Album Review: Dread by Hot Knife

Brooklyn, New York’s Hot Knife came together when bass player Vic Castello and guitarist Ryan Weber were at a bar talking about how they wanted to start a new band. It so happened that Vic, new vocalist Luke Taylor and Ryan knew a drummer named Matt Ferraro (Candy Hearts) and Hot Knife was born. It can be that easy. This was in 2015 and since then they have released a single and two EPs. Their latest EP is titled Dread and was released in April 2020 on Black Numbers Records. In case you haven’t realised yet, that’s what we’re reviewing today.

Dread begins with the song Rude. If this is your first time listening to Hot Knife, like it was mine, then you’ll be greeted with a punk rock style that is verging on skate punk. I’m slightly reminded of Pennywise here, particularly in the vocals. It’s a mid tempo track with the verses providing the song’s energy and drive and the chorus being the moment that will get a crowd singing along – fists held high in the air. A solid start to the EP and a great introduction to Hot Knife. The second song it titled Space Weapons. On this track, Hot Knife mellow out slightly with a poppier sounding song. Luke’s vocal becomes softer showing a vulnerability to Hot Knife as he sings about his anxieties. This makes the song really relatable for anyone going through similar issues. During the track, there’s a great section that seems to show a big Descendents/ALL influence that I really enjoyed.

Track three, Top 10 Habits Of Highly Successful People, was released as a single before Dread came out. It is about how people who are seen as been higher up in society very often look down on people who aren’t as successful as they are. Perhaps inspired by Lookout Records era pop punk, Hot Knife show off another string to their bow here. The penultimate song is titled Rippin Buds, Rippin Buds. Things get a bit harder and more intense here. It’s only a short song with a snappy, pounding background. After the intro, I kind of expected it to go into a fast paced hardcore song but the band show a great amount of restraint and keep it reigned in. The final song, First Street, sees Hot Knife return to the pop punk style that they do so well. It’s a super accessible, kind of easy listening style that even people who – for some reason – aren’t fans of punk would enjoy. There’s a bit of a sombreness to the vocals, particularly in the verse. The chorus seems to get a bit more upbeat which will encourage listeners to sing along.

I discovered Hot Knife and Dread thanks to Bandcamp day a few weeks ago and I’m very pleased that I did. It’s a bit of throwback to a style I really enjoy but doesn’t feel dated at all. Given the names involved with this band, it’s no surprise that this is a really good band and I look forward to seeing what’s next for them.

Stream and download Dread on Bandcamp here.

Like Hot Knife on Facebook here.

This review was written Colin Clark.

Video Premiere: Bazook Blaze by Trophy Jump

Today we are super excited to bring you the first look at our friends Trophy Jump's new video for the song Bazooka Blaze. The track originally appears on the bands split with afewyearslater and can also be found on CPRW Records Supports Music Venue Trust. The video for Bazooka Blaze was put together by Martin Bajsić.

Like Trophy Jump on Facebook here and follow them on Bandcamp here.

Album Review: 42 Losers by Melanie

It’s always nice to discover bands from parts of the world that aren’t your first thoughts when looking for punk rock. I’m not familiar with the New Zealand punk scene at all so it was a great surprise when I discovered Melanie whilst trawling through Bandcamp Discover. The four piece are from Auckland and formed after playing “shitty pop punk covers” at a house party. On May 1st they released their debut album titled 42 Losers. After previewing it a little, I was very impressed and couldn’t wait to hear more.

42 Losers begins with Hollywood. After quite a long jangly, distortion filled intro, it builds up to James Dentice’s raw vocals opening up the song. Those vocals were a really startling way to begin the album and had me interested to see where it would go. As the track progresses, the vocals get a bit cleaner but there are flashes of intensity that keep you invested. Playing their own take on the Midwestern emo/punk sound, this opening track really shows you what Melanie are all about. I loved the energy that the second song, Collide, brought to the table immediately. The track begins with some high tempo vocals and a subtle guitar part, that it slowly joined by some drums and then the whole band before we get to the main portion of the song. Things are slowed down slightly after this attention grabbing start. From then on, I found myself captivated by the song and particularly the structure of the vocal delivery. There’s this fantastic melody that you can’t help but want to follow along. The song then ends with a long and grungey finale. The third track sees Melanie change things up with a happier and sunshine filled song name Dead Starlet. The highlight of the track is undoubtedly the chorus which you will be singing along with very soon. Even though the song sounds quite happy, obviously with this being an emo band it isn’t. Dead Starlet is about not having enough time with someone who you cared deeply for and struggling to deal with that.

