Hot Off the Press: Naomi Punk, Dumb Doctors, Honey Radar, Bicycle Day

naomi punk television man lp captured tracks 2014 hotp

Hot Off the Press this week: Washington state grunge-punk trio NAOMI PUNK have just announced their sophomore LP Television Man (Captured Tracks), HONEY RADAR has a new cassette full of lo-fi psych-pop entitled Chain Smoking on Easter (Third Uncle/ Treetop Sorbet Records), DUMB DOCTORS drop their second digital single Psychosys (Academia Tapes) and last but not least, a new cassette tape from Oakland-based fuzz-rockers BICYCLE DAY (Lollipop Records).

NAOMI PUNK – Television Man LP: After dropping one of our most recommended albums of 2012, this grungy trio returns with their first for Captured Tracks. They pick up right where they left us on The Feeling, continuing their slowcore aesthetic and dirgy, funeral-march execution that is unlike anything else out there. This record is meant to be played loud (and the band reminds you of that every chance they get), so crank that knob and let these songs corrode your ears to dust. There’s a few more twists and turns up their sleeves this time around, and the end result is positively crushing – listen to “Television Man” now.

HONEY RADAR – Chain Smoking on Easter CS: honey radar chain smoking on easter cs lp third uncle treetop sorbet 2014 hotp
Honey Radar is the moniker of Jason Henn, a bedroom recording project based in Richmond, Indiana. Chain Smoking on Easter is a collection of guitar-driven psychedelic-pop songs, arranged with a healthy dose of melodic guitar racket to keep you cringing happily. Songs are perpetually glinting through this blown-out layer of noise, unfolding in these short, 1-3 minutes bursts that are short but sweet. The album is a split release from Indianapolis label Third Uncle and Philadelphia label Treetop Sorbet Recordings, who are releasing the album on vinyl and cassette respectively on August 26th.

DUMB DOCTORS – Psychosys: dumb doctors psychosys single academia tapes 2014 hotp
Released by Academia Tapes in Charleston, SC, Psychosys is the follow up to Dumb Doctors debut cassingle from 2013. Dumb Doctors is the brainchild of Scott Dence, and his two latest fuzz-fueled anthems should lead to a full-length LP before the end of the year.

BICYCLE DAY – I Had A Place To Be CS: bicycle day I had a place to be lp lollipop records 2014 hotp
The band is called Bicycle Day and the opening track on their upcoming cassette is called “Righteous Acid.” Do you need any other hints? Released by Lollipop Records, I Had a Place To Be is the debut release of any sort from the California-based trio. Their sound combines surf, garage and punk, built with reverb-heavy vocals and a menacingly hazy atmosphere. The material was recorded at Thee Mens Warehouse, a collective studio and art-based space in Anaheim, CA. Hear some of the album below, and sit tight for the tape release sometime this month!

Related Posts:
Naomi Punk – The Feeling LP (Captured Tracks/ Couple Skate Records)
Find Naomi Punk in our Top 25 Albums of 2012
Dumb Doctors – I Am You CS (Academia Tapes)

Bear In Heaven – Time Is Over One Day Old

bear in heaven time is over one day old lp dead oceans 2014

The machines are humming, the band’s locked in and the psychic damage has been done. The question is where do you go from here? BEAR IN HEAVEN’S latest entry Time is Over One Day Old captures a group that’s grappling with those questions; trying to find the answer and move forward. Continue reading “Bear In Heaven – Time Is Over One Day Old” →

TOMORROW: The Mad Doctors, Wreaths, Jackie Paper & Seismic Thrust, 8/14 @ Bourbon & Branch

mad docs wreaths jackie paper seismic thrust aug 14 bb

TOMORROW NIGHT, garage-rockin’ Brooklynites THE MAD DOCTORS take over Bourbon & Branch in Philadelphia along with New Jersey psych-outs WREATHS, with support from Philly-based psych crew JACKIE PAPER and psychotic psychedelic-punks SEISMIC THRUST. You can RSVP to this remarkable event via Facebook, beginning at 9pm tomorrow night for just $8. Do it now!

