Punk Rock Record Reviews: The Best of 2024, Part Two.
Links: Punk Rock Record Reviews Part One
I listen primarily to punk, with my preferred sub-genre being street punk. Speed rock, garage, skate punk, hardcore, pop punk, oi!, ska, grindcore, and even rockabilly fit the bill if done right. If I can catch a live show, it definitely gives the release an edge. Here are a few releases from 2024 that I recommend you check out. These are in no particular order, however, I’m only reviewing releases that are in contention for the year's top releases. If I’m reviewing it, I liked it. When the New Year rolls around, I’ll put them in order, and do a final article of the best of the best. Drop a comment at the bottom if there is a 2024 release you think I should check out; I most definitely will.
The Follow Ups “Know Who Your Friends Aren’t”
Released: June 3, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download
Label: Mom’s Basement Records / Faster and Louder Records
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Snotty vocals, ultra-catchy, wicked humor, and professionally recorded. This one will be in contention for the best release of the year. This is music that you can mosh to, but also sing along to, knowing every word and pumping your fist in the air. I first heard their 2018 release “The Half Of It” (check out “At The Drive-In” and “The Half Of It"), which was excellent, and prompted me to also get their 2019 release “Don’t Like You Either” (check out “Monsters”). So when this came out, I was already a fan. I reached out to Jordan Elijah at Faster and Louder Records in Canada, and he agreed to meet me at a Sloppy Seconds show in Detroit to drop off a copy in person. Not only did he deliver, he also gave me a second CD for free (which I will spin, and likely review, later). Thanks, Jordan!
This CD starts off with a bang, with the fast and catchy “Freakin’ Out” that made my monthly playlist after only a single play. That’s followed by “My Crow Phone” and “I’m From Botswana” which I’ve also played way too many times. "Reverso," “Unhappy Birthday,” and “The Scary Bop” were also hard to get out of my head, there aren’t any bad songs on here.
Hopefully, the success of this album will spur a full-blown tour that brings them to Detroit so that I can catch them live. Fans of The Ramones, The Jasons, Teen Idols, FYP, Sloppy Seconds, Teenage Bottlerocket, Screeching Weasel, Traitors (Chicago), The Queers, or Diesel Boy should get this immediately (and that’s a long list of really great bands, that they fit solidly into).
The Drowns “Blacked Out”
Released: February 16, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, digital download
Label: Pirates Press Records
From: Seattle, WA
You could call them a Rock-N-Roll band, and they definitely have some AC/DC influences, but I’m going to start right out saying that this is one of the best punk/oi! releases of the year. And one of the best new bands in the last decade (they have been releasing new music since 2018). I first became a fan when I heard their “Under Tension” LP back in 2020 (check out “Black Lung” and “Hold Fast”). I couldn’t get the song “Black Lung” out of my head for weeks, and I was lucky enough to hear them play it live at a Punk Rock Bowling Club show in 2023 at Backstage Bar & Billiards (one of the best shows that year). I was highly anticipating this release, and it held up to my expectations.
If you are a collector, you can try to track down the 7” flexi discs of “Blacked Out," “1979 Trans Am,” or “Ketamine & Cola." I picked up the later at a show in Detroit, they were free at their merch table (at the time, they had a big stack of them). They also released “Just The Way She Goes/1979 Trans Am” as a single on green or gold vinyl. Any way you slice it, this is a great record. My pick for the best song and video has to be “Ketamine & Cola," but listen to it back to front and then track down every song that they have ever recorded. If you regularly listen to Booze & Glory, Reckless Upstarts, The Last Gang, Lion’s Law, or Haymaker you should love this one.
Bad Beat “L.P. 2024”
Released: May 10, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, cassette, CD, digital download
Label: Triple-B Records
From: Detroit, MI
Jimmy Lawson, singer for Bad Beat, is also one of the creative forces behind Edgemen Printing in Clinton Township, Michigan. Edgemen is known, outside of screen printing and embroidery, for putting on a slew of hardcore shows (with no alcohol, which is great for me as I haven’t drunk alcohol in over 20 years). Bad Beat is a great band in its own right, but you may want to go back a little before checking this out. Several members of Bad Beat were previously in another Detroit local band, Strange Magic. If you were watching my reviews last year, Strange Magic “This Is The Future They Wanted” was my pick for the best release of 2023 (check out “Time Machine," “You’re A Product,” or “I Want 2 Die”). They played their last show on 3/29/2024 at Edgemen Printing, and it was a sad day seeing them go. But it all worked out, when I first saw their new band, Bad Beat, a few weeks later (also at Edgemen Printing, with Speed Plans).
