Longings "Vacancy" and "Tarnished" track Reviews

Longings just premiered the second single from their upcoming debut self-titled LP. The record will be released on September 18 by Framework in the US and Echo Canyon in the EU. The band consists of local Western MA heroes Will Killingsworth, Meghan Minior, and Cole Lanier. If you haven't heard Longings before, they play really awesome post-punk with that great dark-wave vibe. Think a more punk Night Sins. The two songs that are available for streaming have a great urgency to them and I'm really hoping this is going to be a theme for the record.

"Tarnished" is a perfect example of the urgency I mentioned above. It has this great quick riff throughout the song and everything is just bursting through. This song is fast, punk, and drenched in a fantastic mixture of darkness and pop. It's raining out and you're driving too fast and maybe you're going to spin out on those cobblestone roads.

"Vacancy" premiered yesterday on Noisey. This song is darker and more haunting in its delivery. Meghan's vocals stand out and it is primarily her that is singing. This has that great dark-wave vibe to it. It's really bass driven and that bass lick is so nice. The guitar creates this undertone of noise and is haunting and reminds me a bit of older Interpol. That good stuff. I'm really digging this a lot.

The record drops September 18.

The record release show will be September 22. Check the fb event here.

Longings will be on tour:

8/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wolf Cycles w/ Ordinary Lives, and Isotope
8/27 - Columbus, OH - Legion of Doom w/ Malokio, Slugbugs, 99% Orgasm
8/28 - Chicago, IL @ Rancho Huevos w/ Torso, and Sin Orden
8/29 - Toronto, ON @ Soybomb w/ Full Of Hell, Frkse, Abyss, and Demonic Possessor
8/30 - Montreal, QC @ Soundcentral Records w/ The Expectorated Sequence - 5pm Matinee

Birdskulls "Good Enough" and "Sever" track Reviews

Birdskulls debut LP Trickle is coming out on the great Dog Knights Productions label on October 5th. The band has released two singles off the record and they are fantastic 90's influenced emo, grunge, pop goodies.

The first single they released is "Good Enough" and it's so good not just good enough. It has some heavy Nirvana influence, especially in the vocals. It's so nice. The riffs in this song are awesome and so fuzzy. Muff. "I don't want to go to bed" goes the chorus, even though dealing with a heavy heart and a rotten relationship is hard while awake. There is a little change up variation to the main chord progression towards the end that is really fun, and those little high notes on the guitar in the beginning is sweet.

"Sever" which was just released the other day, this is weird I know, but it, makes me think that if Blink 182 was around in the early 90's this is what they would sound like, this song. I dig it a lot. It's only a part of the song that I feel this way, but still cool. It's right after the into piece. Think about it, you'll see it. Anyways, this one is very vocal rich and the guitar creates this great atmosphere of nice underneath. The bass is really driving along with some great steady drums. "I'm alright."

Pre-orders are up now for Trickle here.

Watch the video for "Good Enough" here.

Tenement "Tenement" Review

Tenement just released one of the best albums of the year with their mammoth genre-spanning double LP, Predatory Headlights. Another record that is on heavy, heavy rotation. Well in February they wrote and recorded five songs and put them on a cassette tape. Well here it it, and just put up by the band on their bandcamp. They also have two great blown out tracks on the Bughouse I Mixtape by Not Normal Tapes.

"Everyone To Love You" is the first and the punkest song on here. The guitar is really spazzy and snotty and Amos' voice is really wonderful. It's always great. This whole album / ep has a really old vibe to it. Like it should have been released in the 60's or something. I feel like I'm listening to some classic jams, but better.

"Underworld Hotel" is so solid. This is such a fucking winner. The guitar is so warm and the drums are really simple and minimal. They do these great vocal harmonies too. Wow. This band blows me away.

"Witches In A Ritual" is another jam. They all are. Each song is so nice. Amos does these great high pitch chorus parts singing "Run to the arms of the brute." On Tenement's bandcamp down the bottom where you can have tags like punk, hip-hop, shit, or whatever, the band has "soul" and usually when I see that I'm like ok, the band wants as many people as possible who may dig soul music to give them a listen. Well, Tenement have soul. So much.

"The Strangest Couple In Love" starts off with this super solid drum beat with what sounds like a tamborine and this really nice guitar part. It's kind of all over but really controlled. The chorus is so good, and then the guitar does that opening part again. It's really groovy. This is my favorite track. That chorus!

