffage – are present and correct.  Yet, it is as if they have been distilled back to their very essence and then reshaped into new, even more inventive forms.

The album’s title, American Standard, refers to the commonplace US sanitaryware company, the logo of which has become seared into vocalist Michael Berdan’s mind through suffering bulimia, a terrible struggle that forms the narrative to the entire album.  He collaborated with two novelists he admires, Maggie Siebert and B.R. Yeager, to hone the lyrics and ensure that he did not hold back in exploring the horror of experiences that he understandably feels uncomfortable relating.  It is a thoroughly harrowing journey.

The album’s four tracks span a run time of some 40 minutes, with the title track enveloping the entirety of Side One.  It opens with call-and-repeat shouting – ‘A part of me, But it can’t be me, It can’t, Oh God it can’t’ – before plunging us into the maelstrom.  Swells of mournful guitar form a recurring motif throughout, flaring through unremitting waves of droning metallic guitars, before building to a cathartic crescendo that viscerally blends melody and pain, ‘My throat is raw, Muscles sore, I am sweat, I am filth, And I am failure’.  Such is the band’s skill in layering and building momentum that not for a moment does the track lose any of its relentless intensity.

Side Two opens with This Is Not A Prayer, a track of staccato brutality built around furiously propulsive percussion and shards of thunderous riffage that are in turn shrouded in flourishes of bleak melodicism as the song builds to its fierce closing incantation, ‘This is not a prayer, (I’ve got a wish)…Please don’t forget me, (This is not a prayer)’.  The sludge-fuelled Clemency follows, and its claustrophobic heaviness allows no respite (‘You can’t begin to take back, What you have already done’), before galloping guitars joust with gothic-tinged electronics as Permanent Embrace (‘And you found, Found my love appalling’) brings the album to a poignant finale.

How draining, how exposing, how necessary an experience it must have been for Berdan to reveal such inner torment, is hard to comprehend.  But there can be no doubt that the band have collectively risen to the challenge.  American Standard unashamedly reflects, and demonstrably justifies, this courage.

Generacion SuicidaRegeneracion 2022

12 Inch

‘Llega gente con hambre, Y con niños Tambien, Meten todos en jaulas, Nunca se vuelven ver’ (Jaulas) ‘People arrive hungry, And with children too, They put them all in cages, They never see each other again’ (Cages)

Generacion Suicida (Generation Suicide) are a long-standing Los Angeles DIY punk band and Regeneracion (Regeneration) is their fifth full-length since their 2010 formation.  Originally, released by Drunken Sailor Records in 2021, the album was initially recorded in demo form and, in 2022, the band returned to the studio to re-record the songs.  Vitriol Records have now reissued this new recording with powerfully simplified cover art and a revamped track ordering.

The band fuse together a vital blend of raw street punk energy with a bleakly haunting melodicism that draws in part on death rock influences and in part on the formative sounds of early 1980s’ English post-punk.  The clean guitars brim with warm, gleaming tones that belie the fury that permeates the clean sung Spanish vocals, underpinned throughout by a fiercely supple rhythm section.  Stand out moments include the surging Dia Tras Dia (Day After Day), the melancholy laced Nacidos (Born), and the darkly infectious closer Violencia (Violence).

The band have long run under the banner ‘Musica del barrio, para el barrio’ (‘Music from the neighbourhood, for the neighbourhood’) and, lyrically, the album knits together a tightly interconnected story of the migrant experience spanning the inhumanity of US immigration policy (Jaulas / Cages), the pain of leaving home and family (Dime Donde Este / Tell Me Where It Is), and being confronted by a culture of police violence (Balas, Siempre Balas / Bullets, Always Bullets).  It also explores the consequences of typically dehumanising work (Dia Tras Dia) and the chilling realities of domestic abuse (Violencia).

