Family Curse play deeply abrasive punk rock. Their new album, Twilight Language, is menacing and paranoid in all the right ways; writing at Noisey, Zachary Lipez noted that “[t]he record sounds mean, like the speed is still working but the visuals have gone sour.” It’s a bracing listening experience, and I checked in with guitarist Ken Edge and vocalist Erick Hughes via email to learn more.
Sleepies is a garage rock band based in Brooklyn, composed of Josh Intrator on bass, Thomas Seely on guitar and lead vocals and drummer Max Tremblay. Their first band practice as Sleepies dates back to November 2007. After a series of other bands and musical experiments, the group coalesced around a few common reference points (“weirdo punk rock” according to Seely). I first saw them at the penultimate gig for the now-closed DIY space Dead Herring in January, where they […]
Looking at the lineup of Deathfix, whose self-titled debut was just released on Dischord, might prompt all sorts of expectations of what one might hear on their album. Guitarist Brendan Canty was one-quarter of Fugazi; keyboard player Rich Morel has been a house producer and worked with Bob Mould. The rhythm section of Devin Ocampo (drums) and Mark Cisneros (bass) come from Medications. And yet the seven songs heard here fall into a sort of dark, rhythmic pop sound, anchored by […]
PC Worship is a Queens-based band that has been making atmospheric noise-heavy punk music for about four years. The band is composed of Justin Frye, Mike Etten and a rotating cast of musicians, including “Boston Bongo” Dan, Mario Maggio and Pat Spadine. Sometimes playing as a four piece and sometimes as a seven or eight piece band, they’ve managed to release a varied and challenging slew of music that incorporates elements of post-punk, rock, noise, metal and other styles. The […]
Ex Cops are a genre-blending Brooklyn-based band that pairs shoegaze and dream pop tendencies with rhythms and melodies from older, and more varied musical styles, making forays into power pop and country among other, more proximate references. Composed of Brian Harding on vocals and guitar, and Amalie Bruun who shares vocal duties and plays keyboard, the band has experienced a sudden jump in recognition in the wake of their new LP, True Hallucinations released through Manhattan’s Other Music label. I saw […]
So let’s talk Pony Time. They’re from Seattle; there are two of them, and they play a blissed-out, irreverent, fuzzy take on punk rock. Their latest album, Go Find Your Own, abounds with these moments — and having song titles that nod in the direction of iconic figures as disparate as Kathleen Hanna and Geordie La Forge doesn’t hurt. I checked in with bassist Luke Beetham via email, with occasional interjections from drummer Stacy Peck.
El Sportivo is a country-rock band based in L.A. and New York. Conceived by Daron Hallowell, who runs the scoring and music production company Black Iris and puts out albums on his record label White Iris, the group plays melancholy music that calls to mind Gram Parsons and Gold-era Ryan Adams, with professional precision and a palpable love for the traditions of the genre. I saw them play on January 30th at Glasslands in Williamsburg. While watching, I got into a […]
Pete Swanson, everybody. Maybe you first heard about him because he was one-half of the noise duo Yellow Swans, who did the blissed/abrasive/blissed thing pretty well? His solo debut, Man With Potential, built on that foundation, while his latest EP, the memorably-titled Punk Authority, follows in the dancier direction heard on last year’s Pro Style. Swanson makes memorable music that’s often delivered in memorable ways; Punk Authority is catchy and chaotic, danceable and dissonant. And so I caught up with him via email to […]