I can’t front and I won’t front — I have been a HUGE Post-Punk fan since growing up in SoCal during the 80s. I have to be honest, I missed so many classic shows from this genre because I was too focused on being a super Hardcore Punk kid. I was not alone, that’s how our Westside tribe got down during the 80s. Around ’84, I realized what time it was and started going to see the bands that I loved, like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry or Sisters of Mercy. What I loved and still love about Post-Punk is the many different sonic forms it can take. Case in point — check out these 4 new bands that are pushing the genre forward, but they all sound different.
INTERMISSION
Intermission’s new album POWER CORRUPTS is out now via Smoking Room Records. To say that I’m impressed would be a mammoth lie because this band has pushed my wig back! Imagine if Crass, Gang of Four, D&V, and At the Drive-In decided to collaborate on a project that sounded like no other — the outcome just might sound like Intermission. The rhythm section is to Post-punk what Sly & Robbie are to dancehall, their on-point presence shines on every track. All you have to do is blast their song “Ball in Chain” and y’all will become fans instantly! Here is a little secret: Intermission’s POWER CORRUPTS will make our end-of-year list — BIG FACTS! Is there one weak moment on this album? The answer is a huge HELL NO!
DESCRENTE
DESCRENTE’s O Tribunal dos Incautos tape out now via a world divided is beyond fucking good, it’s OUTSTANDING!!! I love how they have flipped Deathrock and Post-Punk into their dark sonic universe. I could hear them being played at the Batcave Club during the 80s for sure. All of their songs are intense and urgent AF while still being morbidly melodic. As I close my eyes, I have visions of RUDIMENTARY PENI shapeshifting into Bauhaus before walking the earth as Amebix then transforming into the audio brilliance that is DESCRENTE’s O Tribunal dos Incautos. I know for a fact this band will be on our EOTY Post Punk list!
Docile Bodies
Docile Bodies creates the kind of uplifting Post Punk that will have you saying, damn, I’m happy to be alive! Light Will Come Our Way is out now via the always-on-point à La Carte Records. As I lose myself in the bliss that is their song “Cathedral,” tears come to my eyes as I think about all of the loved ones I have lost. Docile Bodies’ anthems hit me deep down in my soul and put a smile on my face in the darkest times! I want this band to know that what they are creating matters and touches humans all over the world! If I could turn back the hands of time, I would have put them on the EOTY list last year. I might be a little late to the game, but I’m still a player, that’s why I’m turning y’all on to Light Will Come Our Way. Their tape is out now via Summer Darling Tapes.
LOCUST REVIVAL
LOCUST REVIVAL’s THE NEW CURE ALBUM out now via Summer Darling Tapes is a Post-Punk-Dreamgaze audio gem. To fully receive the magic that is this record, it must be listened to in full. Every song is a sonic world of its own. Imagine if The Cure, Pink Floyd (The Wall Era), and The Stone Roses decided to have an audio love child — the offspring would only be half as awesome as LOCUST REVIVAL. To create from this place takes courage and I respect them for creating Post Punk out of pure passion. I can’t front, Locust Haus sounds like Soup Dragons’ “Free” looking at the world through the eyes of Joy Division’s “Atmosphere”!
