Words by Jim Testa
Jim Testa founded the highly influential zine, Jersey Beat in 1982 which he continues to edit to this day. Through writing for his own publication and a number of other outlets, including as a staff writer for Hudson County’s Jersey Journal, he has championed local, regional and national up-and-coming bands. Punk has always shunned credentials, but rest assured that Jim won’t lead you astray.
HOME RUNS
CINEMA CINEMA – Mjölnir (Nefarious Industries)
Cousins Ev Gold (vox, guitar) and Paul Claro (drums) started playing as Cinema Cinema 15 years ago. That’s a lot of noise for two guys to make, so for their seventh album, the duo added percussionist Thor Harris (Swans)… and apparently went completely insane. “Mjölnir” turns CC’s confrontational cacophony of screams, tortured guitars, and pounding percussion into a full on psychotic break, a roiling symphony of suicidal ideation, murderous rage, and mind-altered conversations orchestrated with Harris’ spooky barrage of analog synths. Not for the timid or frail, this musical mindfuck should be played loud and alone.
MAN ON MAN – Provincetown (Polyvinyl)
As LGBTQ+ freedoms are threatened by a Republican party that’s turned homophobia into a campaign plank, Roddy Bottum (best known as Faith No More’ and Imperial Teen’s synth wizard) and his partner, guitarist/vocalist Joey Homan, push back by eschewing stereotypes, tropes, and preconceptions. This is fiercely intelligent, grinding post-rock that has a lot more on its mind than giving the finger to Ron DeSantis. Much of “Provincetown” (named after the resort getaway known for its gay sub-culture and nightlife) speaks to the LGBTQ community; “Piggy” delves into Grindr dating; the pulsing “Showgirls” celebrates the diversity of queer nightlife (its video showing a gay moshpit); “Haute Couture” recounts being mugged in a safe space (“They took everything, got drinks while we played, ‘Cause they’re waitin’ on the drag queens, but it’s all the same.”); the impressive “Kids” chides older gay men who can’t relate to non-binary youth: “Take a minute to get with the pronouns, take a minute to listen to kids.” All this to tracks that pound, pulse, sashay and, yes, rock with authority.
STRIKE TWELVE – Last Band Standing (Thousand Island Records)
“It’s not a phase, this is who we are,” boast San Diego/Temecula punks Strike Twelve on the opening salvo of their latest album, and they’re not kidding. These guys have been gutting it out for over 20 years without a whole lot to show for it except, one assumes, a shitload of fun. And that’s pretty much what they deliver on “Last Band Standing.” Fast and catchy gang-vocal tunes mixing that old school Epitaph Records sound with some NOFX snot and Bouncing Souls bro-fulness. The musicianship impresses without seeming showy and a strong sense of humor (“Smart Phone, Stupid People,” “Baseball Bat”) never hurts. If you don’t live within a few hours drive of San Diego, these mooks may have sailed under your radar, but hey, that’s why we have the Internet.
PARDONER – Peace Loving People (Bar-None Records)
First came Dinosaur Jr. and the Lemonheads, followed by Pavement, then the movie “Slacker;” by 1991, slacker rock was a thing… and apparently still is, judging by the delightfully low-key, laidback, yet resolutely punky fourth album from San Francisco’s Pardoner. Vocalist Max Freeland brings a blasé attitude that sounds like he can barely be bothered to stay in tune, but then explodes into a frenzy of hardcore energy midway through “Are You Free Tonight?”, which opens the album following a brief, fakeout instrumental. The band’s wiry (and I’ve used this pun before, but Wire-y) post-punk riffage and a barrage of earwig melodies prove riveting, as does the band clever, arty (and art-obsessed) often self-deprecating lyrics. Standout tracks: The spoke/sung anti-Gen Z diatribe “Love Yourself And Others,” the nihilistic “Short Song,” and the anti-military “Cruel Gun.”
EXTRA BASE HITS
McRACKINS – Wake The Fun Up! (Mom’s Basement Records)
Remarkably, this is the 17th album from Vancouver, BC’s McRackins, but the first since 2010, recorded individually at home during the pandemic and assembled by longtime producer Todd Stefanson. The goofy white-and-black face-paint hasn’t changed and neither has the music, which remains super-catchy, harmony-laden pop-punk. Reportedly the writing came fast and furious, but when you’ve been doing something this well for 28 years – even with a decade-plus hiatus – it’d basically muscle memory. The Ramones remain a sturdy template for some tracks and those ’90s Lookout! Records bands I will not enumerate for the 2000th time inspire the rest. This is one of those records where you pretty much know what it’s going to sound like and still want to hear it anyway, assuming you like a) pop-punk and b) having fun.
SLIP~ons – Heavy Machinery (Scamindy Records)
With the drummer of Canada’s Doughboys and the bassist from Sarach MacLachlan’s band, this Vancouver quartet makes its debut 11 years after forming with a 5-song EP that straddles the line between crunch, punky power pop and classic rock. Fans of the later, major-label Doughboys won’t be disappointed, but some of these guitar solos and vocal melodies would feel at home on the radio between Sarah and Ryan Adams. I prefer the immediacy of the punkier tracks than the middle-of-the-road “Soldier, Don’t Say Goodbye,” but it’s a solid listen by some old pros. With only five songs since 2012, this doesn’t seem like a priority for either the band or listeners.
MERCY MUSIC – “What You Stand To Lose” (Double Helix Records/SBÄM Records)
I think of this Las Vegas trio as Better Than Ezra with face tattoos, a melodic band with chops and smarts whose punk rock cred belies the fact that they tiptoe along the boundary between smooth and slick. We’ve all been through a lot since 2020, but for lead singer and main songwriter Brendan Scholz, the pandemic also included a fair dose of heartbreak, reflected in somewhat morose lyrics set to catchy, upbeat melodies. Bill Stevenson’s expert production retains the band’s punk edge but just barely; these guys hew way more toward Weezer than ALL or Jawbreaker (to whom they’re often compared). Yes, the playing impresses, as do the vocal harmonies, but I can’t help but sense a School Of Rock nudge nudge wink wink (“check out this solo!”). By the time the 12-song album reaches its acoustic finale (ironically titled “Waiting To Begin,”) it’s a short walk to that stairway to heaven and all that it portends.