has announced that they will be releasing the debut 7" EP from Finnish power-pop/punk-rockers First Times this coming August; sample two of the four tunes above. The label will also be releasing The Phoenix Foundation's new album "Silence" this coming August which I believe will be the band's 5th album in their 10 years as a band.
Danish postpunk act Melting Walkmen are currently streaming their upcoming 7" EP "Broken glass" at SoundCloud.
Thomas Ekelund of Trepaneringsritualen/Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words/ created a mix for the website Secret Thirteen featuring a bunch of stuff from his own label and back-catalog as well as a nice selection of quality industrial/darkwave/postpunk: http://secretthirteen.org/secret-thirteen-mix-023-dead-letters-spell-out-dead-words/
Gaffa has the premiere of the new video "Wanna wanna" from Swedish cheerleader punk-rockers Tiger Bell: http://www.muzu.tv/gaffatv/tiger-bell-wanna-wanna-music-video/1437892/
Recommended!
New Swedish punkrock from Hjärtattack, expect a full album later this year.
This here is Westkust's brand new single "Touch", officially out on June 20 via . A bit more straight-up indiepop/C86-sounding than their great labelmates Makthaverskan, but still possessing a strong postpunk undercurrent. Definitely check this out and keep a lookout for the band's debut EP "Junk" which will be released on July 9.
Remember Sex Dwarf? The band's debut cassette/demo is now available in physical form via D-takt & Råpunk.
Swedish pop act Ljusår just released a new split single with an interesting concept: on the a-side they perform a faithful modern rendering of the early 80s tune "Kärlek och hat" by postpunk act Brända Barn and on the flip we get the original. Check it out via Spotify.
ZoopartyZooparty formed in Linköping, Sweden back in '05 and "You must be joking", their third release, is a contemporary pop-punk album that most old-school punks would be crazy not to love on first listen. It has the power and grit of 1970s UK punk with the hooks and slickness of 90s era skate punk. Two icons of the genre, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and Brian James (ex-Damned), contribute their guitar chops to the first two songs respectively, with James appearing again on the final song. Having said that, there is no drop off in quality from track to track and I can't help but think these guest appearances are nothing more than a token of their blessings meant to give the album some extra publicity. Besides, Erik Pettersson, the so-called "creative genius" of Zooparty, more than holds his own when compared to his legendary counterparts. His style reminds me of a young Steve Jones, consistently churning out explosive, catchy riffs that pack plenty of muscle. Petterssons' vocals are exhilarating as well and have an upbeat, tongue-in-cheek charm. The quirky lyrics don't make much sense, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the music. They sound very authentic for a latter-day punk band too, probably because they play each song with such fervent energy and really seem to be enjoying themselves. They don't force it and therein lies the beauty; isn't that what punk was about in the very beginning?
- Doug Ahlgren
Out now via , the new album "Vi som ville någon annanstans" from Swedish punkrockers Nobelkommitten.
Excellent Norwegian punk act Dark Times is back in the studio, working on a new 7".
has announced that they have signed indie/postpunk act Westkust and will release their new single "Touch" on June 20 with a 12" EP to follow in July.
quietly released a new 12" comp featuring 20 tracks recorded live at Earth Dom, Tokyo from acts such as Mob 47, Desperat and more: http://dbeatrawpunk.blogspot.com/2012/05/made-in-japan-live-12-dtakt040.html
Via Passive/Aggressive, here's an EP of Danish postpunk from Moth, a new band featuring members from Melting Walkmen, Chainsaw Eaters and Torpedo Zombies.
Coming August 21 via , "Ny Våg - Svensk punk / New Wave / Synth 1977-1982", a new and long-awaited book by collector Peter Kagerland on the early history of Sweden's legendary punk scene. It's Swedish-only, but it does include a bonus CD and will probably look quite nice filed on my shelft next to Premium's previously-released and very informative "Encyclopedia of Swedish punk". Anyhow, details and ordering info is here.