The Bad Beat LP has great cover art by Never Ending Game bassist Denis Halilovic, and they signed to the same label as one of the greatest hardcore bands of our time, CMI. This release is more straightforward hardcore than Strange Magic, but I don’t think anyone will mind. “Weight of the World” is my pick for the best song, but a bunch of them made my monthly playlist (“Through Your Eyes”, "Numbskull," and “Out of Place”). I was lucky enough to see another Bad Beat show when they played the 2024 Tied Down Festival in Detroit. One caveat: if you plan to see Bad Beat live, stay away from the pit unless you plan to mosh with vengeance. It can get violent, as violent as it gets. For fans of Strange Magic, Cold As Life, Negative Approach, Agnostic Front, Madball, or just great hardcore.
The Dwarves “Keep It Reel”
Released: June 21, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Greedy Records
From: Started in Chicago IL as a psychedelic garage rock band
Following last year’s “Concept Album” (one of my picks for the best releases of 2023, check out “Stabbed My Dad” and “Terrorist of Love”) The Dwarves released yet another album “Keep It Reel”. They are on a roll, with new songs as good as any that they have done. This release includes a remix and a song from “Concept Album”, but also plenty of new material. “One Musketeer” is my pick for the best song, but even the slower songs (check out “Parasite”) are classic Blag Dahlia. If you are a fan, this is essential.
I’ve seen The Dwarves more times and in more different cities than any other touring band, including earlier this year in Las Vegas at The Punk Rock Museum. Unfortunately, the current lineup does not include HeWhoCannotBeNamed (or a member in a wrestling mask filling the role). They no longer start fights, throw broken glass into the pit, get naked, or smash all of their equipment and storm out before the police get involved. But they do keep up the profanity and play full sets that include old and new songs, with musicianship that transcends punk rock. Get this album, but also go see them live. I hope to see them many more times in the future, next up will be Punk In The Park in Orlando FL and I already can’t wait.
Conservative Military Image “No Squares In Our Circle”
Released: April 4, 2024
Format: Vinyl EP, digital download
Label: Triple-B Records
From: Chicago, IL
CMI (Conservative Military Image) is another band that had essential releases in 2023 (“Casual Violence” and “One Year Of Dumb Skinhead Shit”). I actually came across their very first release when it came out, a cassette release called “Skinhead” (it looks like there is a 7” too, released in Germany on Lionheart Records). I was impressed and gave it a lot of play. I was glad to see all of the new stuff that came out in 2023, and it looks like 2024 is going to be just as packed with new releases. I’m a big fan of both hardcore and oi!, and CMI is the perfect combination of both. They also cater to record collectors, with really great art and all sorts of limited editions in crazy colors and splatter vinyl.
Every time I spin CMI, I think of meeting Adam Voss (vocals) in Detroit at the 2023 Black Christmas Festival. At the time, they were throwing large rolls of $1 bills into the audience and then encouraging whoever picked up the money to use it to help others around them, buy someone a drink, etc. Adam had just gotten back from the bank machine and was holding the money and standing by the door, so I assumed he was a security guard. I needed to run out to my car, and he let me plead with him for a full couple of minutes before he told me he was in the band! I was lucky enough to catch them twice more after that, at the Punk Rock Museum and again at Fremont Country Club during Punk Rock Bowling.
This record is insanely good, with all 5 songs making my monthly playlist. This will be very high up on my list of the best records of the year, almost for sure a top 10. “Indoor Skins” is maybe the best song, but “Guilty Until Compliant” and “Scam Likely” are new classics as well. If you are interested in hearing more, search down a video that I took of them playing the Punk Rock Museum, where they do an intro for “Charlie From Hardcore” and explain who he was and what the song is about. Or just get this record.
