In The Red Indierock | Alternative 54 Items

Meatbodies’ latest undertaking and borderline lost album, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom, is their most varied and realized work to date. It’s a melodic, hook-filled rock epic in which frontman and lead guitarist Chad Ubovich faces the trials of sobriety, redemption, reinvention while literally learning to walk and play again. Resurrection not only accompanies the record, but its production as well, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom examines themes surrounding love and loss, escapism, defeatism, hedonism, psychedelics and much more.

By 2017, Ubovich had reached a crossroads. After years of increasingly insane shows playing to heaving crowds with an ever-evolving and rotating door of personnel, fatigue had taken its toll and he realized another change was on the horizon. Retreating to the seedy Los Angeles underbelly—in search of meaning and a reset—he escaped into that world, ignoring his own well being, trying to forget his successes. It was at this point that Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom began to take shape—a project built by a man searching for new beginnings and his own sense of self. After sobering up, sessions began with longtime collaborator Dylan Fujioka. However, due to discrepancies with the studio, tensions were high and the plug was pulled. And as the world took a back seat, so did the idea of Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom. Not wanting to sit still at home, Ubovich began to comb through his previous demos, and, with that, 333 was born, the now de facto third Meatbodies album. Yet Flora was never far from Ubovich’s mind.

When restrictions started to lift, Ubovich headed to Gold Diggers Sound in Los Angeles, backed by engineer Ed McEntee and a team of colleagues and friends, and completed the final act to the album. It recalls the searing Blue Cheer-meets-Iggy Pop-with-psychedelia that permeated previous releases, but adds new elements of shoegaze, classic alternative, Britpop, drone, and hints of country. Simultaneously an ode to ’80s LA punk and the rise of indie / alternative music in the U.K., it plays like a radio station broadcasting from the void.

Thee Oh Sees (ocs) began as songwriter / singer / guitarist John Dwyer's outlet for the experimental instrumentals he was producing in his home studio. Dwyer, who hails from Providence, RI, has been active on the San Francisco indie scene since the late '90s, working with The Coachwhips, Hospitals, Pink & Brown, Yikes, Dig That Body Up It's Alive, and Swords & Sandals, among others. He formed OCS (which is an acronym for Orinoka Crash Suite, Orange County Sound, or whatever Dwyer decided on any given day) to release a string of soundscapes and moody pieces that were decidedly lower key than his previous projects. In time, OCS morphed into an actual band, working under a flurry of names (most notably the Oh Sees or the Ohsees) and eventually settling on Thee Oh Sees. Sounding a bit like The Mamas & The Papas run through a seriously bent garage blender, this line-up features Dwyer on guitar and vocals, Brigid Dawson on vocals and tambourine, Petey Dammit on bass, and Mike Shoun on drums. The band signed with the German Tomlab label and released The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In in 2008. This record marked the first recorded appearance of the newly harder rocking version of the band and was immediately met with an enthusiastic response by fans and rock scribes. It went out of print after its initial pressing sold out quickly, and In The Red is pleased to announce the re-release of this incredible album on vinyl. Music like this is best enjoyed when spun on a turntable, and the gorgeous cover art can only be properly appreciated at 12 inches by 12 inches.

“Memo PST was formed in 2022 by longtime associates Orville Neeley and Chris Shaw.

“The band released a self recorded cassette demo and played a handful of shows in California before setting up shop at Discount Mirrors (the neighborhood studio owned by John Dwyer and Eric Bauer) to lay down an LP.

“Recorded the first five days in May of 2023, the debut album from Memo PST features twelve blasts of raw and primitive Los Angeles punk rock, with Orville Neeley (Bad Sports, OBN IIIs) handling songwriting duties and Chris Shaw (Ex-Cult, Vile Nation) handling vocals and lyrics.

“The debut long player from Memo PST is everything fans have come to expect from the two longtime fixtures in underground rock, but also features some of their most memorable songs yet, including ‘I Used To Be A Pretty Boy’ the debut single from the band that sold out in hours via record label In The Red.

“The black and white album cover photo (taken behind the iconic rocker shop Worship) and the stark presentation that Memo PST has thus far deployed is a clear statement that this is punk made for punks, and the band has little to no regard for current trends created and championed by those less informed.

“Written, recorded, and released in Los Angeles, this is the latest chapter in the LA transplants discography, and only the beginning of what we can expect to hear from the songwriting duo.

“Rounding out the live lineup is life long Los Angeles punk Danny Clodfelter on bass and San Clemente surf punk Jackson Todd on drums. Crumple up your scribblings, this is Memo PST.” —Johnny Dog Face

“This record is an encapsulation. The omnipresent fear and anger. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? And what is really going on? Consternation…today…There is difficulty, frustration, strain and a large snake. You can feel the pressure of it breathing on the streets, in media, and in your lunch. This s/t, by The C.I.A., is an urgent musical notice. I feel it immediately. The pointed vocal cadence and lyrics of Denée Segal is a sharp scythe, and the actual time is…now.

“I feel the same distress call and disposition from Crass records like Penis Envy or DIRT. In fact, if you took that, mixed in “Black Silk Stocking” by Chrisma and a touch of early Nic Endo (Atari Teenage Riot) and even Dinah Cancer (45 Grave) Autopsy era, you can get a feeling. And, similarly to those mentioned, Denée is putting a time stamp on this time. The spirit and her viability is strong in many a corner, and in many a heart. The alarm is ringing.