RaeinIl N'y A Pas De Orchestre

12 Inch

Raein are an Italian emotional hardcore band, who were initially active between 2002 and 2005.  Since reforming in 2007, they have continued to play with varying degrees of intensity, albeit only in a live setting since 2015’s Perpetuum.  Persistent Vision have remastered and reissued both the 2003 full-length, Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre, and also a new compilation, A Collection of Splits and EPs 2004 – 2015.

‘It flows from our heart, through our bleeding lungs. To reach you deep inside, to make you feel like we feel…alive’ (Artmachine Observation Tower)

Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre (There Is No Orchestra), first released on vinyl by the consistently excellent React With Protest, is seen by many as being the band’s defining release, the perfect embodiment of Raein.  The album viscerally melds melody and discordance to create hardcore that segues effortlessly from frenzied eruptions to passages of heart rending beauty, and from raw screams to the more emotively clean sung.  The utterly cathartic Tigersuit and searing She Wears My Blood capture these dynamics particularly vividly.

RaeinA Collection of Splits and EPs 2004 – 2015

12 Inch

‘The kiss you never gave, the words you never said, tomorrow can be too late, maybe today isn’t yet too late’ (Endlesstourlife)

Meanwhile, A Collection of Splits and EPs 2004 – 2015, brings together the majority of the band’s EPs and splits, which include collaborations with Ampere, Daïtro, Funeral Diner, Loma Preita, and Phoenix Bodies.  The fact that nine of the twelve tracks were actually recorded together in the same studio session in 2004, and the quality of the remastering work itself, imbue the album with a satisfying sonic consistency that eludes most compilations.  My personal highlight is, perhaps, the taut push-pull between the frenetic and the reflective that defines New Day Scenario and On Air.

Shows And Tours

Morrow play New Cross Inn on Saturday 28th September

This section lays no claims to being a definitive listing!  It is simply gigs coming up in London that catch my eye and that I think people who read this newsletter might be interested in.  I will always try and highlight where a show forms part of a wider UK tour.

28th September Morrow, Śmierć, Cady, Hemiptera (New Cross Inn)

28th September Imposter , Splitknuckle, Life Of One, Second Death plus more (New River Studios)

1st October Parsnip, Grazia, Sasshiya (Moth Club)

3rd October Uniform, Bad Breeding plus more (Rich Mix / UK Tour)

12th October The Hope Conspiracy, Geist, Still In Love (New Cross Inn)

30th October Spectres plus support (Moor Beer Vaults / UK Tour)

31st October Speed, End It, Demonstration Of Power, Day By Day, and Life’s Question (The Garage)

31st October Powerplant, Middleman, The Strongest Tool (New River Studios)

5th November Gillian Carter, Harrowed plus more (The Black Heart / UK Tour)

6th November Qlowski, Laggard plus more (The George Tavern)

8th November L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation, Stingray, Ekstasis, Traidora, and Gilt (Number 90)

9th November Chalk Hands, Still In Love, Death Of Youth (New River Studios)

14th November Uranium Club, Hygiene plus more (Number 90)

16th November Future Of The Left plus support (The Garage)

21st November Undying, Cauldron, Sentience (New Cross Inn)

21st November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Megzbow And Vinegar Tom, No Home, and Fiscal Harm (Spanners)

22nd November Unbroken, Deaf Club, Shooting Daggers, Rifle, Eyeteeth (The Dome)

22nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Gimic, Gamma, Ritual Error, Sublux, and Rubber (Avalon Cafe)

23rd November Deviated Instinct, Agnosy, Verrat, Rank, and Traidora (New Cross Inn)

23nd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring R.Aggs, Holiday Ghosts, Dean Rodney And The Cowboys, Vaiapraia, Marcel Wave, Grazia plus more  (Ivy House)

29th November Pitchshifter plus support (The Garage)

3rd December Coliseum plus support (New Cross Inn)

17th December Terror, Nasty, Combust plus more (229 / UK Tour)

