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The Crippled Flower was a post-punk band from Düsseldorf - and they arrived late. However, unlike many young, unsuspecting, hairsprayed hopefuls from that time, in 1985 they could sense that the end of their era was approaching. They knew too much to want to take the world by storm. They were four individualists searching their own way. Each of the band members only found their calling after the time that they had spent together – but that's exactly what makes The Crippled Flower still seem really interesting today, this static energy that does not discharge, but is simply there.

Searching dreamers should sound like that and that's what they were. Singer Phil Elston, for example, had brought his love of Kraftwerk from England to Düsseldorf. Even his bandmates found this strange, but they were also entangled in their own longings. This is because the times were still so crazy and these searchers were "on fire". A fire that glows in the band's recordings.

Listening to the songs today, The Crippled Flower sound like they are hugely at the height of their game; think of Wire, Felt, Scritti Politti or Minimal Compact. The variety of musical themes, as well as different soundscapes, which the band created can only be listened to in amazement. Often, it is only Phil Elston's Sprechgesang that confirms that this is really the same band. However, it was back in 1985 when, importantly, the catalyst that brought the musicians together - the short lived eclectic record store "Heartbeat" in Düsseldorf Bilk - occured. It was there where post-industrial and pop, melodic minimal music and sound attacks awaited those who wanted to discover music by artists and bands they did not yet know.

Cassette releases. All recorded on 4-Track. The Crippled Flower succeeded in this medium. Firstly, with a cassette just entited The Crippled Flower, working from project-like studio recorded sketches. Four more tracks from the short-lived band appeared in 1986 on "A Heartbeat Rendezvous“. A demo tape submitted to Les Disques du Crépuscule, however, did not lead to a worldwide career and so, unfortunately, it was soon over.

Stefan Krausen moved on to the follow-up project Deux Baleines Blanches with Stefan Schneider, which, in 1994, gave rise to the band Kreidler. Krausen was already drumming with the I-Burnettes on AtaTak and much later he studied painting in Munich. Nina Ahlers moved from Düsseldorf to Paris to study art, because in the 80s it was still the case that Paris was the destination of choice for those really wanting to become an artist – and that's what she did. Her work is characterized by a non-academic minimalism focusing on everyday objects. Stefan Schneider remained connected to music. Only Phil Elston, who helped sabotage fox hunts in England and wrote these observant lyrics about environmental destruction and time travel, seems to have escaped the social-media world. Whether he found Kraftwerk-fulfilment in Düsseldorf or moved on disillusioned remains a mystery to us. And somehow this also fits in with that peculiar, special band. - Oliver Tepel, Köln 2025 (Translation by Philipp Elston)

Celebrate a decade of Turnover's iconic sophomore album Peripheral Vision with this Deluxe Anniversary Edition. This Ripple 3LP box set includes Peripheral Vision in full alongside two bonus tracks ("Humblest Pleasures" and "Change Irreversible") on disc one. Disc two features a completely instrumental version of Peripheral Vision's original eleven songs. Disc three features newly-recorded alternate versions of 6 Turnover songs from the era recorded with original producer Will Yip at Studio 4. Packaged in a slip-case set, this deluxe edition features a 24" poster and 12" x 12" book with lyrics, liner notes, archival photos and an interview with the band reflecting on a decade of Peripheral Vision. Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band's discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band's 2013 debut record Magnolia. Described as "a tour de force" by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022's Myself in the Way. - Deluxe 3xLP Box Set Celebrating 10 years of Peripheral Vision - Three disc set includes original album, 2 bonus tracks, full instrumental album & 6 alternative versions of album-era songs - Updated packaging includes belly-band, jumbo lyric poster and 12"x12" book with archival photos, tour dates & an interview with the band - Limited edition of 5000 copies

Psychedelic music can be many things, but not many are quite like Fomies brand of the genre. This Swiss five piece throws some punk rock a la The Dead Milkmen into the mix and describes themselves as:
“Great followers of the D.I.Y., FOMIES is a garage-fuzz band mainly inspired by obscure records badly recorded in weird places.”
For fans of: Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Harvey Rushmoore & The Octopus.

