After the watershed year that was 2023, 2024 is already shaping up to be another great year for good punk records. Less than a month in and we’ve already received a handful of contenders for best of the year, with Extraños Casos De La Vida Real by Vancouver/Mexico City’s PURA MANIA being my favorite so far. On their first release since 2017s “Cerebros Punk,” Pura Mania tear it up, channeling the energy and eccentricity of late 70’s west coast punk (included here is an excellent Spanish cover of the criminally underrated and under-recorded Screamers song “122 Hours of Fear”) and fusing it with Blitz-style guitar work, leaning into it hard on second track “El Mundo Al Reves.” A three way split release by Discos Peligrosos (Japan), Roachleg Records (NYC) and CV Recs (Mexico), expect to see this one on some best of year end lists.
