Since this past summer, TRMRS are a band we’ve been following quite closely. Hailing from Costa Mesa, California, they just dropped the digitals of their latest 7″ “Goodtime Blues” which is split with Seattle band NIGHT BEATS.

It’s also probably worth telling you that the 7″ is co-released by both Resurrection Records and Volcom Entertainment. As for the Night Beats contribution to the single, I can’t seem to find the material anywhere, so we’re going to focus solely on “Goodtime Blues.” It’s a five minute, twangy guitar jammer, starting off with a slow and lazy rhythm that pops off a short bit past the two minute marker. Once the momentum changes, things sound a lot more familiar – suddenly your caught in the midst of their stomping, bluesy tantrum, solidifying the “trash-pop” tag that so accurately depicts their blown-out, debauching fury. Crashing drums and plenty of crunchy guitar shards offer up a pulverizing smash that will leave you feeling quite satisfied before the song switches momentum again for the final minute. Colorful guitar leads and a swift drum beat guide us carefully to safety out of the track, creating a psyched-out surf-rock glimmer that flows carelessly into the fadeout. All that being said, this song offers three main parts, each acting like a progression of the section prior.

If only we had the Night Beats portion of the single we could continue going here, but that’s about all for today. You can listen to the digital bonus track “Enter the Door” on the TRMRS Bandcamp, which comes as a digital download when you buy the 7″. Also included with that download is the Night Beats half of the 7″, which will be available to due time!

Goodtime Blues –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Pop, Psychedelic
Goodtime Blues 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Goodtime Blues
2.) Enter the Door

PREORDER the 7″ directly from the band on Bandcamp
TRMRS on Facebook
Follow TRMRS on Twitter

Past Related Posts:
Sea Things LP (Resurrection)
Surf Tittles CS: Side B (Words+Dreams)
Find TRMRS in our Top 25 Albums of 2011

Believe it or not, this is our first time covering anything from MIKAL CRONIN. This 7″ came out at the tail end of 2011 from the world famous Goner Records, limited to just 500 pressings.

Listening to this material now, it makes me pretty bummed I didn’t hear it any sooner – the worst part about that is I easily could have, there’s just always so much else to get caught up in. But enough worrying about what could have been! By this point many of us probably already know the deal with Cronin – to keep it simple, the dude is great and has been in the game for years so that means he knows exactly what he’s doing (do I have to mention he’s worked frequently with Ty Segall?). “Tide” is no exception to this claim. Driven by his sharp and energetic guitar hooks, this song is literally overflowing with positive vibes and enthusiastic exuberance that is so easily palpable. Crashing, rolling drums never miss a beat, keeping you moving through the duration of the track as Cronin adds to the frenzy with a scorching guitar wash that literally drowns the rest of the song for a solid thirty seconds. These are the kinds of arrangements you would expect from someone with above-average songwriting prowess.

This is proven again later in the perky, soft-rocking B-side “You Gotta Have Someone,” where Cronin coos with concern as he leads us into a weeping guitar breakdown that splits the song open at the seams. If you didn’t believe us earlier, by the end of this single you will probably change your mind. Don’t forget to go and snag a 7″ from Insound because there’s only 500 to go around! Hopefully one day in the near future we can also take a stab at Cronin’s excellent full length debut to share with all of you. Stay tuned!

Tide –

You Gotta Have Someone –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Alternative, Garage Rock, Pop
Tide 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Tide
2.) You Gotta Have Someone

BUY the 7″ directly from Insound – limited to 500 copies !
Mikal Cronin on Bandcamp

Here’s a song called “The Runaround” from the upcoming album from KETAMINES titled “Spaced Out.” The album drops March 6th and it’s a split release from both Mammoth Cave Records in Canada and Southpaw Records in California. Both labels offer a preorder for the record with a color edition of the vinyl limited to 100, so once those are gone you’ll be shit out of luck! If “The Runaround” is any indication, you probably won’t want to sleep on this one either. The song shows off their poppy blend of psychedelic rock, riddled with all sorts of warped and strung out sound effects that gives the track a woozy vibe. Jangly, pulsing guitar shards drive the song with a mysterious edge lurking in the shadows, which by the end of the track will only leave you aching for what else “Spaced Out” has to offer. Thankfully March 6th isn’t too far off, so sit tight my friends!

