Diet Cig

Diet Cig are a two-piece indie rock/pop punk band from New Paltz, New York that started in 2014. As far as I know, vocalist/guitarist Alex Luciano had never played guitar or been in a band prior to forming Diet Cig, though drummer Noah Bowman had been active in a few bands before. One of which is Earl Boykins I believe, who were posted on this blog way back in its early days. Check 'em out.

Diet Cig play a fun, catchy brand of indie pop that focuses on bright chords and energetic drumming, matched with some quaint songs about the relatively mundane yet somehow dramatic life of a twenty-something. These songs will get stuck in your head no doubt, and fans of bands like P.S. Eliot will find them irresistible. Definitely recommended, enjoy.

Over Easy (2015)

1. Breathless

2. Pool Boyz

3. Scene Sick

4. Cardboard

5. Harvard

Sleep Talk/Dinner Date (2015)

1. Sleep Talk

2. Dinner Date

Swear I'm Good At This (2017)

1. Sixteen

2. Bite Back

3. Link In Bio

4. Maid Of The Mist

5. Leo

6. Apricots

7. Barf Day

8. Bath Bomb

9. Blob Zombie

10. Road Trip

11. I Don't Know Her

12. Tummy Ache

Do You Wonder About Me? (2020)

1. Thriving

2. Who Are You?

3. Night Terrors

4. Priority Mail

5. Broken Body

6, Makeout Interlude

7. Flash Flood

8. Worth The Wait

9. Staring Into The Sun

10. Night Terrors (Reprise)

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Justice

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Justice (not the French electronic duo). Four-piece hardcore band. Belgium. Formed in 2003, broke up in 2008. Brief reunion in 2013. NYHC-inspired. All the classics, Bad Brains, Cro-Mags, you name it. Good shit. Get into it. Enjoy.

Look Alive + Demo (2004)

1. Every Inch

2. On Thin Ice

3. Some People

4. A Light In The Dark

5. Look Alive

6. Another Way

7. Intro/Justice

8. Breakout

9. Desperate Fight

10. Give It Up

11. Right And Wrong

Justice (2005)

1. Elephant Skin

2. Confrontations

3. Without Face

4. Light In The Dark

5. Fish On A Hook

6. Outside Looking In

7. Lose Control

8. Every Inch

9. Born To Lose

10. Activate

11. Peace Of Mind

Up And Down (2006)

1. Up And Down

2. Push It To The Edge

3. Endtro

Pre-Order CD (2007)

1. Intro - Blacklisted (Breakdown)

2. From Now On (Underdog)

3. What If? (Supertouch)

4. House Of Suffering (Bad Brains)

Escapades (2007)

1. I Need Air

2. See Me Glow

3. Don't Tell Anyone

4. Unsure

5. Up And Down

6. Coming Down

7. Guilty In The Eye Of The Beholder

8. To Remind Me

9. Do You Know

10. Push It To The Edge

11. Oh How We Laughed

Live And Learn (2008)

1. Lived And Learned

2. A Quiet Pail

3. Meaningless

4. What Have We Become

5. Down And Under

Slow Bloom - Self-Titled

I know I don't normally do posts on individual albums like this, but I just had to make an exception for the phenomenal new Slow Bloom album. For one, the band has been a friend of the blog's for a while now. I reviewed their debut EP a few years back, which you can check out here, and was completely blown away by this band back then. Fast forward to the present day, and they're back and even better than before. They've gone through a few line-up changes, re-recorded the three songs on their EP, and wrote another three entirely new songs to create this new self-titled album we've got here.

