HOT BREATH SET TO RELEASE THEIR SELF TITLED DEBUT

HOT BREATH SET TO RELEASE THEIR SELF TITLED DEBUT

Hot Breath delivers a six track K.O that is set for release the 18th of October on The Sign Records. Blending immortalized classic rock with pure attitude, add a bit of just all those influences that you like and you get Hot Breath’s self-titled debut.

Guitar solos, side by side with Jennifer Israelssons (previously seen fronting Honeymoon Disease) cocky vocals and a brilliant rhythm section in Jimi Karlsson (ex Honeymoon Disease) and Anton Frick Kallmin (Hypnos). Its no doubt that Hot Breath is a guitar-based rock band, but Karl Edfeldt (Grand) and Jennifer’s guitar works are mostly a tease, that makes you want more. Hot Breath provides the soundtrack to the last drink sip that never ends. 

Recorded and mixed by Jamie Elton (ex Amulet) in Stockholm during the summer of 2019. Axel Söderberg (Horisont) have helped out on keys on the recording. Mastered by Hans Olsson Brookes at Svenska Grammofon Studion. Artwork by Jimi Karlsson. Cover photo by Marcus Eriksson. The release will be available on CD in Digipack, 180g Vinyl and Digital formats. Hot Breath is touring and kicks of their first Swedish tour joining a four date The Sign Fest making four stops in Sweden.

 

Pre-Order Physical Album
Pre-Save Album on Spotify/Apple
Hot Breath at Bandcamp

Live:
26th September – Gothenburg (With The Obsessed)
18 October – The Sign Fest Linköping (Festival/Tour)
19 October – The Sign Fest Stockholm (Festival/Tour)
25/26 Oktober – Skövde In Rock (Festival)
8 November – The Sign Fest Gothenburg (Festival/Tour)
9 November – The Sign Fest Malmö (Festival/Tour)
more live dates to be announced….

 

Hot Breath on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/hotbreathgbg/

The Sign Records on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thesignrecords/

Kid Klumsy – ‘Singing Our Souls’ (STP Records)

Kid Klumsy – ‘Singing Our Souls’ (STP Records)

Released to coincide with their recent appearance on the Pavilion stage at Rebellion 2019 ‘Singing Our Souls’ is the second EP from Kid Klumsy the Coalville based five-piece who like to mix metal with punk and feature Weab ex-singer with Dirtbox Disco on lead vocals.

It still doesn’t feel quite right writing “ex singer with Dirtbox Disco” after Weab’s name but having seemingly not been happy fronting the band for quite some time at least here on the six tracks that make up ‘Singing Our Souls’ he sounds much more comfortable singing songs he’s written with his new bandmates.

I’d actually only heard a few older tracks by Kid Klumsy ahead of the recent Rebellion show and to be honest live they seemed to be much more metal than punk, but here on ‘Singing Our Souls’ the balance does switch back more in favour of the punky side of the street.

Lead track ‘Mr. Right Man’ is built on the type of thunderous uptempo guitar riff Dirtbox made their trademark and rumour has it is apparently autobiographical with Weab telling the story of how his larger than life clown figure became something he grew to hate, and true to that ethos Kid Klumsy are very much a jeans and T-Shirt band.

‘Slob’ is up next and this track is much more metal tinged especially on the double bass drum driven chorus breakdowns. ‘Dislexic Monkyz’ meanwhile is perhaps the most Dirtbox sounding track of the six on offer, largely because of Weab’s singing and even given the wacky subject matter it still manages to contain a really catchy hook.

‘Love Is a Battery Field’ is another tune that sticks in the head this time due to the infectious gang backing vocal whilst ‘She’s A Fuck’ is ostensibly a song about a stalker that is built on a thumping Krist Novoselic bass foundation which then adds huge slabs of 90s metal guitar to build its overall structure. Weab is also pushing himself into new areas vocally on this track and I for one certainly like this almost Ricky Warwick meets Dave Gahan style he has developed.

‘Singing Our Souls’ closes up with ‘Maisey’s Song’ a mid-tempo rocker that doesn’t really go anywhere and for me it’s the weakest track here.

