As soon as Quinn Flanigan‘s bass opens “Brain Feeder” on Dog Lips‘ second album, Danger Forward, you know you’re in for a good time. The song, and all the others on the record, is a no-nonsense rocker that has you pumping your fist in the air, banging your head, or shoving people out of the way (at least in your fantasies).
“Who Knows” is a warped post-punk (the guitars from Griffin Ritzo and Owen Shepcaro!) gem. “I Am” staggers around the room like it’s had a few pints and is getting treacherously close to starting a brawl. The whole band sounds like they’re playing in a fuzzed-out blizzard on “Gush.”
“Voicemail Bomb Threat” is a great call-and-response punk track with Tim Graff having a great time behind his drum kit. As wild as that is, “Human Hybrid” is even wilder. The title track reminds me of some of IDLES‘ cuts with its smashing guitars and drums and half-growled, half-sang vocals.
Then, “The Reason” slides into the room looking and sounding like the coolest thing in the place. It has a bit of a gothic touch to it and Ritzo’s vocals are almost buried in reverb. It shows that Dog Lips could make an entire psych-rock record if they wanted. “Last Ride” turns the volume and anger back up for one last assault that leaves you out of breath.
There is danger on Danger Forward. The danger is that it might cause you to start a mosh pit in your cubicle farm, the pub, the elevator, or anywhere else. Get in and hold on when you play it.
Today, noise-punk explorers Sunflowers announce their first release through Fuzz Club Records. A jagged, blown-out descent into psychological free-fall, ‘You Have Fallen… Congratulations!’ will be released on November 7th and finds the band refining their chaotic signature while letting go of structure altogether. It’s a record that refuses to look away from the madness of modern existence — choosing instead to laugh, scream, and contort itself into something stranger, louder, and far more unstable.
Sunflowers make noise like it’s a language of survival. Their sound blends blistering punk energy with layers of distortion, experimental chaos, and existential release — always teetering between catharsis and collapse. They are not here to comfort you. They are here to rip the floor out from under you. Their music is a living organism—loud, messy, and mutating in real time. Nevermore-so on this latest outing.
Today they share a first look at the album with the track “Chameleon Kid”. It sets the tone with a high-voltage rejection of social camouflage: a breakneck garage punk anthem for the misfits, channelling the chaos of identity in a world that demands conformity. It’s raw, noisy, and unapologetically wired, a middle-finger to social norms.
The accompanying video, directed by the band’s longtime collaborator Carolina Bonzinho, brings the track’s themes of identity and adaptation to life through experimental, and surreal animated visuals. Described by Bonzinho as “a wandering of camouflages”, the video expands on the shapeshifting energy of the song.
Sunflowers is a band from Porto, Portugal, that’s never afraid to evolve. Formed in 2014 by the duo of Carlos de Jesus and Carolina Brandão, the lineup expanded when Frederico Ferreira joined in 2018, further solidifying the unique chemistry that has become a hallmark of their sound. Just ask anyone who’s seen them live.
Their electrifying stage presence and primal intensity quickly caught the attention of the Portuguese underground, and before long, they were on a relentless tour, spreading their chaos across Europe like the plague in 1346. Their blend of punk, noise, and experimental rock has always pushed the boundaries of conventional genres—combining ferocious energy with introspective, often existential themes. “There’s always something to evolve within our sound,” says Carlos. “We’ve never been the kind of band to cosplay ourselves. We’re always reaching for what’s next.”
Their fifth full-length album, ‘You Have Fallen… Congratulations!’began as a collection of demos — raw, impulsive recordings laid down without any pressure or overthinking. But when the band listened back, they realized something was already there: something vivid, imperfect, and very much alive. “There was a tension and looseness in those early takes that we couldn’t — and didn’t want to — recreate in a ‘proper’ session,” says guitarist and vocalist Carlos de Jesus. “So we followed it, rather than trying to control it.”