“This is survival sound, put on record well backed by Ty Segall and Emmett Kelly, who have added anything-must-happen, mercurial, constantly moving instrumentation. The sounds, consistent with unique monochrome, move like an engine, made gas-tight by piston rings. Sonic rings moving in tight machine patterns. And at the vocal helm is Denée, steering this machine in vocal directions across an exclamation point motorway. No salt, all salt. Traction and reaction. They built a sound machine with, and for each other. Survival sound lifts its head up when it needs to. Thankfully it gets put on record and released when it needs to.” —Tim Presley

Fuzz is Ty Segall (drums / vocals), Charlie Moothart (guitar / vocals) and Roland Cosio (bass).
They're heavy rock lifers-three California-bred dudes who have been refining their riffs and getting weird together since high school (which wasn't that long ago, actually). Fuzz was formed a couple years ago as a collaboration between Segall and Moothart, but only recently did the pair have sufficient time to guide the band out of side-project limbo and into a recording studio. Since then, they have released two singles, "This Time I Got a Reason" (Trouble In Mind) and "Sleigh Ride" (In The Red). Around the time of the latter, Cosio joined on bass. They are not dabblers or dilettantes. Fuzz flipped through used bins, hard drives and record collections of the world, seeking out the finest weirdo cuts. The band's self-titled debut LP dives deep, drawing inspiration from the more esoteric reaches of heavy metal pre-history. There are Sabbath and Hendrix nods, obviously, but on "Sleigh Bells" you might also catch a whiff of UK progressive blues business like The Groundhogs, particularly when the song quits its 10/4-time intro and reboots into full-bore choogle. Maybe you'll even glimpse the ghost of Australian guitar legend / sharpie guru Lobby Lloyde sniffing around "Raise." The mood is not light. The songs project a state of perpetual paranoia and eroding mental health. And as it should be, you know? It's a record for the burners. Vinyl includes digital download coupon.

The renaissance of Divine Horsemen—which began in 2021 with In The Red’s release of Hot Rise Of An Ice Cream Phoenix, the legendary Los Angeles punk band’s first release in 33 years—continues with a thrilling and unexpected new album, Bitter End Of A Sweet Night.

The new sixteen-track collection again features the band’s co-founding members, singers-songwriters Chris Desjardins (better known as Chris D.) and Julie Christensen, and the core members of the ferocious Hot Rise band—guitarist / co-writer Peter Andrus (a member of the group’s late ’80s lineup), bassist Bobby Permanent and X’s nonpareil drummer DJ Bonebrake. The sound is filled out by Green On Red and Dream Syndicate keyboardist Chris Cacavas (who appeared on the 1984 Chris D. / Divine Horsemen album Time Stands Still) and classically trained violinist Elizabeth Wilson. Desjardins produced the album.

Divine Horsemen’s dramatic In The Red bow and a 2020 archival set of club performances from 1985 and 1987, issued by Feeding Tube Records, reacquainted listeners with their stormy power and eclectic roots-punk musicianship, which diversified the searing approach taken by Desjardins’ previous band, foundational L.A. punk unit the Flesh Eaters. (Christiansen had previously regrouped with her former husband and musical partner Desjardins on I Used to Be Pretty, the 2018 album that reunited the 1980 “all-star” Flesh Eaters lineup.)

Reaction to the group’s rebirth was rapturous. Jaime Pina of Punk Globe called Hot Rise Of An Ice Cream Phoenix “brilliant,” adding, “The music is lush with both acoustic and electric guitars and the songs pull influences from all over, including country, rock, traditional ethnic folk music and blues.” Michael Toland wrote in The Big Takeover, “Reclaiming its classic sound of sweat- and grime-stained Americana, Divine Horsemen is reborn like the mythical creature in the title.” John Apice of Americana Highways raved, “Like the Rolling Stones, [Divine Horsemen] continue to thrill. They have grit, muscle and potency….Divine indeed.”

“A pop record for tired times. Sugared with bits of shatterproof glass to put more crack in your strap. At long last, verse / chorus. A weathered thesaurus. This is Osees bookend sound. Early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant. Have a whack at the grass or listen while flat on your ass. Heaps of electronic whirling accelerants to gum up your cheapskate broadband. Social media toilet scrapers unite! Allow your 24-hour news cycle eyes to squint at this smiling abattoir doorman. You can find your place here at long last. All are welcome from the get go to the finale…a distant crackling transmission of 80s synth last-dance-of-the-night tune for your lost loves. Suffering from Politic amnesia? Bored of AI-generated pop slop? Then this one is for you, our friends. Wasteland wanderer, stick around. Love y’all. For fans of Teutonic synth punk and Thee Oh Sees (who the fuck are they?)" —John Dwyer

Live In St. Kilda is a twelve song live album from a one-time-only show in which Kid Congo Powers was backed by The Near Death Experience. Kid Congo says, “How did I hook up with The Near Death Experience you may ask? One fine day Kim Salmon, my long time Scientists Surrealist Beast of a friend, wrote from Australia to ask me to play at his book launch for his biography Nine Parts Water, One Part Sand: Kim Salmon And The Formula For Grunge on November 9th, 2019. The launch was to take place at the Memo Music Hall in St. Kilda, a seaside suburb of Melbourne. A royal command performance for the king of Kim? How could I say no to such an honor? What to do about a band? It did not take more than a minute for each of us to suggest Harry Howard and The Near Death Experience as the logical choice. I was a massive fan of the band already and we shared crossed paths as expats claiming out our musical in 1980s London. Harry with Crime And The City Solution and These Immortal Souls, Dave and Clare with The Moodists, Kim with the Scientists and me with Gun Club and Fur Bible. Needless to say it was fantastical to get together and make a playlist for Kim featuring covers by Suicide and Shangri-La, with mine and NDE’s songs as well. The night was magic—I still am floating on a surrealistic pillow remembering the night. Enjoy the racket, enjoy the love, enjoy this record of friendship and celebration.”

