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Best Before 1984 is a compilation of Crass' singles and other tracks, released in 1986, including lyrics and a booklet ('...In Which Crass Voluntarily 'Blow Their Own'") which details the history of the band in their own words. The album was named in reference to the notion that 1984 was the band's 'sell by date', the year that they had often publicly stated that they would split up. Indeed, the band ceased gigging and recording in that year. For many years, there were plans to release an expanded edition of Best Before 1984, which will include currently unavailable material (such as the 'Merry Crassmas' and 'Whodunnit?' singles) and rarities, in the same vein as the 'Crassical Collection' re-releases of the band's albums. These plans finally came to fruition in 2019, with the announcement of an expanded two-disc version of the album."

"Stations of the Crass is the second album by Crass, released in 1979. The record, originally released as a double 12", includes live tracks from a gig recorded at the Pied Bull pub in Islington, London, on August 7, 1979. The first three sides contain the studio tracks and play at 45 rpm, while the final side comprises the live material and plays at 33 rpm. The album's title is not only a pun on the Catholic rite of the Stations of the Cross (such jibes against the religious establishment were typical of Crass), but is also a reference to the graffiti campaign that the band had been conducting around London's underground railway system, the cover artwork depicting a wall at Bond Street tube station that had allegedly been 'decorated' by them. Although the album met mixed critical reception at first, it managed to sell at least 20,000 copies within two weeks.”

Holyname is the new project from Sleeping Giant vocalist Tommy Green. This is the 12-track full-length featuring an all-star cast of guest vocalists including Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter, Joe Musten of Advent, Brook Reeves of Impending Doom, Eric Gregson of xDEATHSTARx, and more.

Six years after the group's suicide on stage at the Olympia, Masto and Fanfan (sax and vocals) reunite to compile 25 tracks taken from cassette recordings of their concerts between 1984 and 1989.
Performing in squats, neighbourhood houses and major concert halls across Europe, in sometimes chaotic conditions but always with a crazy atmosphere, "Carnaval des agités" bears witness to the joyous mayhem and raging energy that was the Bérurier Noir odyssey.
Now available for the first time on vinyl (gatefold sleeve, two discs, split red and black finish), with 4 bonus tracks from the 1995 promo maxi-single.

A 2xLP discography from the late 90s post-hardcore/early screamo band, The Red Scare. The band existed during an interesting period when hardcore music was evolving and splintering into various sub-genres. They perfected a blistering hardcore that will appeal to fans of Born Against, Heroin, and Universal Order of Armageddon, as well as fans of later hardcore bands like Saetia, Jerome's Dream, City of Caterpillar, and Ampere. This record comes on high end paper, custom gatefold packaging, and limited edition colored vinyl. "Smoky Mountain High" gathers both of the bands LPs, their singles, as well as 4 live songs from their session at Wnyu.

In 1979, two school-kids all hopped-up on punk-rock started their own group in their hometown of Hawthorne, Los Angeles (birthplace of the Beach Boys) and soon found themselves opening shows for notorious scene pioneers Black Flag. Jeff McDonald was fifteen, his brother Steven McDonald only eleven. But that didn’t stop their group from becoming one of the most remarkable, enduring and unique outfits punk-rock ever belched up.

2024, then, marks Redd Kross’s forty-fifth birthday—an important anniversary for any group whose heart pulses at 45RPM—and the brothers are celebrating the event with a veritable multimedia extravaganza. There’s a memoir, Now You’re One Of Us, due in November, author Dan Epstein telling the group’s story in the McDonalds’ unmistakable (and occasionally contrary) voices. A brilliant rockumentary, Born Innocent, directed by Andrew Reich, will premiere later in the year. Most exciting of all, this new album—an eponymous double-album, no less, packed with eighteen of their sharpest, most addictive songs yet. These years of joyful service to rock’n’roll have seen Redd Kross evolve into a killer pop-rock concern, dealing in dayglo power-chords, choruses as tall as skyscrapers and a lyric sheet thick with acid couplets and arch pop-cultural references their loyal following will gobble up like quaaludes.