Year Six Speeches is probably my favourite track on 42 Losers. It has a long and impressive intro with Joe Gasparich’s drums really standing out before things get a little quiet and the vocals come in with a bang. At this point, I’m a bit in love with James’ rawer vocal style and how he can so effortless flit between the raw and clean style. This is an insanely catchy song that will lodge itself in your head pretty quickly. Try not singing along to this track, it’s very hard. The middle section of 42 Losers contains two songs that are nearly five minutes in length. The first is Bill’s Riff which I’m guessing is named after the impressive bass line that William Dentice plays throughout the song. This is a slower song that rumbles along and features some longer musical interludes. This all adds to the ride that Melanie take you on during the track. The song is about being on the verge of a mental breakdown and trying to get help to calm you down. As the song progresses, the vocals become more intense which creates some great imagery for the level of the breakdown. Kachow! begins with a short audio clip of a somebody asking for a “fro-co” which is a frozen coke. I have literally no idea what this has to do with the song but I did find it amusing. Kachow! really allows Melanie to show off what an impressive group of musicians they are as it’s mostly instrumental. There are two short verses during the song but it’s really a vehicle to show how talented they are.

The seventh song is No Shoes. No Shoes was used as the lead single for 42 Losers and it’s clear to see why. It’s an uptempo song that you can jump and dance around to as well as a track that will get stuck in your head. It’s also super relatable as it’s about dealing with the anxieties about growing up. The band also made a lockdown video for the track which you can find here. Triple Knot is up next. Perhaps more so than any other song on 42 Losers, Triple Knot plays around with tempo and melody a lot during the track and this makes it a very interesting listen. At times, you don’t know whether you’re coming or going and not don’t know what’s going to happen next. The unpredictable nature of the song plays in with the overall theme of self doubt that plays out during the track. The penultimate song is titled Half To Death. Half To Death is a completely instrumental track that’s eerie and atmospheric, takes you on a series of highs and lows and it generally an epic listen. 42 Losers is finished with Maude St. I did a little Google and discovered Maude Street is an actual place in Auckland so I can only assume that this song is based on true events. This track sees Melanie amp the tempo back up to conclude the album with an energetic flourish. Except that’s what you’re thinking until things slow right back down for the ending of the song and it just fades out. It very much feels like a ‘to be continued’.

Emo/punk isn’t usually my go to when I’m picking something to listen to but I can see myself going back to 42 Losers again and again. Melanie could be considered one of the bright new bands in the emo scene. If they were based in the northern hemisphere I could see them on the same line ups as bands such as The Menzingers, Spanish Love Songs and Joyce Manor and other top bands in the genre. Hopefully one day, they’ll find their way to this part of the world and we can enjoy what I can only imagine is an exciting Melanie live show.

Stream and download 42 Losers on Bandcamp here.

Like Melanie on Facebook here.

This review was written Colin Clark.

Video Premiere: Large Island Iced Tea by Swayze

Today we are immensely proud to bring you the first looked at the new video for Large Island Iced Tea from Canadian punks Swayze. Large Island Iced Tea is the third track from Swayze's 2020 EP St. Angry. The music video was directed, filmed and edited by Swayze's friend Jason Hamill and features Skylar of THE FAPS in multiple roles, most of which include him throwing garbage at the band.

St. Angry is available on all streaming platforms and available for purchase on Swayze's Bandcamp page.

https://linktr.ee/swayze
https://vimeo.com/jasonhamill
https://thefaps.bandcamp.com/

St. Angry is the newest EP from Saskatchewan-based dad punk band Swayze. St. Angry sees the band bring together elements of melodic hardcore, punk rock and pop to form a set of five aggressive, yet melodic, tunes. Lyrically, the band are as dismal as ever, using the EP as a means of catharsis for the members’ feelings of depression, anxiety and self-hatred.

Top Tens: Ten Music-Based Podcasts For Your Lockdown Listening (by Emma Prew)

I am really into listening to podcasts at the moment. In fact, in the last week I have listened to barely any music but have enjoyed hours and hours of podcasts. I’m an editorial designer – currently working from home – and podcasts are great to listen to whilst typestyling or laying out pages of a book. (I do have to pause when it comes to reading and replying to emails or for video meetings, of course.) Podcasts keep me amused, entertained and educated on a daily basis and, I think particularly due to being in a room by myself for most of the day, they also help me to feel less isolated.

This is going to be a two-part series – first looking at music-based podcasts and then I’ll share some of my favourite non-music podcasts next week.