Get yourself ready by listening to “Slug Shake Armageddon,” a preview of the Mad Doctor’s forthcoming debut LP Snake Oil Superscience (released by King Pizza Records) right below:

RSVP right here!

Cropped Out 2014: Sept. 26-28, Louisville, KY

cropped out music festival 2014 ss

CROPPED OUT is an annual musical gathering in Louisville, KY. They just announced the event for the fifth straight year, taking place during the last weekend of September from the 26th to the 28th.

This year’s line-up includes a slew of artists and bands from all over the globe (the Urinals, Sun Ra Arkestra, Protomartyr, Ausmuteants, White Reaper, Spider Bags), not to mention, food trucks, cheap drinks, vinyl vendors, art installations, merchant booths, tattoo artists, horseshoes, basketball, an idyllic backdrop of birds, boats, and barges, all while witnessing one-of-a-kind, intimate performances from artists like Jandek, Scratch Acid, Neil Hamburger, Lil B, Pissed Jeans, Wolf Eyes, Angel Olsen, Endless Boogie, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Mayo Thompson & so many more. Altogether, the end result of the event aims to highlight the creative efforts of Louisville and the rest of Kentucky as a whole. You can see a full list of confirmed bands and where to buy your tickets after the jump!

Continue reading “Cropped Out 2014: Sept. 26-28, Louisville, KY” →

Five Years In the Dark: A Night With Dark Entries Records

Let’s get one thing straight, Dark Entries Records isn’t an exercise in nostalgia. “The original concept was to do one reissue, one new band, one reissue,” says Josh Cheon, owner of the label. “The problem was that I couldn’t find enough new bands to fill the gaps, so I went on this reissue phase for a while.”

In the five years since Cheon founded Dark Entries, the label has maintained a prolific pace – they’ve released over 70 records – in its quest to strike that balance between new and old. While the label has skewed more towards old by presenting a slew of high-end reissues of classic EBM, Minimal Synth and Italo Disco, among other genres, there has still been an effort by Cheon to search out vital new artists. Often, this professional drive coincides with his own personal desire to experience these unknown acts live. “A lot of it has to do with seeing a band, the live performance aspect. If I run into them and I’m, “I wanna put out your record.” And they’re like, “We don’t have any songs recorded.” I’ll say, “Whenever you do.” That’s very visceral for me, the live experience.”

Never was this more evident than in Dark Entries’ Five Year Anniversary showcase at Bourbon & Branch. Highlighting a diverse cast of artists whose music the label has released, including Bezier, Max + Mara and RedRedRed, the night was a journey through the label’s unique ability to curate varied and exciting talent.

Opening artist Bezier provided an energetic start to the evening with an analog assault on the senses. One of multiple pseudonyms for San Francisco DJ Robert Yang (he also records as Robot Hustle), Bezier combines a blend of early dance influences, drawing from Hi-NRG and Italo, with some more cosmic-reaching intentions, think ‘80s science ficton. The end result is a disorienting tour through a retro-futuristic dystopia, equal parts aggressive-reinterpretation of Trans-X and wide-eyed Blade Runner love letter.

Follow-up act Max + Mara offered a different perspective, acting as the come-down after Bezier’s high intensity opening. Working within the realms of Industrial and Minimal Synth, the duo provided the aural equivalent of a short trip – a cloud of blissed, lazy synths carrying you over a bed of watery keys, but with a hint of dread encroaching on the horizon as your paranoia slowly envelopes you.

The range of music displayed at Bourbon & Branch by Dark Entries ultimately ended up acting as a larger narrative on Cheon’s ethos of diversity. “I don’t want to fit into any genre,” he says enthusiastically, reflecting on his label’s output. “I want to have this umbrella of music I like, but I don’t want to pigeonhole myself into new wave, goth, or post-punk; especially, with the contemporary stuff, it’s all over the place.”