The sixth release in the Crassical Collection reissues. Crass member Penny Rimbaud fills in the gaps—"'Ten Notes On A Summer's Day' nudged itself towards modern European atonality, and us completely out of the rock'n'roll arena. In this sense, it truly was a swansong."

Crass' fifth album comes in the original fold-out poster sleeve. Originally released in April of 1983, Yes Sir, I Will was a howl full of vicious rage and fury, a scream of sorrow, a bitter requiem of betrayal and disenfranchisement. It was a letter-bomb of accusations directed at the British establishment, with it's title taken from a conversation between the then Prince Charles and gruesomely wounded veteran Simon Weston. Musically the work is as diverse and challenging as Crass had yet delivered—a raging and almost free-form improvised backdrop over which Steve Ignorant, EVE Libertine & JOY DE Vivre trade off vocally throughout—veering from ferocious roars and rants to piano ballad interludes sung by Penny Rimbaud.

Remastered and reissued vinyl version of what should've been one of the first 10 records you ever bought. Named as a reference to some of Freud's ideas concerning sexuality, this release marked something of a departure from the somewhat macho, hardcore punk image that The Feeding of the 5000 & Stations of the Crass had given the group. Featuring more obviously complex musical arrangements, this release showcases exclusively female vocals provided by EVE Libertine and JOY DE Vivre. The album addressed feminist issues and once again attacked the institutions of "the system" such as marriage and sexual repression.

Reissue of the 90’s Hidden Gem originally released on the infamous “Rugger Bugger” Records, featuring Frankie Stubbs of Leatherface. The album is a complete Discography, of all things Jesse on a double album, one unreleased song and everything remastered for its release. “Stubbs seems on the verge of breakdown into sorrowful melancholy on a number of tracks, only with an air of odd defiance, as if he's hurting but knows he'll weather it. He inspires hard empathy instead of irritation. You look forward to Stubbs' lyrics and he never fails, particularly as one experiences them with that gut-wrenching sincerity clutched within that sandpaper-voiced howl.” – Jack Rabbid Remastered – Nigel Walton – The Edit Suite & Graeme Philliskirk Artwork – Cactus Vella

Deluxe 20th anniversary 2xLP edition of dorkrorckcorkrod.

Includes 2024 remaster by Justin Perkins and 20th anniversary remix by Steve Albini.

Extensive oral history of dorkrockcorkrod by Mike Faloon.

In 2017 Rolling Stone listed the album as #34 on their "50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums" list.

"The three-song suite of "Most Violent Rap Group," "Pray For Rain," and "Saturday Night Crap-O-Rama" may be one of the best triple plays in all of rock music, let alone pop-punk" - The A.V. Club

Three years after "Symphonies of Horror" and the split EP "Greensleeves" with "THE CRIMSON GHOSTS" in 2022, they present their first album with a new line-up. More dark, alternative rock'n'horror!Band founder and singer Slaughter Lamb has built a stable band with bassist/guitarist Chris Cranium (ex-The Other / Sumerian Tombs), drummer Fab McIan (ex-Schelmish) and guitarist Dr. Hoffmann, who now present their Hymns Of The Dead. The four deliver a dark punk rock record with influences from gothic...