Lone Creep “Tank!”
Released: February 29, 2024
Format: digital download
Label: self-released
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
It looks like Lone Creep goes back to 2022, and hasD 12 releases up on Bandcamp. I don’t see anything other than digital downloads, and no page on Discogs, so I assume the digital format via Bandcamp is all that they offer. I should probably say all that he offers, as Lone Creep appears to be a solo project from one guy out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two things initially drew me to this band, all of the downloads are free, and the song “Tank!”. Also, he’s dedicated to “fighting the man, drinking beer, mocking shit, losing his keys, and tacos." As expected, that’s the recipe for some entertaining music, so give it a listen and download his songs. When I have time, I’m going to go back and check it out more.
The Pill “Hollywood Smile”
Released: April 5, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, digital download
Label: Sounds of Subterrania
From: Germany
Another female-fronted punk band, The Pill is the cream of the crop. Faster and more abrasive than most of the others, which is what I prefer. It looks like they are a new band, just starting in 2024, with this being their first release (along with a couple of singles from the album). The best songs are “Switch” and “Government Whore," but they also have official videos for “Hollywood Smile” and "Salaryman.” Fans of Die Spitz, Direct Hit!, NIIS, NUTT, or Starcrawler would like this, but everyone should give it a spin. I would most definitely drive an hour on a Tuesday night to catch these guys if they ever come to my town. And don’t be a government whore.
Wolfcharge “Dis-topian Nightmare”
Released: March 29, 2024
Format: digital download
Label: self-released
From: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
The band describes this as a “dirty lo-fi recording from a D-beat band.” D-beat is a crusty sub-genre of punk ala Discharge, and they fit the bill. I saw them live in Windsor earlier this year (with The Dayglo Abortions), and I would characterize them as punk/hardcore with speed, growling vocals, and a metal edge. They played a really great version of GBH’s “Knife Edge," and singer Scott Funnel was on the rail after their set to watch the other bands. It looked like they had some local fans, as there were 5 bands on the bill but a good amount of the audience had Wolfcharge shirts on. This rips all the way through, with most of the songs being right around 1 minute long (only “Charge of the Wolf” just barely breaks 2 minutes). This is their first release, and I think they had at least one line-up change after this came out. Hopefully, there is more to come. Fans of Discharge, Motorhead, GBH, Anti-Cimex, and Aus-Rotten will want to check this out.
Diesel Boy “Tapes/ Punk Rock Minivan”
Released: May 31, 2024
Format: Vinyl 7”, digital download
Label: SBAM Records
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Diesel Boy has been around since 1993, and they put out several classic records from 1995–2001. “Cock Rock” (check out “Saving the World”, “Titty Twister” and “Shining Star”) is one of my all-time favorite records. If you are just checking them out, you should also track down their incredible cover of The Dead Milkmen’s “Punk Rock Girl” (which is on “Sofa King Cool”). After some time off for personal reasons, they came back in 2023 with a new record, “Gets Old,” that was near the top of my list of best releases for that year. And now, in 2024 they are at it again (no complaints from me!). This is just a single (2 songs, “Tapes” and “Punk Rock Minivan”), and while it doesn’t pack the punch of their earlier stuff or even their 2023 LP, it’s good and hopefully signals a new full length in the works. They are one of the few bands that I have just never been able to see live, but they are playing shows (it looks like a few festivals lately) so there should still be hope. Diesel Boy, if you are reading this, you need to get out to Punk Rock Bowling’s 25th anniversary festival this year.
Direct Threat “Endless Siege”
Released: May 31, 2024
Format: Vinyl 7”, digital download
Label: Iron Lung Records, Quality Control HQ
From: Denver, CO
This is their second 7”, after their self-titled 2021 release. Hardcore/Oi! with deep vocals, and, at times, gaining speed that would certainly incite a ferocious mosh pit. I picked “Forever Fighting” as the song to go on my monthly playlist for its catchiness, but some of the faster songs are great too. I look forward to more in the coming years. Fans of The Wretched Ones, Limecell, Blood For Blood, and Agnostic Front should pick this up.
