Sophie's Floorboard: June 2023

Wednesday, 28 June 2023

Horsewhip

Horsewhip are a four-piece hardcore band from Saint Petersburg, Florida that started in 2017. Though the band's formation was recent, its members have been heavily active in the Florida extreme music scene for decades now. Horsewhip features alumni from incredible bands including Reversal Of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, Order Of Importance, Early Grace, and more. They fuse their road-worn expertise into dark, heavy and discordant hardcore that also pulls influence from crust punk and elements of prog metal (a la Mastadon). Both their self-titled and 2020 LP Laid to Waste are fantastic starting points, with neither one wasting anytime pulling their punches. They also put out an incredible split with Yashira back in January, with both bands contributing a single track each that collectively conjures up one of the most hellish landscapes crafted this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!

Horsewhip (2018)

1. Aver

2. Funeral Circus

3. Dropping Out

4. Dirtbag

5. Spill

6. The Road

7. Fires

Laid to Waste (2020)

1. Stillborn

2. Feast

3. Inertia Walls

4. Ruin

5. Pray For The Dead

6. Charnel House

7. Closure

8. Remission

9. Holy Lies

10. Lowlands

11. When It Comes

Yashira/Horsewhip (2023)

1. Yashira - Burial Mound

2. Horsewhip - Circadian Rhythm

Buy the 7" here:

Canada/International

USA

Buried (2023)

1. Buried

Consume and Burn (2023)

1. Cutting Through

2. Dissolve

3. Buried

4. Dark Matter

5. Pain

6. Plague Machine

7. Full Of Fury

8. Circadian Rhythm

Squid Pisser

Squid Pisser are a two-piece hardcore/noise rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 2022. They dropped their debut LP via Three One G and Sweatband Records earlier this year. If you're familiar with the former's roster, this band is a welcome addition to its distinct catalogue. It's harsh, chaotic, and noisy hardcore delivered at breakneck tempos with unpredictable rhythms. The band's turbulent, alien sound is rounded out by a laundry list of excellent features and collabortors, including members from bands as disparate as Melt-Banana, Punch, Tera Melos, The Locust,and Starcrawler. My Tadpole Legion is a fresh take on slimy noise rock, and makes for one of the most face-melting 20 minutes you'll probably hear this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!

My Tadpole Legion (2023)

1. Liquified Remains

2. Violence Forever

3. Marching For Trash

4. Everlasting Bloat

5. My Tadpole Legion

6. Both

7. Vibe Monster

8. Fuck Your Preacher

9. Lord Of The Frog

Sunday, 25 June 2023

Crochet

Crochet are a five-piece screamo band from Las Vegas, Nevada that started in 2022. Earlier this year, they released their debut EP, Birth Piece. From the opening fingerpicked arpeggios and softly spoken vocals of "Centennial", its clear this build-up is to draw you into something spectacular, which is what they deliver in the opening blast-beat frenzy of "Unsex Pledge". Right out the gate, the band establishes what sets them apart, with some very trebly guitars incorporating elements of math rock in the mix, and an intense dual vocal delivery. They soften things up in the latter half of the track, with that clean, trebly arpeggio sound they hinted at on their opener.

The band plows their way through crescendos of intensity and atmospheric noodling absolutely flawless, which hits its peak at the tail end of "Friends Who Just Sit And Breathe", which closes out with a surprisingly crushing riff that that burns away leaving what can only be described as white sax noise. It left a major impression to say the less, so do yourself a favour and check this out. Enjoy.

Birth Piece (2023)

1. Centennial

2. Unisex Pledge

3. Watcher--Heretic

4. Gibusong

5. Ancient Roman Candle

6. Friends Who Just Sit And Breathe

Army Of Ponch

Army Of Ponch were a four-piece emo/post-hardcore band from Gainesville, Florida that formed in 2001. They quickly released a demo, which was followed-up by their sole full-length, which came out on No Idea Records. The band also released an EP and a live split, but nothing since. Apparently they disbanded in 2006, but they've been playing occasional shows since 2010 at least. They were also set to record a new LP a few years ago, but nothing has surfaced yet.