Obnox is dead, long live NOX! Cleveland guitarist/vocalist Lamont Thomas has officially changed the name of his long running no-fi Afropunk / Hip-Hop hybrid Obnox to its longtime nickname NOX—and it makes sense. With almost a decade and a half behind him since he stepped out from behind the drum kit (he made his bones as the rhythmic spine for incendiary Ohio outfits like Bassholes and This Moment IN Black History), Thomas has grown well beyond the childish punk posture of valuing obnoxiousness for it’s own sake—as have many of us, right? Right? But we’ve ALL taken our share of knocks by now. Under the new name, Thomas is, for the first time ever, independently self-releasing his new album Iron Knowledge, the long-brewing follow-up to 2020’s sprawling, face melting, aggressively genre-agnostic 2xLP Savage Raygun, the damn near perfect album for the most messed up year of our lives. Iron Knowledge keeps forging ahead with Thomas’ heavy alloy of garage-punk, gospel, psych, soul, and electronics, enshrouded as always in a heavy dusting of Midwest rust. Slow-burners like “They Power” and “She Was a Bully” (respectively beat-doctored by acclaimed producers Aaron “a-live” Snorton of Muamin Collective and RA Washington of Mourning [A] Blkstar) feel laid-back even as they absolutely Seethe. On Iron Knowledge’s hip-hop-leaning side, “Most High (God Body)” avails NOX of the flow talents of guest rapper Maxwell Shell, while “Instant Extra” adorns left-field rap with an industrial edge. Cuts like “Cold Piece” and “Blow” deliver classically ominous NOX garage-soul, with detuned guitars bellowing like they’ve been set on fire—and at the end of the day, haven’t they? And the title track, side 1’s closer, positively Drips with heavy-lidded psych R&B, successfully synthesizing melanin and melatonin as it lends a menacing underground edge to the tradition of black psychedelia in ways that could make Sly himself proud.

The album called "Fish Inn" was originallyreleased in 1984. The leader of the band Michiro Endo anticipated departing from punk rock and created this work, exploring a sound inclined towards psychedelic music, a challenging move that seemed to self-denounce The Stalin's previous style. Higo Hiroshi from Friction was also involved in the band as bassist during this recording. Endo reminisced later about the album as: "More specifically, the main theme was how to kill The Stalin." Following this release, The Stalin disbanded and marked it as their final album. Although the remix version produced by Bill Laswell released in 1986 is generally more highly regarded, P-vine focuses on the original version and reissues it on vinyl with the original artwork for the first time.

Friction is one of the first Japanese punk bands and formed by Reck, Chiko Hige and Lapis in Tokyo in March 1978, and now the band is still keeping active. Reck and Chiko Hige had previously been on the NY no wave scene as founding members of James Chance and the Contortions, and brought back the experience and influence to the Japanese music scene. It's no exaggeration to say that the band laid the foundation for alternative music in Japan. P-vine is proud of reissuing all of their albums on vinyl.

The sophomore release for this seminal Orange County punk outfit and the first release for long-time guitar player, Dan Palmer, originally released in a single pressing in 2001. It was only pressed one more time on vinyl in 2015 for Record Store Day and has since been unavailable. This new pressing coincides with the release of the 25th anniversary of their first album and is pressed on glow in the dark vinyl.

Originally released in 1999, this limited, silver vinyl pressing commemorates the 25th Silver Anniversary of this classic debut from Orange County’s Death BY Stereo. In the last two and a half decades, Death BY Stereo has continued to play, tour, and release records. But even after all this time, this first album has endured and these songs still make it into every setlist.

Since forming in 2021, Heavyhex has quickly gained a reputation for their ability to translate raw emotion into their music, blending melodic and post-hardcore. Following Heavyhex’s 2022 EP, Stare, True To You dives deep into the realm of personal struggles, societal issues, and the demand for equality. Single “You Can’t Stay Here,” out now, bursts with an impactful vocal delivery and winding riffs before heading into an infectious hook. The song itself addresses how the unhoused are treated with little regard. Vocalist David Gastiaburo expands on the lyrics: “You Cant Stay Here” was written after NYC’s failed attempts to sweep homeless encampment sites. It was an ill attempt to force the homeless into shelters but it failed. Out of the 2,300 homeless people present during those sweeps, only 119 agreed to go to a shelter and most of them did not stay. Many were forced out with little time to take any of their belongings with them. These are people too, just like us, trying to get by.” On True To You, Heavyhex collaborated with producer Jay Maas (defeater), channeling their collective energy and creativity to shape guitar tones that strike a balance of aggression, clarity, and emotion, accompanied by fast and hard-hitting percussion. This collection of songs fearlessly explores the human experience with honesty and vulnerability. They serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of self-love and staying true to oneself. Confronting the challenges we face, while advocating for a world that embraces equality and understanding, True To You is a demonstration of the power of music as a catalyst for change. Heavyhex is a part of the blossoming Long Island melodic hardcore scene alongside bands including Stand Still, Koyo, and Private Mind. The band’s captivating, sing-along ready live show has allowed them to share the stage with acts like Silent Majority, Militarie GUN, Soul GLO, I AM THE Avalanche, and Spite House.

