Punk
Frida Kill Album Review
On March 6, 2020, right on the verge of quarantine, Brooklyn-based Frida Kill released their first two songs, recorded live in January 2020, when we could all still attend concerts! Frida Kill describe themselves as “making noise about the dystopian nightmare we are currently stewing in.” The album’s excellent lyrics and cohesive sound are anchored by the strong musicianship of Lily Gist, Maria Lina, Jeanette D. Moses, and Gabriela Canales. In this time of turmoil, Frida Kill provide a refreshing voice and perspective in the Brooklyn scene.
Guardrail "Till We're Dead"
Guardrail has released the latest single, "Till We're Dead", from their forthcoming EP "Yikes" which is due out via Open Your Ears on September 25th.
The new single is accompanied by the Phil Goode directed video below.
Idle Pilot flies high in new single "Blind Initiation"
Idle Pilot soars above the rest, the Boston group’s eruptive sound is unapologetic and displays sharp edges that drip the same focused-aggressive emotions that bands like Foo Fighters fire off so well. Adding a touch of math rock to the mix, the group has us excited for the release of its upcoming record Balancing Act, set for September 9th. The first single for the new record is titled “Blind Initiation,” and its breakdowns contain twist and turns both jagged and infectious: the guitar riffs are sick, the drums explosive, and the vocals haunting and rich in post-hardcore devilishness. Stream the new single below for a real power-up. - René Cobar
Exhalants Pack A Punk-laden Punch with Release of "Bang"
Austin’s hardcore music scene is quickly evolving and picking up momentum. The best evidence of that is the punchy and powerful partial debut of Exhalants new album, Atonement. The album is stocked with hard-hitting tracks such as “Bang,” which sends tremors of rage and exultation down listener's spines. Exhalants comprise of a trio of compact heavy guitar riffs, crashing drums and intense vocals that rip through each song, creating a multi-front assault on the senses.
Diving into “Bang,” we instantly feel the distorted bassy guitar riffs which resonate power and raw energy, and seemingly imitate the heavy metal version of a Beach Boys phrase. All of a sudden, screamingly loud vocals come into play, and punchy drums follow, which rip through the little bits of background silence left behind from the awesomely intense guitar ostinato. Virtuosos of mastering intensity, Exhalants’ Steve, Tommy, and Bill absolutely shred through the song and leave no doubts left behind about their skill.
As the song wraps to a close, the crash and deep instrumentals that Steve, Tommy, and Bill create continue to persevere and they even add entirely new vocals and slides into the picture. With twenty seconds left, the drums begin to fall out of the picture, leaving behind a guitar and vocal duo that could make you shout and yell with excitement. Together the duo work together to leave no note left untouched and to fill each and every moment with the punchyness that the Exhalants are renowned for.
On September 11th of 2020, Exhalants’ LP Atonement will be released, and if “Crucifix,” “Blackened” and the rest of Atonement is equally loud, this premier is sure to meet Exhalants mission of being “loud as fuck.” Likewise, with Steve on throat and guitar, Tom on drums and Bill on bass, we are absolutely sure to see one of the craziest, punchiest and most extreme albums that they have ever dropped. Mark your calendars for the 11th Austin, you don’t want to miss this one.
-Eric Haney
The Blowies Release Pandemic-Inspired Single "CDC"
The CDC called...and boy, do they have an update for you.
Like many Austin-area musicians, The Blowies were sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic. Simultaneously cut out of a just-canceled South by Southwest festival and reeling from an indefinite delay for the release of an album that’s already finished, the political punk duo parted ways and headed for isolation - but not before hitting up Rock n Roll Rentals to secure enough gear to convert their respective shelters into studio spaces. From there, Sam Thompson and Tucker Jameson set out to see what would become of collaborating from afar.
When another local act began gathering the necessary ingredients for a compilation record that would spotlight Austin artists affected by the SXSW cancelation, to be titled LOST X LOST WEST, ThompsonandJamesonrespondedtothecall.TheBlowiesself-producedsomenew music in isolation with the help of their rented equipment and a ProTools free trial, and “CDC” was born - an irreverent and sassy track with just the right dash of practicality for a mask-or-be-masked world.
The Blowies have a sound one part Ramones, one part Sex Pistols, one part Joan Jett (they recently released a pitch-perfect cover of The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb”). The energy in their music is partly manic but never unsettling - the two aim to be political when they write and to attack topics with a tepid sense of neutrality, and maybe a tinge of anarchy. The Center for Disease Control was a perfect catalyst for their energy: wildly politicized by leaders and the media alike.
To hear Jameson put it, “We...set out at the beginning of this project to have a voice that spoke to current events...We have an angle on it. And usually, it’s not your typical angle; it’s not taking...any particular side in the argument but it’s pointing out the absurdity of it all in a palatable way, in a fun way.” “CDC” takes these tropes and props them up with added humor that sears the song into memory by playing on our collective pandemic hysteria (“The CDC’s got an update for me / Cozy on up to Mr. Clean”).
Satirical analysis of current events is critical to this writing duo, so much so that they are fighting to release their delayed album “sometime before the election” so as to capitalize on cresting momentum. For a band christened by an American flag-clad blow-up doll, the high stakes could matter less, though. It’s more about the absurdity of it all.
-Mike Floeck