That instinct led to a process that was both intuitive and relentless. There was no roadmap, no template — only a commitment to capturing the noise and nerve of the moment. Drummer and vocalist Carolina Brandão adds: “We were just reacting to life — to stress, to joy, to absurdity. All of that made it in.”
Across eight tracks, ‘You Have Fallen… Congratulations!’ pinballs between noise rock, punk, warped psych, and a sort of mangled pop sensibility. It’s loud and sharp-edged, but with moments of eerie restraint — like falling through a trapdoor into calm, then being hurled back into chaos. Feedback wails like sirens, drums slam, and the bass throbs like a pulse trying to keep steady. It’s a sound that’s constantly falling apart and reassembling in real time.
The title isn’t just tongue-in-cheek — it’s an existential shrug with teeth. A sarcastic trophy for surviving the disintegration. It’s the voice in your head that says, “Congrats, you made it… now what?” And while the album drips with anxiety and tension, it never gives in to despair. There’s a sardonic, almost playful undercurrent running through the whole thing — like dancing in the wreckage just to prove you’re still alive.
Lyrically, the record leans into the absurdity of trying to function in a collapsing world. It’s about burnout and performance, about identity and dissociation, about watching your reflection glitch in real time. But it’s also about the ecstatic joy that sometimes erupts through the cracks — the unfiltered scream, the moment of surrender that becomes its own liberation. “Sometimes the only sane reaction is to scream,” says Carolina. “But screaming can be joyful too. It’s a release.”
‘You Have Fallen… Congratulations! ‘is both a culmination and a reset: the sound of a band doing what they do best while completely reimagining what that even means. It’s raw, it’s restless, and it doesn’t sit still for a second. Sunflowers have never played it safe — and on this album, they don’t even pretend to. It’s music for the overwhelmed, the overcooked, and the perpetually undone. It’s a celebration of the fall. And if you’re going down, you might as well go down loud.
‘You Have Fallen… Congratulations!’, will be out on Fuzz Club Records on November 7th, 2025. Pre-order HERE.
Vacation‘s self-titled album is a wild one and chock-full of wild guitar, crazy drumming, roaring bass, punk attitude, and gritty garage-rock chaos.
“Fake It” is a ripper about imposter syndrome (“Well, you’d better be straight if you’re calling the shots, or you better fake it when you get to the top.”). Evan Wolff‘s bass on “Better Days” is so heavy that it feels like it’s going to knock down the walls. “Pile Up” seems to be about getting satisfaction when long-overdue karma catches up with someone. It’s as wild as a car crash, whereas “Try Harder” is almost an acoustic blues track with its subject matter and pace.
Don’t worry if that track puzzles you, because “Bleach Buzz” picks up the mania again and we’re bouncing around the dingy club and crashing into people and things in the process. If that track doesn’t induce a mosh pit, then “Co-Workers” certainly will. Peyton Copes goes bonkers with his guitar on it, practically causing an electrical overload. “People Watching” is almost an area rock anthem about regret and one of the biggest tracks on the record.
“Cop Knock” is about bullies and the disguises they barely keep up (if at all) to hide their inadequacies. “Golden Handcuffs” is a salute to blue collar workers breaking their backs and ankles to provide for their families. “Christopher Columbus Was Not a Hero” takes a hard look at the miseries of suburbia. “Sun and Moon (Wasted)” is, believe it or not, a love song, as is “Talk with Yer Hands” – which seems to be about craving a human connection instead of a cyber one (“You know we’ve got the infection when we’re dying to stay connected. You know we show no affection when we dwell in other dimensions.”).
“Cellophane” is a short one about adapting to change in a relationship (or about prescription meds…or both), and the closer, “Misbehavin'” is a call to a lover to engage in some fun trouble so as to create lifelong memories together. It’s a sweet way to end a loud, raucous record.
Vacation were recommended to me by Screaming Females, and I can see why. Both bands write and play loud, wild songs about the strange maze of relationships across the board. The band has been through a couple lineup changes since 2011, but this is a good ground-level entry point for them.