PS – Do yrself a HUGE favor and go check out these other two songs from the LP, you won’t be sorry.

The Runaround –

Genre/ Tags: Pop, Psychedelic, Garage Rock, Lo-Fi

PREORDER the LP from Southpaw – 100 on blue vinyl (US customers)
PREORDER the LP from Mammoth Cave – 100 on green vinyl (Canada customers)

Past Related Posts:
Line By Line 7″ (Hozac)
Find the Ketamines in our Top 30 7″ Records of 2011

Today we are proud to premier the debut LP from the one and only SPIDER FEVER. Coming from the good folks at Windian Records, Mario Rubalcaba and the gang are back to party with more of their catastrophic, pedal-to-the-metal punk rock.

Coming in at nine full tracks and over a half hour of obliterating material, Spider Fever didn’t leave us hanging with their debut LP. Delivering on the promise we heard in each of their earlier singles, it’s no surprise what they’ve cooked up for us this time around. Rambunctious and dense songs are packed up tight with big, swallowing guitar hooks that sound tightly woven and stressed, hitting like a brand new ton of bricks with each track that passes. The rowdy “Hyena” might best speak to these qualities early on, which finishes off with a huge, sweeping guitar solo that blankets the end of the song. The good news is as you move on through the tracklist, most of these songs follow that destructive and invigorating pattern. The bad news is, well, there is no bad news.

A bit later on “Don’t Stray” shows us a slightly lighter side of Spider Fever, where they slow the pace and give us a few minutes to catch our breath – something that is totally necessary given the exhilarating nature of most of these songs – the follow up “Out in the Crowd” proves my point exactly. “Out in the Crowd” is dominated by crashing cymbals and big, chunky guitar riffs, showing off what Spider Fever are all about in a solid three minutes. “Don’t Let Death Get in the Way” follows up next, featuring fiery guitar soloing and a relentless pace that will widen your eyes as the hair on your body is singed clean off. All these qualities go a long way to paint an excellent idea of what Spider Fever would be like in a live setting – complete, utter, destruction.

The final two tracks – “10x Dead” and “Simply Nervous” – will leave you on your ass longer than anything else from the record, wrapping up the LP with a seven minute suite of surefire punk rage that will leave you with no other choice than to spin it again. This finale (ahem, grand finale), better known as “Simply Nervous,” is surely worth noting. The song serves up so many momentum swings that you’ll be striving to keep up with the maddening pace, which means your better off just sitting back and letting the beat-down unfold naturally. Whether it’s the scorching guitar solo action or the full-throttle rage that refuses to settle down, this extended track is bound to stir up some fury. When it’s all said and done and the dust settles, this is the kind of roughed-up, ecstatic beat-down that so awesomely categorizes that punishing Spider Fever sound.

Take a few minutes to check out these songs below because you won’t find them anywhere else just yet. If you can manage to sit tight until the record release date on March 20th, listening to this album in it’s entirety will be all the sweeter – trust me. That being said, you should probably make a point to go and PREORDER the LP from Windian Records – the first 100 records come on clear blue vinyl and now is your only chance to get one! Do it!

Pub Rock’n –

Done Wrong –

Hyena –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Alternative, Rock
Spider Fever s/t LP: Tracklist:
1.) Pub Rock’n
2.) Done Wrong
3.) Hyena
4.) Lost in You
5.) Don’t Stray
6.) Out in the Crowd
7.) Don’t Let Death Get in the Way
8.) 10x Dead
9.) Simply Nervous

PRE-ORDER the LP directly from Windian Records – first 100 on clear blue vinyl, ships March 20th !
Spider Fever on Facebook

Past Related Posts:
Find Spider Fever in our Top 30 7″ Records of 2011
She’s No Saint 7″ (Cave Punk)
Whatcha Gonna Do 7″ (Hozac)

The debut 7″ from Los Angeles sludge-punks ZIG ZAGS just might be our favorite 7″ this far into 2012. Thanks to the folks at Mexican Summer, we now have the pleasure of sharing “Scavenger” with all you fine people.