101 Part Time Jobs

Hosted by Giles Bidder of Dangers Of Love (and formerly Great Cynics) fame, this podcast features interviews with both established and independent artists. As you can probably guess from the title of this pod, 101 Part Time Jobs focuses on the jobs that people have done off stage in order to support their musical career on the side. It definitely shows another side of being in a band that music fans don’t really consider. The recent episode with Jamie from Aerial Salad is very, very good.

Listen on Spotify here.

Angry Grrrl Music Of The Indie Rock Persuasion

This podcast, hosted by Amanda Starling, is centred on women, LGBTQIA+ and people of colour within punk rock and indie music. Each episode of Angry Grrrl Music Of The Indie Rock Persuasion is around an hour long and tends to feature a discussion with a particular musician. It’s in depth but also feels like a relaxed conversation between friends. Episodes over the past couple of months have featured Bad Moves, Pity Party, Mint Green and Worriers. Also be sure to check out @angrygrrrlmusic on Twitter.

Listen on Spotify here.

Dammit Presents: A(nother) Podcast

One good thing to come from COVID-19 and lockdown has been brand new podcasts. Phil Morton, Glasgow-based promoter behind Dammit Presents, released the first episode of A(nother) Podcast with Graham and Sean of Goodbye Blue Monday in April which was a lot of fun. The latest episode, number five, is a conversation with Rich and Phoebe from Happy Accidents discussing their new album Sprawling. Also, there’s a punk cat as the podcast’s logo so…

Listen on Spotify here.

Desert Island Punks

A CPRW favourite, Desert Island Punks is a podcast hosted by Jake McAllister of Sunliner. Each episode sees Jake ask a particular punk which five albums, one book and one ‘luxury’ item they would take to a hypothetical desert island. Obviously the desert island discs concept isn’t a new one but it’s interesting to hear what punk musicians have to say on the subject – often their album choices aren’t typical ‘punk’ either. It’s worth checking out episode 20 where Jake’s sister Ellie asks Jake about his own list, as well as episodes with Kay of Specialist Subject Records and Emmett of Pkew Pkew Pkew.

Listen on Spotify here.

Going Off Track

Originally started way back in 2012 by Jonah Bayer, Steven Smith and producer Brad Worrell, Going Off Track is a weekly podcast that is currently hosted by Benny Horowitz of The Gaslight Anthem alongside Worrell. I cannot claim to have listened to even a fraction of the Going Off Track back catalogue but would recommend the episodes recorded and released during lockdown as being top listens. Episode 310 with Jeff Rosenstock is the first of these lockdown episodes and they discuss the initial realisation that COVID-19 was (and is) a big deal.

Listen on Spotify here.

James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds

This is the least ‘punk rock’ podcast on this list but it’s James Acaster and love James Acaster. In case you don’t know, he is a comedian who has recently documented his 2017 mental health ‘breakdown’ and the 2016 albums that helped him to get better in the form of a book – Perfect Sound Whatever (yes, that is a Jeff Rosenstock reference). The podcast features one of these albums per episode and James is joined by fellow comedians to discuss the album. It’s great to hear how passionate he is about music, regardless of genre.

Listen on Spotify here.

Road To The Skeleton Coast

If you’re a big fan of The Lawrence Arms then you’ll probably be hyped for their forthcoming album, Skeleton Coast. In preparation for the release, Brendan Kelly has been sitting down with Tim Crisp to talk about the records that came before it. And that’s not limited to The Lawrence Arms – three recent episodes were all about Slapstick. These are not quick listens as almost all episodes are well over 2 hours long but if you’re a big fan of Brendon Kelly then Road To The Skeleton Coast is essential listening.

Listen on Spotify here.

Shout Louder Podcast

You probably know Shout Louder as being an excellent punk rock blog but did you know that they have some thoroughly entertaining podcasts up on Soundcloud as well? The podcast is, of course, hosted by Shout Louder mastermind and our good pal Sarah. Since 2018, she’s been in conversation with, among many others, Faintest Idea, A Wilhelm Scream, Goodbye Blue Monday and Eat Defeat, as well as doing several festival special episodes. There’s only been a couple of new episodes this year but the back catalogue is well worth delving into.

Listen on Soundcloud here.

Talking Records

This is a relatively new one for me as it was actually Colin who was recently listening to this podcast – but I was in the room and paid attention too. Talking Records is hosted by Jed Dion and features a selection of re-occurring guests who join Jed to talk in great detail about a particular album. They talk about the history and context of the album and analyse it track by track. The episode we listened to was about Operation Ivy’s Energy with special guest Mike Park of Asian Man Records.

Listen on Spotify here.

