tonguecutter - minnow

Tonguecutter: Minnow (2025)

Looking at how it morphed and twisted over the course of 50 years, it’s still strange to think that the first word coming to my head when I think of punk as a genre is “versatile”. The DIY ethos and unadorned approach has spread to so many different styles and movements, and when it intersects with noise rock, hardcore and (using it since they do on their Bandcamp page) riot girl, you get Tonguecutter, a trio out of Muskegon, Michigan whose debut full-length Minnow has been playing non-stop on my turntable since discovering them back in May. Short, ferocious, and catchy as hell, it’s been my go-to when I have a lot of pent up frustration and stress that needs to come out.

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chat pile - cool world

Chat Pile: Cool World (2024)

“I AM DOG NOW!” Those words, over that music…that might be the most repeated lyric I shouted out in 2024. And to think Chat Pile were a band that, until now I had a cool admiration for but from a distance, their breakout 2022 album God’s Country impressive but leaving me somewhat cold. At the time. Because there was just something about Cool World, the Oklahoma City noise rock quartet’s new album that not only turned me completely around, but shed new light on their previous output and turned me into a dedicated fan. I am dog now, indeed…

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austerity program - backsliders and apostates

The Austerity Program: Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn (2010)

If the sound and intent of The Austerity Program can be encapsulated in a single lyric, it’s this line from “Song 26,” ostensibly the title track to the band’s 2010 EP Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn:  “BLESSING YOU WITH AN AMPLIFIER!”  It’s the cry of rage and the crash of a blunt object, and while I appreciate and even dig it, I have to also admit it’s a cry I can’t quite feel deep in the marrow.  Continue reading “The Austerity Program: Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn (2010)”