Triplets

Dan was also kind enough to hook me up with some demo tapes by Australian bands, something I always look forward to. 

Peace Ritual play a little emo, a little indie, a little shoe gaze, and add a lot of dreamy sounds. There are also plenty of melodies and great hooks. Music for the quieter moments. The band has released a bunch of things since that first release, so I've got plenty of music to listen to while working at my desk at home. 

Flowermouth play what nowadays is called hardcore adjacent music, I'd say. If you like that kind of music and / or 90s music bands like Farside, you should maybe check out their music. Sadly, there's only one original song of theirs. But since this tape came out in 2017, there's luckily other released to listen to as well. The other song on the tape is a cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven, which is a big challenge. The cover is done well enough, but the audio is not as good as on the original song for some reason. Maybe it was done during a different recording session?

Last, but not least, there's the demo tape by Combat Rock. No Clash inspired songs as one might have guessed by the title, but the cover speaks for itself. Combat Rock play no frills hardcore in the vein of early 80s Boston straight edge hardcore. The rough production makes it sound very authentic. I definitely want to listen to the follow-up release. 

Resist Records

My man Down Under, Dan, is keeping busy hooking me up with music from Australia, mostly bands I probably wouldn’t have discovered on my own. This is a bunch of throwback records all the way to the mid 2000s. 

The first record is the debut LP by Blkout, Total Depravity, originally released in 2009. If I’d seen the cover somewhere in a store or online, I’d have never checked out the band to honest. I know, I know, don’t judge a record by its cover, but I’m just being honest. The music is actually pretty good though. Good, stompy hardcore that would have been fun to watch live I guess. 

1st Press on Black on Resist 

Next up is the s.t. 10” by God So Loved The World, apparently a Christian hardcore band from Adelaide. I dig the music, hardcore with some slower rock elements here and there, but I don’t really need to hear about people being born again.

In the 90s and early 2000s Christian hardcore was an actual thing, but I’m wondering if there are any bands that openly identify that way out there nowadays. I’m pretty sure there must be some, because hardcore is more diverse and open-minded than ever, but I can‘t think of any. 

1st Press on Black on Resist 

When I opened the parcel from Dan and saw this record, I thought for sure that he’d sent me a record - unbeknownst of course - that I already had in my collection. I definitely knew the cover and the name and it just looks like a record I would have picked up in 2007 when it was released. After checking my list and double checking my 7”s, I had to face the fact that my memory had simply played a trick on me. It must have been one of those records I always meant to pick up, but never did. Well, thanks to Dan I finally own a copy. The music is exactly what I want from hardcore from the mid 2000s and even though the vocals are very much of the time as well, the high pitch is a little too much for me these days. 

1st Press on Black on Resist 

The Trade That Keeps on Giving

One of the highlights of our trip to Australia was the opportunity to catch up with old friends, which was true especially for my wife because she live in Australia for more than a year. It was really cool to meet some of her old friends and see some other people we both know again. Two of our friends even invited us into their homes and we could stay with them for a week each. An incredible generous gesture and I will be forever thankful to them. Can‘t wait to see you guys again!

One of our friends, and fellow record / Bane collector, Daniel Hoskin of Bane Records Blog, and I have had an ongoing open trade for years now. Basically he gets me releases from Australia and I get releases from Europe for him, which otherwise we probably would never get or hear of in the first place. We also throw in some other stuff we know the other person likes. I‘m always excited when I get a parcel from Australia because it means I get to discover new music. 

When we arrived at this house, he had some records waiting for me and, of course, I had a bunch of records for him with me. Another reason why I didn‘t buy too many records during our trip prior to arriving at our final destination.

I don‘t think I ever listened to Blindside before, but the name rang a bell when I read it. Hard to believe this band was around about 10 years ago already. Some of the songs on Wave of Regrets sound like Wild Side to me, which is a good thing in my book. 

Pre-Order on Pink Vinyl on Straight and Alert /164

This is a weird one. When I put on Burn All White Flags by Found My Direction, the record player in my office skipped all the songs on the A-side. Same on the B-Side. Then I tried playing the record in the living room, but again to no avail. I headed to Discogs and the entry for this record says that all records, both on black and clear, are mis-presses and you can‘t really listen to them. So this is more of a collectible. I went and looked for the record on Spotify and it is actually on there. Not quite what I expected. Just judging by the cover I thought this my be some hardcore PUNK or even crusty record, but it reminds me of Floorpunch, especially the singer. Maybe a little bit less youth crew and bit more punk. I‘m still glad I got this record, because otherwise I would have never listened to this. And in defence of my friend, I‘m pretty sure he told me about this record and I just forgot. 

1st Press on Black on Resist Records

The Uglies are a punk band from Australia and Planet Uglies is their latest album, which was released in 2022. This is the kind of music I really enjoy in a live environment, but wouldn‘t necessarily buy on record. But it‘s cool to have this record for the moments when I feel the itch to listen to something punkier at home. 

1st Press on Black on UGL Records

My favorite of this batch is the s.t. LP by Colourblind. This came out right when we were in Australia, actually Dan picked it up at Clarity when went there together. And to actually go full circle, this record was also released by Clarity Records. Colourblind play hardcore adjacent music I‘d say, or maybe a modern version of 90s emo. This would totally make sense on Run For Cover Records. I dig the artwork, the splatter vinyl is actually done tastefully and works with the artwork really well. One of my favourites in 2024. 

1st Press on Clear with Blue Splatter on Clarity /50

Australian Hardcore Part I

 

Received another parcel, curtesy of my good friend and fellow Bane collector Dan. If you want some comprehensive info on Bane records, check out his blog. A shoutout that is long overdue. 

A few weeks ago I posted about the last batch of records I got from him and how much liked the Division 12”. Well, the band released another 12”, which is equally as good as the first one. Good looking out as always, Dan!

1st Press on Black on Clarity Records /150

The other LP I received is by a band called Vices. I’d never heard of the band before but Dan had told me that I’d like it. And he was right on. Even though We’ll Make It Through This was release in 2015, this could have been released on Rivarly anywhere between 2005 and 2007. Verse is the first reference that came to my mind. I love getting to know bands I’d have probably never heard of if it wasn’t for good friends. 

1st Press on Black on Resist Records /???

Miles Away

I'm still catching up with the records I got before a big trip I did with my wife during summer. Travelling is a whole lot of fun, but it certainly gets in the way with keeping the blog going. Can't have everything I guess.

A few months back it was announced that Miles Away were about to release a new LP, called Tides. Seeing that I'd been turned onto the band by my wife recently and my wife really likes this band buying this was a no brainer. However, considering that my wife really likes this band, she talked me into pre-ordering this LP, which is something I rarely do nowadays, because shipping to Europe is quite expensive nowadays. But every once in a while you gotta do what you gotta do. Especially if you can make your wife happy. I must say though that I was a little disappointed by this LP. I really like some parts, others, erm, not so much. Especially the parts that are sung, not screamed. Doesn't work for me.  This is the pre-order variant on pink/purple swirl out 150.




I also picked up their Endless Roads LP, which was released in 2010. Overall I like this record better than Tides. Less singing equals better record in this case. This is the 4th press on coke bottle clear vinyl out of 500.