Mannequin Pussy"s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins "Bear" Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. "There"s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act ," says Dabice. "The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together." Their new album, I Got Heaven, which is out March 1 via Epitaph Records, is the band"s most fully realized recording yet. Over ten ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting alternative pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It"s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive. Following the 2019 release of their critically acclaimed third album Patience, Mannequin Pussy returned in 2021 for their EP Perfect. They toured that release relentlessly and added guitarist Maxine Steen to the band"s official lineup. The band changed their entire creative formula, choosing to write together in the studio in Los Angeles with producer John Congleton , over slowly crafting tracks at home.

Coming from a diverse background of equal amounts hip hop and rock, the producer behind the alias of nrl:ndr got into dance music late in his musical career. After playing in kraut-oriented bands like So Many Mammals, parts of that group reformed into the live techno outfit Tren Né, with the goal of fusing techno elements with live drums. Playing for illegal raves with a punk-like energy, nrl:ndr has cemented his relationship with his machines in service of the dance floor.

But his solo debut on blundar is quite far removed from that scene. To understand this music, one should be aware of the conditions under which it was manufactured. Reluctant to consider himself an artist in the traditional sense, nrl:ndr makes his music free of anticipation and without apparent goals. To glean into this outré musical space is like putting one's ear to the boarded up windows of the photograph that adorn the front sleeve.

The album makes extensive use of the Roland JV-2080, a sample-based synth rack from 1996 with a distinctly clean sound. Our producer dives deep into the expansion cards (labeled after genres like “Hip Hop” and “World”) for curious and sometimes cheesy samples. But he also forces the JV-2080 to do things which are not its forte, like the arduous task of programming decent kick drums.

Another technique that is testament to his experimental view on music making, is the idea of using sketches of unfinished tracks with different time signatures, and mash them together into something new - of which the results of one of these experiments can be heard on the closing track and its bilingual conversation between ambient and tribal.

Full of stunted rhythms and eerie melodies, the unclassifiable nature of the music of nrl:ndr lies somewhere in the vicinity of IDM, classical avant garde and private press synth. From the epic opening track - echoing the post-kraut drumming style of Michael Shrieve - to juggling with chopped up vocal samples and treading into almost trap-like territories on A4, he crosses into a multitude of genres without getting his hands too dirty with nostalgia.

"""Disguise In Love"" released in 1978, is the debut album of British punk poet John Cooper Clarke. Renowned for his quick-witted delivery and sharp humor, Clarke fuses punk rock with spoken word, resulting in a one-of-a-kind sonic experience. The album includes tracks such as ""I Don't Want To Be Nice,"" ""Valley of the Lost Women,"" and ""(I Married a) Monster from Outer Space,"" highlighting Clarke's talent for social commentary and dark comedy. Produced by Martin Hannett, known as (one of) the creator(s) of the ‘Manchester sound’, the album captures the unrefined energy of the late '70s punk scene. Other notable artists produced by Hannett include Joy Division, Magazine, New Order, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Happy Mondays. ""Disguise In Love"" stands out not only for its incisive, observational poetry but also for its stripped-down and edgy musical accompaniment, solidifying its status as a pivotal work in Clarke's career and a significant contribution to the punk genre. The album comes as a limited edition of 500 copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl."

"Oh! Gunquit Are a British band known for their energetic blend of rock, surf, and garage music, with a touch of psychobilly and punk influences. Formed in the mid-2010s, the band is recognized for their vibrant, high-octane performances and a distinctive sound that mixes vintage rock 'n' roll with modern edge. Their music typically features catchy melodies, reverb-drenched guitars, and a retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of both classic and contemporary garage rock.

The band's lineup has changed over time, but the central core of the group created by Tina Swasey (Vocals) & Simon Wild (Guitar) have remained a constant & they've maintained a reputation for being a fun and electrifying act on stage. Their tracks often tell stories with a quirky, humorous touch while keeping a raw, rebellious vibe. Their most notable releases include songs like ""Dance like F*ck"" and ""So Long Sucker"", and they’ve earned a solid following for their ability to merge catchy pop hooks with a gritty, lo-fi sound. Oh! Gunquit has performed in various venues, European Tours and major Festivals, building a loyal fan base in the UK, Europe and beyond."

