Tracing punk’s mutations, Iain Ellis’ Punk Beyond the Music is a robust and kaleidoscopic survey of this once-outsider subculture’s continuing, pervasive influence.
In Songs for the Deceased Irish avant-garde punk’s Meryl Streek rages against the landlord class, which perpetuates the violent system of precarity.
The Linda Lindas voice the trials inherent to growing up in a society that devalues perspectives of the young, the feminine, and the ‘different’.
Drug Church’s PRUDE takes its place alongside Gouge Away’s Deep Sage as a highlight of the year in hardcore that could reach outside the flock.
Jawbox’s major label debut is their most beloved album, a perfect marriage of songwriting and production that sounds as thrilling today as it did 30 years ago.
Canadian hardcore legends Fucked Up channel 1970s riffage and wear a hard-won optimism well on Another Day. It’s among their best albums.
Hardcore punk band GEL’s ability to weave new influences into their sound while remaining instantly identifiable sets them apart. They’re a breath of fresh air.
Ogbert the Nerd sound exuberant. There is a beating heart and pathos under the hooks, and they have much to offer listeners outside of emo’s ardent fans.
Canonical DC hardcore act Bad Brains remain as vital as ever. Almost 40 years after I Against I’s initial release, it’s remarkable how timeless it sounds.
It’s raucous, it’s queer, and it’s uncompromising. Blood’s Tim O’Brien is sticking to his guns. “I won’t change the [band] name for the sake of search engines.”
For those who like their hardcore punk with hooks and intelligent, witty lyrics, Big Life deliver big time on two EPs. They are music lovers first and foremost.
In the early 1980s, Hüsker Dü paved the way for alternative rock, adding the power, anger, and pain of hardcore punk to a mix of 1960s and 1970s pop-rock styles.
