New Punk Releases 3rd January 2025
Single and Album releases from around the Punk world! (Catching up from 2024, pt. 1)
A tsunami of an album hits from The Black Pacific!
Release Date: 20th September 2024
Record Label: Dine Alone Records
Spearheaded by Jim Lindberg of the iconic California skate punk band Pennnywise, The Black Pacific‘s first new LP release in almost 14 years ‘Here Comes Our Wave‘ hit the shores in September. Looking at modern life through a cynical eye, Lindberg and his longtime collaborator and drummer Alan Vega have created a tsunami of a soundscape characterised by distorted guitars at 120 beats per minute. Lindberg says “I’ve always felt the need to purge my frustration with our self-defeating tendency to want to destroy ourselves and the planet in a never-ending quest for power, dominance and greed, and that message is more urgent than ever.” We totally agree Jim!
It's a $hit Show from punk trio Night Court!
Release Date: 1st November 2024
Record Label: Recess Records
Vancouver power trio Emilor, Dave-O and Jiffy created Night Court as lifelong friends emailing song ideas during the Covid lockdowns. Album #4 ‘$hit Show‘ hurls out 17 short, sharp, crunchy punk songs – all are impossibly catchy, certainly a bit crazy, and totally fun! What’s the difference between a hit song and a shit song? Night Court isn’t sure – so they just ignore the question and embrace the contradiction – giant songs in puny packages, fearless melodies laced with hopeless anxiety, hits hidden within shit(s). The video for ‘D List‘ is age restricted on YouTube, but do check it out (link from ‘Captain Caveperson‘ below) as well as the full album on Bandcamp!
Buy / stream HERE
Steam into A Model World with Indignation Meeting!
Release Date: 15th November 2024
Record Label: Damaged Goods Records
Indignation Meeting are punky rail fans from Leeds. 15-year-old Peter is the driver – he’s the drummer and lead singer, writes most of the songs, and also plays bass and trumpet on the album. The rest of the crew are his dad Michael on guitar, Hugo on bass, and Keith, Heather and Sally come along for the ride when they play live. Proving for once and for all that train spotting is totally Punk, the band’s Rebellion Festival appearance last August coincided with the vinyl release of their first album ‘Trouble In The Shed‘. This second LP ‘A Model World‘ delivers more songs about railways and trains, with a bit of geography and politics thrown in. Just like the first album, it’s full of catchy tunes and witty lyrics.
Buy / stream HERE
The Menstrual Cramps fight a Class War
Release Date: 17th October 2024
Record Label: Alcopop! Records
Bristol Punks The Menstrual Cramps call upon us all to take action with their single ‘Class War’. It’s about the importance of joining a union and holding your workplace and peers to account. “Workers rights are being taken away from us at an alarming rate, and the best way to combat this is with collective bargaining and activism,” says vocalist Emilia Elfrida. “It also comments on unions largely being controlled by old white men, and the push needed to move away from this.” Their music is loud, raw, and unapologetically queer, making a powerful statement that is shaking up an often stale punk scene. The video was shot in Bristol, capturing the city’s community spirit.
Stream HERE
BEX reflects on her experience with 'Sum Kinda Syko'
Release Date: 18th October 2024
Record Label: Self released
A true story became a song – about DIY creative Punk BEX‘ experience of harassment in the scene. ‘Sum Kinda Syko‘ “represents someone who crossed boundaries” she says. “What started as admiration slowly turned into something overwhelming over the course of two years. This person began crossing lines in ways that became unsettling, with their behavior becoming increasingly invasive. ‘Syko‘ is a reminder of how quickly things can go from harmless to threatening.” It’s a bold and blunt track, exposing a situation that many people have ignored or unfairly blamed the victim for.
WENCH! get emotionally ripped to Shreds on their debut single
Release Date: 16th October 2024
Record Label: Warren Records
Bursting out onto Hull’s live music scene are WENCH! Kit (Lead Vocals, Drums), Hebe (Bass, Flute) and Sev (Guitar, Backing vocals) fuse Riot Grrrl Punk with Alt rock & pop. The fiesty trio’s debut single ‘Shreds‘ is “A song for anyone who feels intimidated by social situations to the extent they don’t say what they mean. We believe in expressing ourselves in a raw and unfiltered way which enables us to speak from the heart” they say. Music for those who feel they’ve been mistreated, for the powerful women who’ve been tied down, and for the weirdos who’ve been told they don’t fit in.
Stream HERE
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