For a project which made its debut in 2024 with next to no fanfare nor hype, rush2theUnknown managed to capture the attention and the imagination of a number of notable DJs across genres, tempos and timezones in their debut year. From legendary chillers Kruder & Dorfmeister picking up on the more Japanese VGM influenced side of their music, techno DJs like Courtesy, Anastassia Kristensen and Nastia drawn towards their more celestial-tinged breakbeat offerings and key support coming in from many trailblazers past and present of the genres that shaped the duo thirty years back. Support from artists and DJs around the world saw rush2theUnknown's music aired across Kool FM, Rinse FM, NTS, BBC Radio One, and thanks to impassioned support from punky-reggae icon Don Letts, multiple spins on the Rebel Dreads legendary BBC Radio 6 show.

With the foundation laid rush2theUnknown return to Diskotopia with the "Yugawara" EP.

Early support for the Yugawara EP has already seen responses from and tracks from the EP played by DJs like Machinedrum, DJ Flight, Addison Groove, dBridge, Gyrofield, Joakim, I:Cube, Courtesy, Cici, Sakura Tsuruta and more in clubs and on radio like NTS, Kool FM, Rinse FM and BBC Radio One, and BBC 6 Music.

Born from a journey out of Tokyo to the seaside town of Yugawara in the northeastern end of Izu Peninsula, the EP channels the energy, spirit and mathematically impossible coincidences that seem to come with each adventure the duo has in that part of Japan. Each morning the duo would leave their makeshift studio and wander across the hills of Yugawara. Be it a random encounter, a conversation or mental picture sparked by the visual scenery before them, new tracks came to life each day. As with their Diskotopia debut, each EP is a mix of the myriad influences the duo have accumulated since their teenage years living on outer ends of the Pacific Ocean.

From the technicolour aqua-jungle of "View From Fuua" which bursts with Logical Progression era Good Looking Records exo-planet optimism, through to the EPs closer, "Zuio-ji" a track that owes as much of a debt to the ancient Japanese court music of gagaku, as it does the 1960s soundtrack work of composer Toru Takemitsu and the jidaigeki infused breakbeat experiments of a mid 90s Rupert Parkes. Shades, tones and hues plucked from CD-ROM era "Visual Scenes" 80s CM Music and the techno-animism of synth-heavy anime soundtracks can be found on the EPs more VGM-leaning excursions "光のトンネル" and "夜明けの真鶴岬" whereas tracks like "Physical Reality" continue the question posed on their debut:What would a breakbeat tradition look and sound like, had it been forged a billion light years away?

The Rough Trade Singles collects The Fall's four singles recorded for this influential label in 1980 and 1983 – How I Wrote 'Elastic Man' / City Hobgoblins, Totally Wired / Putta Block, The Man Whose Head Expanded / Ludd Gang and Kicker Conspiracy – none of which appeared on any of the band's studio LPs. With 7-inches being the era's vehicle for buzzing communiqués, The Fall would use the format for short-form, standalone works rather than as mere promotional devices for forthcoming albums.

"Totally Wired" is often cited (and rightfully so) as The Fall's most infectious tune – an amphetamine-fueled anthem with stuttering nods to forebears, yet too incisive to have been made by anyone else. "How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'" is another mad hoedown, one reimagined for the post-punk age. While the playful rhythm machine on "The Man Whose Head Expanded" almost suggests danceability, Mark E. Smith's idiosyncratic shriek on "Kicker Conspiracy" pierces through the twin drumming of Paul Hanley and Karl Burns and the group's unpredictable / unmistakable racket. Together these songs remain some of the absolute best material The Fall would ever release.

Superior Viaduct's edition is the first time that The Rough Trade Singles has been available on vinyl domestically. Liner notes by Brian Turner.

Repress!

Layer upon layer of noise and distortion, like ashes of nuclear apocalypse raining down. The final LP Disclose released, in 2004, captured the band at a high point. When other d-beat raw punk bands were running low on ideas, Kawakami reinvented the sound, incorporating more metallic influences like Broken Bones while still sticking assiduously close to the template. Originally released for Disclose’s tour of the US west coast, ‘Yesterday’s Fairytale, Tomorrow’s Nightmare’ includes ten tracks and closes with a rampaging masterpiece, the 10-minute ‘Wardead,’ which exists on another astral plane from generic Discharge copyists. This authorized reissue reproduces the original artwork and includes a new insert with liner notes by Stuart Schrader.