The last song is "Roads Of Home" and it's a perfect ender and the longest song. This one is the one you're hanging out around a fire or out in a field with someone nice and special. There are some great harmonies. This song is tied for first. Amos has a really fun little solo part in there too. "The roads of home all lead to you."

Stream this on bandcamp.

Diet Cig "Sleep Talk/Dinner Date" 7" Review

Diet Cig is an incredible pop duo from New Paltz, NY. This band makes me love stuff. I feel really vulnerable when I listen to them. I remember the first few years out of high school where a lot of my friends were still around. I remember going to shows every week, and going to Denny's at 2 in the morning and cramming into a corner booth in the smoking section and smoking butts and drinking coffee and everything ruled. I remember being in love and how great it is to feel that way and to share stupid little things with someone special. I'm not sure I'm supposed to feel this way when I listen to this band, but I do, and I like it. A Lot a lot!

Singer/guitarist Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman released their debut ep Over Easy earlier this year and it's so wonderful. Just take my word for it and go listen to it and buy it. Ugh, I love it.

Sleep Talk/Dinner Date is the new and upcoming 7" from the band which will be out September 18 via Art Is Hard and Father/Daughter Records.

"Sleep Talk" is the first song on the record and it has this great 90's pop vibe. I absolutely love Alex's voice. So much. Being in love is a frightening thing and telling that person those feelings is even more terrifying, Perfect.

"Dinner Date" has these awesome verse parts where the drums stand out a lot. They are recorded so well and are really nice and full. When the chorus part kicks in it's great. Alex's vocals are overlapping and the guitar and drums are so full. This song is a fucking killer. I would love to be at the show and see this one played live.

This is just wonderful.

Pre-order the record here.

Diet Cig is going on tour in September. Go to their fb for tour dates / tickets.

Loma Prieta "Love b/w Trilogy 0 (Debris)" Review

Loma Prieta. You already know. This Bay Area punk staple has been cranking out releases since 2005. They have taken a few different twists and turns but have continuously killed it, This new 7" being released by the giant Deathwish Inc. features two brand new tracks. "Love" will be featured on the bands forthcoming full length entitled Self Portrait, which will also be out on Deathwish and it's produced by Jack Shirley of Comadre fame. The second track "Trilogy 0 (Debris)" is only available on this record. Exclusively!

"Love" starts off kind of slow with this great melodic guitar part. This songs hangs back a bit, especially compared with some of their other work. It's less chaotic while still being full of emotion and rage. The vocals are really great on this song. Buried enough in the mix to make them part of the overall noise, but forward enough to really stand out. The drums are really nice too. This song makes me super excited for the full length.

"Trilogy 0 (Debris)" has really great vocals. They are toned back a bit and the screaming is replaced with quieter yells. This song is heavy as all hell too. The guitar is so beefy. I love that Loma guitar tone. It' always really full and mean. They get this great muddy tone but it's still clean and clear enough to pick out the riffs and specific parts, the same goes for the bass work. That great heavy underlying noise. The drums are really stand out here too. I love the tom fills. That guitar work at the end too. The high notes. Remember this song is only on this record.

Self Portrait will be out October 2.
Grab this 7" now from Deathwish.
Stream it here.

Loma is currently on tour with Dangers in the UK / Europe.

Ampere / Raein split 8" Review

Ampere is forever. Everyone knows who they are and what they mean to the current punk scene and the punk scene in general, both past, present, and future. This split has been in the works for a long time and the songs were birthed back in 2012 after the release of Like Shadows.

Ampere has always been consistent while still progressing. "Parallels" is no exception. There is that classic Ampere chaos but with more structure to the individual parts. There is this slower riffy part in the middle that is so good. This band will never cease to amaze me with their musicianship, and Stephen's vocals and lyrics will always be top tier for me. This song is my favorite by them, and somehow they always manage to take a minute and a half song and make it so full.

"Holding Pattern" is a little slower in the opening and it's really nice. I love Andy's drums at the end where he does those insane drum roll fills. I love that so much.

Ampere close out with "On Form & Function" which is a great way to end it. Real chaotic and wonderful and then this great slow fade to the end. Really melodic and trance-like. Just follow them.