FOR TODAY’s third album, Breaker, builds on the success of their previous two albums and the non-stop touring that they have done over the couple of years prior to its release. Recorded at the Machine Shop by Will Putney, Breaker is 12 tracks of metal-infused hardcore that fans worldwide have come to love.

Major Pain plays a well blended mix of bicoastal hardcore that is almost equal parts New York as it is California. Recorded at Orange County, CA’s famed Buzzbomb Studios with Paul Miner at the helm, the eight tracks that comprise this album do not disappoint.

Evolution does not happen overnight. From demo track to demo track, Orange County’s Whirlwind has adjusted and adapted to find their voice; their sonic makeup, if you will. Lasting Peace, their debut album, is the culmination of a writing and recording process that took the better half of 2023 to come to fruition. Pulling influence from bands like Hands OF GOD, Foundation, and Guilt Trip, Whirlwind has sculpted something that pays homage to their inspirations but is still uniquely their own.

Worst Case Scenario started out in 1994 with Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno from Unwound as another of the many bands they formed together. That summer was a little slow for Unwound’s hoped-for tour schedule so they decided to start another hardcore-influenced band while working day jobs. As they began practicing in the basement of the Olympia punk house “Lucky 7”, long time friend and roommate Chris Jordan jumped in as the vocalist. Sandeno soon recruited his college friend, Scott Larsen, that had recently moved from Minneapolis. They quickly wrote about an album’s worth of songs and recorded them with Tim Green at the Red House for a “demo tape” that Tobi Vail released on her tape label, Bumpidee. 1995 saw another Tim Green recording with 7-inch records on Lookout Records and Troubleman. This LP contains all of the forementioned material.

In 1996 they recorded a full length record with “Seasick” Steve Wold in Olympia for Vermiform which resulted in the self-titled vinyl LP and The Complete Works of Worst Case Scenario CD collection a year later.

WCS played a few random shows, mostly in Olympia, with friends’ touring bands from 1994-96 and set up a national tour for the summer of ’97. Shortly before the tour Jordan was injured in a random accident and then Larsen broke his wrist in a work accident, rendering the band unable to embark on the tour. To cap it off, the one sheet of paper that had all the venues’ contacts for the tour was destroyed in a laundry related incident and the band was unable to properly cancel the tour. Apropos to their name.

They disbanded amicably later that year with members moving away from town and taking on more demanding tour and work schedules.

Originally released by Drunken Sailor in the UK. "'What if Blitz hailed from Los Angeles and sang in Spanish’ isn’t a question you hear all that often. Fortunately, we don’t need to ask—the answer is provided by Generacion SUICIDA’s latest album, which rages and rattles in all the right places, drenched in the memorable brilliance that powered the Killed By Death compilations (ask yer dad—and if he doesn’t know or care, burn his terrible records and make some space to track down the KBD LPs). The band’s slogan is ‘musica del barrio, para el barrio’—music from the neighbourhood, for the neighbourhood—but it sounds like they could use these hooks to take on the world. That’s a pretty accurate sentiment as well, because this album was written during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, while the world bubbled over with carefully managed misinformation, police violence and the sickening overspill of white supremacy’s foul brew. If Regeneracion sounds potent, it’s because there was a lot to be angry about, and the result is arguably their best album yet. Those chorused-out guitar lines carry shades of deathrock, hints of Manchester circa 1980, elements of something you might call goth if it was several degrees less furious. But there’s no doomed romance to this music; it’s an all-out attack. Street punk with the smarts turned up and an ear turned to the lessons learned from post-punk (but crucially, not the ‘post-punk revival’ that is essentially shirtless beardy lads chanting non-sequiturs over landfill indie). Chiefly, it’ll make you wanna get out of your chair, unite your local community and march on down towards your government’s centre of operations with a simple-to-use molotov cocktail kit. Its rage is infectious. It’s inspired by bleak moments in our recent shared history, but it revels in humans’ capacity to find strength in each other. And the tunes? Oh damn, they’re good."—Will Fitzpatrick.