In 20 minutes, Slow Bloom brings a refreshing energy to a familiar sound. Fans of the classics At The Drive-In and Nirvana will find a pleasant surprise here, mixed in with the noisy, raw, and visceral post-punk of modern bands such as Self Defense Family and Creative Adult. Slow Bloom blast through six songs of shouted vocals and twisting, distorted guitars that give these songs such a fury rarely heard on an actual studio recording. The production is phenomenal, it's got the raw energy of a live recording with the polished mix of a studio recording. If you can't already tell, what's so compelling about this band is that word that keeps coming up, ENERGY. It's pulsating, it's exciting, and it's intense. It's everything a punk/hardcore band should be, tied in with some amazing musicianship and very distinct and memorable songs to boot. From the manic chorus of "Teeth Marks" to the "Drain You"-esque noise bridge of "Vermiforms" to the wah-laden guitar solo of "Obscura Vision", Slow Bloom are an incredible band that I cannot recommend enough. This EP is one of the best you'll hear all year, so don't sleep on it.

Check it out on their Spotify or their Bandcamp (link is below). Enjoy.

Slow Bloom (2016)

1. Teeth Marks

2. Final Heaven

3. Vermiforms

4. Phantom Tantrum

5. Obscura Vision

6. Deep Space

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Forever Beautiful: A Collection Of Love For Orlando

Taken from the compilation's Bandcamp:

"This compilation is a love letter to the community of Orlando, FL. Following the tragic events at Pulse Nightclub on June 12th, we wanted to show our support and love for our LGBT community the best way we knew how; through music. The tracks on this album were all individually contributed by the bands and artists themselves; artists from Orlando, New York, California, England, and all over the globe. All proceeds from this compilation will be donated to support the victims of the Pulse shooting as part of the OneOrlando Fund (www.oneorlando.org) as a symbol of solidarity as our city rebuilds."


I had to share this, because it's for an amazing cause and it features a TON of bands that are already on this blog and I know a ton of people love. Some tracks are exclusive to this compilation (b-sides and demos and such), plus all the proceeds go to the aforementioned fund, so there is no question that this comp is worth every dollar you can spare to donate. Enjoy.

Forever Beautiful: a collection of love for Orlando (2016)