Raein is one of the best screamo bands, and I hate using that word because its meaning has changed so much, but this is REAL screamo. They are from Italy and have members of one of the greats, La Quiete. The band has been around for a good bit and went quiet back in 2008 before coming back in 2011 with a new album followed by a split with Loma Prieta, and most recently a new ep titled Perpetuum, and this awesome split.

Raein's sound has matured over the years. I'm sure everyone remembers "Tigersuit." It's a great song and fun as hell but these Italian's have grown a bit since then. Their sound is more post-rock / post-punk, and it's so good.

"Comete" has this great shoegaze vibe to it with these really great high guitar parts followed by a really strong steady bass-driven instrumental part. The lyrics have that great chant aspect to them. Like everyone is singing and the shows would be so fun to be a part of. This song is so solid. That little riff at the end too. Yup.

Only two tracks from Raein and "Spaccare Il Mondo" is their last effort. Again we get a great shoegaze vibe. The guitar and really spacey. It's so nice. I love the direction the band took. I love that they are taking the shoegaze / post-whatever sound that is going wild, and they did it in their style. It still says Raein all over it, but new Raein. I think this is their best stuff to date. I'm excited.

Get the record now from No Idea Records.
Stream it from Brooklyn Vegan.

Pet Symmetry "Pets Hounds" Review

Pet Symmetry recently released their first full length album Pets Hounds. This Chicago power-house features Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It. and Their / They're / There, Erik Czaja of Dowsing and Kittyhawk, and Marcus Nuccio of Mountains for Clouds. After releasing a split with both Dikembe and Slingshot Dakota, and a two song 7" these three glasses wearing gents pooled their respective talents together and have created one of my favorite records of this year.

Sitting somewhere in the realm of emo, power-pop, and indie, Pet Symmetry hash out incredibly catchy energy-filled songs with some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long while. This album is flawless. It's only downfall is that the record is short. All that really means though is you have time to jam through it multiple times. The shorter songs on the record seem to have more punch then some of the longer ones do too, which is really nice.

The record starts with the mellow "My Exhausted Month (Of May)" and it's the prefect opener to this album and one of my favorites. What's so great is the transition from this into "Give Thanks (Get Lost)." The opening to the song is this heavy bass and drum part and it almost feels like the opening song was a tease and your about to dive into some heavy punk record. As soon as you're like, ok let's go, it switches back and it's so nice. They go back to that part later in the song.

"Go Outside (Stare At The Sun)" is my favorite track on the record and one of the shortest so I always have to play it a few times. It's so simple and so great. "Class Action Force (Useless Tools)" is fun and anti-cop which rules and it's about how cops sucks and bust kids for fun. A fun song about how cops suck which leads into "Use Your Illusion III (Knock Knock Knockin' On Evan;s Door)" which is one of the longer songs on the record. This songs is more straightforward and steady which is nice beacause it forces you to notice how great Evan's voice is and how sweet the lyrics are. When the songs are steady like this as opposed to the faster songs, it shows how great these musicians are too. Like my best friend Tim says, "less is more," and it's so true. These dudes know how much is necessary and they are so good. Man oh man.

"Space Ex-Perception (No... Sleep... Til Bedtime)" is one of the funnest songs on the record. Evan sings, "You were the last to know it's my bedtime. I was the last to know it's past bedtime." Enough said. "Aisle (Or Window)" is in my opinion the darkest song on the record and it only lasts for a bit. The riff is darker and rad. The transition into Cereal Killer (Rellik Laerec)" is so good. Some heavy chugging and then, bam, right into it. This song is the shortest and the funnest. This may be tied for first as my favorite song.

"Gone, Gone, Gone (Even Further Gone)" is another one of those songs that slows the pace of the record down and makes you focus on the content and musicianship. I love that. It's also the second longest song. Really great. There are claps!

The album closes with "Salad Daze (Seein' Cred)" and like the opening song, it's perfect as the closer. This song has weight to it. It's the tear-jerker for sure. It's slow and beautiful and heart-felt. It's in my top three favorite songs on the record. It's a definite throwback to some 90's era, taking me back to the good old days type stuff. Just incredible.