The Wasting Time Podcast

Like Desert Island Punks, The Wasting Time Podcast is a CPRW favourite. Hosted by Chris and Nick, this podcast features interviews with a variety of musicians in the alternative music world, particularly those that fall into the pop punk sub-genre. Each episode usually starts with Chris and Nick discussing new releases that they’ve been enjoying or any gigs that they’ve recently been to (not so relevant for lockdown episodes), before they interview their guest. Personally I enjoyed the episode with Craig Shay of Cold Wrecks from January this year and past episodes – note: plural – with Burnt Tapes have been great.

Listen on Spotify here.

Bonus: Since I initially wrote this top ten a couple of weeks ago, those wonderful folks at Specialist Subject Records have launched a new podcast of their own. Titled Flick Through, they released their second episode yesterday and I’ll most likely be checking it out today.

Listen on Spotify here.

Do you have any favourite music-based podcasts yourself that I’ve not mentioned and should check out? Let us know!

This top ten was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Oppositional Defiance by The Raging Nathans

The last time we reviewed The Raging Nathans on CPRW was their 2018 album Cheap Fame. Since then, they’re released splits with Dead Bars, Starter Jackets, Parasites and Jon Cougar Concentration Camp as well as compilation of all of their 7”. Not a band that like to rest, now they are getting ready to release a brand new full length titled Oppositional Defiance on Rad Girlfriend Records (USA) and Brassneck Records (UK), on 24th July. One of the hardest working and most prolific pop punk bands in the scene, when this arrived in my inbox I was very excited to check it out.

The album starts with Tragedy Ghouls: An Introduction. As you should have guessed, this is an introduction for the album. Layered over the top of a pop punk song, there are audio clips of news pieces talking about gun violence. It’s a startling but powerful way to start the album and really makes you think. Following this, the album begins properly with the song One Day Closer. This is a fast paced and frantic song that hooked me in immediately. The song manages to keep its tempo throughout and remains super engaging for the whole duration as well. Despite the tempo, it’s still super catchy and will receive some huge sing-alongs – assuming people are fit enough to keep up with the vocals. The song is about being angry with your place in life and not being able to change that. The chorus is one that I’m sure is relatable for a lot of people, “every day I’m alive I’m one day closer to death.” Where Ya Been? has a throwback 90s sound to it and is definitely a song for the summer. There’s an upbeat breeziness to the song that put a smile on my face. On the track, The Raging Nathans sing about getting reacquainted with an old friend and seeing a change in them. I’m sure that we’ve all experienced that. When looking over the track list before I listened to Oppositional Defiance, the next track, Don’t Miss The Train, stood out to me. I wondered if it was a No Use For A Name cover. It’s not. It is however a smashing track that shows off a more restrained Raging Nathans. The wings are mostly clipped with everything feeling sharper and to the point on the track. It’s about looking back on the things you did when you were younger and deciding it’s best to leave them there.

Parole Violation sees The Raging Nathans go down a different route. Turning everything up to eleven, including their anger – this is a full speed hardcore song and I love it. It’s full of passion and energy and will certainly get a circle pit going whenever they play it live. The track really allows Christian Roerig to show off just how good he is as a bass player with some great rumbling basslines pushing the song forward. The sixth song is titled Signals. Reverting back to the band’s more traditional pop punk sound, Signals is about the frustration of not being able to read people and feeling bad about it. There’s such a slickness to the song. It feels like a lot of time has been spent crafting these songs so they’re perfect. The backing harmonies in particular are a superb touch on the song. It’s a subtle extra layer that brings a lot to the track. Outside wastes no time in getting started. During the track, lead singer Josh Goldman sings about feeling ostracised and asks if you know what that’s like, as well as wanting to find a way of fitting back in. There’s a definite 90s skate punk feel to the song, particularly No Use For A Name who always edged towards the poppier side of skate punk. Up next is You Are Not Me. This was one of my favourite tracks on Oppositional Defiance. It’s about those people who always have a better story than you and look to one up everyone. What The Raging Nathans are saying is that those people are jealous of what you’ve achieved by yourself. The song has a great barroom sing-along feel to it; arms wrapped around your friends, fists in the air shouting as loudly as you can – a great time!