Having been a fan of Dirtbox Disco since the days of their first EP at first I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of Kid Klumsy, in fact even after a good few plays of ‘Singing Our Souls’ I’m still not entirely sure. The EP does have the odd flash of brilliance and it certainly is great to hear Weab singing in styles he wants to sing in; it’s just I can’t help but miss that larger than life clown of old you know.

However, with extensive tours already booked both here in the UK and internationally and Kid Klumsy seemingly growing as songwriters the more they are together, I think I’ll reserve full judgement for when the debut album drops, in the meantime though ‘Singing Our Souls’ is certainly an interesting appetiser if you don’t mind a bit of metal mixed in with your punk that is.

Author: Johnny Hayward

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Bitch Queens Announce new album details and release date

Bitch Queens Announce new album details and release date

LuxNoise is proud to announce the next “Bitch Queens” album “City Of Class”. Will be out 27th of September on vinyl, CD & on all digital platforms. It contains 11 straight death-punk songs and shows the band from their most energetic side so far!  Coming out on LuxNoise in Europe and spaghettytown in the USA.

 

Mel, Harry, Marcel & Danny have written Ten new tracks and have also included a cover of ‘Paso (The Nini Anthem)’ by Spanish DJ Sak Noel that needs to be heard. A review on RPM will be out nearer the release but needless to say, this is one hell of a loud record.  Fans will be pleased.

 

The Professor and the Madman – Live at the 100 Club (Self Release)

The Professor and the Madman – Live at the 100 Club (Self Release)

The Professor and the Madman aren’t household names in the Punk Rock, Power Pop fraternity, although they should be. Not just because former Damned drummer Rat Scabies has played on all three of the band’s studio albums or for the latest “Disintegrate Me”.  Rat’s bass playing former colleague Paul Gray lends his considerable talent to it, but because the mainstays of Alfie Agnew and Sean Elliot have just as much Punk cred, having been in the likes of D.I. and The Adolescents and exuded more DIY ethos than both Wickes and B&Q combined.

The birth of this live album deserves a whole section dedicated it itself; publishing approval, Art(?) Work(??) copyright issues, Pressing problems and almost the final nail in the coffin PledgeMusic that had the band putting their hands in their own pockets to fulfill the orders, but enough of the back story let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of The Professor and the Mad Man live at the 100 Club album.

The album was recorded just over a year ago at, obviously, the legendary 100 Club in Oxford Street where Messers Gray and Scabies would be playing together live, something that they hadn’t done since July 1992 when the Damned were either departing or reforming. The twelve tracks that make up this 50 minute album span the bands 3 album career to date with “Peace Bombs” from the “Elixir II – Election” album leading straight into a cover of US Power Pop band 20/20’s “Nuclear Boy” and then “Nightmare” that had me thinking that the band have arranged the setlist as some sort of post-apocalyptic concept. It’s almost as if this live album should’ve been a studio one, no doubt to thanks to various Streaming Services it can be. Even the cover of Eddie and the Hot Rods “Quit This Town”, that features a guest appearance from former Hot Rods guitarist Graeme Douglas, lends weight to this. Either that or this is The Professor and the Mad Man’s stab at their own version of The Monkees “Head” soundtrack done live; brilliantly off the rails but bang on the money. The production is super well balanced; you can hear everybody and everything, no one is too loud or understated. The only thing missing is the crowd appreciation and reaction between songs, until “Quit This Town”, where it springs into life, before mysteriously receding into the background; I was at the gig and remember the crowd to have been on the lively, boisterous side with a lot more stories and antidotes between songs (Adam Ant) and I’m sure “Electroconvulsive Therapy” was the penultimate track and not, as on the CD, the last. Maybe that’s why it fades out?

Overall, it’s a great snapshot of something special that at the time was billed as “For One Night Only”. However, with Alfie, Sean, Paul and Rat working on new material I hope to see “A Welcome Return” sometime next year.