1. The Hotelier - Soft Animal

2. Foxing - Night Channels

3. Rozwell Kid - Sick Jackets (Demo Version)

4. Bad Religion - Change Of Ideas

5. Somos - Speak It's Name (Unreleased Demo)

6. Kevin Devine - Gieben

7. Dikembe - Awful Machine

8. Anthony Green - I'm Sorry For Everything I've Done

9. Ratboys - And (Demo Version)

10. Hesitation Wounds - Hands Up

11. Real Friends - Hebron

12. You Blew It! - Award Of The Year Award

13. Cayetana - Freedom 1313

14. Signals Midwest - Milkcrate

15. Allison Weiss - The Same

16. Superheaven - I've Been Bored

17. Turnstile - 7 / Keep It Moving (Live From Japan)

18. Pity Sex - Pin A Star

19. Dowsing - Feeling Better (Demo Version)

20. Rationale - Confines

21. Julien Baker - Rejoice

22. Into It. Over It. - 22 Syllables (Unreleased Studio Version)

23. Knuckle Puck - Wall To Wall

24. Taking Back Sunday - How I Met Your Mother (B-Side from Happiness Is)

25. PWR BTTM - Because My Body

26. Prawn - Old Souls

27. Title Fight - Dust Collector (B-Side from Hyperview)

28. Slingshot Dakota - Paycheck

29. Pinegrove - Old Friends

30. New Found Glory - Ready And Willing (Acoustic)

31. Julian - Hair

32. Petal - Left A Mark

33. The Menzingers - Deep Sleep (Alternate Acoustic Version)

34. Sorority Noise - Blissth (Original Demo)

35. Thin Lips - Never Again

36. Citizen - Weave Me (Into Yr Sin) (Live)
37. Tiny Moving Parts - Birdhouse

38. Half Waif - Overthrown

39. Turnover - Humblest Pleasures

40. Anti Flag - Close My Eyes

41. Chris Conley - A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)

42. Hemming - All I Want

43. LVLY - Receiver

44. Laura Stevenson - Claustrophobe

45. Tigers Jaw - Cluster (Cave People)

46. Katie Ellen - Wild Heart

47. Basement - Comfort

48. Henrietta - Not Done Yet (Acoustic)

49. Modern Baseball - Just Another Face

OneOrlando

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PWR BTTM

PWR BTTM are a two-piece punk/garage rock band formed in 2013 by Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce while they were attending Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The band really sets themselves apart as unique for being a "queercore" band, which basically means its members identify as queer and a lot of their lyrics touch upon the subject. That could open up a whole other dialogue, but this is a music blog and I'm going to stick to that. Long story short, it's amazing to see members of the LGBTQ community represented in punk, especially two people decked out in drag ripping through some amazing songs. The guitar is loud, the drums are pounding, and the melodies are catchy as hell. It's garage punk at its finest, and their debut LP Ugly Cherries is a great display of that. You just can't go wrong with these fun, loaded pop hooks and booming instrumentals. They're on tour with Pity Sex and Petal now, so check them out there if you can. Enjoy.

Cinderella Beauty Shop EP (2014)

1. All The Boys

2. Gendr

3. Kill All Assholes

4. Carbs

5. Trade

Republican National Convention (2014)

1. PWR BTTM - Hold Yer Tongue

2. PWR BTTM - Sacramento

3. PWR BTTM - bcmbd

4. Jawbreaker Reunion - The D 

5. Jawbreaker Reunion - Adventure Time

6. Jawbreaker Reunion - Andrew In Drag

Ugly Cherries (2015)

1. Short-Lived Nightmare

2. Dairy Queen

3. I Wanna Boi

4. Ugly Cherries

5. Serving Goffman

6. Nu 1

7. West Texas

8. 1994

9. C U Around

10. All The Boys

11. House In Virginia

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Terrible Love

Terrible Love are a five-piece melodic hardcore band from London, England that features members from other notable UK hardcore bands such as Goodtime Boys and Bastions. They released their debut EP in January of this year and it's garnered a ton of attention. It's comparable to other great modern hardcore bands like Defeater and More Than Life, who play a very emotion-driven and melodic style of punk, with an always-intense aggression to it. Change Nothing is a fantastic EP that I highly recommend giving a listen to, and look forward to whatever else this band does in the future. Not to mention they take their name from a song by The National, so what more could you ask for? Enjoy.

Change Nothing EP (2016)

1. Change Nothing

2. Mt. Misery

3. They Need You

4. Stone In Me

5. Sparrow

False Flag (2016)

1. False Flag

Doubt Mines (2018)

1. First Flowers

2. Torch The Fields

3. Separate Graves

4. Doubt Mines

5. A Better Light

Falsehoods: Unreleased Demos (2020)
1. Dose

2. Come To Harm

3. Sink

4. History Shall Not Be Kind

5. Maw

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La Luna

La Luna are a four-piece screamo/punk/hardcore band from Toronto, Ontario that formed in 2009. For the first few years of their existence they were known as Brain Fever. This changed in 2013 when they reissued their first LP, which had been recorded a year prior, and self-titled it under their new name. La Luna play a dark and aggressive brand of screamo akin to Ampere or Loma Prieta, with the technical side of things leaning towards Off Minor. They also remind me of one of my personal favourite screamo bands ever, Mahria (check them out), who also happen to be female-fronted and Canadian as well.

La Luna released a new LP earlier this year, and I cannot stop listening to this thing. It's solid front to back, and I'd go as far as to say it's my favourite screamo release of the year. Definitely check out their entire discography, catch them on tour if you can, and support them in any way you can. La Luna are a phenomenal band and definitely deserve recognition as being one of the best bands in their niche around now. Enjoy.

La Luna (2013)

1. You Can Take The Love Out Of Lover

2. Neverland

3. Words And Deeds

4. Never Talk, Only Shame

5. Winter

6. The Fool's Card

7. Destroy Everything You Love

8. Femme La Lune

Tour Cassette (2015)

1. Boys Club

2. Storm Song

Always Already (2016)

1. Empty Portrait

2. Outdoor Voice

3. House Party

4. Undreaming

5. Always Already

6. Father Time

7. Broken Heart Emoji

8. Withdrawal Of Consent

9. Seneca Falls Convention

10. West In Peace

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Humiliation

I found this band on Fucked By Noise's Midyear Roundup (check it and that blog here) and can't stop listening to this shit. Humiliation are a four-piece hardcore band from Phoenix, Arizona that presumably formed around 2014. They put out a four-song EP earlier this year that's just fucking incredible. It's this noisy catharsis with elements of post-punk dissonance. It's everything a punk band should be, raw and uninhibited. This is really good stuff, as is their demo and live shit. Plus something about their band name really resonates. I don't know what it is exactly, but the name stands out for sure. Get into it. Enjoy.