Earth Tongue, the brainchild of guitarist Gussie Larkin and drummer Ezra Simons, present their second full-length album Great Haunting. The duo, known for their heavy flavor of fuzz-soaked psychedelic rock, are also pleased to unveil their signing to In The Red Records.

Earth Tongue’s partnership with In The Red stems from a run of shows supporting the legendary Ty Segall throughout New Zealand. Larkin explains: “Ty’s band Fuzz was a significant influence for our sound early on. Ezra and I saw them play live in London about nine years ago, long before Earth Tongue existed. We absorbed a lot of music at that time, and in fact many of the bands we saw released records via In The Red.”

Great Haunting sees the duo draw inspiration from the eerie depths of ’70s and ’80s horror cinema, delivering a sonic concoction of dark and primitive songs with thick layers of fuzz and punchy, compressed drums. The album was engineered by Jonathan Pearce from The Beths at his studio on Karangahape road in Auckland.

The ascent of Earth Tongue is testament to their dedication and hard work. They’ve toured relentlessly across Europe and scored support slots for acts like Idles and Queens Of The Stone Age. They’re consistently selling out headline shows and have featured on festival lineups throughout Aotearoa and Australia. 2024 sees the band embark on a bold new chapter with their first performance in the USA at Sxsw, Austin. They also have more than forty dates booked throughout Europe this summer and many more exciting announcements to come.

Hard-hitting new collection succeeds the trio’s rampaging 2019 In The Red Debut EP Death Buy! Proving once again that “power trio” isn’t just a descriptive handle from the distant past but a louder-than-God 21st-Century reality, the devastating New York band Skull Practioners' bow Negative Stars, their first full-length album for In The Red Records. The eight-track collection is the second release for Los Angeles-based trio—guitarist Jason Victor, bassist Kenneth Levine, and drummer Alex BAKER—who collectively produced the record, with TED Young engineering (and Baker handling engineering on vocal sessions). Brooklyn Vegan said, “If you dig early ’80s L.A. dusty punk like Gun Club, X and Flesh Eaters, or the many works of Jon Spencer, you will want to check out these four ripping, ripped-up tracks.” Rock And Roll Globe described the music as “Gun Club fugues played by anxious Amphetamine Reptile Records ghosts deciding they’d prefer to continue to walk the earth.” Negative Stars is the culmination of years of work in New York’s clubs and studios.

“Step into a sick rhythm. And I mean sickly. Surgery Channel is a constructed world where everything is piercing and pinpointed. Every single word brings confrontation. With an intro as intimate and uncomfortable as this, The C.I.A. make you question what could be happening here…or what they’re after. Denée Segall (vocals, lyrics) is both haunting and seducing us at once with her voice. Something unhinged might be about to happen and they’re calmly dangling it over your head. Is it the possibility of dismemberment? Revenge? “There is something about Surgery Channel that is sterile and covered in dirt at the same time. Maybe it’s the feeling of simultaneous anger and defeat. Maybe it’s what comes after. Or maybe it’s about the ever-so-brief silent spaces between notes and words. Rhythm would be nothing without empty space. Words are rhythm at The C.I.A. “There’s nothing wishy washy about The C.I.A. or the way they sound. It’s all about precision and aim But really, it’s a warning... amplified by the suspense of tick-tocking drum machine beats that resemble a hospital room. Ty Segall (bass, percussion, back up vocals) and Emmett Kelly (bass, synth, back up vocals) have painted a jarring and dissonant landscape behind Denée’s story. Their basses could easily be swapped for bone drills and you might not be able to tell the difference. Emmett’s modular synth envisions an environment reminiscent of the instrument itself, a mess of wires and pulsing red lights. Ty’s subtle use of electronic and analog percussion fluctuates between the sound of a metal tray hitting the floor (“The Wait”), and the swish of an ultrasound scan (“Bubble”). “Both Surgery Channel and The C.I.A’s first self-titled record are ripe with straightforward conviction. However this most recent installment reveals a new side of their personality. Now The C.I.A. is communicating from an electrified, pulsating, metallic playpen that wants you to strut. Surgery Channel shows punks a new way to move while remaining loyal to the traditions of catharsis and social commentary. “This record is an astute observation and blunt critique. Both inward and outward. It is an exploration into how harshly intimate that process can be. It was written in 2021 by Denée Segall, Ty Segall, and Emmett Kelly. It was recorded at Harmonizer Studios and mixed at Golden Beat by Mike Kriebel.” —Sofia Arreguin