Author: Armitage Smith

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The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears (Human Season Records)

The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears (Human Season Records)

When you get your debut album Produced by Flood (PJ Harvey, New Order, Foals) you have to e onto something don’t you? An album that features three singles already released from the band  “Feeling Fades”, “Green & Blue” & “Don’t Cling To Life” as well as their breakthrough song ‘More Is Less’.  Its give you a fairly panoramic vision of how the band sound.

post-rock on the two-part ‘Slowdance’, to the slower,  ‘On Twisted Ground’ a song about loss and keeping your friends close is simple in its bass notes leading the way. To finish the band lay into some industrial throb of the albums sign off ‘Love, Love, Love’, Its an extremely confident album that’ll see The Murder Capital hoover up an audience because at times I hear early U2 (don’t let that put you off) and that’s not a lazy connection due to their geographic existence.  They also touch on Joy Division and I’m also hearing shades of New Model Army thrown into the melting pot as well as a whole bunch of other bands I get flashes of.

There are times when it feels cold and bleak and other times it feels crushing and warm and every available space is filled with noise and that’s not an easy thing to do.  Especially not from a band on their first album. The album’s opener is better dressed than Idles but I guess comparisons will be made. ‘More Is Less’ is like a late-night bare-knuckle street brawl when the guitars kick in and there is an excitement captured in the music. Its an album you’ll have to invest some time in to get to grips with its widescreen appeal and one I can see peeling back track after track like an onion revealing different layers with every play. It’s easy to see how Flood wanted to produce this record and a fantastic job he’s done too.

About to head out the door to tour the backside of this album The Murder Capital are reaching for the stars and they might just catch themselves some.  An amazingly confident and complete debut in the field of alt post-punk or whatever you want to call it.

 

Buy When I Have Fears Here

Author: Dom Daley

The Control Freaks – She’s the Bomb (Slovenly Recordings)

The Control Freaks – She’s the Bomb (Slovenly Recordings)

Slovenly Recordings presents the latest full-length hunk o’ junk from San Francisco’s last standing Budget Rockers THE CONTROL FREAKS! Remember a time when bands like The Ramones pumped out albums full of sing-a-long singles that you could jump around to well, The Control Freaks do that.  From the opening explosion of the title track, we’re off and running.  Its garage punk with plenty of pop sing-a-longs.  count in 1-2-3-4 and the wonderfully titled ‘I Hate Your Face’ muscles in.  it’s full of bluster and has a wonderful garage rock rattle.  What’s not to like?

‘Elevator Girl’ kicks off with a dirty overdriven bass before steaming off.

‘Telephone City’ seems to be the catalyst to up the insanity a notch or two as shit gets faster and a little more out of control. ‘Hate List’ takes it up a notch or two with added madness.

So yeah, like, It’s fair to say this record is packed with hit after smash hit like “I Hate Your Face,”  ‘Creep You Out’ is on the level with some top tub-thumping and sleazy guitar slashing. ‘I Am Crime’ thrashes about some more if you haven’t already had enough. and you might need A ‘First Aid Kit’ it might come in handy at some point if you’re slamming around to these tunes and the cheap keys are gonna drive you insane. Its ferocious and sweetness rolled into one take ‘Time Out’ with some sweet vocals over an absolute banger that Dee Dee would have been proud to have penned. 

‘Dowanna Love’ is the first, (yup I did say first) cover on the album by Babeez Greg takes the vocals here whilst the second comes as the penultimate and more laid back (really) ‘Nobody Wants Me’ where Sherrilynn Nelson takes the vocals and delivers the best sultry Debbie Harry style vocals for thirty years on this dark lo-fi slice of scuzzy rock.

This is one of the most consistent garage punk albums I’ve had the pleasure of in quite a while. Why would anyone mess with Jessica? she sounds a handful.  Thirteen tunes crammed onto one album with every conceivable bit of space filled to the gills with rock and roll noise noise noise.  I love it and you will too.  Go get some kids you won’t be disappointed and if you are then I suggest Rock and Roll just isn’t for you either that or you might want to check for a pulse.

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Author: Dom Daley

CR Dicks – Dick Moves (Black Gladiator / Slovenly)

CR Dicks – Dick Moves (Black Gladiator / Slovenly)

Andy Caffrey is the man behind CR Dicks and thats good enough for me, That and being on Slovenly is an endorsement in itself.  I haven’t got a clue about the name either and its probably best not to ask.

