Saturday, January 04, 2025

Ghoulies - Shafted By The Algorithm


Holy hell: 2025's first great punk rock album is a ripper! Ghoulies hail from Perth and kick up a tremendous racket on their new long player Shafted By The Algorithm. These 12 tracks will batter you senseless in a way that's positively thrilling. Style-wise, this is fast and frenzied garage punk with demented synthesizers. Alec Thomas and Charles Wickham takes turns writing and singing these songs, which blaze by at 100 miles per hour and smash everything in their path. It's hard to even put a label on this record. Is this egg punk on amphetamines? Is this hardcore with synths? All I know is that the intensity, unrelenting weirdness, and pure fury of this record are off the charts from wire to wire. And these songs aren't just wild and crazy —they're genuinely good. Out of 12 tracks, only one of them needs to go past two minutes. If a few of these songs had gone any longer, someone might have gotten hurt. What a brilliant album! Vinyl will be out on the German label Erste Theke Tontraeger in March.


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Friday, January 03, 2025

The Kickboy - “Visions In My Mind (eyeball soup)”


Delaware-based old school punk rock band The Kickboy has released some excellent singles in recent years. I highly recommend its blistering 2022 single "Kids" and its 2023 tracks "Sanitized" and "Abrupt Drug Holiday." Its modern holiday classic "Christmas with the Clash" is now up on the streaming sites as well. The Kickboy's latest single is actually a resurrected version of an old song. "Visions In My Mind (eyeball soup)" is a tribute to Vince's friend Adam Smith (Love Muscle, Das Kickboy). The song was originally demoed by Love Muscle back in the early '90s. Vince has reimagined it as a new recording for The Kickboy, and it's quite a stunner. You can hear various influences intersecting here: reggae, punk, and even some old school goth/death rock. The playing and production on this track are truly top-notch. I love the way those bass lines dance in unison with the guitars, and Bobbi's vocal really hits the mark. This is a powerful, hypnotic tune, and I'm glad Vince brought it back and re-worked it. If you're not yet following The Kickboy on Spotify, what in the world are you waiting for? 



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Geoff Palmer- "Exit Wounds"


Heck yeah: we've got new music from Geoff Palmer to start the new year! "Exit Wounds" is Palmer's brand-new single, and it will be the opening track on his forthcoming EP Kodak Flash. This is the first new material Palmer has released since October of 2023, and it sounds awesome! The bonus for me is that my favorite lead guitar player, Daniel James, plays on this record along with Tyler Spatz, Paul Kennedy, and Zack Sprague. "Exit Wounds" is a vintage Palmer tune — an upbeat, catchy-as-hell pop-punk rocker that will stick to your skull like bubblegum. Coming in at just one minute, 49 seconds, this song definitely fits into the category of leaving us wanting more. But isn't that the whole point? Now we have something to look forward to as we await the full EP, which is coming out April 1st on Stardumb Records. Now this is the way to kick off the new music of 2025!

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The Battlebeats - Live at Northspace Garut


Have I ever reviewed a live album before? I'm generally not a fan of live albums, but there are some exceptions to the rule. One is the new live album from The Battlebeats, Live at Northspace Garut. First of all, the recording sounds genuinely good. Fidelity-wise, it is comparable to the band's studio releases. Just as importantly, this album gives you a feel for what The Battlebeats sound like as a live full band as opposed to a one-man recording project. Given that I've ranked The Battlebeats in the top tier of today's garage punk/trash/budget rock universe, a quality live album definitely strengthens my case. 