“The title of the green glow-in-the-dark vinyl record is not merely a title: it is the first step on a journey to exploring the spirit realm with Zabrecky as your tour guide—just in time for Halloween. On the off chance that you are unfamiliar with the work of Mr. Zabrecky, it will behoove you to know that that he’s had one of the most illustrious, interesting and eclectic careers imaginable. He first came into the public eye in the 1990’s while fronting the popular angst-ridden pop punk combo Possum Dixon. Unlike other artists, his quick, quirky intelligence and onstage intensity didn’t result in a solo rock’n’roll career, but directed him to explore far more esoteric avenues. His later incarnations—all fueled by the same fascinating power—lead him to become an actor, a world famous award-winning magician, mentalist, author and professional auctioneer. Equal parts persuasive snake oil salesman and unctuous supernatural aficionado, he is possessed—[ ] pun intended—of an odd, slightly eerie sense of humor...or perhaps it is that Zabecky is dead serious—and his convictions are merely perceived as humor? “For well over a decade, within the mysterious, chain and shackle- bedecked walls of The Houdini Room at The Magic Castle, Zabrecky has conducted literally hundreds of seances. One day in the not-so-distant past, Zabrecky had a revelation...or was it advice whispered from The Beyond? ‘It occurred to me that people could conduct their own séances in the comfort of their living spaces or in nearly any space,’ Zabrecky said. Harking back to his time in the post punk milieu, in which the DIY ethic came to a head, he continues, ‘They don’t need me, they just need this record. Who wouldn’t want their own do-it-yourself séance record? Hard to imagine that it hasn’t been done before.’ “Produced by the illustrious Emmett Kelly, Séance employs several 1970s analog synths as well as harp and other instruments that wouldn’t ‘normally’ be associated with a séance; the addition of Zabrecky’s hypnotic spoken vocals lead the listener to explore new realms. The and result is a record that could be considered a spooky-cool novelty...or lead the listener directly into the vast realm of The World Beyond The Veil. Ultimately, the listener will decide on the direction this record leads them...perhaps with a bit of help from a long lost loved one...or a disencarnate entity from the shadows. Either way, as Zabrecky opines, ‘The main rule of the séance is: if you believe, you will receive.’ ” —Pleasant Gehman

Liz Lamere has announced her debut album Keep It Alive via In The Red. After collaborating with late partner Alan Vega (Suicide) for over three decades on his solo work, and starting out playing drums in punk bands, she is releasing her own music. All of the music and lyrics were written and performed by Liz Lamere. It was recorded in her lower Manhattan apartment during lockdown, engineered by her and Alan’s son Dante Vega Lamere in the same space where the Suicide singer constructed his light sculptures. They emerged with a riveting set of songs that are charged with an irrepressible lust for life and the feel for the contagious hook. The album was then co-produced and mixed by Jared Artaud and Liz Lamere, with Ted Young engineering the mixing sessions and Josh Bonati mastering. “There’s something very magical about creating music in the same environment where Alan created his visual art,” notes Lamere. “His energy is pervasive and is inevitably infused in the recordings.” She continues: “We were living through unprecedented times and Keep It Alive took adversity and uncertainty and turned it into a message of resilience and empowerment.” The album courses with the defiant energy that motivated Lamere through her early double life as both Wall Street lawyer and downtown New York musician before meeting and falling in love with Vega led to her becoming his manager, creative foil and keyboard manipulator on solo albums beginning in 1990 (Deuce Avenue, Power On To Zero Hour, New Raceion, Dujang Prang, 2007, Station, IT) and recently released lost album Mutator that launched the Vega Vault she curates with Jared Artaud. After Vega passed away in July 2016, Lamere found it cathartic writing down thoughts and observations in notebooks. Simultaneously, she and Artaud started collaborating, overseeing the mastering of IT and then co-producing and mixing Mutator; and during this time they naturally discussed an alliance on the solo album she knew would be forthcoming. Keep It Alive is an homage to a song on Vega’s New Raceion album that has significant meaning for Lamere. It was one of the key lines she would chant on stage, becoming a staple of live performances with Vega. The vision behind the album is about preserving your own inner fire. Lamere commented “Alan always encouraged me to make my own music, and I’ve waited until the time was right as I’ve been dedicated to preserving Alan’s vision and building his legacy.”

“Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is attributed with the quote ‘The only constant in life is change' and nothing sums up Chip Kinman’s latest creation—or his entire career—quite as well. Like each of Chip’s musical incarnations, The Great Confrontation seemingly has no connection whatsoever to the work that preceded it...unless the listener is savvy enough to spot the deeply buried but always present through lines. “The tracks on this album are wildly alien in every applicable sense of the word. The opener, ‘Let’s Go, Dark Shark’ sets the scene with drippy, space age chirping that slowly degenerates into slo-mo sludge like an astronaut running out of oxygen. ‘Ciao Raggazzi’—not to be confused with Jay And The Americans’ ‘Good Bye Boys, Good Bye (Ciao Raggazzi, Ciao)’ is a derailing train of a song. The vocals are spoken in Italian and presumably, snatches of conversation sampled from a Mafia crime film. ‘Speaking of crimes, Chip murders a couple of standards in cold blood purely for his own amusement. Both are traditional and absolutely unrecognizable. ‘Round About Danny’ is his take on the Irish ballad ‘Danny Boy’, written in 1913 and recorded relentlessly through the years by everyone from Judy Garland to Conway Twitty. The other’s a gospel hymn, ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’, originally performed by The Carter Family in the 1920s. “Imagine both songs sans vocals, filtered through a particle accelerator beam shot by a rogue robot from a 1950’s sci-fi B movie. Then pretend they got reinterpreted by a hippie in a ratty flea market cape who borrowed a Moog synthesizer so he could emulate Rick Wakeman from the prog rock band Yes. The hippie not only had no working knowledge of playing a synthesizer, he was tripping his brains out on Owsley’s premium LSD. “This album is all a huge departure from anything he’s ever done—but for Chip, that’s normal. I’m sure of this because I’ve known him since 1977, witnessing all his musical mutations and in many cases, the sources that inspired him to prolifically create original, cohesive and boundary-pushing sounds. As the old saying goes, what he’s done consistently is often imitated but never replicated.” —Pleasant Gehman