“Scavenger” is the type of song that could nearly leave you speechless and gasping for air as this grungy trio employs an array of influences into their scuzzy, sloppy sound. From the beginning things sound like a streamlined grunge-punk ass-kicker, dominated by a toxic guitar onslaught that refuses to take “no” for an answer. Then about halfway through the guitars unexpectedly lose momentum and suddenly you find yourself trapped in a slowly oozing, psyched-out meltdown, riddled with squealing guitar licks scattered amongst the dirgy complexion. This come-down only sets you up to be completely obliterated by their raging punk spirit the second time around, flattening you once again as they regain their shocking pace in the final minute of the song.

B-side “Wastin My Time” shows a different side of Zig Zags, where their grungy punk seems a bit more calm and collected – almost like they had time for calculation instead of spiraling out of control and throwing a huge tantrum in your face like in “Scavenger.” Now the majority of the song might be true to this description, however the final forty seconds show the song taking a drastic turn into more bashing, psyched-out action. For those of you who weren’t aware (because I wasn’t either), this brief post on Pitchfork gives us a bit more insight from where the three dudes in Zig Zags come from – namely from past incarnations of bands like Unnatural Helpers and The Intelligence.

All that being said, we’re not exactly sure how anybody could dismiss these ragers from Zig Zags. As far as we’re concerned, this is the kind of sound we’re searching for on a daily basis. Go snag a 7″ from Insound right now and join the party – there’s only 300 copies to go around, so you might want to act fast!

Scavenger –

Wastin My Time –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Grunge, Punk, Lo-Fi, Psychedelic
Scavenger 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Scavenger
2.) Wastin My Time

BUY the 7″ directly from Insound – limited to 300, get it now !
Zig Zags on Facebook
Zig Zags on Bandcamp – features some other songs !

Goner is a record store and label co-founded by Eric Friedl (aka Eric Oblivian). The garage punk world has been rocked by the news that the Oblivians are going into the studio to cut a new record. This will be their first release in over 15 years. I stopped by Goner to grab some records and Eric Friedl was sitting behind the register. I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the upcoming Oblivian’s record.

——————————————-

Is there a name for the new record?

Eric: No.

Do you know when we can expect it to come out?

Eric: No.

When do you go into the studio?

Eric: At the end of march.

What inspired ya’ll to do another record?

Eric: No idea…Greg booked some studio time.

Will it be the original lineup?

Eric: I Hope so. They’ll probably get rid of me first. So as long as I’m there I’m cool.

Will you be playing any shows to promote the new record?

Eric: I don’t know…no idea…getting the record done is all we have planned for right now.

——————————————-

(A note for travelers: Goner Records is located right across the street from The Pilgram House Hostel which is full of cheap beds and cool kids.)

Hailing from Vancouver, SLEEP LETTERS are an electronic duo consisting of synth-cinema composer BARTEL and drummer Geoff. This looks like their debut 7″, coming in an edition of 300 on white vinyl from Non-Participant Records.

There’s so much going on in a track like “Holding Cell,” which is truly a hybrid between traditional instrumentation and swift electronics. The only real instrument involved is a drum set which drives both songs from the bottom up. It’s a drawn out track, challenged by perpetually sludgy electronics that swirl and pop and rarely ever slow their pace. This keeps the unsettling notions afloat throughout the duration of the track, but the B-side “Around Us” seems to take on a slightly different structure. Either way still, both songs have a sci-fi, Blade Runner-esque sound going for them, which probably stems from all the percolating electronics that refuse to settle down. “Around Us” probably speaks to that description a little more accurately, which fluctuates between those troubling sci-fi tones and a heavenly, gospel-like sanctuary that reveals itself in the midst of the track. This ends abruptly due to a bruising drum roll, which leads the song treading carefully through an atmospheric finale, sealing us in a bubble of tranquility as the other elements from the song work their way back into the picture.

