Haunted Horses’ ‘Dweller’ Is an Intriguing Heavy Album
Haunted Horses get further under your skin, infecting and infesting you with their bleary, spectral plague of madness and maybe a slight spark of hope.
punk
Lambrini Girls’ “God’s Country” Rejects PJ Harvey’s Melancholic England
Unlike PJ Harvey’s sad voice singing about the polluted Thames and England, for the Lambrini Girls, there is no mythic past when these symbols were great.
Hüsker Dü’s ‘New Day Rising’ Still Sparkles at 40
Hüsker Dü’s New Day Rising provided equal parts muscular intensity and melody as the band laid the groundwork for the future of alternative music.
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The 10 Best Punk and Hardcore Albums of 2024
Thematically, much of this year’s best punk and hardcore music addressed mental health and working through the past while striving for a more peaceful present.
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Punk Is a Virus That’s Infected Everything
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.
Meryl Streek Is Still Angry in ‘Songs for the Deceased’
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 Are Earnestly Edgy on ‘No Obligation’
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 Critique Hypocrisy and Retain Their Edge on ‘PRUDE’
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.
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Jawbox Discuss ‘For Your Own Special Sweetheart’ at 30
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.
Fucked Up Create Anthems in Minutes on ‘Another Day’
Canadian hardcore legends Fucked Up channel 1970s riffage and wear a hard-won optimism well on Another Day. It’s among their best albums.
GEL’s Restlessness Is Thrilling on ‘Persona’
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.
Emo’s Ogbert the Nerd Deliver ‘What You Want’ on New LP
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.