Talking to my kids and the youths, it’s interesting to hear how in some contexts the concept of an album again has meaning. As the masses began to consume music via digital channels at the turn of the century, it seemed that albums were to become a relic of a bygone era, as people were all about picking and choosing the hits and ignoring all the “filler” tracks artists put out. Yet after the Taylor Swift Eras tour, which was defined by key albums during her career (so I’m told), and the whole “Brat” summer thing with Charly XCX, there does seem to be an affinity for the album format. Why talk about this before a list of singles and extended play releases? Well, it reminded my of some other conversations I had with my mom and the olds, where they remembered when 45 rpm singles were the shit and albums were only for the old olds with their orchestral music and marching bands from the old country. So it was interesting to consider the role of the single and how it’s changed. It’s also interesting to consider that the below were discovered via a mix of old-school and modern methods, including terrestrial FM radio, word of mouth, record stores, Bandcamp, Spotify, Discogs, YouTube, websites, email newsletters, and probably a few others I’m forgetting about. Anyway, the point is, the single is as relevant a format as ever and here are a few you might consider checking out via this blog…
Alien Nosejob – Cold Bare Facts 7″ (Anti Fade) – Jake Robertson’s genius Alien Nosejob project continued pumping out quality goods in 2024, with one of the highlights being the two tracks on this release. A-side “The Executioner” rolls with a massively catchy duel guitar riff you won’t be able to get out of your head (nor want to) and a stomping beat accented with rapid-fire drum rolls that spice things up before doubled up vocals fade out the track. The B-side, “West Side Story”, stomps ever harder with a steady confidence and vocal snarl that pours out of your speakers will have you chanting “one step forward, two steps back!” whilst pogoing in your living room. Although specifically, in this case, both tracks here are pure Alien Nosejob gold, so it’s more like two steps forward, no steps back.
Bib – Biblical 7″ EP (Quality Control HQ)
Bib continues to lead the modern hardcore pack with their latest transmission of swirling, echoey, high-velocity punk, this time dispatched from London’s Quality Control label. It’s great to see the recognition these Omaha ragers are getting worldwide and how each release ups the ante of their previous output. For instance, check out the angelic vocals that sit atop the pounding din on “Bitter Mind” about halfway through the song, as well as the skilled scramble of heavy riffing, breakdowns, and HC sprints all over this 7″ slab that Bib is known for. Bib continues to tear shit up at a Biblical scale. Let us all be grateful.
Bootcamp – Controlled Burn 7″ EP (Pokey’s Records)
Vicious hardcore from Iowa City featuring anthemic riffs, tightly wound bursts of speed and classic breakdowns, and savage, indignant vocals that decimate local and global injustices. Dig the farm animals on the cover dancing with joy as a factory farm goes up in smoke, or the lyrics for “Siege” that suggest a violent takeover of the frat houses in their college town. In fact, it’s Juliette E’s vocal snarl that lifts Controlled Burn into upper tier hardcore, as there are tons of great HC bands with so-so vocalists who don’t quite match the intensity of the music, but this record has the 1-2 punch of killer music being optimized with a killer vocalist. 4 songs, 5 minutes, no fuckin’ around at the Bootcamp camp.
Faze – Big Upsetter 12″ EP (11 PM)
Following up their excellent 5-song 7″ EP from 2021, Faze return with a 6-song 12″ EP that takes their raging, wiry hardcore down more anthemic, mature avenues, which many hardcore bands can’t do without losing the fire of their earlier, visceral beginnings. If I were to read this before hearing it, I’d probably be skeptical about it too, thinking it’s a damn shame that another hardcore band is trying to become more palatable for the masses, but thankfully, this Montreal group has kept their edge. Instead of softening their sound, they’ve augmented it with more interesting song structures and musical textures that make this a genuinely moving record. The title track, which ends the record, nearly reaches the 5 minute mark, which is notable for a band with only one track over 3 minutes (barely) on their previous release, and also notable for keeping things interesting with guitar dropouts, multi-track texture layers, echoey vocals, breakdowns, doubletime shifts and drunk horn sounds at 3:50 that evoke the unsettling sound of the Brainbombs. It’s a mixed bag in the best way across all the tracks as Faze has added some real thought to their thoughtful style of hardcore punk.
Gurney – The Creeper EP (Self-Released)
Guitar tone is everything when you’re talking doom metal. Well, tone and riffs anyway, and Gurney has them both down, way, way down. Lead track “Skunk Splitter” on this 5-song EP plods like the sludgiest blorps of The Melvins or Burning Witch, dragging time backwards with ludicrously low tuned guitar and a slow, crawling pace that adds glacial weight to their riffs. The haunted, echoing guitar on the title track and throat-shredding Corrupted-style vocals adds even more depth to the band’s sound, then at 4:20 (oh yeah) the song shifts into a dizzying, buzzing breakdown that further seals the deal. The Creeper captures the band with better clarity than their demo tracks, which were released on Bandcamp at the same time. On the demos, the guitar tone is more standard-issue metal pedal and the vocals don’t quite have the guttural churn as this The Creeper. And while their demo tracks are a notch or two above the average upstart doom metal band, the leap in songwriting quality is noticeably heavier and imaginative on The Creeper. Compare the demo track “Bong Wizard” to “Hotboxing The Supervoid” on The Creeper and you can see the leap not only in stoner song title excellence, but the richness of their guitar tones and memorable riffs that creep into your head. Looking forward to hearing the riffs Gurney unleashes in 2025.