Strategies of Tension is the debut full length offering from the San Francisco/Bay Area Based post-punk band Sectarian Bloom. The album combines all of their recorded music featuring a brand new master exclusive to this presentation. The music is infectious, catchy and lyrically rooted in social unrest. Dark post-punk with a heavy emphasis on Punk. Produced by Andrew Oswlad (Mortiferum, Ash Borer, False Figure) in Los Angeles and featuring artwork by Camila G. Dunster. Pressed on limited edition marbled smoky translucent vinyl.

Brutal Panda is honoured to join the likes of legendary labels, Trance Syndicate and Amphetamine Reptile, in bringing one of noise-rock's gnarliest albums ever recorded back into print. Originally released in 1994, this reissue of Heroin Man stays true to the original layout, complete with a custom polybag cover and logo sticker. "Heroin Man stands as both the chronological centre of the Cherubs catalogue, and its defining moment. As one of noise rock's finest moments, Heroin Man is both a delicate, tragic statement and send-off to a friend who had OD'd, and a bellowing, roaring, over-amped screwball masterpiece of Butthole Surfers mayhem and Husker Du pop structures. It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between Kevin Whitley's guitar and Owen McMahon's bass, and that's precisely the point -- this is noise rock; and still at others, Whitley's guitar is a washing, white-noise counterpoint to the pummelling rhythm section. This is a dense, sprawling, spiralling work showing a band peaking aesthetically, with perhaps an even more ambitious album to follow. Unfortunately, due to the usual host of reasons, that never occurred. This was the Cherubs final studio album until their reformation 20+ years later." - words by Patrick Kennedy SIDE A:1. Stag Party2. Animator3. Blackhouse4. Baby Huey5. Dave Of The Moon6. Coonass7. Mr. GoySIDE B:1. Cockpit - Kiss The Shine2. Venus Flytrap3. The Big Groovy4. Wornout Balls5. Playdough6. Example Maiden Japan / Devil's Food

Rust are a metallic-hardcore band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2019, Rust gained momentum quite quickly in the Ontario hardcore scene opening for bands like Backtrack, Billy Club Sandwhich, and more. After a vocalist swap at the end of 2019, Rust continued on releasing a few singles, a four-way split, and an EP, World Upside Down, that gained the band some notoriety both locally and worldwide. With influences ranging from Terror to Hatebreed to Machine Head, Rust delivers a unique metallic hardcore sound that blends the ferocity of Nyhc and the groove of midwest HC. Now in 2024, Rust is back with a new EP on New Age Records called True Decline. Mixed by Andy Nelson at Bricktop and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, True Decline delivers five tracks of front-to-back, unrelenting metallic hardcore.

Rust are a metallic-hardcore band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2019, Rust gained momentum quite quickly in the Ontario hardcore scene opening for bands like Backtrack, Billy Club Sandwhich, and more. After a vocalist swap at the end of 2019, Rust continued on releasing a few singles, a four-way split, and an EP, World Upside Down, that gained the band some notoriety both locally and worldwide. With influences ranging from Terror to Hatebreed to Machine Head, Rust delivers a unique metallic hardcore sound that blends the ferocity of Nyhc and the groove of midwest HC. Now in 2024, Rust is back with a new EP on New Age Records called True Decline. Mixed by Andy Nelson at Bricktop and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, True Decline delivers five tracks of front-to-back, unrelenting metallic hardcore.