I discovered Menace while attending an Osees show at the 2024 Levitation Music Festival. The venue, Hotel Vegas, was playing Menace tracks during a break after Grocery Bag opened the show. I heard Menace’s classic “Carry No Banners” and thought, “How have I never heard this?”
Lo and behold, I went to End of an Ear Records in Austin that same weekend and found this Menace collection within moments after walking in the door. It’s a great collection of twenty-five tracks of classic British punk that barely takes a breath between songs. The mainstays of the band have always been the rhythm section of Charlie Casey on bass and Noel Martin on drums. The first eleven songs feature the “classic” lineup of Casey and Martin with Morgan Webster on vocals and Steve Tannett on guitars.
The first two songs, “Screwed Up” and “Insane Society,” pretty much sum up Britain and the world in general in 1977 with sharp lyrics like “If we’re the working class, why ain’t we got jobs?” “G.L.C.” (Greater London Council) is a vicious takedown of said body (“You’re full of shit!”), while “I’m Civilised” is a takedown of working stiffs who look down upon poor people (“Don’t you want to be civilised, too?”).
“I Need Nothing” and Casey’s bass-led “Electrocutioner” were produced by John Cale, no less. “I Need Nothing” is another direct rebuke to upper crusts telling oi punks and other youth they need to join the rat race and achieve certain status to be considered a success. It’s the same today as it was in 1977. “Last Year’s Youth” flips the idea that younger generations are lost onto its head and makes it to fingers up to those who believe it. “Carry No Banners” is a classic call to not make allegiances to causes that would just as soon kick you to the curb after you’ve served their purpose (and Tannett’s solo on it is a bit of fun).
Their cover of Cliff Richardand The Shadows‘ “The Young Ones” is perfect for them, turning the classic early 60s pop-rock tune into a snarling garage rocker. “Tomorrow’s World” “…is just around the corner,” so you’d better “Live for Today” – both songs being sage advice for any generation.
The rest of the compilation features the second lineup of Menace with John Lacey on lead vocals and Andrew Tweedie on guitar. Lacey’s vocal style is immediately different, and not in a bad way. It’s a bit more frantic, it seems. After all, they came back in 1999, nineteen years after Menace’s last album, and rightly proclaimed “Society Still Insane.” Next up are new versions of “G.L.C.,” “Insane Society,” and “The Young Ones.”
“Punk Rocker” has the band encouraging all of us to embrace our inner rebel. “I don’t give a toss if inflation is up or down,” Lacey sings on “C&A” – slapping people who pursue comfort while ignoring others’ suffering. The 1999 version of “Last Year’s Youth” stomps the gas and was important then and now (and in 1979). Their cover of “It’s Not Unusual” is a blast, with Casey’s bass going bonkers the whole time.
Another good cover is their version of “Oi! That’s Yer Lot,” originally done by German punk band Loikaemie. It’s a perfect one for them, as it’s about so many people being told (often by those better off than them) they’re stuck in their bad situation and nothing can be done about it since that’s just the way it is. “Bad Cards” is an embracing of that bad situation and rising above it.
2002’s “In Gods We Trust” is almost a grunge track as Tweedie’s guitar takes on a different kind of distortion. A different version of “C&A” follows, and Martin’s drums on “35 Bus” will start a mosh pit anytime you play the track, and Tweedie’s solo is like police sirens flying by you in a high-speed pursuit that’s probably going to end in a crash. The compilation ends with a good cover of The Ruts‘ “Babylon’s Burning.”
This stuff is essential if you’re a fan of punk, oi, or any music that makes you want to tell your boss to stick it or to stand up for the weak.
Levitation France moved to a new venue in 2025. It was still in Angers, France, but no longer at the La Chabada location. It was now at the Lac De Maine park on the lovely lake in Angers, right by this massive pyramid structure that appears to be a reception center, restaurant, or maybe some kind of New Age retreat. The stage was placed in front of it, and it was off-limits to festival attendees, but that was fine. We were there for the music.