Give these songs enough time to sink in and you will soon enough be on board with Sleep Letters – if you ever listened to the Faint, they seem to share some basic similarities. We can’t be too sure at this very moment, but if these two tracks are any indication, this duo has plenty more up their sleeve for the future. Check out both sides of the 7″ right below and head on over to their Bandcamp page to snag a 7″!

Holding Cell –

Around Us –

Genre/ Tags: Electronic, Indie Rock, Ambient
Holding Cell 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Holding Cell
2.) Around Us

BUY the 7″ directly from the band on Bandcamp – limited to 300, white vinyl !
Sleep Numbers on Bandcamp

After putting out a slew of demos, Total Slacker released their full length “Thrashin’” on September 27th on Marshall Teller Records. If you live in Brooklyn, there’s probably a chance you’ve already seen Total Slacker.

They’re one of the bands that circulates performances at venues like 285 Kent and Shea Stadium. But with a full album finally out, it’s time for Total Slacker to expand outside of their New York confines. The album opens strongly with the hypnotic jam “Psychic Mesa” and continues onto a collection of tracks that are heavily influenced by the nineties, both musically and lyrically. One of the songs is even called “Stuck in ’93″ and references all of the forgotten fun of the decade such as Sega and Crystal Pepsi. One of Total Slacker’s strongest qualities is their lyrical content, like on the playful “These Condos Don’t Belong”. They joke about the gentrification of Williamsburg, but the meaning hits home, especially to people who will be clamoring to get their album if it will keep them relevant. Yes, there are a couple of more forgettable tracks on the album, but the band manages to stand out from the other lo-fi bands that are churned out of Brooklyn. It’s hard to mention Total Slacker without pointing out that their drummer, Ross Condon, is the younger sibling of Zach Condon of Beirut fame. But even without that connection, Total Slacker should be fine on their own.

Psychic Mesa –

Stuck in 93′ –

Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Lo-Fi, Pop
Thrashin’ LP: Tracklist:
1.) Psychic Mesa
2.) Shitty Baby
3.) Secret VHS Collection
4.) These Condos Don’t Belong
5.) Magical Date Night
6.) Stuck in 93′
7.) Life on Easy Street
8.) Time Traveling High School Dropout
9.) Stealing from Salvation Army
10.) No Mo 4loko
11.) Koolz McRulez

BUY the LP directly from Insound
Total Slacker on Facebook

Past Related Posts:
Crystal Necklace 7″ (Impose)
Find Total Slacker in our Top 30 7″ Records of 2010

CAMPFIRES, otherwise known as Jeff Walls, just released his follow up cassette after releasing a pair of 7″ singles from Mexican Summer and Small Plates. The cassette comes in an edition of 100 from Priority Males Tapes featuring his folksy psych-pop sound.

“Slaughter Tropes” is one of those releases where right off the bat you can tell if you’re going to approve or not. That was our situation anyway and we immediately endorsed everything about “Slaughter Tropes” from start to finish. Coming from the fitting Priority Male Tapes, Jeff Walls has created a memorable cassette tape of raw and unpolished bedroom-psych-pop. Songs sound gritty and harsh, ranging from shimmering psych-pop anthems (“Melted Rubber Soul”) and exuberant, folksy jam-outs (“Slow Blown Limbs”) with minimal percussion and hollow, shredded guitars. Scattered in-between everything are a few short, instrumental soundscapes (like “Full Midwinter Power” or “Fuck Zurich Anyway”), which help illustrate the kind of sound Walls is going for in one short, surprisingly accessible half-minute span.