Over the course of the decade, Meatbodies’ Chad Ubovich has been a perennial candidate for MVP of West Coast’s fertile rock scene. The LA native could be seen peeling off guitar solos in Mikal Cronin’s backing band, supplying the Sabbath-sized low end for Ty Segall and Charlie Moothart as the bassist for Fuzz, and, of course, fronting his own Meatbodies. Today the recently dormant experimental noise / freak-rock outfit has announced their return with 333—a corrosive stew of guitar scuzz, raw acoustic rave-ups, and primitive electronics that charts Ubovich’s journey from drug-induced darkness to clear-eyed sobriety. 333 simultaneously reflects on how the world he re-entered was still pretty messed up—if not more so. In mid to late 2019, the band—Ubovich and drummer Dylan FUJIOKA—had a new album in the can, ready to be mixed. But when Covid hit, like so many other artists, they put their release on hold as they rode out the pandemic’s first wave. During that idle time, Ubovich discovered a cache of demos that he and Fujioka had recorded in a bedroom back in the summer of 2018, and he really liked what he heard. In contrast to Meatbodies’ typical full-band attack, it was deliriously disordered. “It sounded gross, like a scary Magical Mystery Tour,” he recalls proudly. After subjecting them to some mixing-board freakery, Ubovich fast-tracked the songs into becoming this third release of theirs, 333. It proves Meatbodies have greatly expanded their palette, opening new portals to explore. And for an album that wasn’t supposed to exist, 333 is the ultimate testament to Meatbodies’ renewed vitality.

Bill Gage is a quasi-famous singer with a raw, rock ’n’ roll voice. Cheater Slicks are an infamous, raw, rock ’n’ roll band. Put the two together and the resulting album is a stream-of-conscious stew of wild, fuzz-drenched rock ’n’ roll! Some history: both Cheater Slicks and Bill Gage’s band Bill began in Boston in 1987, and it was sometime around then that Gage first sang with Tom and David Shannon playing guitars, in Gage’s bedroom in Laconia, New Hampshire. It was an intense and primal sound that was not forgotten by those involved. Gage’s singing has been compared to Captain Beefheart, David Thomas, Damo Suzuki, and Yoko Ono. However, Gage clearly has his own sound, which includes guttural yells, sweet crooning, and bluesy meanderings—all seemingly told from a tarpaper shack porch under the oceans of Mars. Cheater Slicks have from the start been a brain-melting rock ‘n’ roll dream / nightmare of a band. Steeped in the wild guitar interplay and pounding drums of classic noisy underground rock groups (Cramps, Scientists, Velvet Underground), they have created their own unique and ever-evolving style that has only gotten deeper and sharper over the years. In spring 2018, when Cheater Slicks were presented with the idea of a collaborative record with Gage, they wasted no time, and began writing and arranging new songs for the project. Gage traveled to Columbus to record at the legendary Musicol studios in November of that year. It was a great session and came together as if it were always meant to be. After thirty years of performing, is the world finally ready for Bill Gage—accompanied by the seismic Cheater Slicks? All profits from this record will benefit the Arts Resources programs of the National Association for Down Syndrome.

Swing From The Sean DeLear is the new four song 12-inch by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds on In The Red Records. It celebrates a dreamlike bridge between life and memory. Recorded and mixed with Jim Waters (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Sonic Youth, etc.) at Waterworks Recording in Tucson AZ, the track “Sean DeLear” is a tribute to the late, magical, and ubiquitous Los Angeles underground institution named Sean DeLear. This rocking song uses the metaphor of those passed on as swinging from a chandelier, a festive image everyone hopes is true! Side two of this 12-inch is a fourteen-minute psych, Chicano-groove titled “He Walked In.” The text is based on a visceral fever dream Kid had about his friend and Gun Club bandmate Jeffrey Lee Pierce, who passed away in 1996. Leading the listener back to the theme of feelings sustained between life and memory, the song dreams on as the band spreads their monkey bird wings, featuring Mark Cisneros on flute, and guest tambourine-queen Cesar Padilla—lost in music but found in sound. In such uncertain times, one thing is most certain—Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds will always bring the party...and the other world.

