8/10 with DJ Buckingham Palace
NINES? TENS? DON’T TALK CRAZY! HOW MANY REALLY EXIST OUT THERE? HOW ABOUT WE CELEBRATE THE BEST OF OUR USELESS TOIL AND LEAVE THE HYPERBOLE FOR PITCHFORK DOT COM. 8/10 IS NOT BAD! IT’S PRETTY MUCH THE BEST! BUT HEY, TAKE THIS AS PROOF THAT I’M NOT SOME BUTTER-UP PUNK TRYNA HAND OUT THE HIGH SCORE FOR A SNEAKY KEY AT THE BAD SMELLING GIG. I DIDN’T SAY TENS DON’T EXIST! - DJ BUCKINGHAM PALACE
LIFELINE - Endtime Groupthink
Back in February, I had the pleasure of watching LIFELINE play their first ever set at La Chaine’s ‘new band’ gig at LA Sotterenea. I think many would agree that a certain measure of looseness, a few glaring stumbles or maybe even a mid-song stop and restart are all fair-and-square expectations for a bill comprised entirely of brand new thumb-sucking punk bands, however, based on the bands cone-studded lineup alone which features members of LOBOTOMITE, CATEGORY 514, RECALL and countless others, I was pretty certain that LIFELINE would exceed expectations by a rifle shot, and they really, really did. It was a 15-or-so minute display of raw churning d-beat with a well-considered death metal inflection. There were lots of inventive riffs, a few tablespoons of melodic creativity, and vocals that oscillated between furious and mournful. Flash forward three and a half months later, and I’m exceedingly glad to report that the band has not sacrificed any of their scale or versatility on their way to completing this debut tape. It’s all in there! Just like I remember! Without a doubt Endtime Groupthink has got crasher crust at its glowing hot molten core, but Lifeline avoids a common mode of failure that other adjacent bands succumb to by reaching far beyond the parameters of their crusty rawpawnk foundation. Less inspired d-beat shakeweighters of the world should take note; make the style your springboard! Have a part that sounds like it would fit nicely on the album Heartwork! Why not? An easy 8/10.
Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 6, 2025
EMPART - EXTREMENOISEHARDCORE
Is mysterious guy (insert subgenre title here) back? I have practically zero background information that I can add to this review beyond their bandcamp tags which are; “punk, dbeatrawpunk, Austin”. That’s Austin, Texas and not Austin, Quebec, right? We can’t say for true. Someone has got to know something! Anyway, who gives a fuck, I guess. I’ve been hangin’ on tight for a follow up from this project since 2023 and EMPART has finally delivered thee such reward with a seven track banger so unforgiving in its raw grit that by track seven you’ll feel as if you’ve really put your aural endurance to the test. If you have a hi-fi system at home, just be careful - this shit might actually delaminate every surface in your apartment and then you’ll lose out on that damage deposit :’( I mean, pick out one of these tracks blind and I guarantee that it would make a great playlist addition at any CIA black site prison. So yeah, I guess what I’m saying is that if you want to turn your tape player into a COBALT style no-touch torture device (the only time I’ve ever used a reference like that to describe something that I enjoy) you should buy this cassette… if you can. I don’t know if they made tapes or if they’re available or if EMPART has ever even played a show. All this scary CIA interrogation talk has got me a little suspicious of their mystery now. Better check if there’s a .gov address attached to the Bandcamp page. It’s an 8/10 even if they’re the feds.
Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 6, 2025
SILO KIDS - DEMO
I’m enamored by their quickness, besotted by their wit,
Enraptured by their buoyant charm, by every snare drum hit,
I’ve been struck on Hub City’s SILO KIDS, and their warly wicked-sick riffs,
The demo’s out on Earth Girl Tapes, on this Bandcamp link, do click
https://earthgirltapes.bandcamp.com/album/demo-3
8/10