A twee-pop-inspired band you should know from Denton, Texas received a stamp of approval from a shield you can trust. K Records announced recently that it’ll pair with Perennial Records this fall for a reissue of Paper Jam’s self-released debut album This And That.
Paper Jam’s jangly gems draw comparisons to Heavenly (fittingly, the band namechecked another Amelia Fletcher project in Talulah Gosh to See/Saw). Band members Natalie Winkler (vocals, guitar), Cecilia Case-Hernandez (bass, vocals), Mason Blair (guitar), Natalia De la Cruz (keys) and Taylor Rivers (drums) also bond over a shared love of one of the best by-products of UK punk: Dolly Mixture. See/hear their youthful exuberance below.
Mag & The Suspects (sometimes styled Mag and The Suspects or Meg and The Suspects (and even Mac and The Suspects via a label misprint)) begin our roundup of obscurities found online or in record bins.
Details remain scant about the (French?) minimalist band and its 1981 pairing of the glibly delivered “Thousands Dead” with should-be synth-pop and post-punk classic “Erection.” The latter’s a personal favorite that’s comparable to Delta 5’s “Anticipation” in both topic and tone. Those who know know– and in one case made a fan video.
If Discogs is to be trusted, Suspects member Ruth Failure played on everything from an album by French-Irish singer-songwriter Guy Maxwell to a low-fidelity French disco 7-inch by Casta Blitz. Otherwise, there’s no easy-to-find info about her or her bandmates Mag Morley and Fabrice Dusapin (which is also the name of a celebrated architect).
The Suspects’ second dance came in 1984 via the CBS 7-inch “Meg and The Suspects” B/W “Fascination Tango!” It’s more polished and new wave than its delightfully low-budget predecessor (and still worth a digital spin).
There’s at least one “Erection” cover of note. Montreal-based synth-pop artist Jef Barbara interpreted it for the 2013 album Soft to the Touch.
Columbus’ DANA reside on the artsier end of the punk spectrum, alongside their fellow Ohioans Fruit Looops. The single version of “Time Suck(s)” crosses post-punk ingenuity with egg punk quirkiness and garage-punk grime– all for a song about the mundanity of working a less-than-glamorous job just to barely scrape by.
“Nobodys Favorite,” Dollhouse
A personal favorite for reasons disclosed below, Dollhouse matched the quality of their previous work (“The Shadow Baby” included) throughout the new EP I Hate You Dont Leave Me (Toxic State Records). On “Nobodys Favorite,’ singer Michelle Caiazzo vents about body dysmorphia in a way that might make you feel less alone. (Would being in a rad punk band make you feel pretty and gorgeous all the time? Not necessarily.)
Dollhouse has a more mind-blowing “ex-members of” situation than our beloved Warp. Drummer Hank Wood needs no introduction if you’ve followed the New York punk scene since 2012. On guitar you’ve got Sasha Stroud (80HD, Church Clothes, Firewalker) and Tye Miller (L.O.T.I.O.N. (and Michelle’s bandmate in Mommy)). (Experimental artist Pharmakon has (or still does?) play(ed) with the band, as well, but she isn’t listed on our Discogs cheat sheet. Record collector dads might have dropped the ball here.)
They’re also the raddest because of the whole black-eyed doll aesthetic. This time, she’s got her own overpriced, undersized bedroom in NYC, complete with tiny and empty pill bottles and a very limited wardrobe– an image that fits the tones and topics of the record.
P.S. Dollhouse’s 2022 tour date in Nashville with Twompsax fell just weeks before I came out as trans (not that the inevitable wouldn’t have happened anyway). Always remember that you never know who needs to see or hear your art at a pivotal moment in their life.
Chunks,” Femcel
A new band that’s been playing shows for less than a year, Femcel excels at three-chord, feminist, budget-rock-on-a-budget punk on “Chunks.” It’s lo-fi in the sort of way that leaves you convinced that this Brooklyn-based trio –their Lilith-tier bassist in particular– brings the exact same energy when seen live and in living color. (Tour if you can, please! <3)
The entire album it’s from, Piss Baby, can be downloaded on Bandcamp at a price of your own choosing. It opens with a cover of Splendora’s theme song for Daria and never lets up, with “Heart Shaped Sunglasses” and “Cat Ass” furthering our Femcel fascination.
“Turn to Love,” Parsnip
Yet another Australian act worth a go as one of your special interests, Parsnip solidified their place in the garage-punk space with Behold, their sophomore album. “Turn to Love” captures the spirit of both the dreamy, harmony-driven soundscapes of Grass Widow and the ‘60s-flavored songwriting of Gringo Star. Plus, it’s built around some of the best organ accompaniment we’ve heard in ages.
“No Means No,” Radical Kitten
In the spirit of Huggy Bear, Toulouse, France’s Radical Kitten share inclusive feminist messages through sonically abrasive means. A selection from the album Uppercat, “No Means No” is a groove-driven, chant-along scorcher that ropes you in with slightly surfy riffs and an impeccable rhythm section. Those musical elements heighten the sense of urgency in such lines as “No means no/ Patriarchy fuck off.”
Every Wednesday, No Spectators will expand our Song of the Day playlist with a multi-tune set of reviews. We’re typically drawn to new-ish punk and post-punk songs from bands with women or nonbinary folx as members. The updated Spotify playlist’s embedded at the end.
“The Red and Lavender Scare,” Angel Guts
San Diego’s Angel Guts describe themselves as “false powerviolence/ bubblegum crust/power bottom violence/ sillygoosecore.” How great is it that like Brat, they have a sense of humor about not fitting an established (if not overly traveled) hardcore lane? Love it.