We weren’t sure we were there at first, as we got off at the wrong bus stop and had to walk through a dried-up park to get to the main path leading to the festival. Angers, and the rest of France, was in the middle of a heatwave. The grass throughout the park and the stage area looked and often felt like shredded wheat.
Once there on the first day, we arrived about halfway through New Candys‘ set. I’d seen them in France a couple years earlier, and looked forward to catching them again. Their newest record, TheUncanny Extravaganza, is impressive, and their 2025 Levitation France set matched it with strong hooks and solid rock to power everyone through the heat and relentless sun.
New Candys from Italy
Up next was DITZ, who wasted no time in crushing eardrums. The mosh pit was wild, kicking up a massive cloud of dust sometimes as thick as the stuff coming out of the stage’s fog machine. They had one of the wildest, strongest sets of the festival, and the one-two punch of New Candys and DITZ was great. Their lead singer led the crowd to the lake, dove in, and came back covered in lake weeds to finish the set.
DITZ pre-swim.
We took a much-needed break, scored some merch, water, and pizza (Pickles on pizza? It kind of works.), and found a small sliver of shade for a little while. My neck got sunburned as many others stood either in the shade of the two trees nearby or in the shadow of the tall sound booth at the back of the venue.
We came back for Kadavar. I hadn’t seen the German rock giants since the second Austin Psych Fest I attended in 2014. The lead singer mentioned it was their first time playing a Levitation festival since then. I yelled, “I was there!”, much to the amusement of a guy next to me. They blasted our faces off, of course, playing everything from doom metal to near-prog riffs.
A great return for Kadavar to Levitation.
We made sure to take more breaks on the second day to avoid further sunburn and dehydration. The first set we caught was by Heartworms, who put on a neat show of goth rock, psychedelic guitar work, dark wave (Theremin!), and a bit of performance art. They were my girlfriend’s favorite set of the festival.
Heartworms affecting hearts and minds.
We caught part of bdrmm‘s set, but had to get out of the sun for a little while. We enjoyed some chicken tikka masala, booze, and lemonade, and came back to check out Bryan’s Magic Tears – another band I last saw at Levitation France. They’ve only gotten better, creating snappy shoegaze and dream pop for an appreciative crowd.
Bryan’s Magic Tears mixed with audience sweat.
The big set of the night, and the festival, for me was from The Limiñanas. I’d wanted to see them for quite a while and they rarely, if ever, get across the Atlantic Ocean. The French psych-rock legends didn’t disappoint us. They played a great set complete with classics, tracks from their new album, Faded, and even a cover of The Cramps‘ “TV Set.”
When you get a chance to see The Limiñanas in France, you go see them.
We stuck around for the first half of Boy Harsher‘s set. They dropped heavy dance beats, dark bass, and sultry sounds across the night and the water. We would’ve stayed for the whole thing, but we had an early train to catch the next day and public transportation back from the venue was minimal that late at night.
Nothing harsh about Boy Harsher’s set.
It was another fun year in Angers, despite the heat. I hope they’ll bring in some man-made shade next year if they keep it on the lake. One of the best parts about Levitation France is the opportunity to see so many bands who don’t get to tour outside of Europe much, if at all. All Levitation festivals are great ways to discover your new favorite band. We already plan to go back next year to discover more if the dates work out for us. See you there?
It’s odd that I haven’t seen a full concert in almost five months, so opening my 2025 concert season with one of my rock heroes seemed appropriate. The Bob Mould Band was playing an easy drive from my house, so seeing them for the third time, and in a small venue, was an easy decision.
First up were Winged Wheel, who described themselves as being “from multiple cities” and thus rarely getting opportunities to play and tour together. They played an interesting brand of psychedelia that mixed synthwave with trippy guitars, a violin, and even lap steel guitar.
Winged Wheel
They had a great sunset to provide a light show, and I thought, “They could play Levitation.” Their sound is unique and they all look like someone you know.
After about a twenty-minute gear switch, The Bob Mould band came out and got straight to business. It was the last show of their current tour, and they emptied the gas tank on the Bell’s outdoor stage.
