With many new bands bringing out debut records plus older bands returning at the top of their game, garage-punk has seen a large increase in attention and output in the past couple of years, particularly in local scenes, with numerous new sounds in punk and hardcore being explored locally and internationally. Here’s five of our favourite releases of the year:
Screaming Females – All At Once
Their first record since 2015’s Rose Mountain takes form as the band’s second double album, repeating the genre exploration and long-winded musical journey of their 2012 record Ugly. One of the tightest and hardest touring bands in current punk-rock, Screaming Females continue to be at the top of their game with their signature over-the-top guitar riffs and driving rhythm section.
Civic – New Vietnam
One of the best garage punk bands to come out of the incredibly fertile Melbourne scene in recent times, Civic’s debut 12” New Vietnam is an outstanding release of trashy yet musically solid punk rock. Taking cues from garage standards like Eddy Current Suppression Ring, the band twists it with a strong proto-punk rock influence, with many tracks not sounding out of place in early ‘70s Detroit.
War On Women – Capture the Flag
Fusing the fast thrash metal influenced tech-punk of bands like Propagandhi with the outspoken feminist politics of Bikini Kill, Baltimore’s War On Women returned stronger than ever on their second full-length. The improvements over their 2015 debut are clear, no doubt a combination of the band’s relentless touring but also the tumultuous political and social climate of the last three years informing the band’s lyrics and energy. Absolutely ripping.
Mean Jeans – Jingles Collection
This year pop-punks Mean Jeans declared that they would be abandoning their usual lyrical subject matter of partying, and focus strictly on writing jingles for products and brands that they like. The results are excellent, with Jingles Collection shaping up to be one of the best pop-punk records of the year. Odes to Mountain Dew, string cheese and wiper blades all show up on this surprisingly solid record. Punk rock odes to consumerism have never sounded so good.
Hot Snakes – Jericho Sirens
Marking the band’s first release since 2004’s Audit In Progress, San Diego post-hardcore icons Hot Snakes have missed nothing in their absence. Chaotic, energetic and just as driving as the band’s earlier output, the band’s re-emergence has overshadowed all other now-predictable late ‘90s/early 2000s reunions happening now.
Upcoming Records To Look Out For….
Amyl and the Sniffers, Madball, Jawbreaker, Clowns, Bad Religion, Hard-Ons.