Almost Like You Could ignites its art punk fire with Lucy Alexander proclaiming, “Everyone wants something to talk about / But not a minute to spare, so be brief.” Not surprising from a song that’s 1:54 (‘Higher’), but the raw honesty in her lyrics ring far after the music ends. Alexander, along with bandmate Luke Cartledge, place the propulsive power of their beliefs at the core of their debut full-length album, and their guiding motivation towards social justice is as fierce as it is welcoming. “Living as part of the queer community, and being queer myself, leads me towards supporting every person’s truth,” Alexander says. Scrounge’s songs skip to a fast beat, electrifying the entire album with a sense of empowerment. Their approach is OG punk: they make music for their peers and themselves. Only now, with a world of connections possible, they’re able to open arms wide for a far-reaching embrace. Alexander’s rich vocals give their sound its central force, anchoring the songs with confessional lines (“If this is the pinnacle, then I need a miracle/ Cause everyone’s laughing at me,” “There’s not much left/ this corpse I have to keep/ Above board.”). They sing about economic inequality, political corruption, environmental destruction, and collective change. “We’re inspired by those around us, and we write about what we care about. Art has always existed for us as a means of catharsis, a way of expressing something we might not be able to otherwise, and we hope our music can be that for other people too,” says Alexander. “I think I’ve actually written a filthy banger,” she states while re-listening to “Buzz/Cut”, a grunge-honoring hammer of a song that takes a journey from disappointment, to self-realization, to release. Alexander and Cartledge’s gratification in making an album they’re proud of mirrors the empowerment conveyed in their lyrics. A follow-up to debut mini-album Sugar, Daddy (Fierce Panda, 2022), Almost Like You Could came together over 18 months, in between “teaching, touring, graduation, and a wedding”, as Lucy explains, for the band always has a handful of shows coming up. It’s a strange outcome for a duo who first bonded over their mutual love of SOPHIE. “She radicalized the structure of sound, and revealed herself through it,” Cartledge explains. “That was a massive inspiration when we started playing together, stripping everything away to open up new possibilities as artists and as people." Having already toured Europe and the States, Scrounge is preparing to be on the road throughout 2025. In a world where the idea of true community is ephemeral, Lucy and Luke seek to foster it everywhere they play. And their belief in change is ultimately buoyed by hope. “I know that it’s never been this good,” they sing.

CHIME OBLIVION began out of the blue. David Barbarossa reached out to John Dwyer saying he was a fan of OSEES and he was invited to a show in London. The two hung out and hit it off, "then I rabbit holed on Bow wow wow too…," Dwyer recalls. "I reached out to David and suggested that we try and write some songs together... I flew David out, we met at my studio and spent five days writing basin drums ideas." The two got to know each other and had a lot of laughs. Dwyer then brought in Weasel Walter, knowing that he would be perfect "to add all that legitimate old-school weird proto-punk no wave guitar scratch to it, which of course he did masterfully." Next came Tom Dolas to play fuzzy marimba, and the fabulous H.L. Nelly, "as I knew her from a record I’d put out back in the day for a band called Naked Lights from Oakland. I knew that she could pull off the vocal style I had in mind." Together, the group created their debut self-titled album, due for release via Deathgod on April 18th. CHIME OBLIVION will be released as a 45 rpm 12" vinyl, CD & on digital. They're sharing the first taste of the album today, in the form of lead single, "NEIGHBORHOOD DOG." "For fans of Adam & the Ants, Bow Wow Wow, Crass, The Slits, and any other wierdo punk we fell in love with as youths." CHIME OBLIVION is due for release on April 18th via Deathgod.

