Mr. P. Reviews Dope Music
Garland Green Releases New Single: “Baby Blue”!
Tasmania’s Garland Green (I hope they all wear Steve Buscemi masks) play some rad ass melodic skate punk with hints of metal of the type you might hear from Strung Out, Rise Against or A Wilhelm Scream.
The Jack Knives Release New Single: “The Time We Had”!
Every now and then I get to review a straight up rock n’ roll band albeit with some punk rock influences like Social Distortion but also similar to (folk) punk artists like Dave Hause, Chuck Ragan or Frank Turner but with also a very close resemblance to Bruce Springsteen or John “Cougar” Mellencamp (I’ll never drop the Cougar!), and I have to say its refreshing.
Human Dinosaur Machine Releases New Single: “Ventilator”!
I don’t quiet no what to say about this band other than they fucking rock. I don’t know where Northern River is or what Northern Rivers punk rock normally sounds like, but this shit is dope. I’ll be honest, I’m supposed to just review this one song, but I did a dive into their Spotify and its just filled with fuck. Like absolute fuck.
Sweden’s Minimum Rage Release New Single: “One and One”
“On and On” by Minimum Rage opens with a “conversation” that reminds me a little of the opening of “Sour Grapes’ by The Descendents. The rest of this song is a rad mix of dirty gnarly punk rock n’ roll.
Pkew Pkew Pkew Release New Single “Farside Bathroom”!
I have so many questions. The minute I heard the title about the a “Farside Bathoom” I was taken back to my favorite comic strip next to Calvin and Hobbes i.e. The Farside. So was this song about reading The Farside in the bathroom? If so, I could 1000% relate. As the song plays, I realize the the Farside is a place with a bathroom covered with comics, if the image on their social media is accurate, there is an old G.I. Joe comic in there which is perfect for a band named Pkew Pkew Pkew. (On a side note, I had to dig out my old G.I. Joe vs. Transformers where G.I. Joe killed Bumblebee who later returned as Goldbug—ah memories).
Self-Described Latin Riot Grrrl, Karen Dió, Release New Single, “So Funny”!
Brazil’s Karen Dió mixes a healthy does of early 90’s alternative a la Veruca Salt with mid 90’s pop punk and just a touch of pure infectious rock n’ roll. Karen’s newest single, “So Funny” is the sort of anthem I could hear any of my past students or my daughter belting out loudly alone in their room or even better a live concert.
Reefeater Releases New Song: Patriot!
With a band name like Reefeater, I’m not inherently looking for a serious song since I take the name as either relating to weed i.e. reefer or to surfing/scuba/beach shit. But this song speaks to my soul. I’m a former social studies teacher who is getting his PhD with a focus on social justice and one of my big areas of study is the effects of uber patriotism that borders or spurns outright into nationalism vs. a reflective patriotism that focuses on acknowledging the failures of the past and present and working to achieve the aspirational ideals that might exist which is heavily related to the lyrics of this song.
Red Kate Release New Single, “Home of the Slave”!
When I was 16 in 1992, I picked up these two comps on tape: Faster Louder Hardcover Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 with bands like D.O.A., M.D.C., DYS (No they weren’t all acronym bands) , The Subhumans (Canada), Zero Boys, and more—you can look the albums up on Discogs if you want to know the rest. Anyway…the point of my intro is that this band would fit right on that comp. It’s got that 80’s hardcore punk sound and the lyrical topic fits right there with D.O.A., M.D.C. and The Subhumans (either of them).
Out Control’s New Single, “Apocalyptic Calamity” is Out Now!
Another rad Aussie punk band! The last one I did was La Familglia and then there was From the Other Side. Glad to keep getting this stuff. Makes me want to visit Australia more and more. The more punk bands I know, the more chances I can catch a rad show at least one night of the vacation—and these dudes would be great to see.
Dryerfire’s New Single, “Brain Rot”, is my anarcho punk song of the month!
Dryerfire is my kind of hardcore punk - raw, fast, aggressive and yet somehow still catchy while also fueling my soul with righteous anger from their anarcho lyrics all the while causing me to somehow still smile because the song is so fucking fuck!
A.N.J.A.’s New Single “Stimulation” Hits You So Good in The Right Spot, that You’ll Feel Almost a Little Bad about How Good it Feels!
