DVTR - Live aux Foufounes
Live aux Foufounes is not derivative or tired or formulaic. It’s fresh and alive and pulsating. The music still contains some of the straight-time fury of punk, with bombastic, short songs played fast and loud. But they are also played really, really well.
Jimmie Kilpatrick - Jimmie
As underscored by its title, Jimmie is the first release under the real name of Jimmie Kilpatrick, who has long performed as Shotgun Jimmie. It sees Kilpatrick incorporating experimental recording methodologies while delivering more of the ever-catchy hooks and clever, empathic lyrics he’s known for.
Men I Trust - Equus Asinus & Equus Caballus
Men I Trust has released two excellent records when measured in their own terms. Both of these albums show off two aspects of how this band approaches composition and songwriting, and it is really up to the listener to discern which of these approaches appeals best to their aesthetic sensibilities.
Sled Island Edition: Cassia Hardy - In Relation
Rare are the records where a whole community went into making them, rarer even are artists who they go lengths to honour that work and influence behind-the-scenes. In Relation by Cassia Hardy is one such record, stemming from a devoted songwriter who invests all of herself to making explicit what this all means by way of sticking to her ethical and political commitments.
Sled Island Edition: Chinese Medicine - The Trans Agenda
Chinese Medicine contains multitudes on The Trans Agenda. It is both a collection of stories and a statement of a band on the rise that leaves no doubt that they are one of the most vital punk bands active today.