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.
GRAND SLAMS
SOFT COUGH – Candied Squawk (self-released)
With four members who not only write but sing their compositions, Soft Cough find themselves ten years out from forming in the upstate college town of Geneseo, NY with a minor masterpiece on their hands. Recorded by producer/engineer/wizard Oliver Ignatius at his Holy Fang compound, Candied Squawk defies expectations on every track, with frenetic guitars and sinuous melodies, brainy lyrics that tease and tickle, and complex arrangements and time signatures (Remember Dismemberment Plan? Like that). Even with four distinct songwriters and voices, the album hangs together beautifully, every track a surprise but also a logical extension of the one preceding it, each song a mystery unlocked by repeated listens (and a dictionary). “Woodchipper ‘Accident,’” the tale of someone getting dispersed over a lawn in a “crimson mist,” is as funny as it is tragic, and typical of how this band works so creatively outside the box.
BAMBERDÖST – Dharmageddon (self-released)
Sorry, Neil Young, in Jersey we don’t burn out or fade away; we just keep making killer albums. Two in one year if you’re Bamberdöst, the trio of Paul Mauled, Chris Pingor, and Jack Gibson, who cut their teeth in some of the state’s seminal bands of the early ’80s. Following February, 2025’s killer Songs About Your Girlfriend, Dharmageddon barrels along with the same spark and intensity as its predecessor, with strong melodies, singalong choruses, and intelligent, adult songs about complicated relationships. “Little misconstrued, too much déjà vu, longing just to scream/ temporal euphony, should I believe anything you tell me?”, they ask on “Loose Canon,” followed by “I don’t know what’s worse, the journey or the destination?” on “Nowhere.” Great stuff, and it keeps getting better. Other highlights include the witty, self-deprecating “Boyfriend Material,” two impactful tracks about sobriety, and the politically themed “18 Holes Before It All Falls Down,” which lampoons the administration’s “affordability hoax.” This is punk rock that raises your fist, moves your soul, and challenges your mind. Bamberdöst are on a roll; get on board while they’re hot.
HOME RUNS
IDK – “Nark 5” EP (Scorpion Records)
Fairview, NJ’s IDK celebrated the year’s end with Nark 5, a lean, mean three-track set that kicks harder than a snow shovel into packed ice. The title track rips and roars like classic Jersey hardcore, while the lyrics nod to some deep Star Wars shit — names like Keef Girgo and Kino Loy. You don’t have to nerd out to get swept up in the urgency of it all though, not with this level of energy and conviction. “Fireman Song 2025” reaches back to one of IDK’s older tunes, dragging it into the present with a muscular groove and the kind of gravelly resolve that comes from living through a few decades of busted amps and day jobs. Then there’s their take on Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe,” a gutsy move that lands somewhere between tribute and trial by fire. You can tell they love it, and that counts for a lot. More than nostalgia, Nark 5 shows a band aging into something fierce and seasoned — equal parts punk, metal, and sheer nerve, played loud enough to rattle Route 46.
THE MAX LEVINE ENSEMBLE – “Sad State” EP (self-released)
Three songs, about four minutes, and the first thing I’ve heard from this pop-punk trio from Washington, DC in about 10 years. Singer/guitarist David Combs, bassist Ben Epstein, and drummer Nick Popovici deliver exactly what I expect from TMLE: fast, catchy, clever pop-punk. “Anxiety” suggests nostalgia has its drawbacks as a visit to the old neighborhood only engenders a panic attack. The feistier, less poppy “Sad State” explains that the aforementioned anxiety springs from never having said “I love you” to a certain someone, while the wiggy, wild “Death Threats” tackles our unfettered social media addictions and the nastiness that’s now become accepted discourse: “And it’s a charming time to live, the era of the unchecked id, we manifest all our enemies in custom built realities / And it’s abstract ‘til it’s not, ‘til they’re locking down the parking lot. / And one dumb righteous quest for truth fills the gap between them and you.” This band was one of the highlights of Insubordination Fests 15 years ago, it’s great to see they’re still around and haven’t lost a whit of what made them great.
WON’T STAY DEAD – Vindication (Red Scare Industries)
According to Red Scare label czar Toby Jeg, “They go all out for the live show: blood, goth-punk gear, make-up, and a spooky merch table.” Won’t Stay Dead lean much closer to the melodic side of Chicago punk than pure horror shtick though. Think The Brokedowns meet Bad Cop/Bad Cop—it’s burly and forceful, but with sharp harmonies and a sweet tooth for hooks. The guitars race, the choruses soar, and the whole thing clocks in at just under half an hour – 13 short punches that never waste a measure. You’ll catch the horror themes if you’re listening for them — song titles like “Inferno,” “Hack To The Bone,” and “Wicked Plans” drive the point home — but the band’s real strength lies in those muscular melodies. Then there’s “Let It Go:” just an acoustic guitar and lovely, layered harmonies, no rotting flesh or bloody fangs necessary. Won’t Stay Dead may call themselves horror punk, but labels don’t really matter when the songs hit this hard and carry the listener away. Vindication is hooky, powerful punk rock that feels alive, even when it’s singing about the undead.
HE’S DEAD, JIM – These Men, These Monsters (Kool Kat)
Fronted by Emperor Penguin’s Neil Christie, these Scottish art punks find a happy medium between power-pop catchiness and fizzy prog-rock complexity, delivering songs that bounce and shimmer and explode with riffs and harmonies and utterly delightful melodies. There’s horns on one track and strings on the next, bass lines that’d make McCartney envious, kaleidoscopic psychedelia, grungy garage riffs, and clever lyrics galore, but most impressively, everything rocks in a way that lifts you up and carries you away. Dr. Leonard McCoy does not make an appearance, so don’t let the name fool you: This is a galaxy-class rock album, not some twee Star Trek tribute. Beam it up into your collection.
HORACE PINKER – Now and the Future (People of Punk Rock Records)
Chicago’s Horace Pinker returned in 2025 with their first full-length since 2011, with a lineup that includes founding members Scott Eastman and drummer Bryan Jones, along with bassist Greg Mytych. Not much has changed since the band’s ’90s heyday, and fans of the “melodic hardcore” of that era will find much to like. Horace Pinker invests its music with sincerity and chops; then listen closely, and you’ll pick out guitar licks and bass lines that’ll blow your socks off. Chicago punk means heavily distorted guitars, singalong melodies, and heartfelt vocals; Horace Pinker delivers on all fronts, from mid-tempo rockers like “Warmup For The Future” to warp-speed thrill rides like “Just Around The Corner.” Welcome back.