CHIME OBLIVION began out of the blue. David Barbarossa reached out to John Dwyer saying he was a fan of OSEES and he was invited to a show in London. The two hung out and hit it off, "then I rabbit holed on Bow wow wow too…," Dwyer recalls. "I reached out to David and suggested that we try and write some songs together... I flew David out, we met at my studio and spent five days writing basin drums ideas." The two got to know each other and had a lot of laughs. Dwyer then brought in Weasel Walter, knowing that he would be perfect "to add all that legitimate old-school weird proto-punk no wave guitar scratch to it, which of course he did masterfully." Next came Tom Dolas to play fuzzy marimba, and the fabulous H.L. Nelly, "as I knew her from a record I’d put out back in the day for a band called Naked Lights from Oakland. I knew that she could pull off the vocal style I had in mind." Together, the group created their debut self-titled album, due for release via Deathgod on April 18th. CHIME OBLIVION will be released as a 45 rpm 12" vinyl, CD & on digital. They're sharing the first taste of the album today, in the form of lead single, "NEIGHBORHOOD DOG." "For fans of Adam & the Ants, Bow Wow Wow, Crass, The Slits, and any other wierdo punk we fell in love with as youths." CHIME OBLIVION is due for release on April 18th via Deathgod.

Tornamented Walls is the first result of a collaboration that began in 2022. The album is a freeze-frame of emergence: personal preparations prior and minor aside, the album was live and improvised. Rosa Anschütz sings, speaks, plays harmonium, and utilizes a looper as an instrument in itself. Her symbolic prose is at the heart of the music, emotionally direct yet haunted by a translucent potential of meaning. In lockstep with the voice, Tennota dissolve the dense rhythmic complexity of their recent work into a creeping mantra, the material interrogated until the patina of the sound is the music itself.

Tornamented Walls floats on top of a wave of slow-motion techno influences, a deepened ambient and experimental perspective, and a feel of subtle and subdued lyricism not strictly limited to its vocal parts. It is a record of darkly ambient and abstracted techno pop, listening music to be played loud. More disenchanted than dark, it is confrontational through its fearless incorporation of a widely varying set of different states of mind.

Tennota are Tom Wheatley & Grundik Kasyansky. Since 2019, they have been reimagining the relationship between physical and digital worlds through music, using gut strings, sine waves, tree sap, and feedback, and flexing them over contemporary technologies into an elemental suspension. Not futuristic, but rather an alternative present.

Rosa Anschütz is an artist and musician whose sound-based practice is framed by sculpture, installation, and scenography. Her meditative and sometimes haunting compositions combine the dark ambiance of post-punk and cold wave with ethereal polyphony, synth-driven melodies, and spoken word.

Теnnota & Rosa Anschütz will be touring in April, stopping over in Eupen on April 18th for a concert night at the Galerie vorn und oben. Further on the bill that night will be Tristwch Y Fenywod.

Featuring the new Dolphin Dance Remix by Hugo Nicolson, known for his work on Primal Scream's landmark LP Screamadelica along with Julian Cope, Shack, Beck, Radiohead and more. Eric Bauer's garage-punk Mirrors Mix shows up on vinyl, known for his work with Ty Segall and Oh Sees. Falling Forever gets the Flying Mojito Bros stardust late night desert disco "refrito" as well as the island flavored High & Lonesome version from Daniel Ellsworth. Wild Swans is treated to a full on pop mix from Damien Page Lewis (Rhianna, Justin Timberlake) Clay Blair's UK Radio Mix (War On Drugs) Nick Holton's HOO Mix (Slowdive) it's not all sagebrush and sand...it's SPACE and JOYFUL SONICS… all songs come from the Chris Robinson produced & top ten college radio album ACROSS THE RIVER OF STARS

Featuring the new Dolphin Dance Remix by Hugo Nicolson, known for his work on Primal Scream's landmark LP Screamadelica along with Julian Cope, Shack, Beck, Radiohead and more. Eric Bauer's garage-punk Mirrors Mix shows up on vinyl, known for his work with Ty Segall and Oh Sees. Falling Forever gets the Flying Mojito Bros stardust late night desert disco "refrito" as well as the island flavored High & Lonesome version from Daniel Ellsworth. Wild Swans is treated to a full on pop mix from Damien Page Lewis (Rhianna, Justin Timberlake) Clay Blair's UK Radio Mix (War On Drugs) Nick Holton's HOO Mix (Slowdive) it's not all sagebrush and sand...it's SPACE and JOYFUL SONICS… all songs come from the Chris Robinson produced & top ten college radio album ACROSS THE RIVER OF STARS