“When new projects are discussed, I sometimes hear a disclaimer along the lines of, ‘this band isn’t reinventing the wheel,’ to which I want to know what’s everyone’s so apologetic about. The wheel was a pretty good invention—good luck getting anywhere without one. So let’s consider a redefinition, instead. Los Angeles based quintet Richard Rose may or may not feature prominent players from bands including but not limited to Ex-Cult, Gøggs, OBN III’s, Snooty Garbagemen, Bad Sports, Hooveriii and Stress Group…but as much as said bands were amongst the best and brightest on offer in Memphis, Houston and Austin, this new amalgamation is a bolder proposition. “Without question, there’s echoes of their past work—the malevolent vocal presence of Laurence Richard and guitar virtuosity of Thomas Rose in particular—but Richard Rose’s first full-length thoroughly ups the ante on the band’s 2019 debut In The Red EP. The wheels in question have plowed thtough the respective discographies of Michigan / Australian bands you know and love, sure, but these guys have found their own voice in a shockingly brief matter of time. Simply put, they’ve fashioned an instant rock classic…there might be a handful of bands in America with this kind of confidence, but in most other instances it’s unwarranted. They don’t possess Richard Rose’s intellect, instrumental prowess, musical range or sense of purpose. “Finally, I will not insult your intelligence by claiming Richard Rose scale these lofty heights without artifice. That they insist on performing under dubious pseudonyms (Laurence and Thomas are joined by bassist Bag Mantrellis, drummer Jerry Leymar and saxophonist Gravy McKay) might give traditionalists pause, but it’s worth remembering our legal system would not function properly without a witness protection program. The modern histories of music and art would also not have unfolded so spectacularly if practioners weren’t brave enough to redefine themselves, and we’re beyond fortune to bear witness to this furious five making the music of their lives.” – Gerard Cosloy

“The Demolition Doll Rods are back, Jack. Those masters of Motor City mayhem have returned. Perhaps the only band to be asked by a promoter to keep their clothes on, the Demolition Doll Rods—who have not been in a studio together in fourteen years—are set to unleash Into The Brave in October 2020. “Formed in a Detroit basement in 1993, the Demolition Doll Rods are infamous for their rude, crude two-guitars-drums-no-extra-stuff rock ’n’ roll, not to mention those minimal matching Doll Rod outfits, which included wearing hubcaps, doll heads and even swiss cheese. They recorded four very singular albums together—starting with their outrageous debut Tasty in 1997 (coproduced by Jon Spencer and Mick Collins)—but called it quits in 2007 when co-founders Margaret Doll Rod and Danny Kroha went their separate ways. Until last year, that is, when out of the blue Margaret suddenly reunited with Danny to perform some scorching live shows alongside new drummer Shelby Murphy. “Any doubts that the Doll Rods still have it are blown away mere seconds into listening to Into The Brave, for this collection of twelve songs is as loud, crazy and demented as anything they have ever created). “So here it is—Into The Brave, another collection of nutbucket numbers only the Doll Rods could concoct.” —Jimmy McDonough

“These days, good news is hard to come by, but here’s some: Lamps, LA’s notoriously unprolific noise-merchant trio, are ready to release their spectacular fourth album called People With Faces, out on In The Red Records. Produced by Ty Segall at Val’s, Lamps’ first recorded output since 2012’s landmark LP Under The Water, Under The Ground finds them breaking adventurous new terrain. I’d say they’ve matured, but I’d only say it behind their backs. Stalwarts Monty Buckles (guitar, voice, keyboards!!!) and Josh Erkman (drums, voice) double down on Lamps’ trademark cloak of effects-laden guitars and hammering drums, and new(ish) member Denée Segall jumps into the fray with her Poly Styrene-wail and monolithic bass, add-ing depth both sonically and lyrically. Their trademark abrasiveness is still present, but it’s bur-nished it into something richer, more layered. Don’t worry, it still kicks your head in…” —KD. Feb 2020

Another Don Howland-related album! That’s right, In The Red is putting out two albums by the man at the same time! That’s how much the label loves him and his music. This full length is by his now defunct five piece band Burning Bus. The band released two 7-inches earlier this decade and recorded this album, which has laid dormant until now. While Howland’s solo work and the Bassholes tend to be stripped-down, treble-kicking affairs, Burning Bus is a full throttle three guitar and bass attack. It’s much noisier and more brutal than anything else he’s done. Fans of Pussy Galore will want to take note.

“In contrast to their prior mobile-unit hole-ups and home-taped fryers, Barbarian Dust, the third album from Lavender Flu, marks the band’s first raid of a proper studio. Extending the formalities further, the conceptual impetus for the sessions stems from a collective meditation on cosmic biker rock. Smokey, sure—and that peculiar, chunky ether seeps into the resulting collection—but it all ultimately serves to a liquid frame, a set of parameters imposed purely to burst through. Compositionally and thematically, Barbarian Dust alternates between hope and anger, each idealized, a sway thoughtfully achieved through an often-soaring, occasionally busted version of rock heaviness (without ever approaching ‘Heavy Rock’, thank heaven / hell). In every sense of the word, it’s their most aggressive work to date.
“Barbarian Dust collects songs that move in and out of wobble and explosion, each pushing forever forward, just as the composers themselves do. Galaxies past cool-but-copyist trips, Lavender Flu—brothers Chris and Lucas Gunn, Scott Simmons and Ben Spencer—slaughter the trivial in favor of a newer, deeper, more meaningful sound, indifferent to any path other than their own. Time to transform, yet again.” —Mitch Cardwell

Charles Moothart is releasing his third album under the moniker CFM. It’s calledSoundtrack For An Empty Roomand keeps it cookin’ off 2016’sStill Life Of Citrus And Slimeand 2017’sDichotomy Desaturated.Moothart is a frequent contributor on many of Ty Segall’s solo ventures but also as a co-conspirator in bands like the blazing jam unit Fuzz, and a fantastic monster of a group called GØGGS, which throws Segall and Moothart in with Chris Shaw of Ex-Cult.
Something that’s immediately apparent onthis albumis that it’s a harder record than its predecessors. The shift isn’t subtle but it is tremendously cool. A lot of the materialwas written while Moothart was on tour with Segall and working on the GØGGSPre Strike Sweepalbum. The first two CFM efforts gave Moothart the experience to work effectively on his own in the studio, the live shows infusethiswith the confidence and attitude that comes from a lot of nights playing where there are no second takes.Itis an exciting follow up and further proof that Moothart is one of those people with a lot of music in him.

