This is bound to divide opinions and at the risk of pigeon-holing; Cloud Nothings really are nailing pop-punk to the floor and jumped up and down on it, with sweaty, furious abandon. Here and Nowhere Else is a brief and brash affair, clocking in at just over 32 minutes and is a pithy eight tracks long and is an absolute riot of blistering energy, wild joy and scuzzy delight from start to finish.
Wild Throne – Blood Maker
Hailing from Bellingham, Wild Throne are vibrant, technicoloured chaos. This chaos though, has for the most part, some structure – it doesn’t feel totally thuggish, smashing things for the sake of smashing them; there’s determination, relentless pace and twists and turns at every chord, every drum beat and every sung/screamed/whispered word.
Volatile Substance – Soak My Body In Gasoline. Bathe Myself In Fire
Who wants some sick hardcore jams right up in their face? Volatile Substance are four dudes from Oakland who like to play hard and fast, with the kind of blunt, pulverizing determination that you’d expect from a band who’s EP title is a statement on self-immolation.
Hemorrhage – Chapter One
I feel there should be a strong emphasis on the r(h)age in Hemorrhage’s moniker. In fact, it should be capitalised at all times, with at least several exclamation marks. Hailing from Huntington Beach, Orange Country, this four piece (consisting of vocalist Philip, guitarist Vinnie, bassist Rain and drummer Andres) define their genre as ‘anger’, which is spot on. Chapter One is 7 tracks in around 13 minutes and it’s absolutely punishing.