The ninth song is titled Big Mouth. Big Mouth certainly has a feel of The Copyrights about it with the buzzsaw like guitars and big gang vocal chorus. There is an in your face nature to the song that fits the song’s theme perfectly. It’s about, like the chorus states, having a big mouth and not being able to shut up. This is such a catchy chorus that you will be singing for days after listening to the song. Stargazing is about missing your loved ones, perhaps due to being away on tour. This is one of the poppiest songs on the album, showing off a softer side of the band. The song is quite a simple and repetitive one that you will latch on to quickly – this really made it stand out on my first listen of the album. I enjoyed the irony of the harmony during the line “so alone”. The penultimate track on the album is titled Old Blood. Old Blood really brings the pace back up. Opening with some rapid fire vocals and an uptempo melody, it gives the album an adrenaline shot just as it begins to finish. Musically it’s relentless from start to finish with the vocals supplying most of the melody. Oppositional Defiance is finished with Spoiled Brat which originally appeared on their split with Parasites. Making sure to finish the album with a bit of a flurry, the song has quite a long intro that builds into some of the most passionate vocals on the album. The song is about not appreciating what you have and what you’ve done and then realising that that is a stupid thing to be doing.

Oppositional Defiance is another superb addition to The Raging Nathans discography. It could be, in fact, their best release so far. It is definitely one of the best pop punk records of 2020.

Pre-order Oppositional Defiance on Bandcamp here.

Like The Raging Nathans on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Facing Reality by Stuck Lucky and Still Alive

Today I’m excited to review a skacore split brought to you by the fantastic folk from Bad Time Records and featuring Nashville’s Stuck Lucky and Still Alive from Chicago. The split came to my attention because it was released by Bad Time Records and I’ve featured Still Alive a number of times before. This was my first exposure to Stuck Lucky though (the beauty of a split release) and I was excited to find a new favourite band.

Stuck Lucky take on the first side of the split with the song Spells And Tails. This was my first experience of Stuck Lucky and I was instantly impressed. The band starts the song by quickly building things up, with each instrument coming in adding something different to the sound. When the vocals come in I’m kind of reminded of Sweeney Todd who sang for The Dead Pets and Everybody Out (that might be a niche reference). Kind of an intense street punk style is the best way of describing it. The song also features plenty of gang vocals and harmonies and the band manage to give the song a spooky an ominous feel. It feels as if Stuck Lucky have their own unique style and I’m into it. Close 2 Hell is a twenty six second noise track that, if I’m honest, I’m not really sure of the point of. Father Mercy gets things back on track though. The tempo seems a bit slower but the vocals feel much more intense and really pull you into the song. I was surprised to learn that Stuck Lucky only have one brass player, the trombone sounds massive and adds so much to the song. Stuck Lucky’s third song is titled Like A Possum. This is a very trombone heavy song and is perhaps my favourite on this half of the split. The trombone will get you dancing whilst the fantastic amount of gang vocals will get you shouting along with the band with your fist held firmly to the sky. Stuck Lucky’s final track is probably the most traditional sounding skacore track on their side of the split. For the first time they use two vocalists trading off lines. This is something I always enjoy. It keeps the song sounding fresh and adds plenty of energy. It also features some superb harmonies that I’m always such a sucker for.

Still Alive kick off their half of the split with Razor Blades. The song starts off quietly before exploding into life. Still Alive certainly lean heavily on the hardcore side of the skacore genre in their music and this is evident immediately, though they do implement little bits of ska and reggae during the track. The song is politically themed, tackling the subject of why do we do what are leaders tell us to when we know they are corrupt. I really liked the line “how can we rise with our feet in cement.” 24 Hours begins with an audio clip of running water before a heavy bass line begins to build up the song. Here, Still Alive show off their reggae influence for the majority of the song before it builds into the more hardcore side of their sound. It’s interesting that the band manage to blend two genres that aren’t natural bedfellows so easily. Switchblade Architect is a five minute long post-hardcore song. The song begins in a relentless fashion, with Still Alive melting your face off. As the track progresses, they add some melody and a fantastic guitar solo with another dash of reggae before finishing as relentlessly as they began. If you want a song that will have people losing their minds in the pit then this is the one for you. The penultimate song on the split is named Exposed. Changing things up, now the band play a just over two minute track that packs in so much ferocity you can’t fight the urge to get those devil horns high in the air. We finish with Ransom Note. This is a song about how so many people die in the USA because they can’t afford to pay health insurance. Coming from the UK where we’re very lucky to have the NHS, it’s shocking to me that anyone has to pay for healthcare. It’s disgusting. This was probably the song that hit me hardest on the split and it’s a perfect choice for a final track as is leaves you walking away outraged about this situation.

Listening to this split on a sleepy Tuesday morning really woke me up. Having both bands on this split was a great idea. They work well together but also are different enough that they add variety to the split. I was already a fan of Still Alive before this split but I’m now keen to check out more of Stuck Lucky. I guess that’s the point of a split release.

Stream and download Facing Reality on Bandcamp here.

Like Stuck Lucky on Facebook here and like Still Alive on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.