I Know a Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos is the only proper full-length album from Tampa, Florida’s Combat Wounded Veteran. Recorded by Steve Heritage (assück) at Morrisound at the beginning of 1999, it was initially released via LP and CD formats from No Idea Records. In spite of being a staple in late 1990s/early 2000s power violence/short, fast, and loud DIY hardcore, both formats slipped out of print over the years. April 7, 2023, saw all I Know a Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos songs being formally reissued and made available for streaming and download platforms in an official capacity. The digital releases are part of a larger project, wherein Dark Operative will now be administering the band’s entire discography and reissuing all of the material in a series of vinyl releases in the months to come. This first reissue is but one of three 12”s to come.

In this follow-up to their inaugural, self-titled EP, Jupiter Hearts dig into their not quite so nostalgic sound, laying bare an angst seasoned in their middle-aged hearts, but hauntingly familiar to all. In All That Pain You Left Behind, the band shares six new songs, each a banger with its own musical story to tell. Jupiter Hearts is Rob Pennington (endpoint, Btgog, Black Cross, Black God), Charles Wood (broken Hearts ARE Blue), Tim Kriependorf (triple Threat, THE Living Memories), and Scott Wishart (late Bloomer, Scout).

Hailing from the heart of the Canadian hardcore scene, Poisoned Seeds was formed in 2020 by members of Hollow Ground, GO IT Alone, DAY OF Mourning, and Blue Monday. United by a love for ’90s and early- 2000s hardcore, they recruited Rob and Taylor from Vancouver’s Juice and swiftly recorded a blistering, three-song demo that gained digital traction. Influenced by hardcore giants like Buried Alive, Hope Conspiracy, and ALL OUT WAR, Poisoned Seeds delivers a sound both authentic and relentless. Now, with their self-titled debut LP set to drop on March 1st via LA-based WAR Records, Poisoned Seeds is ready to unleash a sonic storm that pays homage to their influences while carving a distinct path in the hardcore landscape. Keep your ears to the ground

Drawn up by some of the most unsavory souls in the Boston, MA underground hardcore scene and reinforced by members who have done time in infamous area bands like Mind Eraser, Righteous Jams, Mental, Xfilesx and many others, THE Rival MOB have become the darlings of the current hardcore scene, inspiring shameless violence and playing high on the bill at the most important hardcore festivals in America; This Is Hardcore in Philadelphia, Sound And Fury in California, and Chaos in Tejas in Austin, TX. In between serving time with their current other projects World WAR 4, Give, NO Tolerance, and Boston Strangler, the band will be playing on both coasts highlighted once again by the big summer festivals as well as their first-ever trip across the Atlantic to Europe. The band’s Revelation Records debut picks up right where their previous EP, Hardcore For Hardcore, left off, with vocalist Brendan Radigan spewing venom at the ills that plague both the outside world and the scene itself, all delivered over fast, stage dive-inspiring hardcore that brings to mind the best of mid-to-late ’80s New York hardcore bands like Youth OF Today, Warzone, and Breakdown.

Hailing from Chicago, Home Invasion is not your typical hardcore-punk band. Their music is a raw and unfiltered sonic assault for the fuck ups, outcasts, and rejects who find solace in the aggressive embrace of hardcore punk. With roots in bands like Noose, Duress, and Guts AND Glory, their chaotic sound draws inspiration from hardcore legends like Bastard, Think I Care, Gauze, and Negative Approach. Featuring stunning cover art by Keith Caves, Home Invasion’s debut LP, Enemy, is set for release on May 17th on WAR Records. Featuring 12 songs of unapologetic, pure fucking hardcore, Enemy, will solidify Home Invasion in the current space occupied by such bands as Conservative Military Image, C4, SPY, Restraining Order, and GEL.