For Fans of, KISS, Starz, Angel, and 70’s classic rock! Employing a dazzling mix of glam rock, hard rock, and progressive rock, Angel's outrageous, white-satin-heavy image and equally over-the-top stage shows, making them one of the more colourful arena rock bands of the mid-'70s and early '80s. Discovered by KISS bass player, Gene Simmons, the group issued their eponymous debut album in 1975, which hewed closer to prog rock than the glam pop that would inform future endeavours like On Earth as It Is in Heaven(1977) and Sinful(1979). The group released a total of 5 studio albums and 1 live album before going their separate ways in 1981.Formed in Washington, D.C., the group's self-titled 1975debut was recorded for the flamboyant Casablanca Records label--home to KISS--with a line-up comprising Frank DiMino (vocals), Punky Meadows (guitar), Gregg Giuffria (keyboards), Mickie Jones(bass), and Barry Brandt(drums). A heavy slab of heavy pomp rock with lengthy songs swathed in Giuffria's atmospheric keyboards and featuring the longtime stage favourite "Tower". Now to celebrate the50thAnniversarythis classic has been remastered and is being released on both a 6-pane l CD digipak and on 180G vinyl with liner notes by Rock Candy journalist Dave Reynolds. There are only 700 of the Black-Blue swirl worldwide. A must have for any Angel fan with classics like “Tower” and “Rock & Rollers”

The double LP edition of „Koslowsky & Faaterland“ brings Floh de Cologne’s iconic sound to vinyl in its most immersive form.

Not only does the LP deliver a richer audio experience, but it also allows listeners to fully dive into the band’s expressive music and satirical lyrics. Just like the CD version, the double LP offers a sharp critique of social and political issues, delivered with Floh de Cologne’s signature humor and musical diversity. This vinyl release takes listeners on a journey between biting satire and deep, often humorous reflections. The fusion of rock, punk, and cabaretstyle satire gives this album its own unique character – a must-have for vinyl collectors and fans of thought-provoking music.

Immerse yourself in the world of Floh de Cologne and enjoy the intricate interplay of music, lyrics, and political commentary – a true vinyl experience.

Crystal clear vinyl. 'PO$T AMERICAN' is the second full-length album by Dead Pioneers. Written in February and recorded in July, it preempts the 2024 American election but wraps up the fears and frustrations as eloquently and, crucially, humorously as the band's 2023 self-titled debut. "Currently, we are amidst the gross existence of capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy and the many oppressive forces that have come to inform everything around us" says vocalist and songwriter Gregg Deal. "The title PO$T AMERICAN informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American dream, while moving forward with hope of a desired designation of unity outside those that would use us for their own capitalistic power grab." The aural palate is broadly the same, but it feels expanded, stronger somehow: drawing on the confrontational writing of Rage Against The Machine, the unapologetic voice of Chuck D and Public Enemy, the storytelling of Johnny Cash, the evolution of IDLES, and punk stalwarts including Black Flag, Rollins Band and Dead Kennedys. Overall the resulting feeling across the new album is one of cautious optimism: "Although we didn't expect the political relevance to become more relevant, we have no illusions to the American dream, or to where we seem to be going. But we have hope that we can get to a better place for people to have what they need." It is an album that speaks to and for this precise time and place; that perhaps could not exist at any other time. It is an album for now.

Crystal clear vinyl. 'PO$T AMERICAN' is the second full-length album by Dead Pioneers. Written in February and recorded in July, it preempts the 2024 American election but wraps up the fears and frustrations as eloquently and, crucially, humorously as the band's 2023 self-titled debut. "Currently, we are amidst the gross existence of capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy and the many oppressive forces that have come to inform everything around us" says vocalist and songwriter Gregg Deal. "The title PO$T AMERICAN informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American dream, while moving forward with hope of a desired designation of unity outside those that would use us for their own capitalistic power grab." The aural palate is broadly the same, but it feels expanded, stronger somehow: drawing on the confrontational writing of Rage Against The Machine, the unapologetic voice of Chuck D and Public Enemy, the storytelling of Johnny Cash, the evolution of IDLES, and punk stalwarts including Black Flag, Rollins Band and Dead Kennedys. Overall the resulting feeling across the new album is one of cautious optimism: "Although we didn't expect the political relevance to become more relevant, we have no illusions to the American dream, or to where we seem to be going. But we have hope that we can get to a better place for people to have what they need." It is an album that speaks to and for this precise time and place; that perhaps could not exist at any other time. It is an album for now.