There’s plenty of static and jangle crowding these songs, but there’s also plenty of promise that stems from the mindful and structured songwriting of Jeff Walls. Other songs like “Distant Hills” will convince you with their repetitive and twangy guitar riffs, not to mention the admirable innocence that can be found in many of these tracks. All that being said, we really hope you’re into this Campfires material as much as we are. Don’t forget to grab a tape from Priority Male before they’re gone, and if that’s not enough there’s still plenty more to check out.

PS – The remainder of the cassette can be heard on the Campfires Bandcamp page.

Melted Rubber Soul –

Distant Hills –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Folk Rock, Pop, Lo-Fi
Slaughter Tropes CS: Tracklist:
1.) Melted Rubber Soul
2.) Full Midwinter Power
3.) Slow Blown Limbs
4.) Circle With a Star
5.) Distant Hills
6.) Fuck Zurich Anyway
7.) So Far Gone
8.) Rural Animations
9.) Yr Majesty

BUY the cassette directly from Priority Male Tapes – limited to 100 !
Campfires – Official Website
Campfires on Twitter
Campfires on Bandcamp

Mark Ryan and his pop-punk project MIND SPIDERS has yet to let us down. His sophomore effort titled “Meltdown” on Dirtnap Records is only further proof that Mind Spiders are here to stay.

Swift and hectic pop-punk is the name of the game for Mind Spiders, except most of you probably already knew what to expect. Songs feature their fast and caffeinated approach, but there’s this notion of pop-punk paranoia that is slithering carefully along with most of these tracks. It’s the type of lurking notion that makes you think Mark Ryan was looking for something more than just your average pop-punk record – something more progressive if you will. Take a song like “More than You” which is nearly creepy in its own right. Bold and colorful melodic synth waves give great depth to a song that would otherwise probably be pretty stale, which also goes to show that feeling of paranoia tiptoeing in the depths.

It’s not just the one song that emits these vibes though. Other tracks like “Play Out Out” and “Fall in Line” give you know other option but to believe us. “Fall in Line” eventually spirals out into a heart-stopping guitar shrill that literally swallows the rest of the song for the whole last minute. As this halfway point of the record passes, you should realize that there’s something new and fresh to be heard in every one of these eleven tracks. Another awesome example presents itself in “Skull Eyed,” which features mesmerizing sci-fi synths that will hypnotize you with their troubling nature – once again, there’s that delusional feeling of paranoia creeping up the back of our necks.

The first track that was unveiled from the album, “Wait for Us,” shows off speedy guitars combining with bat-shit synth rays, which by this point should seal up the idea that these frantic songs all carefully tread on the line of insanity – hence the LP title “Meltdown.” The self-titled closing track gives us no other belief but to think this was Mark Ryan’s plan all along. With this electronic-instrumental finale, Mind Spiders have truly done it again. Much like you probably were anticipating, in the end this record spares all the bullshit. Ryan and the Mind Spiders show us just what mindful punk with a poppy twist should be like, no matter how disturbed and delusional things end up being.

Normally I’d leave you guys with many more tracks to sink your teeth into, but since this record hasn’t officially dropped yet, I’m not going to try and piss anybody off. Listen to “Wait for Us” right below and sit tight as the release date is around the corner on February 28th. Keep an eye on the Dirtnap Records website as well because there’s bound to be a chance to buy this in the coming weeks. Don’t sleep on it!

Wait for Us –

My Rating: SS
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Pop, Alternative, Electronic
Meltdown LP: Tracklist:
1.) You Are Dead
2.) Beat
3.) On the Radio
4.) More than You
5.) Play Out Out
6.) Fall in Line
7.) Upside Down
8.) Skull Eyed
9.) Join Us Now
10.) Wait for Us
11.) Meltdown

KEEP your eye on Dirtnap Records for when the LP drops – should be sooner than later !
Mind Spiders on Facebook

Past Related Posts:
Find Mind Spiders in our Top 25 Albums of 2011
Find Mind Spiders on our Top Thirty 7″ Records of 2010
Mind Spiders s/t 7″ (Dirtnap)
Mind Spiders s/t LP (Dirtnap)