Kassie Krut – Kassie Krut EP (Fire Talk)
One of the nice benefits of tuning into college radio is picking up on a transmission loaded with a track among the usual shotgun blast of random tuneage that stops you in your tracks and gets you to look up the station’s playlist or Shazam it. Sometime in late 2024 it was the pulsing throb of this NYC trio’s “Blood” that simply couldn’t escape my limited attention span, with an invigorating mix of breathy femme vocals and distorted synth washes coming from all directions, with stalling bars that gave the effect of the song falling apart, yet incessantly coming back to life. Throughout the tracks on this EP this effect occurs, as disparate samples, unique instrumentation, and moods cascade from one direction to the next, playfully jarring and at times dissonant, and yet playful and seductive at the same time. From the blown out, bouncing dub of “United” to the bit crushed fragments of “Hooh Beat” and the closer “Blood” that caught my ear and still hasn’t let go, Kassie Krut’s debut 6-song digital EP makes a great, 17 minute pick-me-up listen with nary a dull moment.
Jorge Arana Trio – Murciélago EP (Self-Released)
The driving force from Kansas City’s mid-2000s screamo math outfit Pixel Panda, Jorge Arana, has assembled a deadly trio of masterful musicians to carry out his demented musical ideas that cover a number of exhilarating genres in a frantic, jazzy, dark form of avant rock. Comparisons could be made to Blind Idiot God, Gone, or Dazzling Killmen, as a way to denote the seasoned virtuosity of its players, but they fall pitifully short of capturing the thrilling originality and allure of their sound. This isn’t nerdy, off-putting, or difficult music to get into unless you’re fully entrenched in the mainest of mainstream of music. Each instrument does its job and hooks you in with compelling instrumental interplay that often carries and supports a motif that sticks with you and keeps you tuned in, with the sinister, seductive touch of Nick Cave or Pleasure Forever. Just check out “November” with its driving, staccato bass lines, powerful percussion, gothic guitar textures and the unholy church organ breakdown in final minute of the track. This is followed by the speedy, tense stumblebeat rocker “Demon” that sounds like a Dazzling Killmen song being covered by Sonic Youth — plus saxophone! All four tracks on the band’s sole 2024 release are unbeatable and as exciting as anything you’ll hear from that year.
Man… Or Astroman – Recordings from the BBC 7″‘s (Chunklet)
Alright, it’s a bit of a cheat since this is a collection of seven 7″ records from various BBC recordings throughout the 1990s that Chunklet Industries started pumping out in 2023, but 2024 saw the ultimate culmination of the series with a stunning box set designed by Henry Owings. I couldn’t snag them up soon enough as they were coming out and somehow totally missed the out on the box set, but regardless of how you hear these MOAM classics, you’ll have some top-shelf tracks from the band during their visits to the UK. If you’ve ever seen them live, you know how tight and energetic their live show is and these tracks all beautifully capture the band in their road-tested, peak form, firing on all cylinders… or rockets as the case may be.
Prison Affair / Snooper – Split 7″ (Under The Gun)
Split 7″ records can be a mixed bag, in a bad way, often with one band you like and another that’s so-so or terrible enough to get more than a couple spins, but these two bands make a perfect pairing for a 7″ split release that gets a hearty egg punk chef’s kiss. Nashville’s Snooper have been making a name for themselves for an over-the-top and energetic live show featuring their hyperspeed, ADHD energy explosions that are impossible to sit still to. Barcelona’s Prison Affair deal in a style of egg punk that’s so fast it sounds like it’s being played back at the wrong speed, with hilarious robotic vocals and chopped-up start/stop guitar bursts that will have you bouncing off the walls. With 3 short, sharp, snappy tunes by each band, this 7″ delivers two sunnyside up sides of greatness.
Smirk – Bad Behavior Digital Single (Self-Released)
We’d been spoiled with so many exceptional Smirk releases 2020-2023 that it made us really appreciate and relish the sole 2024 release, this Bandcamp single. Like all Smirk tracks, the catchy pop hooks on “Bad Behavior” are slathered with shambling, warbly guitar sheen that charms the ear and belies the bummer punk drag of its lyrics. Perfection. One can only hope that 2025 will see the release of more Smirk goodness, as it’s shaping up to be a rather shitty looking year.