They tore through the first group of tracks so fast that you could barely breathe. The crowd, mostly aging hipsters like yours truly, seemed a bit low key. The trio of Mr. Mould, Jason Narducy (bass), and Jon Wurster (drums) were roaring and few people were dancing at first. I think some were just overwhelmed by the tidal wave of sound coming at them. There were a couple songs when it felt like a mosh pit could, and should, have broken out. Three guys tried to start one for a moment, but one of the trio soon stopped it and calmed his pals down before it could form.
The Bob Mould Band was undeterred by this, thank heavens, and ripped through a lot of good stuff from their catalogue, both new (from their Here We Go Crazy album) and even a short set of tracks from 2020. Wurster was dropping some killer fills the whole night, and Narducy’s bass grooves were locked in the whole set.
Mould, go figure, shredded the entire evening with both his guitar and his voice. It’s wild to see and hear him create that much sound.
A highlight for me was them playing the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show near the end of the night. If you’re a fan of Hüsker Dü, then you know that cover was a staple of their early shows so it was a blast to hear that gem brought out to shine.
It’s great that these guys are still crushing it and that Mould is still putting out great music and showing youngsters how it’s done.
Keep your mind open.
Thanks to the chap who let me snap a photo of this set list he scored.
[Thanks to Jim and Mia at Big Hassle for the press pass!]
The press release I got for Fugue State‘s new album, In the Lurch, described it as sounding like it’s “broadcast through a warped transistor radio from another dimension.” That’s a good way to put it. It’s a wild album that blends punk, jazz, garage rock, and other things I’m still trying to define…but should I bother?
After all, vocalist and guitarist Shane Bruno has said that the lead track (and single), “Moot Point,” is “not meant to be taken entirely seriously” — even though it’s a song about questioning your place in the universe. Perhaps that is the moot point: We’re all floating on a speck of dust in infinite space, so why are we so worried about everything?
Gage O’Brien‘s opening bass on the title track is like the sound of a muscle car engine roaring to life. The rest of the track is that same car tearing through a junkyard wall. “The Pipeline” combines surf and psych along with some weirdo rock and makes a somewhat spooky brew. “Mundane Man” is bonkers, as Bruno shreds his guitar and rolls his eyes at a dude who can’t stop talking about himself.
Drummer Jonathan Hanson goes nuts on the punky-funky “I’ll Keep It in Mind,” making you want to sign him up for your next punk band. “Facts” sounds like Osees making a weird surf album. “Joie de Vivre” is wonderfully warped. Bruno’s guitar sounds like he’s running it through at least three pedals and maybe even an old sewing machine.
“Connecticut Girls” reminds me of Dead Kennedys with its distorted vocals about picking up girls and surf-influenced garage punk sound. “I Don’t Wanna Be Here” could be the theme of the day, week, year, decade, country, and / or planet. O’Brien’s synths (and the horns!) on the closer, “Abscess,” are a neat touch, taking the song back and forth from Hasil Adkins weirdness to Julian Cope-level strangeness.
This is one of the wildest records I’ve heard all year so far. I need to see these guys live. It must be bonkers.
Keep your mind open.
[I’ll be left in the lurch if you don’t subscribe.]
In case you weren’t aware, Seattle’s KEXP is one of the best radio stations out there for music lovers. Part of the reason is that they present so many great live performances from so many artists in different genres. They also host, and broadcast, full live concerts. Some of them are even released for us to consume afterwards, like the newest Live at KEXPrecord from psychedelic rippers Frankie and The Witch Fingers.
FATW go back to their (near) beginning by opening with the title track from their Brain Telephone album. Nikki Pickle‘s bass is a snarling beast, and it’s easy to lose track of whose guitar sounds like it’s already falling apart – Dylan Sizemore‘s or Josh Menashe‘s. Just when you think the whole song and set is going to be wild noise, they drop into their funk grooves that they do so well. “Futurephobic” starts and stops on a dime, leaving you a bit bewildered by the end.