Big Hotel, the sophomore effort of Winged Wheel, is an evolutionary document. Core members Cory Plump (Spray Paint, Rider/Horse, Expensive Shit), Fred Thomas (Tyvek, Idle Ray), Whitney Johnson (Matchess, Damiana), and Matthew J Rolin (Powers/Rolin Duo, solo) expand their lineup to include Lonnie Slack (Water Damage) and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), and instead of the entirely remote method utilized to create their 2022 debut No Island, the far-flung party convened in person in Kingston, NY for a long weekend of live studio recording.

The results are undeniably compelling. The band’s signature cyclonic energy is simultaneously augmented and refined with the approach of real-time collaboration. After tracking three days’ worth of group improvisations, weirdly-born songs, and other spontaneous creations, the hours of material were edited with a similar intensity. Half-hour jams became three-minute ragers and fragments were looped into infinity, calling on the same spliced aesthetic as some of the most adventurous material by Can, Faust, or more recently the experimental production of the International Anthem camp. The stereo field has been torn apart and sewn together again, rerouted with strange and mesmerizing left turns. Vignettes of ambiguous construction, both tightly coiled and exploding, revolve around themselves, gathering intensity and mass, coalescing into something greater than the sum of its parts.

'Demonstrably False' swells into existence like a motorik tidepool, tossing fauna onto the shoreline where it sprouts legs with a steady gait lying readily in wait within them. The controlled frenzy of 'Sleeptraining' marks a determined dash to a patch of reeds that are given form by the propulsive and minimal 'Clean Blue Shelf,' where lush terror and the balm of shelter seem equally likely to dwell. 'Grief in the Garden' describes itself like the eventual, fleeting triumph of eyeing the sun as it rises to declare the end of a starless night.

'Smudged Textile' seems another gesture from the sun, where it begins its work of burning swaths of cloud away to uncover the stark and perfect sky; it is around here that the sensation of flight becomes all but irresistible. The aerial coolness of 'Aren’t They All' maintains a reassuring pace much more like a heartbeat than a flapping of wings, which flows naturally into 'Soft Hands,' a piece that widens and ultimately splits the perception, somehow evoking an even, landbound march even as it continues to narrate that endless, gliding flight. 'Short Acting' is blissfully ambiguous in its suggestion, managing to hint at the vault of heaven before descending unhurriedly but inevitably back to earth. 'From Here on Out Nothing Changes' completes the vast arc, teeming as it is with the wild and singular energy of conscious life.

Where No Island was born out of distance and murk, these songs breathe and erupt in close quarters. Though the band isn't necessarily concerned with finding new levels of clarity, there’s a newfound power in the steady drive of Shelley’s unmistakable rhythmic style, and the unexpected interplay that builds on this foundation. Big Hotel is the sound of what happens in the rare and intriguing moments when Winged Wheel are all in the same room."—Jen Powers, March 2024

The Good the Bad and the Zugly have been delivering premium class, antiquated rock for almost 15 years straight. They’ve always been the real deal. True heroes of the Armageddon. Whenever responsibility came knocking at the door they stuck to their guns and kept living the rock life to the fullest. Their contemptuous look at everything and everyone who doesn’t fit into their world view has always been prominent in their sound, and their musical and lyrical expression has stayed uncompromised. No one has yet dared to confront their satirical know-it-all attitude, but recently water has started to seep through their seemingly waterproof façade. Band members have on several occasions been observed at the Oslo’s local shopping malls wearing reading glasses, down jackets, and sensible footwear, pushing strollers filled with blaring, chocolate devouring children. With wistful eyes they’re seen pushing strollers through to the suburbs, far away from dirty dens credible dark nooks and shitty toilets. To mend this rapidly declining rock image they´ve decided to release what they consider to be their worst album so far: A collection of B-songs that have never made the list when assembling the list of Norwegian Grammy nominated classics. This upcoming album is nothing less of a wonderful bouquet of contemptuous elegies who haven't yet found a place on the big, dark web. Truth be told the opinionated armor GBZ has been hiding behind was mostly for show, they’ve always beat around the bush – or as we say in Norwegian: had a walk around the porridge.