Live at Wallstreet (2014)

1. 4.28.2014

2014 Demo (2014)

1. Failure

2. Hypo Frontality

3. Humanized

4. Release

5. Fade

4 Track E.P. (2016)

1. "Serene" and "Low Hanging Fruit"

2. "Summer Wounds" and "Clear Conscience"

Laughing Wall (2017)

1. An Exit

2. Public Hell

3. Laughing Wall

4. Sprawl

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Necklacing

Necklacing are a four-piece hardcore/powerviolence band based out of Massachusetts. They put out this phenomenal cassette EP back in 2012, and it's a crime that I'm only getting around to posting it now. I guess they were inactive for a bit after, but have returned to playing shows since. Still, all we have is the EP and as far as I'm concerned, that's all we fucking need. It's 7 songs in 7 minutes of pure intense aggression and chaos. I'm not a massive PV fan, but this I can definitely get behind. They're female-fronted too, which is more than welcome to see/hear. Enjoy.

I (2012)

1. Criminal

2. Cannibal

3. Chemical

4. Disease

5. Icepick

6. _

7. Moira

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rationale.

Just recently I found out about this (thanks Daniel), and had to share it immediately because I'm sure it's a project of ton of people would be interested in. rationale. are an indie/emo project from Illinois featuring members of two very notable bands, which are Real Friends and Knuckle Puck. This EP released last December definitely bears a resemblance to them (mostly because both vocalists are on here), but also because the instrumentals kind of resemble the bands slower, more melancholic material. Though it was only meant as something fun for its members to do, it's a solid project overall and well worth the mere 10 minutes that it lasts for. Enjoy.

Confines (2015)

1. FBS

2. Hangnail

3. Confinement

4. Quarter Life

Bandcamp

toe

toe are a four-piece math rock/post-rock/indie band from Japan that formed in 2000. They've spent many years touring and building a fanbase in Japan, and continue to garner a larger fanbase with a recent signing to Topshelf. toe is a group of incredible musicians, just check out some of their live material on Youtube or whatever, it's phenomenal. Getting into a description of their sound is quite hard to do, since it is rather complex and experimental, but also quite melodic. They craft some gorgeous songs, and blend it with their intricacies.  They're a mostly instrumental band, though they started to include vocals the farther they've come into their career. If you're a fan of math rock, or even just amazing musicianship, I would highly recommend giving toe a listen. Enjoy.

Pele/toe (2002)

1. Pele - Drop Attack

2. toe - Velvet Blanc

Songs, Ideas We Forgot (2002)

1. Leave Word

2. I Dance Alone

3. 1, 2, 3, 4

4. Path

5. Yoru Wa Akeru

Re:designed (2003)

1. I Dance Alone (Light On Light Remix) (Kaida Shogo Remix)

2. Yoru Wa Akeru _re:desgn.d (Dave Lebleu Remix)

3. Leave Word ("Cigarette Papers" Mix) (Pele Remix)

4. Path (Mito Remix)

5. Past And Language (Nano Machine Remix)

6. Velvet Blanc

7. Path And Language

The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety (2005)

1. Hangyaku Suru Fuukei

2. kodoku no hatsumei

3. Tremolo + Delay

4. Mukougishi Ga Shiru Yume

5. All I Understand Is That I Don't Understand

6. C

7. Past And Language

8. Music For You

9. I Do Still Wrong

10. Metronome

11. Everything Means Nothing

New Sentimentality (2006)