17th-19th January Reality Unfolds featuring Broken Vow, Cassus, Dry Rot, Stormo, and Wristmeetrazor plus many more to be announced (New Cross Inn)

Coming Soon

Moral Decay by Sooks lands next week

Alien Nosejob ‘Turns The Colour Bad Shit’ 12-inch (Drunken Sailor / Anti-Fade / Total Punk)

Armor ‘Afraid Of What’s To Come’ 12-inch (11PM)

Artificial Go ‘Hopscotch Fever’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Bato ‘Human Cancer’ 12-inch (Not For the Weak)

Bermuda Squares ‘Outsider’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Canal Irreal ‘Someone Else’s Dance’ 12-inch (Beach Impediment / Restock)

Chain Cult ‘Harm Reduction’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Citric Dummies ‘Trapped In A Parking Garage’ 7-inch (Feel It)

Class ‘A Healthy Alternative’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Cœur À L’Index ‘Adieu Minette’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Disintegration ‘Shiver In A Weak Light’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Freak Genes ‘Delirik’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Gimic ‘We Are Making A New World’ 7-inch (Crew Cuts)

Golpe ‘Subisci. Conformati. Rassegnati.’ 7-inch (Static Shock / Sorry State)

Habak ‘Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener La Primavera’ 12-inch (Alerta Antifascista / Repress)

Human Trophy ‘Primary Instinct’ 12-inch (Iron Lung)

Lasso ‘Parte’ 12-inch (Sorry State)

Louse ‘Passion Like Tar’ 12-inch (Feel It)

Love Letter ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful’ 12-inch (Iodine Recordings / 2nd Press / Restock)

Muro ‘Nueva Dogma’ 12-inch (Fuerza Ingobernable)

Savage Pleasure ‘Savage Pleasure’ 12-inch (Toxic State)

S.H.I.T ‘For A Better World’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Sooks ‘Moral Decay’ 12-inch (Permanent Residence)

Thought Control ‘Sick And Tired Of Talking Heads’ 7-inch (Crew Cuts)

White Collar ‘White Collar’ 12-inch (Static Shock)

Foundation Vinyl Newsletter

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the latest Foundation Vinyl newsletter!  I hope everyone who managed to get along to the Oh What Fun? weekender had a ball.  The weekend it fell on was, unfortunately, a slightly awkward one my end, but I managed to get along for the Saturday night and what a show.

The irrepressible whirlwind that is Assistert Sj​ø​lmord and the pneumatic fury of Piñén set things off in style.  Then we had Flower and Subdued, two bands who brilliantly mine a seam of metallic fuelled anarcho-punk in equally inspired but richly distinctive ways.  Flower fuse rhythmically sneering vocals with slabs of muscular riffage, while Subdued build their sound on semi-shouted polemics and waves of densely discordant, at times breathlessly fast, guitar.  And it is no exaggeration to say that both bands absolutely slayed it.

Also a big thanks to Cryptic Growth and friends for pulling it all together – just the thought of corralling so many bands is enough to put most of us into a cold sweat and I imagine we don’t know the half of it.  Hopefully, the first of many to come!

And so what do we have lined up this week?  We have our take on two very fine new arrivals – the searing debut full-length from Melbourne’s Shove, Agency, and then the hugely ambitious Hiraeth from Toronto’s Respire.  Definitely both worth checking out.

We also have a great interview with Paul Hansbarger of the splendid Persistent Vision Records.  This has been reproduced with the kind permission of Razorblades And Aspirin (cheers Mike!).  Razorblades is a hardcore punk fanzine based out of Richmond, Virginia, sometimes physical, more typically online at present, and includes some brilliant live photography as well as great writing.  It is thoroughly recommended if you’ve not had the good fortune to discover it yet.  Links and contact details are included at the end of the interview.

In terms of London shows and tours, we have just announced shows added to our listing from L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation / Stingray (8th November), Uranium Club / Hygiene (14th November), and Coliseum (3rd December).  And to round things off, we have a quick heads up on some of the cracking records imminently heading our way, including next week’s new arrivals from Alien Nosejob, Generacion Suicida, Raein, and Uniform!