With that out of the way, “The Red and Lavender Scare” begins with an impassioned speech about trans rights before launching into a growling, vicious venting of the life-or-death frustrations faced globally by our community. It’s a throwback (unintentionally?) to The Decemrists’ (the queercore band, not the band that sings about whales or whatever) similarly-structured “Heterosexual Panic.”
“The Red and Lavender Scare” is from the five-song EP Failure By Default.
“Oh My God,” Ming City Rockers
A band that’s been around for over a decade now, England’s Ming City Rockers’ latest tune strikes an ideal balance between melodic ease and full-volume punk unease, à la Big Eyes. The superior MCR (hurhurhur) make great use of vocal interplay, which is always a plus when we’re scouring the internet for playlist additions. The lyrics sum up the insecurities that leave some of us on the verge of tantrums in public spaces (fortunately, hearing others scream about it does temper the pain a little bit).
Side note: Ming City Rockers is on the long list of bands we dig that’ve worked with Steve Albini.
“Rabbit Punch,” Plain Bizarre
The Netherlands-based Plain Bizarre’s Simply Absurd EP, which arrived in December, seamlessly blends the low-tempo DIY ethos of The Splinters with traces of ‘90s slacker rock guitar slinging and a large serving of Courtney Barnett-style prose. “Rabbit Punch” is our pick from a six-song collection without a dud because it leans into the nostalgic yet novel riffage of La Luz.
“Plunge,” Pleaser
“Plunge” by Copenhagen, Denmark’s Pleaser stands out in large part because the layered, echoey vocals sound a little like those of Chin-Chin– a production choice that should be hat-tipped way more often. A sense of gloom surrounds a uniquely Pleaser mix of punk and post-punk reference points, comparable (yet not identical) to what made Arctic Flowers memorable. It’s from Pleaser’s self-titled debut album, which reached our ears back in September.
“Crush on You,” Smalltown Tigers
In just under two minutes, Smalltown Tigers’ “Crush on You” nails the core tenets of fast-driving, straightforward garage-punk. The pogo-’til-you-puke singalong was surely a crowd pleaser when the Italian trio shared stages in Europe with the likes of The Baby Shakes and The Damned.
It’s the title track from an album issued in February. With 10 songs that clock in at a total of 25 minutes, Smalltown Tigers score an A+ on their Punk Rock 101 final project.
If anything justifies busting out the “emotional roller coaster” cliche, it’s gender dysphoria– a crushing feeling that doesn’t necessarily go away when you come out. (Of course, it’s not only felt by trans folx. Some conclude that they’re cis yet no less miserable because of the patriarchal expectations that fuck us all over.)
So… On “Dysphurious,” Northern Ireland’s Gender Chores join us on board the emotional roller coaster that is gender dysphoria.
Lyrically, the song begins with a frustratingly familiar question: “Do I have dysphoria?/ Or do I just not feel cute today?” Though a lot of the queercore we love around here’s tongue in cheek, Gender Chores stay deadly serious for the most part. However, the musically serene stretch of this driving indie-punk stunner does conclude on a playful note.
Note: We’re changing up the format from daily reviews to weekly playlist updates that’ll cover multiple songs. That’ll debut on Friday (April 26). Twenty-seven reviews in as many days was a fun exercise, but at this point, we’re in “quantity over quality” territory (with our writing, not the caliber of songs and bands). Plus, it’ll free up more time for interviews and other types of features.
Another British act to follow, Leeds’ Crumbs cross the streams of post-punk chaos and indie-pop cuddliness on the You’re Just JealousLP (out May 10 via Skep Wax Records).
“DIY SOS” works as our Song of the Day pick for a couple of reasons. One, you can’t go wrong with Mary Timony/Corin Tucker-style lead vocals, especially when they’re joined by a coed choir for a catchy chorus. In addition, the music video’s a delight and an excuse to plug the creator of our leopard print aesthetics’ own cat game, which is now available through Itch as part of a Palestinian Relief Bundle.
A duo from The Netherlands, Coco Cocaine make often danceable, typically funny and always irreverent songs with such titles as “Gilfcore” and “Gluesniffer (2broke4coke).” They’re like a more garage-punk-sounding and more of-the-moment Gravy Train!, or something along those lines.
For an entry point, press play on “Breastpump.” It’s about the chore of emptying your pockets for security. The back-and-forth vocals about what all’s getting checked at the door get more and more absurd in step with increasing sonic unease. Brilliant stuff.
Bonus points for the cover art (if only because of the unpeeled, half-eaten banana with a condom on it).
Song of the Day: “Gabba Gabba Hey Creep!” by Le Bang
Here’s a second straight dose of fresh yet familiar-sounding garage Ramonescore. This time around, it’s from the Death From Above 1979 playbook of being all rhythm section, all the time.
Indeed, the New York punks in Le Bang play by their own rules as a trio with simply a vocalist, a bassist and a drummer. Budget rock stunner “Gabba Gabba Hey Creep!” reverse engineers elements of the music that made most of us punks to begin with– all from a woman’s point of view. Meaning they’re exactly the type of band that our Song of the Day barrage intends to celebrate.
“Gabba Gabba Hey Creep!” is from the LP Robot Island, an eclectic collection of outsider rock ‘n’ roll from last December.
For more about Le Bang and their Paris born-and-bred lead singer Lola Lancón, check out this fantastic feature from New York’s The Deli.
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