The set was recorded by Rully Dentharza on November 11, 2023 and then mastered by Odie Fury. Andresa says this was one of his favorite Battlebeats live shows, and you can sense why when you listen to this recording. The energy and ferocity that are such a key part of The Battlebeats' studio releases are every bit as impressive in these live tracks. This whole set is played and sung with full fury. If you're a Battlebeats fan, this album will make you wish you were at this show, and it will have you hoping you get to see the band live someday. The set list features many favorites from the Search and Destroy album plus 7" cuts like "Killed by Boredom," "Get Lost," and "I'm Losing Control." The latter, one of the best Battlebeats songs, gets expanded to ten minutes thanks to a whopping eight-minute (!) guitar solo by Ferdy, who was helping to buy time for another band on the bill that was running late. Now that's the kind of spontaneous magic that you want to hear on a live record! This is a freaking great live album that truly exemplifies what wild and raw garage punk is all about. If this is your introduction to The Battlebeats, it will make you want to hear the rest of their music. And if you love The Battlebeats' music, you must own this live album. A cassette recording is available from Big Neck Records!

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Wednesday, January 01, 2025

Unfinished Business: Guerrilla Teens - "I Cyclops"/"Pride of the Savanna"


As I was closing out the year and looking for review drafts that for some reason never got published, this Guerrilla Teens piece from October caught my eye. How in the world did I forget to finish this thing? Back with their first new release since 2023's fantastic long player Under the Dagger, Guerrilla Teens totally rip it up with a pair of tracks that fit the mood of the spooky season. But in a way, it's nice to listen to this single again with fresh ears. Even with the horror theme, this is by no means a strictly seasonal release. 12 months a year, these tunes will melt your face off. Guerrilla Teens remain one of the finest rock 'n' roll bands going, and "I Cyclops" is as good as anything they've done. Out on Heavy Medication Records, this is an absolute monster of a single (no pun intended). On the A-side, the band gets into the head of a perceived monster. What's it like to be feared and misjudged by a world that won't even try to understand you? Scott "Deluxe" Drake turns in a powerful vocal performance on this track — a fierce and ferocious shot of old school punk rock 'n' roll. On the B-side, "Pride of the Savanna" stays on the horror theme and manages to evoke wild '60s garage rock without coming off overtly retro. The guitar work and rhythm playing are inspired, and Drake delivers his vocals with a chilling conviction. I believe there are still vinyl copies left, so be sure to grab one if real rock 'n' roll is your cup of tea! 

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Unfinished Business: Mean Jeans - Blasted


Now this is taking the "unfinished business" concept to absurd lengths. Mean Jeans' latest album Blasted is now nearly a year old, and I can't possibly explain why I didn't go to the trouble to review it 11 months ago. Let's just say that sometimes things slip past me. I would like to thank Mark for the nudge. If 2024 was the year that reignited my love for pop-punk, then I need to include Blasted as part of that. For a band that has been in existence for nearly two decades without ever significantly altering its musical style, Mean Jeans have managed a highly impressive staying power. Blasted is the perfect name for an album that rips through 15 tracks in just over a half hour. It manages to be simple in its approach yet inspired in execution — with tight playing, super-catchy songs, and lyrics that are deceptively mature and self-reflective. I remember reviewing On Mars back in 2012, but honestly, Blasted is miles better. There are so many other bands out there doing music somewhat similar to this that are a total bore. Yet somehow Mean Jeans have the secret sauce. If you're into pop-punk or Ramonescore, Blasted is an absolute must-buy. But you knew that already, didn't you?

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Unfinished Business: The False Positives - "Long Distance Romance"


This is going to be one of those years where I can't start reviewing new releases until I tie up some of the previous year's loose ends. The False Positives are a band I've reviewed a few times. I meant to review their latest single, "Long Distance Romance," when it came out last summer. But then I got sidetracked by real-life stuff and just spaced on it. That's a shame because this is a quintessential Faster & Louder type release. Dave has assembled a new, Boston-based False Positives lineup which includes Pete Cassani on lead guitar, Carl Biancucci on bass, and Stephen Hart on drums. Sure enough, "Long Distance Romance" brings to mind classic Boston garage power pop rock 'n' roll — with muscular guitars and big hooks. Lyrically, this an interesting reflection on the trials and tribulations of long-distance relationships — and whatever it is that makes people willing to endure them. The new lineup is sounding great, and that shows considerable promise for future releases from The False Positives! Check out this track if you like some power in your pop! 

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