Featured New Arrivals

Agency by Shove (top) and Hiraeth by Respire 

ShoveAgency

12 Inch

‘Come for me, drain complacency, Come for me, veto pleasure, succeed, Come for me, gouge my apathy, Form-failed knees, defaced will’ (Fire)

Following two earlier EPs and a split with Future Suck, Melbourne’s Shove now make their full-length debut on the absolutely searing Agency.  Front and centre are the swaggering, menacing bass lines and rabid vocals, equal parts venomous snarl and urgently desperate yelp.  Meanwhile, the raw yet burly guitars unleash waves of juddering riffage, riven through with flares of discordant melody and flourishes of dissonant invention, underpinned throughout by frenzied, cymbal awash drums.

Lyrically, the album unfurls as a cryptically allusive, darkly fragmented stream of consciousness that explores the dangers of our complacency in the face of our society’s distorted values and the continued corrosive influence of entrenched patriarchal attitudes.  The battery is as invigorating as it is unrelenting, with personal stand outs including the surging ferocity of Observer, the jolting savagery of Strike Crisis, the bleakly infectious T.D.T, and the utterly unhinged closer, Bored.

RespireHiraeth

12 Inch

‘Did you find what you left for? Did your fear start shutting doors? Did your dream feel real in the shadows? In the shadow, hold fast, faint light’ (Keening)

Toronto’s Respire return with their fourth album, Hiraeth, an ambitious release in terms of both its execution and its deeply layered lyrical exploration of what it means to be an immigrant.  Musically, the band continue to hone a base sound grounded in a blend of pared back black metal and screamo.  This forms the bedrock for the band’s more expansive orchestral and post-metal elements, which inspire a perpetual tension between haunting melancholy and defiant optimism.

The vocals alternate, and are also frequently layered, between harrowing blackened screams and buoyantly hopeful passages of cleanly sung emotive punk.  A similar push-pull dynamic is evident in the band’s orchestral instrumentation, sorrowful strings are deeply braided with brightly uplifting brass, at times in seeming competition, at others entwined with singular purpose.  Honing these often-disparate ingredients, which could be reasonably said to span from Dawn Ray’d to The Hotelier by way of Youthmovies, into a cohesive whole is no mean feat, but it is one that Respire pull off with relish.  Not least, perhaps, on my personal highlights The Match, Consumed, The Sun Sets Without Us, and We Grow Like Trees In Rooms Of Borrowed Light.

This vibrantly realised tension is in many respects a sonic embodiment of the very concept of the album’s title.  Hiraeth is a Welsh language term, with few direct equivalents in other languages, that speaks to the many emotional dimensions arising from a loss of homeland and tradition.  It is concurrently imbued with both a sense of grief for something lost and a yearning to realise something better, the former being the key to unlocking the latter.

The album also brings the concept vividly to life through its nuanced lyrical exploration of (im)migration.  Both its causes and consequences are teased out primarily through the lens of two countries.  Firstly, Canada’s relationship with the wider British Empire (First Snow and We Grow Like Trees In Rooms Of Borrowed Light) and its own Indigenous population (Voiceless; Nameless) and, secondly, the experiences of Albania as an Italian colony, communist state, and then the savage shock of the unfettered capitalism that ensued following the collapse of the Soviet Union (The Match, Consumed).

This approach allows the band to explore how people are forced to emigrate, often as a consequence of colonial legacies (Home Of Ash and Farewell [In Standard]), and the pain and courage entailed in leaving your home (Keening).  Even more powerfully, it speaks to how readily our political class will seek to manipulate blame for the consequences of their decisions to fall on those already most marginalised, a narrative in which we ourselves are too often silently complicit (Distant Light Of Belonging, The Sun Sets Without Us, and Do The Birds Still Sing?).

