Playlist Update: Angel Guts, Pleaser + More
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.