I usually have a strange relationship with a lot of melodic punk albums. I always end up loving it, but they usually tend to be growers for me instead of blowing me away immediately the way a lot of heavier hitting albums do. Atlanta’s Reconciler Set Us Free is definitely an exception to this trend, […]
Direct Hit! – Crown Of Nothing
Wisconsin-based punks Direct Hit are back with their fourth full length Crown Of Nothing recently released on October 26th through Fat Wreck, and I have seriously been listening to this one AT LEAST once a day. You fans of Direct Hit know what to expect by now: catchy as all fuck pop-punk mixed with plenty […]
Night Birds – Roll Credits
While pretty much every modern punk band is influenced by Agent Orange and The Dead Kennedys, not too many carry the banner successfully blending surf vibes with ferocious 80s hardcore. Yet New Jersey’s Night Birds do exactly that, all without sounding completely derivative and managing to keep things fresh. Celebrating their 10 year anniversary as […]
Sick Shit – Thick Spit
I recently caught New Jersey’s hardcore band Sick Shit play in a dingy bar basement in Trenton with PEARS, and I was completely blown away. So much so, that after catching their set I quickly grabbed their EP Thick Spit. Released in March this year and recorded in central Jersey (yes it exists you north […]
Dark Thoughts – At Work
I’ve said it plenty times before and I’ll continue to say it: if you aren’t listening to Dark Thoughts, you’re fucking up. I recently just caught them again at The Stone Pony opening for Propagandhi and Iron Chic, and it reminded me I never posted about one of my favorite 2018 releases. The three piece […]
Swingin Utters – Peace And Love
For as long as they’ve been playing, California’s Swingin Utters are of the most criminally underrated bands around. Formed back in the late 80s, Swingin Utters have made a name for themselves over the past 30 years with their raucous rock and roll infused, no bullshit punk rock. I’ve been a pretty big fan ever […]
Paint It Black Live In Asbury Park (8/3/18)
These days a Paint It Black show is a bit of a rare occurrence, so when the Philly hardcore band announced they’d be playing at Asbury Park’s House Of Independents the day before The Bouncing Souls “Stoked For The Summer” show, I decided to just make a weekend out of it. Paint It Black I […]
Off With Their Heads Live In Philly (7/26/18)
This past Thursday, I headed to Philly’s intimate batting cages Everybody Hits to catch one of my favorite punk bands around Off With Their Heads. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve last seen them when they opened for The Bouncing Souls, and it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve seen them actually headline […]
Jeff Rosenstock Live In Asbury Park (7/24/18)
When your friends are buying starter homes with their accomplishments, driving 3.5 hours on a Tuesday for a show can seem childish and embarrassing. Yet this past Tuesday night I made the trek to Asbury Park’s House of Independents to catch Jeff Rosenstock play a sold out show. As expected, the 500 person venue was […]
Beach Rats, Fuck It I Quit Live In Philly (7/22/18)
I sort of hate the term supergroup, but there really isn’t any better way to describe the newly formed Beach Rats, featuring Pete and Bryan from The Bouncing Souls, Ari from Lifetime, and Brian Baker from Minor Threat/Dag Nasty/Bad Religion. When I saw that they were playing their 2nd show ever at Philly’s intimate PHILAMOCA, […]