Hiraeth is an album defined by its musical invention but also, more importantly, by a deep-seated humanity that radiates from its very core.

When Razorblades And Aspirin Caught Up With Persistent Vision Records

Persistent Vision releases from Lagrimas / Habak, Pageninetynine, Massa Nera / Quiet Fear, Wreathe, and Prisoner (clockwise)

“I like the idea of doing a label that has one foot in the present and one foot in the past, able to release music from older bands and reissues, as well as younger, contemporary bands.” (Paul Hansbarger, Persistent Vision)

This is an interview I’ve (Mike Thorn, Razorblades And Aspirin) been meaning to do for a minute – we get into it off the bat but, for me, Persistent Vision is a record label which manifests a lot of my beliefs around punk and how its not how you look or what you sound like but how you do it that matters. One of my favorite things about their releases is the total deconstruction of what is “punk,” mixing it up, and putting it back together again to create newer and compelling forms of art and music. It’s all one beautiful sonic landscape of noise, not music. There is a taking from the past and expanding on it which is so important, at least in my mind, for the continued vibrancy of this scene and culture. So, l like I said prior, I’ve been meaning to do this interview for bit and with their upcoming Dark Days, Bright Nights festival (13th-15th September) here in Richmond, I figured it was an opportune time to speak with label maestro, Paul Hansbarger.

Kowloon Walled City

Persistent Vision feels like a label rooted in the late 90s/early 00s DIY scene – leaning more into the Ebullition/HeartAttack side of things. Am I crazy about this assumption? Can you talk a bit about the label’s origin? 

That is very flattering to hear. I’m definitely an Ebullition fan and have been for a good chunk of my life. Since I first dove head first into hardcore and punk in my early teens, I wound up gravitating toward Ebullition and HeartAttack. HeartAttack and Slug & Lettuce (the long running newsprint zine by Richmond photographer Chris Boarts Larson) were the first two real zines I ever got my hands on as a teenager in the mid to late 90s, growing up in a rural Virginia small town. I ended up moving to Richmond to attend VCU around 2000 and instantly fell into the scene here that really embodied that HeartAttack/Ebullition vibe.

Persistent Vision isn’t my first time doing a label. In 2002, I started a label, Perpetual Motion Machine, with a few friends. We started with the Pageninetynine and Circle Take The Square split 7” and ended up doing around 30 releases over the course of about ten years. My last few releases were for Kowloon Walled City, Thou, and Get Rad, and I stopped around 2012, taking a break from releasing records for another ten years.

In late 2022 and into early 2023, I started thinking about releasing music again, and reached out to my old friend Mike Taylor about some of his bands’ material, initially Pygmy Lush. We’d been in touch and would see each other over the years through doing shows for Pygmy Lush, the early Pageninetynine reunions, and just bumping into each other here and there. That initial inquiry into Pygmy Lush evolved into a conversation about reissuing Pageninetynine’s Document #8 and Document #14 (their Singles Collection), to coincide with a series of reunion shows they were doing last summer. Both of those releases were on Robodog / Robotic Empire, but hadn’t been kept in print and after reaching out to Lindsey who currently runs it, they were okay with it finding a new home. Instead of picking up where I left off with my old label, I decided to start a new label, a fresh start with a new name.

Persistent Vision came from the Rites of Spring song, which I thought was a perfect name for an old dude doing a label a second time around. My old label was somewhat inspired by a Nation of Ulysses song, so another Dischord reference seemed to be fitting. Originally, I considered the possibility of being a reissue-only label, but didn’t want to feel too limited or too stuck in the past. I like the idea of doing a label that has one foot in the present and one foot in the past, able to release music from older bands and reissues, as well as younger, contemporary bands.

Pageninetynine

What about that era of punk resonates with you? How do you feel it connects to the current era?