“If I may speak completely for myself. It’s musicians like Charles, Ty, Chris Shaw, John Dwyer, Tim Presley and Mikal Cronin who are not only revitalizing Independent Music, but have forced the idea of the monolithic album, endless tour and then a year before another release to be but an antiquated and megaboring option. It’s a blast trying to keep up with their output. Super exciting. Lastly, all three CFM albums are great butSoundtrack To An Empty Roomis the best one. It rips from start to finish.” —Henry Rollins

Richard Rose is a band—not a person. They are a brand new southern Californian based outfit who have just recently started playing out live. They are fronted by Lawrence Rose (aka Chris Shaw—vocalist of Ex-Cult and GØGGS) and Thomas Rose (aka Orville Neeley—guitarist of OBN III’s and Bad Sports) and play a pummeling, Stoogeoid-brand of rock ’n’ roll that’s not afraid to stretch out and go long. This is Richard Rose’s debut release—a four song 12-inch slab of vinyl that is designed to melt faces.

Jon Spencer, the Blues Explosion man who put the “Bellbottoms” on Baby Driver! The top cat who spread the secret sauce in Boss Hog! The rockabilly right-hook from heavyweight outlaws Heavy Trash! The swank-fucking master of Pussy Galore! Jon Spencer is back! Often imitated, never duplicated, the original NYC underground-rock legend returns from the wilderness with twelve red-hot hits, each more powerful than the last!

This is Garage Punk for Now People! A wizard’s brew of rhythm and blues and subversive dance grooves, weaponized with sci-fi skronk and industrial attitude, calibrated for the Revolution, a Molotov cocktail of sound guaranteed to destroy any post-modern hangover. Pulsing with energy, clanging with excitement, and dripping with radioactive soul and raw emotion, Spencer opens up his heart like never before, exploring man’s modern condition with caustic guitars and outerworld crooning, asking and answering the musical question, “Is it possible to torch the cut-throat world of fake news and pre-fab, plastic-coated teen rebellion with the power of rock ’n’ roll?” The answer is yes—on Spencer Sings The Hits! This is the truth serum America has been craving, the beginning of a rock ’n’ roll rebellion that takes no prisoners and puts the squares on ice!

Take a tour through Ty Segall’s musical psyche with his new solo album, Fudge Sandwich, a collection of Segall’s take on eleven songs that were originally done by other people. These aren’t just cover versions. Cover versions happen at weddings and high school band battles. The songs here are what happens when someone loves a song so much, they need to get inside it and let it propagate and transform into what it would have been if they had actually written it.

Equal parts reverence and reimagination, this album shows Segall inhabiting the world of a song’s intent, filtering it through the muse that drove this year’s exceptional Freedom’s Goblin. Cluttered, passionate and inspired, the songs are barely recognizable, irresistible and by album’s end, present a cohesive collection that stands proudly alongside the best of Segall’s considerable output.

With their second album Pre Strike Sweep, GØGGS add a new level of primordial anxiety to their already catastrophic symphony. Recorded and mixed in 2017 by GØGGS guitarist and co-founder Ty Segall, the album explores the damaging affects of modern life before blowing them up one by one.
Singer Chris Shaw uses terms like “space rinse” and “roadside surgery” to inform the listener that this is a strange and different trip, far and away from the “Glendale Junkyard” he romanticized in 2016 on their self-titled album. In fact, all expectations brought on by that acclaimed debut are crushed into dust, revealing a new standard by which the GØGGS march thumps.

The Earth Girl Helen Brown Center For Planetary Intelligence Band (E.G.H.B.C.F.P.I.B.) is pleased to join forces with In the Red Records and Empty Cellar Records, presenting the first vinyl release of their proto-lanetary series Four Satelittes Vol. 1. Double gate-folded LP (three sides + etching), the release is a collection of songs and information from the band’s 2017 consumer recycled cassette series: Spring: Mercury: Fire, Summer: Mars: War, Fall: Saturn: Communication, and Winter: Venus: Love.

The band, related media artists and technicians includes: Heidi Alexander, Jamie Barron, Jamin Barton, Eric Bauer, Aylin Beyce, Emilee Booher, Ryan Browne, Tim Cohen, Grace Cooper, Dave Cousin, Brad Caulkins, Mikal Cronin, Bart Davenport, Brigid Dawson, John Dwyer, Chris Fallon, Lars Finberg, James Finch Jr., Davin Givhan, Dylan Hadley, Dustin Hamman, Kiran Harlow, Wilder Harlow, Graeme Gibson, Tahlia Harbour, Anna Hillburg, Douglas Hilsinger, Warren Huegel, Emmett Kelly, Nora Keys, Shannon Lay, Raven Mahon, Rusty Miller, Charlie Moonheart, Jack Name, Ethan Novikoff, Tim Presley, Ty Segall, Dave Sitek, Sean Smith, Sonny Smith, Kelley Stoltz, Enrique Tena, Alica Vanden Heuvel, Lida Vanden Heuvel and Mikey Young.