What does the record sound like I hear you howling at the screen? Well, its a fucked up fuzzy slice of walking on the Wildside it’s got hip hop fuzzed-out blues distortion of some description (‘What Kind’) the vocals are howled through a tunnel by the sound of it as are the sporadic and chaotic backing vocals and there’s crazy sax honkin (played by none other than Pete Balestrieri, ex-VIOLENT FEMMES) and some slick and sick funky bass slapping its way through these choppy waters. It just works and you need to trust me on this.  Turn it up then when it gets uncomfortable turn it up a little more – that’s the fella. 

 

‘Tweaker Of The House’ is something Beck was able to write many moons ago but not as street and dangerous sounding as this. Imagine a noisy garage-punk – hip-hop hybrid with just enough dirty Beastie Boys meets Jon Spenser. Sounds interesting, right? of course, it’s intimidating but “Dick Moves” isn’t sweetness and light it’s not Coldplay nor safe like Noels High Flying Birds this is cutting edge and music to fuck you up. It’s demented  ‘Therythmethod’ will fuck you up if the volume is right. It’s not helped much when the lo-fi of ‘Red Moped’ enters the fray with its Suicide-lite drum machine beats and hushed vocals but wait it’s destroyed when ‘Skate To Die’ explodes through the speakers all thrashing distorted guitars and fucked up vocals burst through the speakers. 

Its probably for the best that ‘Black Girlfriend’ is the final track such is the sonic assault taking place but for the next three minutes you’re taken on a garage rock road trip of the finest kind.  What a scorcher to end up on its discord juddering rhythm is the perfect way to sign off.  I guess we’ll see Andy in about another ten years when he’s got enough for another journey through the darker side of Rock and Roll for us, but we’ll all sign up for the trip thought right? Fuckin’ right we will! my bag is already packed for the ride.

 

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Author: Dom Daley

 

 

 

Jeff Whalen- 10 More Rock Super Hits (Supermegabot Music Concern)

Jeff Whalen- 10 More Rock Super Hits (Supermegabot Music Concern)

What was originally a pledge campaign (but the less said about that the better I guess) from Jeff Whalen (yeah you know the guy from TSAR) what you never heard Tsar whatsamaddawivyou? C’mon people read the review then go do some interweb searching and go fill yer boots with some luscious power pop.

where were we? Oh yeah, Jeff Whalen.  Well, a bit of background Jeff was the singer/guitar player for Tsar they were great and you should buy their records.  Right, that’s the background on Jeff and now onto ‘Ten More Rock Superhits’. So we might have joined the party late seeing as this was out a few months ago but quite how we missed this through all the Pledge fiasco is beyond me and we can only apologise besides its better to be late than never and this record needs to be brought to the masses and that’s you the good readers of RPM you of impecable taste (why else would you be here?)

’10 More Rock Superhits’ begins with a round of applause and then bang straight in with the cloudburst of powerpop goodness.  Huge hooks dampened guitar power chords did I mention big big No BIG melody that’s pretty much ‘Goofing Around’ damn its even got Handclaps blips and whirls and xylophone clanks or is that champagne glasses?  Who knows its a great big sky sized blast of rock and roll to warm the coldest heart.

Jeff leans on an impeccable catalogue of power pop for inspiration.  Cheap Trick, Plimsouls, Big Star, Sweet n T Rex and about a bazillion other rock n pop dandys who ever picked up a guitar and rocked out with a pop song. ‘Ground Game For Worm’ I dunno what it’s about but does it matter.  Its got a backbeat and a big chorus and it sounds like these songs were written driving around a coastal road looking for a beach party with Jeff in the back with the roof down and a guitar for company.