I have a lot of love for what I think of as more traditional hardcore – Minor Threat, Black Flag, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, etc – it’s what got me into it all of this in the first place but there was always something about that Ebullition style that really grabbed me. Not to throw shade on bands of the time, but the 90s’ hardcore scene that I experienced early on was a little too macho for me. I was a nerd, an art class kid that kinda kept to myself, and was somewhat of an outsider growing up. That wasn’t me. All of that shared a little too much in common with the jocks that I despised and was looking for an escape from. The Ebullition side of things seemed more of a place for the freaks and weirdos of hardcore.

Another aspect I have always appreciated is how DIY and hands-on it is. It felt a lot more within my grasp and doable. Like I could see myself being in one of those bands, putting out those records, or writing and laying out a zine. I missed out on that golden era of Ebullition, Gravity, Prank with bands like Portraits of Past, Torches to Rome, Los Crudos, His Hero Is Gone, In/Humanity, etc. But I was able to see another wave of bands that seemed to be cut from the same cloth – Reversal of Man, Kill the Man Who Questions, Orchid, Majority Rule, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Tragedy, and so on. Seeing bands like these in VFW halls, living rooms and basements, broke down that barrier of fan and band – it really personalized it for me, I felt like I could do it myself. That spirit still lives on today, in many of the bands I love and in those I’ve had the opportunity to work with.

Nø Man

What is the connective tissue to the band’s/projects you’ve released? 

The Pageninetynine stuff was something I was already very close with, people I know, and have some history with. More recently I reconnected with some friends from Italy, Raein, that shared a member with a band La Quiete that I had done a release for on my old label. I just reissued one of their old albums and a collection of out of print splits and 7”s they did in the early 2000s. Beyond that, it has primarily been bands playing within the same scene, more or less, that have come onto my radar or I’ve crossed paths with in some way or another. The younger bands such as Habak, Massa Nera, and Blind Girls, I think are the torchbearers of some of that old familiar sound, adding their own experiences and context to it. There’s definitely a community that exists with many of these bands and a shared lineage that connects each of them in some way or another. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of people that have allowed me to have a hand in helping release their music and let an old guy be a part of their community.

Inter Arma

How does that connect to the Dark Days, Bright Nights Fest? What was the impetus for doing the festival?

We didn’t really set out to do a festival. Initially it began out of a desire to bring the bands on the label together for a special evening of music, one big show. With Pageninetynine already on board to play, I asked Mike (Taylor) if he’d be interested in helping with curating a few additional bands beyond the label. As we compared our wish lists and started brainstorming up potential ideas and line-ups, that list quickly snowballed and evolved to a bigger weekend of shows. We included a mix of old friends of mine and his, such as Nø Man, Thou, Portrayal of Guilt, Young Widows, and Kowloon Walled City. There are a few reunions as well, including Pygmy Lush who haven’t played a show in seven years, a reunion from Kilara (the 90s Virginia band, with members of Avail, City of Caterpillar/Pg.99, and Alabama Thunderpussy), and The Red Scare, the late 90s / early 00s Knoxville, TN band who I have absolutely loved for years and never got a chance to see. We tried to include a cross section of both local and up and coming younger bands as well, some connected to the label and some that aren’t, but that we felt really captured the DIY spirit of what we’re after. It’s a wildly eclectic, mixed bill with something for everyone – chaotic hardcore, crust, sludge, doom, noise rock, and a little of everything in between.

Private Hell

Richmond has a rather massive punk/underground culture – especially for a city of this size. Can you speak to this and how you see this fest and your label fitting into that? 

Richmond has an incredibly vibrant and prolific scene for punk, hardcore, and other underground music. There’s no question about that. Any given night there are multiple shows going down, tons of great local bands on the bill, at a variety of venues, including houses and warehouse shows. I’ve been going to shows here since 2000 and have experienced a few eras of punk/hc/underground music here. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such a wildly active, diverse, and supportive scene as it is now, even with its own splintered niches and micro scenes within it.