The new Lavender Flu album Mow The Glass was recorded in the living room of a small house on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. One can hear it in the music: the Oregon coast, the dream life of an Axolotl, the open sound of a band playing to an audience of endless water, sun, and sky. A bald eagle flew by the window every few hours as if to remind the band where they really were. Still, the laughter was real, the freedom was magic, and the tambo was sprinkled like sugar.
Heavy Air, the previous album, was a home recording project. The songs started with Chris Gunn (The Hunches) on a guitar or a synth or a bowl of cereal and were built up from there. A rotating cast of friends and family helped flesh out the material. It could have been made in deep space or at the bottom of the ocean. Transmissions from a bedroom at the bottom of Pill Hill.
This new album is a reflection of the live experience. Four people playing together; working within the template of pop classicism. thirty-five minutes of music. This time, the Flu comes out of the water and spends a little more time on land: pop kicks, psychedelic derangement, beauty, spells cast via hate raga and rocker. The band moves backward, forward and sideways; often within the same piece. The music breathes. It doesn’t deal in nostalgic regression or self conscious futurism. It just sounds like the Lavender Flu.

This is it: Chain & the Gang; “Best Of .<.. Crime Rock” , on 'In The Red' Records and Tapes.


They just recorded it. Its easily the best record, with the most passion, the most accuracy, the most cunning, the most vigor.


Every song on these records is a classic, each lyric an anthem. The tunes are simplistic to the point of parody; call and response rhythm chants which infiltrate the consciousness and leave the listener transformed forever.


Each group member is a star. But together they’re something greater than the parts. An irresistible combo that provides the best hope for the future and the only answer to the embarrassing slime pit called “culture” nowadays.

Boss Hog returns from the wild with their most subversive record — this is the seductive soundtrack for the second coming of militant rock’n’roll, and the groove has never been stronger.

Brood X — emerging from the dirty streets of New York City after seventeen years of gestation — is a futuristic brew of 21st Century blues, toxic punk rock beat music, and hyper-focused, outer-space psycho assaults. Thermonuclear chanteuse Cristina Martinez blisters the hypocrites, the haters, the heartless, and the clueless hangers-on with a full-tilt microphone attack. A sex-bomb salvo for troubled times, Martinez gives voice to America’s pain while pulling no punches.

This band does not negotiate. This is scorched earth rock’n’roll for the resistance, barbed-wire blues battling for the future of the planet. Recorded and mixed at the fabled Key Club, using Sly Stone’s legendary There’s A Riot Goin’ On console, the album channels the subversive mojo of the underground and brings next-level sonics to save your very soul.

CFM (Charles Francis Moothart of Fuzz, Goggs, Ty Segal Band) is back with three new tracks guaranteed to melt your mind and your face. Recorded with his touring band, this EP features his hardest hitting stuff so far.

With Alice, Meatbodies return ascending toward ground level. A “heavy-pop” concept, metal on molly. Chad Ubovich, Patrick Nolan, and Kevin Boog step out in new form, soaring through diverse stories, tones, and characters. Dancing between quiet and loud, funk and doom, pop and noise. Their message preached is celestial and deafening, a sacred scripture for today’s world: a warbling rhodes piano, a liquifying electric guitar, a ghostly synthesizer skating across the sands of a twelve-stringed acoustic.
The band digs deep into the rich soils of Earth to reveal the chaotic sensual vibrations underneath the fields we walk upon. Connecting our limbs, our mouths, our consciousness to the microcosms of the grime, all while being lit by black light. Captured wriggling and alive in San Francisco by Ubovich and Eric Bauer at The Bauer Mansion, this album is a step in the right direction, a new direction, a new way of thinking.
Watching the futures, watching the world burn.

Tyvek have long stood as one of the more steadfast and dependable punk institutions of the last decade. Each record has been great and has improved on the one before it without struggling to reinvent or overwrite their past. Line-ups and life events shift but the energy always comes through as new and raw as it did on the first single. Origin of What, their fourth album, is something of a departure, if a cryptic one—all the familiar elements are in place and yet a pervasive darkness that these strangely disjointed songs.

Working again with Fred Thomas who recorded their most recent album, 2012 burner On Triple Beams, band members from the earliest incarnations to its most recent showed up for various recording sessions, with initial tracks captured quickly. Later, far more extensive editing, mixing and overdubbing ensued, resulting in a fragmented production style that slowly disintegrates the standard punk fare until it starts to resemble dub experimentation before decaying even further. Tyvek’s future, like its origin, is up for grabs.

Latest album by Danny Kroha, singer/ guitarist of The Gories & The Demolition Doll Rods. The tunes are often lighthearted, fun, & rowdy, but there is also an undercurrent of science fiction dread. Apocalyptic party rock makes sense from a trio of Detroit shadow dwellers, & the good times are never too far from the hard times over the course of this mono masterpiece. Produced by Jim Diamond.

In The Red is proud to announce the re-release of the self-titled album by The Traditional Fools, a garage-punk-thrash-surf trio consisting of Ty Segall, Andrew Luttrell and David Fox. They recorded and released their lone full-length back in 2008—it sold out quickly and has never been re-pressed until now.

Recorded live in the studio, The Traditional Fools is low on fidelity and high in energy. The band’s sound is a perfect combination of ’60s garage, vintage surf reverb and early LA punk performed with trashy, reckless abandon. Covers by Redd Kross and Thee Headcoats give an idea where these guys were coming from, and songs about bikini babes and shredsticks tell where they were at. Grab a bike, tank top, sunglasses and every beer you can find, and enjoy surf-punk done right.