Not only is this a fantastic album both lyrically, musically, and production-wise, but you just know these guys are loving it so much. I was lucky enough to see them on tour in July when they came through Boston and they are just solid dudes. Their live set is so energetic and Evan's stage presence and the way they react with the crowd is really stand up. There's a vibe you get from bands that really actually care that you are having a good time and enjoying everything. They were honestly so stoked to be playing as this band isn't their main band, but in my opinion it's the best.

Pick up the record from Asian Man Records and go see them on tour right now before it's over.

Jungbluth "Love Cult" Review

Jungbluth, for those who don't know, is an incredible, heavy, post-punk band from Munster, Germany with strong feelings of distaste towards any forms of oppression. They just self-released their second LP, Love Cult, and I think that alone speaks volumes for the band as a whole and the individuals who make up the band. It's refreshing to see a band with such a positive stand who also truly reflects and practices the DIY ethics that this community always encourages.

With this new record the band matured in both production and sound. The song direction rivals the sound of new Loma Prieta, in my opinion, and I love it. Everything about this record, and especially regarding the production quality, is deliberate. I can't get over the drums. I find that they take more of a standout role on this record. That snare drum is so incredible. It lacks that overly crisp pop sound that bands use too often, and replaces it with a deeper thud that works so well.

When Part Ache, Jungbluth's first LP, was released, I had it on heavy rotation and it was in my top albums of the year list. When a band makes an album like that it's always unnerving to hear what's next. Sometimes I feel that the pressure of releasing such a great album can get to a band and they get lost in trying to "one up" themselves. With Jungbluth this is not the case. Love Cult is a smack in the face to people like me who worry and become anxious about a follow up record to something that feels untouchable.

The record starts off with "Everytime Geradeaus" which is really straightforward and to the point. The drums stand out a lot on this track. We lead into the bass driven "King of the Hill." There is a great riff through the first minute and a half and then into this great groovy breakdown type part. The transition from this song into "Schrödinger’s Katze" is perfect. This is one of those songs where the lyrics fit so well with the music. It barrels through the issue with giving a relationship an actual name instead of leaving the tags out of it and enjoying it for what it is. The vocals chant, "Run twice as fast, get half as far. Until the day we gave it a name. Until the day everything stopped," and the music goes into this slow heavy ender. So good.

"Charades" slows the pace down a bit and we get a lot of great noisy guitar work and some drawn out parts that you can really get into. This is the point in the record where I'm like, wow. Everything moves so fluently. This is where the "deliberateness" comes to mind. 

"Untitled" hits right in the middle of the record and split is up nicely with a solid drum heavy instrumental track. This is one of my favorites. This is where a lot of what just happened sinks in. This is one of my favorite tracks.

"Sternstunden der Doppelmoral" is the shortest song on the record and it just goes. This song does not stop. There is no room for breathing. You did that during the previous song. Suck it up and you can breathe again during "Dead Keys" due to the slower pace. It has a really nice head bopping groove.

"Lokalkolorit" is the longest song on the record but by listening to the way Jungbluth goes hard into it you wouldn't think so. This song, in my opinion, is the anthem song for the record. "This Society. Your Society. I'm dying. You're dying. We're dying. They're dying." That slow part in there too with the single notes. Oh man. That's when you know. That's the spot right there where it's clear. You know what it is. Don't ask me. This is my favorite track.

"Overdose Us" has this great bass line that plays through a lot of the song and when the guitar starts hittng those high notes with that constant strumming it's wonderful. Then there's this great heavy part at the end. This song reminds me more of the stuff you hear on Part Ache.

Love Cult closes with the sludgy feedback filled "Empathy is not a Competition." A perfect way to end the record. It's heavy, constant pounding, steady and the ending is so abrupt I kept waiting for it to kick in again but it won't and it doesn't have to.

This. Is. Perfect.

"This record does not only deal with love, but it is also based around the ongoing capitalization of more and more areas of our everyday life. if we start to pay for our own emotions, if the relations to our own body and to the people around us become an optimized ideal of something we can buy, then can we call this love?" 

Stream the record here on bandcamp and make sure to pick one up from the band in their shop. US distribution via the mighty Halo Of Flies.


Jungbluth are on tour now. See them if you can and support the cause.

I talked to Filip of Hexis about Hexis

I spoke with Filip of Hexis about the band and the future of this black metal behemoth and then I wrote about it. 

Read the write-up over at The Queen Mob's Teahouse.