I do feel like there has been a bit of absence of a fest here in Richmond for a while, and we wanted a way to showcase many of the amazing bands from here, alongside a curated line-up of out of town bands. We wanted some of the DIY spirit of the house and basement shows that have been such a big part of our lives, but presented on a slightly bigger stage that could accommodate out of town visitors, not have the anxiety of it getting shut down, and have an opportunity to share a bit of a Richmond experience with our out of town friends. I hope that we can achieve that with what we’re doing.

Regarding the label, I’ve also done releases with a few bands from here including Prisoner, Private Hell, and Vigil and I guess you could sort of include Pageninetynine in there. But I also have gotten the chance to work with bands from all over the globe. Maybe it’s the possibility of sharing a little of Richmond with the rest of the world, and bringing some of that back to Richmond?

Soul Glo

Can you chat a bit about why you think it has been this fertile place for underground/punk for so long? Do you feel that is changing – be it getting better or worse?

I don’t know if I’m the right person to answer that question, since my time here doesn’t predate 2000 and I don’t know if I have the knowledge to provide the right context. But I do agree it has been a hotbed for punk and underground music for as long as I can remember. Coming up I heard the lore of early Avail, Young Pioneers, Hose.Got.Cable., Kilara, Action Patrol, Inquisition, and so many other bands of the 90s. Then got to experience first hand bands like Strike Anywhere, Count Me Out, Light The Fuse and Run, Municipal Waste, City of Caterpillar, Government Warning, and many others. It’s been a place for outsiders to make music and exist in a generally very supportive, positive community. My experience is that there’s always been a bit of crossover between genres and scenes, mixed bill shows, and that’s something that is always cool to see and I feel like that makes it even more unique. I think the scene itself is continually changing for the better and continues to evolve.

That said, I do have concerns about the city itself being increasingly an unsustainable place to live for both young and older punk/hardcore kids, artists and outsiders already living on the fringe. As I see many of my friends getting older and encountering challenges with health issues, employment, and the cost of living – that’s something I think about and worry about. I wonder how that will impact the city in the years to come. You look at cities like Austin, Asheville, Oakland, the list goes on, that have long been crucial places for punk and underground music, and yet they are becoming more and more impossible to survive in.

Tell me about the artists you are most excited about currently – both at the upcoming festival as well as in Richmond in general.

There’s so many bands I am excited for from the fest lineup. It’s hard to pick favorites but I’m definitely looking forward to sets from Habak, Pygmy Lush, Kowloon Walled City, Rid of Me, Thou, Soul Glo, Glassing, Infant Island, Fórn and The Red Scare. In terms of Richmond bands playing I’m looking forward to Kilara, Inter Arma, Prisoner, Private Hell, .GIF From God, Listless, and Northeast Regional. In general, Richmond has so many incredible bands right now coming from every corner of punk/hc. There are too many to name but some of my other current favorites include Killing Pace, Ostraca, Division of Mind, Richmond Vampire, Terror Cell, Public Acid, Suppression, and The Barbed Wires.

Glassing

Anything you’d like to add?

Thank you for inviting me to talk a little bit about the fest and label. Thank you to everyone that is supporting what we’re doing, and being patient with us. It has been a learning process and I have a lot of respect for people that have been in our shoes.

Finally, thank you Mike, for continuing to support, write about, photograph and document DIY punk/underground music and culture. You are doing really meaningful work and I want you to know that we don’t take it for granted.

This interview was first published by, and all photos are courtesy of, Mike Thorn of Razorblades And Aspirin.  To find out more:

Shows And Tours

Me Lost Me play New River Studios on Thursday 19th September

This section lays no claims to being a definitive listing!  It is simply gigs coming up in London that catch my eye and that I think people who read this newsletter might be interested in.  I will always try and highlight where a show forms part of a wider UK tour.