Oh shit that sounded like a flute on the intro of ‘Kung Fu Criminal’ but not in a prog way more like the flute used in HR Puffnstuff.  Its the beachboys played by Cheap Trick.  It makes you a bit sick that a guy can seemingly knock out near perfect power pop at will and finding a couple of gems is a difficult task but to hit the spot ten times in a row is either the biggest fluke or genius (now I love Tsar and I know how many tunes they had Soooo for me it just has to be the latter)

‘Man Of Devotion’ is laid back and with a softer tone on the vocals makes for an excellent track then to follow it up with a step up in pace that is the more aggressive ‘The Alien Lanes’ (No I’m not gonna try and work out what it all means) With Gerald reviewing the Brothers Steve it looks like we’re being spoilt with great power pop records from some of the finest writers and there’s the new Redd Kross album to come as well.

‘Shanghai Surprise’ is unashamedly pop from the skiffle of the banjo and kazoo with the barroom piano rolling round the back is light relief where ‘Don’t Give It Up’ steals the show for me. If we could get serious for a second as ‘Soylent Blue’ is a melancholy four minutes of piano-driven big balladry with strings ‘n’ layered vocals which only leaves the title track to sign off what is a wonderful and light album full of great tunes written and played by a totally committed pop writing superstar.  You might never have heard of him or anything he’s ever done before but that’s ok we all have to start somewhere and ’10 More Rock Super Hits’ is a pretty decent place to start. Buy it

USA people buy the album Here

UK/Europe peeps buy it Here

Gyasi ‘Androgyne’ (Self-Released)

Gyasi ‘Androgyne’ (Self-Released)

This album release snuck up on me, and I put it on my radar as soon as I saw when it was dropping. While eager to hear it, I did not have this one as something I had to hear right away as I enjoyed the first EP but wasn’t blown away by it. Then, I gave this album a listen… and another… and another… and well you see where this is going. This album is a gamechanger for future expectation (when we get there), but let’s invest a lot of time into the present as this album gives us 10 songs in less than 30 minutes with not one second wasted. With influences ranging from glitter glam, 70’s blues hard rock, and rock n roll. Gyasi, currently based in Nashville, has followed up his first EP with a classic, timeless feeling album that will likely be on many end of the year best album lists as the number of people who hear it.

The lightning guitar riff by Gyasi that launches ‘Colorful’ tears a hole in the soul and immediately gets the body moving. ‘I’m not normal; I was born colorful’ is not just a lyric; it is a statement of intent from an artist who has invested blood, sweat, and tears into finding out who he is. The guitar solo allows a reprieve before an epic race to the finish of the song and one final chorus. We change gears immediately with the acoustic power pop jangle of ‘Androgyne’ affirming that you can be anything you want to be. In a world of bullies, this can serve as an anthem for those that don’t fall into the society ordained categories and give them a voice. The bluesy ‘Young Love’ takes some Led Zeppelin influences with Gyasi using a higher vocal here to create an awesome hook in the chorus.

One of the early singles follows with ‘Tongue Tied’ shaking and grooving down the back alley with another addictive chorus. The added harmonica showcasing another element we have not heard. This one recalls some Rolling Stones vibes. The bluesy ‘Blackstrap’ brings some horns into the mix and creates an even stranger musical refrain. This song has proven to be an incredibly fast grower as I was not initially blown away by it and now think it is one of many favorites from the album. The chorus comes from early glitter glam and attaches itself to your brain.

‘Wilde Childe’ starts us down the back half of the album with a straight forward beat giving way to an almost robotic refrain in the chorus. This song might actually be the one that grabs me the least, but I am still singing it and not wanting to skip it when I play the album so maybe I call it the runt of a very strong litter. Some acoustic and slide guitar introduce ‘Bring Your Love’ which again recalls a bit of Led Zeppelin especially with that vocal hook in the chorus making me think of something like ‘Ramble On.’

The final trio begins with the upbeat ‘Nightcrawl’ which shimmies and shakes on an addictive beat that with the piano riding on top of it feels part Bowie and part musical number. The guitar cuts through at all the perfect times, and the hook is cut deep into my brain at this point. When I think about my favorite songs of the year, this one will be on the list. It segues into the glam glitter rocker ‘Kiss Kiss’ which features some more awesome piano work as well as some saxophone. The chorus is perfect and would make a perfect partner with something like ‘Almost Faded’ by the Sweet Things. Similar to ‘Nightcrawl,’ this one will likely garner a lot of attention from me for my favorite song of the year. Closing number ‘Little Tramp’ is an acoustic strummed rocker that is part T.Rex and could have fit seamlessly into the soundtrack for ‘Almost Famous.’ The gentle acoustic outro allows for a breath and provides one of two options. You either go right back into the beginning or allow it to transition to Gyasi’s first EP. Either way, you are a winner.