My wife and I couldn’t get a sitter tonight, so we couldn’t travel into the city to see L7. As such, I’m stuck at home, and I’m gonna dig in and enjoy A.N.JA. - a garage rock, grunge, torrent of awesome that reminds me at least a little of L7 and other riot grrrl-esque bands while also throwing in some horror punk and maybe even touches of pyschobilly a la The Cramps.
Germany’s Blast Bomb Brings the Proverbial “Hammer Blow” Down with Their New Single!
About 20 years ago, my old harDCcore band did a tour throughout Germany and other parts of Eastern Europe. We were a three piece, so we brought a two-piece band with us not knowing that most nights only two bands played, so I’ve always felt robbed of getting to experience all of the possible Germany, Slovakian, etc. bands that I could have seen. Hearing this brings that pain back but in a good way. Pain in that this is the sort of band I wish we had played with each night but sadly didn’t, and good in that I have found a new band across the pond to fucking enjoy.
Soul Meets Body hailing from the DC/Bal-more scene liken themselves to PUP, Taking Back Sunday and Jeff Rosenstock which makes sense to me, but what I heard reminded more of The Max Levine Ensemble and even a touch of Operation: Cliff Clavin/Disarm/Devil Is Electric and maybe a touch of Run Rabbit Run or Escape from the Zoo. In other words it’s got the Folky pop punk emo sound that DC often generates, and I could see them being on Planet X records back in the day.
Big Mess’s New Single “Future Legend” is Out Now!
Big Mess are anything but. They are a dope ass blend of 70’s British punk a la Cock Sparrer or the Adverts mixed with some Ramonescore and just a sprinkle of garage rock. Their first single “Future Legend” off their is a stellar rock song that I’d be happy to drive fast to, sing along to or just do that nodding in affirmation while drinking a beer at a show that shows that I’m totally into what’s been played.
Need a kick ass song that also supports a kickass cause? The Owen Guns “Trans Rights are Human Rights” are for you!
If this alone doesn’t want to make you buy the single, “"New charity single 'Trans Rights are Human Rights' with proceeds from Bandcamp sales going to Transcend Australia, a registered charity that supports families and their trans and non binary children." then a listen to the music of this banger should. It’s very old school 80’s hardcore punk when not all punk was hardcore and before any hardcore had become metal. Fast without being breakneck thrash, gruffly sung vocals and the driving power of punk rock behind it all.
Out Now: “Chicken Business” by PLZ RSPND!
PLZ RSPND’s name evokes a sort of self-deprecation similar to The Replacements name or songs such as Offspring’s “Self-Esteem” or half of The Descendents’ catalog. Their new song which strikes upon the often touted value of beer has a sound that reminded me of Osker, but if they were more of a party band like Murphy’s Law.
SnakeSnakeWhale Bring that Midwestern Emo Pop Punk with a DC Posthardcore Energy!
I'm loving what I hear come out of Asheville these days with bands like Busy Weather and Cardboard Colony and SnakeSnakeWhale is no exception. To call it pop punk or emo punk sells it far to short. Their new single, “You’ll Get That On These Big Jobs” hooked me from the get go with its urgency and earnestness. Any DC area people remember Fallout Countdown? That’s what this sounds like. I feel I could be back at Wilson Center in DC or the Charm City Artspace in Baltimore.
The Honesty drop “Next In Line” A Catchy as F pop punk song About Following Your Dreams
This Sacramento, CA pop punk knows how to bring the fast paced, make you want to jump up and down while singing along anthem for those that haven’t yet given up that they can have theirs too.
Mike and The Nerve Energetic Melodic Punk Single, “Fool’s Gold, and False Idols” has Struck a Nerve!
So let me say first, that I’m sorry that I used a pun in the review title, I tried not to, but then I started humming Bad Religion’s “Struck a Nerve” and while this song sounds nothing like that, it does carry that melodic punk sound with catchy vocals.
Twentytwo's new single "Oneder" has Nothing to do with That Thing You Do, but it does Have Everything to Do with Bringing the Rock!
Their influences pull on that pop punk sound created by bands like Bad Religion and then taken to a different step by bands like Rise Against or Alkaline Trio with some of the rawness in the vocals at times that takes you to Chuck Ragan and Hot Water Music.