Words by: Robert Skvarla

Hot Off the Press: Spray Paint, Leather Slave, Acid Baby Jesus, Druggy Pizza

spray paint clean blood regular acid lp monofonus press 2014

Hot Off the Press this week: Austin, TX post-punks SPRAY PAINT have just announced their new album (Monofonus Press), a debut LP from LEATHER SLAVE (Permanent Records), a new 7″ from Grecian psych-punks ACID BABY JESUS (Slovenly Records), and a cassette overflowing with blown-out punk from DRUGGY PIZZA (Dirty Slice Records).

LEATHER SLAVE – s/t LP: Permanent Records is set to release this self-titled album from Leather Slave on September 2nd. It comes limited to 300 copies – the first 100 of which are available on oxblood vinyl directly from the label. Hailing from Los Angeles, Leather Slave combine dirgy, grungy guitars with heavy repetition, creating a devastating concoction of blown-out horror-punk that will have you cringing in fear. Their songs are held together by rock-steady drumming and menacing, spoken-word vocals – listen to “Skin Suit” from the LP now.

SPRAY PAINT – Clean Blood, Regular Acid LP: Released by Monofonus Press, Clean Blood, Regular Acid is the first full length from this Austin trio in 2014. The LP is loaded with striped-down post-punk anthems, built with angular rhythms, wiry guitar plucking and chanted vocals. The sound grows as songs unfold, adding a dose of cringe-worthy guitar racket to layers of lysergic haze. Put simply, these Texans blend their own form of twisted noise-punk – start by listening to “Rest Versus Rust” here.

DRUGGY PIZZA – Chili Cheese Crust CS: druggy pizza chili cheese crust cs ep dirty slice records 2014 hotp This cassette is the third EP from Druggy Pizza, released in a very short run of 30 copies by the Dirty Slice Records imprint in France. Druggy Pizza is the moniker of Cédric Bottacchi, who is also a member of French garage-punk band Dusty Mush. Listen to the cassette full of explosive, scuzz-fueled punk now. Influences range anywhere from surf-flavored jams to noisy garage rock, creating a weirdly satisfying amalgamation of sounds that will blown your ears clean off.

ACID BABY JESUS – Vegetable 7″: acid baby jesus vegeable 7 ep slovenly records 2014 hotp Slovenly Records is back with another record from the Grecian psych monsters in Acid Baby Jesus. Crusty, buzz-saw guitars cut through their new single “Vegetable,” wherein you’ll encounter cowbell percussion, colorful synthesizers and nasally vocals to boot. B-side “Brain Damage” comes with an urgent sense of doom, built with melodic guitar leads and a smoky atmosphere. The 7″ prepares us for their upcoming sophomore LP, which will be released by Slovenly Records in 2014.

Related Posts:
Dusty Mush – s/t 12″ EP (Howlin’ Banana Records)
Acid Baby Jesus – Hospitals 7″ (Slovenly Records)
Bazooka – s/t LP (Slovenly Records)

GIVEAWAY: Tickets for Reigning Sound, Uncle Acid and White Fence in Philadelphia

uncle acid banner giveaway post

HEY PHILADELPHIA. We’re going to give away a pair of tickets to some upcoming shows around Philadelphia. Leave a comment on the post with your name and which show you want to go to, and the winners will chosen at random with a +1 to their specified event:

First up, REIGNING SOUND is coming back to Philadelphia for Shattered, their first LP for Merge Records and first album since 2009. They take over the Underground Arts Black Box on August 27th with the Whips and the GTVs. See more details on the Facebook event page.

Next up, we’ve got UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS on September 24th @ Underground Arts with Danava. It’s their first show in North America… ever! You can RSVP to the show on the Facebook event page.

And last but not least, WHITE FENCE returns to Philadelphia on October 21st @ Underground Arts, with support from Australian psych-outs KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD. You can RSVP to the night right here.

Again, to win a pair of tickets to any of these shows, simply leave a comment on this post with your name and which show you are interested in attending. One winner for each show will be chosen at random! Ready? Set? Comment!