1. Tsunagaru Haruka Achira

2. 1/21

3. New Sentimentality

4. Goodbye

5. Velvet Blanc

toe/Collection of Colonies Of Bees (2009)

1. The Faber

4. 繋がる遥か彼方 (Happy Birthday Little Jodie Remix)

Note: toe side only

For Long Tomorrow (2009)

1. ここには何もかもがあるし、何もかもがない

2. ショウシツ点よ笛

3. After Image

4. エソテリック

5. Say It Ain't So

6. Two Moons

7. モスキートンはもう聞こえない #1

8. モスキートンはもう聞こえない #2

9. ラストナイト (Album Version)

10. グッドバイ (Album Version)

11. You Go

12. Our Next Movement

13. Long Tomorrow

The Future Is Now (2012)

1. Run For Word

2. Tsuki Kake feat. Aco

3. Ordinary Days

4. The Future Is Now

Hear You (2015)

1. Premonition (Beginning Of A Desert Of Human)

2. A Desert of Human

3. Commit Ballad

4. The World According To

5. My Little Wish

6. Song Silly

7. Boyo

8. Time Goes

9. オトトタイミングキミト

10. G.O.O.D L.U.C.K

11. Because I Hear You

Our Latest Number (2018)

1. Dual Harmonics

2. The Latest Number

3. Etude Of Solitude

4. F_A_R

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Maximillian Colby

Maximillian Colby were a short-lived post-hardcore/screamo band from Harrisonburg, Virginia that formed in 1993 or 1994 and broke up in 1995 after a member of the band suddenly died. In the small amount of time they were a band, they released a 7", some songs that ended up on various compilations, and a split with the seminal Shotmaker (who I also advise checking out, they were one of the first bands on this blog). Their discography LP was first released in 1996, but the better-known version was reissued in 2002 by Lovitt Records. Maximillian Colby's sound was as intense as you'd imagine a Virginia hardcore band to be in the mid 90's, which is very intense. Their vocals are incredible, and were a clear influence on the development of screamo. Instrumentally, the band were very spastic, going from quiet passages to all-out frenzies in an instant. This is a hidden gem that unfortunately never got as much attention as they deserved, and I highly recommend giving them a listen. A few of their members also played in Sleepytime Trio, who are a bit better known than this project. Enjoy.

Discography (2002)

1. New River

2. Sifelaver

3. What's The Matter River?

4. Coughfin'

5. Shoot Hypotenuse

6. Bluestone

7. Petty Fix

8. Sparcly

9. Right Right Left

10. Cowboy Syndrome

11. Itt

12. Anacin

13. Last Name

14. Balance

15. One Gallon Alda

16. Chuck

Julien Baker

I couldn't agree more with the past few comments about a certain someone needing to be on here. It's an honesty travesty that I've neglected to include her on this blog for so many months now, so I simply can't excuse waiting any longer. Julien Baker is a singer-songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee who self-released her debut album on Bandcamp back in 2014. A year later it was picked up by 6131 Records and officially released as Sprained Ankle, and its caught a wildfire of attention.

These songs are gorgeously crafted, and the whole thing reads like a poet's diary. They are incredibly personal reflections on some heavyweight subject material. What Julien captures are some very tough and emotional topics and convey them in a simple, modest way. Much like her main influences Ben Gibbard and Elliott Smith, and all great writers for that matter, she can say a complex thing in a simple way. She's both very open and very relatable, making for a very personal listening experience, as I'm sure it is for a very personal playing experience. Her songs are accompanied by a very haunting, disparate guitar sound that borders the line between folk and ambient, which is obviously a very unique mesh. I can't say enough good things about her music, so just give it a listen if you haven't already and give her any kind of support where you can. Enjoy.

Sprained Ankle (2015)

1. Blacktop

2. Sprained Ankle

3. Brittle Boned

4. Everybody Does

5. Good News

6. Something

7. Rejoice

8. Vessels

9. Go Home

Audiotree Live (2016)

1. Sprained Ankle

2. Rejoice

3. Something

4. Go Home

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6131 Records