18th September Bait, Shooting Daggers, Rubber (The Sebrights Arms / UK Tour)

19th September Me Lost Me , Tendertwin, Richard Lewis (New River Studios / UK Tour)

20th September Spy, Stiff Meds, Trading Hands, Power Failure (New Cross Inn / UK Tour)

28th September Morrow, Śmierć, Cady, Hemiptera (New Cross Inn / Brighton on 27th September)

28th September Imposter , Splitknuckle, Life Of One, Second Death plus more (New River Studios)

3rd October Uniform, Bad Breeding plus more (Rich Mix / UK Tour)

12th October The Hope Conspiracy, Geist, Still In Love (New Cross Inn)

30th October Spectres plus support (Moor Beer Vaults / UK Tour)

31st October Powerplant, Middleman, The Strongest Tool (New River Studios)

5th November Gillian Carter, Harrowed plus more (The Black Heart / UK Tour)

6th November Qlowski, Laggard plus more (The George Tavern)

8th November L.O.T.I.O.N Multinational Corporation, Stingray, Ekstasis, Taidora, and Gilt (Number 90)

9th November Chalk Hands, Still In Love, Death Of Youth (New River Studios)

14th November Uranium Club, Hygiene plus more (Number 90)

16th November Future Of The Left plus support (The Garage)

21st-23rd November Attempting Something Weekender featuring Benny & The Lager Tops, Dead Name, Gamma, Gimic, Grazia, Holiday Ghosts, Keno, Marcel Wave, Megzbow & Vinegar Tom, No Home, Sublux, R. Aggs, Rubber, Vaiapraia, Virvon Varvon plus more to be announced  (Spanners / Avalon Cafe / Ivy House)

21st November Undying, Cauldron, Sentience (New Cross Inn)

22nd November Unbroken, Deaf Club, Shooting Daggers, Rifle, Eyeteeth (The Dome)

23rd November Deviated Instinct, Agnosy, Verrat, Rank, and Traidora (New Cross Inn)

29th November Pitchshifter plus support (The Garage)

3rd December Coliseum plus support (New Cross Inn)

17th December Terror, Nasty, Combust plus more (229 / UK Tour)

17th-19th January Reality Unfolds featuring Broken Vow, Cassus, Dry Rot, Stormo, and Wristmeetrazor plus many more to be announced (New Cross Inn)

Coming Soon

Regneracion by Generacion Suicida

Next Week

Alien Nosejob ‘Turns The Colour Bad Shit’ 12-inch (Drunken Sailor / Anti-Fade / Total Punk)

Generacion Suicida ‘Regeneracion’ 12-inch (Vitriol)

Raein ‘A Collection Of Splits And EPs: 2004-2015′ 12-inch (Persistent Vision)

Raein ‘Il N’y A Pas De Orchestre’ 12-inch (Persistent Vision)

Uniform ‘American Standard’ 12-inch (Sacred Bones)

October

Armor ‘Afraid Of What’s To Come’ 12-inch (11PM)

Chain Cult ‘Harm Reduction’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Cœur À L’Index ‘Adieu Minette’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Gimic ‘We Are Making A New World’ 7-inch (Crew Cuts)

Golpe ‘Subisci. Conformati. Rassegnati.’ 7-inch (Static Shock / Sorry State)

Habak ‘Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener La Primavera’ 12-inch (Alerta Antifascista / Repress)

Lasso ‘Parte’ 12-inch (Sorry State)

Love Letter ‘Everyone Wants Something Beautiful’ 12-inch (Iodine Recordings / 2nd Press / Restock)

Muro ‘Nueva Dogma’ 12-inch (Fuerza Ingobernable)

Savage Pleasure ‘Savage Pleasure’ 12-inch (Toxic State)

S.H.I.T ‘For A Better World’ 12-inch (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Sooks ‘Moral Decay’ 12-inch (Permanent Residence)

Thought Control ‘Sick And Tired Of Talking Heads’ 7-inch (Crew Cuts)

White Collar ‘White Collar’ 12-inch (Static Shock)

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