One Step Closer

When I picked up the last One Step Closer record last year I wrote that I was afraid of the their musical progression on their next output, meaning going even more pop. Yet they did just that and somehow I like All You Embrace more than Songs For The Willow. I'm not sure if my taste in music has changed or they are just really good at what they're doing, but it's funny how that goes sometimes. Be that as it may, I really enjoy the songs on this record. 

The artwork is kinda meh, but the packaging is excellent. Run For Cover always goes the extra mile. Big poster and a giant booklet, all printed I color. This kind of packaging actually justifies a slightly higher price. Good job by both label and band. 

1st Press on White on Run For Cover /1200

Another Fucked Up Record

Last year, Fucked Up released a record called One Day, which I liked very much. When I saw that the band had released another record this year called Another Day, I couldn‘t think of any good reason not to pick it up. Fucked Up has become one of those bands I‘ll always check out, no matter what. Their latest LP is a good listen, but it‘s not quite as good as the previous one. Maybe I just have to sit with it a little bit longer.  

1st Press on Milky Clear on Fucked Up Records /1520 (Indie Store Pressing)

Prude

Looking back over my last few posts, people reading this blog might get the impression that I only buy old records or records by older, more established bands. Well, there‘s some truth to that, but I always try to keep up with newer bands. I really enjoyed all of the Drug Church output of the last few years, so when their latest LP dropped I knew I wanted to have a copy. Prude is a good record, but I haven‘t found the track yet. On their previous records there was always one hit that stuck with me immediately. Not on this one, at least not yet. 

I like the artwork and vinyl color works really well with the sleeve. I don‘t really care that it‘s the most common variant, but can labels / bands please stop coming up with these ‘fun‘ names for colorways?

First Press on Fun Dip Purple Marble on Pure Noise /3400

Seasonal

Kill Holiday wrote one of my all-time favorite songs. Not just hardcore or punk songs, but songs in general. Period. I even got into their one and only LP in recent years. So when I saw that there was another record coming out, I knew I had to have it. Seasonal is a collection of material from the early days of the band and it doesn‘t disappoint. All in all it‘s a fun listen. Because I absolutely wanted to have this record, I even ordered directly from the label in the US, which is something I very rarely do these days. The label had posted this was going to be one-time only press out of 250 copies, so I figured I‘d better order pretty quickly. However, the record didn’t sell out immediately. Apparently fewer people are into Kill Holiday than I had thought. Then, Seasonal became available through distros in Europe (and still is). And on top of that Indecision announced a second pressing. So, my stupid FOMO made me spend a whole lot of money for nothing. I mean, not for nothing, but I could have saved a pretty penny by just being more patient. However, I‘m still glad about the actual record I got.

1st Press on Burgundy on Indecision /250