A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Overtime 12” EP by SLIP~ons. It might read as being anti-climactic but, on SLIP~ons’ new Overtime EP, the Vancouver-based band establishes that its last release was not intended to establish any new musical directions for them to later explore or anything like that – the band was just being who it is, and it happened to be captured on tape. The proof is apparent on this new Overtime EP, because the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Porterhouse Records-pressed, 45th Anniversary reissue of the Teen City EP by The Modernettes. Isn’t it funny how, in punk rock, being known for only a couple of songs can still make a band superstars? It’s funny, but it’s true – really, Vancouver’s Modernettes have a catalogue which includes just one full-length album (1981’s Gone… But Not Forgiven) and two EPs (1980’s Teen City and 1982’s View From The Bottom), but the...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Nuisance EP by Clean Lines. At this point, the city of Seattle has become synonymous with grunge – but on their Nuisance EP, Clean Lines prove that there are other, greater musical possibilities which also come from the Evergreen State. Within just four cuts’ time, Clean Lines don’t just crib some ideas from The Briefs and call it a day – rather, they ambitiously utilize recognizable sounds and rethink some well-tread...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the black vinyl 30th Anniversary reissue of Alice In Chains’ Jar Of Flies EP. After seeing the multitude of “deluxe” variants of Alice In Chains’ Jar Of Flies EP that have been released in celebration of its thirtieth anniversary (on multi-colored vinyl, on vinyl with little replica houseflies pressed into it and so on), it’s refreshing to see the record reappear remastered and reissued on the most apt color vinyl possible: on...
WHO: Paint it Black WHAT: Famine WHY: Did YOU know Paint it Black was going to release new music? I didn’t. They said that no good hardcore band has released more than 3 good albums, which is why the band’s last full length was released in 2008, but Famine with its speed, heavy riffs, breakdowns, smart lyrics, and hooks just proves that this band is still relevant and needs to get back in the studio to produce another full length....
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Heavy Machinery EP by SLIP-ons. There aren’t many ways for a band to write songs which sound unmistakably similar to the work of another group without sounding derivative. The only way that it’s possible to walk such a narrow and treacherous line is to be completely ignorant of it; the band in question just has to bull their way in and boldly be themselves – and any similarity that the group...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Ouroboros EP by Kirkby Kiss. It might sound unlikely, but working in the music press can be surprisingly frustrating. The reason for that is simple, really – most bands believe that what they’re doing is unique enough that they couldn’t possibly be forgettable or mistaken for any other band. The problem is that, at a certain level, the name of a release can be mistaken for a band’s name and has...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the So Dumb, So Stoked 7” by Teenage Bottlerocket. In 2023, calling something instantly gratifying feels as though it might be a setup to defuse potential disappointment, but that is simply not the case when it comes to the So Dumb, So Stoked 7” – Teenage Bottlerocket’s first release for Pirates Press Records. In about nine minutes’ time, Teenage Bottlerocket illustrates that they haven’t slowed down, haven’t lost a step and haven’t...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Light one-sided 12” EP by Hunting Lions. While the quality of Hunting Lions’ Dark EP can’t be denied, anyone who hears the band’s Light EP (which will be released later this month and in the same format – with all the music on one side and a graphic on the other) may be inclined to argue that the band really held the best songs back for this release. From note one,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into Hunting Lions’ Dark EP. While I can’t keep myself from wondering why Hunting Lions elected to keep the music on the Dark EP contained to just one side of this 12” (there’s five songs on one side and a graphic on the other), there is no question that the songs on this EP are excellent. In addition, it is pretty nice that the record needs no flipping to get the full experience...