“Syster System” struts around the stage like an unearthed Thin Lizzy track stretching its muscles and staking a claim on rock and roll. “Cops & Robbers” is almost a psychobilly track with the wild lyrics about bank robbery and Nick Aguilar‘s punk drumming, and then it dissolves / oozes into the slime-punky “Sidewalk.” “Weird Dog” snaps back and forth between garage rock funk and crunchy punk kerplunk that your neck might snap.
Jon Modaff is a welcome addition to the FATWF lineup on synths, and his work on “i-Candy” almost brings the band into spooky rock / haunted house terror music. In other words, more cool stuff the band pulls off with ease. The longest cut, “Empire,” has become a fan favorite of their live shows as it lets each band member shine at different times and always belts you hard in the chest.
The concert, and album, ends with “Bonehead” – a raucous rocker made for pogo-dancing and kicking down doors and, well, boneheads…and good grief, Menashe’s solo is manic. The whole song, and (again) the album, practically has you sweating just from hearing it. It, like seeing them in the flesh, will leave you invigorated.
“people person” is a new song from mclusky that they are sharing today, along with a video directed by remy lamont, which you can watch now if you like (https://mclusky.lnk.to/people).
This follows their recent announcement of their first album in 20 years: the world is still here and so are we (may 9, ipecac recordings).
Andrew Falkous says: “’people person’ is the song that gave me tinnitus, so asking me about it is really cruel. It’s probably about being overwhelmed by the world because that’s what all of our songs are about.”
As the song itself says: “a lot of people like to be wise after the event.”
It’s important to state that the world is still here and so are we is the fourth mclusky album (no qualification being needed). they had an asterisk next to the name for a bit – out of respect for past band members and the precious memorial glue of teenage musical crushes – but fuck that, in for a penny, in for a pound. lyrically it touches on subjects as rich and as varied as work-it-out-yourself and impenetrable-inside-joke-for-the-band, but one thing is clear, all of the songs have different words. all hilarious joking aside, the best songs are about things without being precisely about them. mclusky endorse this sentiment. they positively insist on it.
Album pre-orders are available now (https://mclusky.lnk.to/world) with the world is still here and so are we available on multiple limited-edition vinyl variants (marble vinyl and 180 gram black vinyl), an indie store exclusive clear vinyl, as well as a standard blue vinyl. the release is also available on CD and digital formats.
mclusky tour dates:
May 8 – wrexham, uk the rockin’ chair
may 16 – tourcoing, fr le grand mix
May 18 – brussels, be les nuits botaniques (w/ The Jesus Lizard)
May 23 – manchester, uk gorilla
May 24 – leeds, uk brudenell
May 29 – london, uk electric ballroom
May 31 – bristol, uk swx
January 6 – melbourne, au corner
January 9 – adelaide, au lion arts factory
January 10 – sydney, au factory theatre
January 11 – brisbane, au crowbar
Tickets for all shows are on-sale now with links available via ipecac.com/tours.
Two decades as one-half of the garage psych-pop duo Crocodiles confined San Diegan musician Brandon Welchez to the mid-fi n’ melodic end of the sonic spectrum, but his new project, Psychic Pigs, shows a different side with how the raw n’ bleeding hardcore punk and power pop bands on the Killed By Death compilations influenced his work just as much as The Jesus and Mary Chain has. Psychic Pigs certainly has a certain Robert Louis Stevenson novella angle to Welchez’s career, but the unhinged nature of the songwriting boils down to Welchez not sticking to his comfort zone.
Psychic Pigs was born from Welchez writing music he knew was too discordant for Crocodile’s poppy sound. Recorded in April 2024 over four days while in London with Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Career Suicide) handling the production helm and the drum kit, the project went Stateside with the goal mind of forming a band that could replicate the aggressive live sound captured on the recordings. Connections throughout the years proved fruitful as the live band rounds out with Fake Fruits, Surfbort, and Choir Boy members. The march of the Pigs begins this month in downtown Los Angeles on March 19th as they make their live debut at The Escondite with their record release show held at Permanent Records Roadhouse in late May. More dates are to come.