Army Of Ponch are a tough band to nail down, as they exist at the crossroads of a real mix of sounds. They melded this raw, driving punk energy with the dynamic and melancholic influence of acts in the underground emo scene from the decade prior. Think a lot of octave chords and rumbling, melodic bass lines. Their vocals were often shouted, but could also switch up to incorporate some straight-forward melodic singing. I'm just rambling here, but if you're a fan of other No Idea acts such as early Planes Mistaken For Stars, Small Brown Bike, or Twelve Hour Turn, you should check this band out. Those aren't really comparisons, more just like bands that may have existed in the same sonic headspace. Enjoy.

Army Of Ponch (2001)

1. Those Old Hurts

2. Wellington, Ohio

3. So, You Told Your Friend I'm Some Kind Of Jet Pilot?

4. Americas #1 Snackcake

5 Go Lemming Go

6. I Spilled Another Drink In My Mouth

7. Résumé, That Still Sounds Weird To Me

8. Mantight (Red Thunder)

9. These Old Hurts

So Many You Could Never Win (2002)

1. Wellington, Ohio

2. Why Don't We Meet Tonight, We'll Sit On The Porch And Sing With Our Cans Raised High Arm In Arm Swinging Side To Side?

3. Foil Monkeys Or Bread Monkeys Either One

4. There's Shit On These Wings

5. Those Old Hurts

6. Go Lemming Go

7. America's #1 Snackcake

8. The Lively Lex Lopez

9. I Spilled Another Drink In My Mouth

10. Résumé, That Still Sounds Weird To Me

11. So, You Told Your Friend I'm Some Kind Of Jet Pilot?

Vs. The Curse (2003)

1. Where's My Miyagi

2. Joe Versus The Tornado

3. Could I Get More Employee In The Monitors?

Live At The Atlantic Vol 01 (2008)

1. Young Livers - Drinks Are Our Amnesty

2. Young Livers - Fair Well

3. Army Of Ponch - America's #1 Snackcake

4. Army Of Ponch - Could I Get More Employee In The Monitors?

Spotify

Apple Music

Facebook

Jasemine

Jasemine were a three-piece hardcore/screamo band from France that were active around 1994-1995. They shared members with other bands including Undone and Finger Print. Jasemine's output is incredibly small, with only four songs to their name, but those four songs have certainly left a lasting impact. They debuted with a demo in 1994, then released splits with Ivich and Elements of Need (both bands I'd also recommend) the following year. Jasemine contributed two songs to each of these splits, which were just re-recordings of the songs that had appeared on the demo. As far as emotional catharsis goes, Jasemine had that in spades. The vocals are screamed in such despair, with dynamic instrumentals that's as melancholic as it is raw and impactful. Highly recommended stuff, enjoy.

Demo (1994)

1. Silence

2. Heritage

3. Choix

4. Restriction

Ivich/Jasemine (1995)

1. Ivich - H.I.V.

2. Jasemine - Restriction

3. Jasemine - Choix

Elements Of Need/Jasmine (1995)

1. Elements Of Need - On 7

2. Elements Of Need - Industry Falls

3. Elements Of Need - I Bet You Look Great In Silicon

4. Jasmine - Heritage

5. Jasmine - Silence

Note: Credited as "Jasmine" on this release

Cayetana

Cayetana were a three-piece indie/pop punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 2011 and have been on hiatus since 2019. They put out two full-lengths, three EP's, and a split with Camp Cope in their time together. This is one of many bands that have been criminally absent for being posted on here for years, so now is as good a time as any to share them. If you're not familiar with them, they played a lyrical and energetic brand of power pop, with prominent, melodic bass lines influenced by Joy Division and New Order and raw guitar chords, leaving the emphasis on some incredible songwriting. Enjoy.