While Gyasi handles most of the instruments here, I do want to recognize the following who also play on the album:

Ammed Solomon and Gaelen Mitchell- drums

Dylan Whitlow- bass on ‘Young Love’

Don Steck-harmonica on ‘Tongue Tied’

Stefan Forbus- sax on ‘Kiss Kiss’

This album exceeded all my expectations and has left trails of glitter all across my favorite albums of the year. I would love to see a Gyasi/ Sweet Things tour happen where everyone can forget what year it might be and just celebrate for an evening. I cannot recommend this one enough if you want some enjoyable rock n roll that has a reverence for the past as well as a passion for the here and now to create 10 timeless songs.  2019 became even more awesome when we got this treasure of an album.

‘Androgyne’ is available Here.

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

 

 

Sum 41 – Order In Decline (Hopeless Records)

Sum 41 – Order In Decline (Hopeless Records)

Let me start this by painting a little image in your head.

The year is 2004. I’ve just finished school for the summer and I can’t wait to waste the rainy days indoors blasting Kerrang TV. I’ll always remember seeing the music videos for Fat Lip and In Too Deep way way back in the day, they made quite an impression on this edgy little 10-year-old.

 

It was about a year later when I managed to get the albums All Killer No Filler, Half Hour of Power and Does This Look Infected? (I say get because I had to rely on my old man buying me CD’s, No sales clerk is gonna sell an 11-year-old an album with the opening track “Grab the Devil by the Horns and **** Him up the *** … Oh the curse of parental advisory, I do not miss it.) I can’t remember how many times I had played tracks like Still Waiting, Makes no Difference and Summer but I’m sure the repeat button on my walkman hated me.

 

Sum 41 are still kicking after all these years however with Order in Decline, their most recent work. We’re greeted with the opening track Turning Away. It’s not how I expected the album to start, put it that way. Catchy riffs and sequences are present, the chorus and the guitar solo (which is killer by the way) add a bit more energy to it but it still feels a bit lackluster as an opening track.

 

Two of the more stand-out tracks for me have to be Out for Blood and A Death In The Family. Both of these songs are borrowing from the style of the 2004 album Chuck. Not to mention these songs are pretty heavy for a punk band, with double bass beats and riffs that go hard. Around the midsection of the album is where we start to get some of the more groove-oriented tracks such as Heads will Roll and 45 (A Matter of Time). Already in five or so tracks Sum 41 are really showing that they’re not afraid to branch out into a number or different styles and subgenres, showcasing how they’ve developed as musicians over the years. Albeit with the departure of Stevo 32 some years back.

 

After a brief slow down in tempo and mood with the song Never there, we’re thrust straight back into the groove-fueled Eat You Alive, and then another personal favourite from this record The People Vs… This track is an absolute beast of punk riffs and drumming, Deryck’s vocals really shine on this track due to the grimey punk aesthetic. The final track on the album Catching fire also feels a bit lackluster. I’m not gonna lie it sounds like pop music, but I’m sure there’s something there for every sort of fan, albeit new or old.

 

All in all this record showcases much of the band’s diversity and how they’ve developed their musical style over the years. There’s something here in this record for everyone, whether you’re a fast-tempo high energy punk fanatic, a groove-heavy rock and roller, or even someone who enjoys the slower types of songs. You’ll be able to find something to enjoy in this album. I do think the track listing feels a little confused, however, Personally I’d have moved some of the songs around just so the album flows a bit better, instead of the more random nature of styles bouncing back and forth as you get deeper into the record. Some might argue that the order of songs are there as “Palate Cleansers” but It’s a bit too much for me personally. As an older fan of Sum 41, I did enjoy the record in whole. It’s great to see a band I grew up with still kicking and still producing great tracks.

Buy Order In Decline Here

Author: Adam Hatherway