Punk is not dead, it's just gone back to the underground. Bands across the country are keeping the punk spirit alive, embracing the old and progressing towards new avenues. Here are five more great records from the 2010s that show off all the genre has to offer:
1. The Liquids - "Blindin' Flash EP"
The Liquids are a group that hails from northwest Indiana and features a lineup including the guitarist and drummer from the Coneheads. However, this group does not have the new wave leanings of the Coneheads, instead, they deliver fiery blasts of snotty hardcore in classic 1980s style. The vocals recall the nasally teenage punk bands of the old Orange County hardcore scene. It's just the right amount of strained screechiness that is more endearing than annoying. "Blindin' Flash" is a lean, mean piece of punk songwriting, not a single song runs over two minutes long, and it's better for it. The Liquids jot out a quick musical idea, like the oddly prescient protest song "I Killed Donald Trump", and deliver it powerfully enough that one minute is all they need. Other highlights include a cover of "The Sword of Damocles" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and a truncated cover of Pink Floyd's "Time". The sheer novelty of these covers alone makes this EP a worthwhile listen, but its fine-tuned aggressive industry will keep you coming back for repeat visits.
You can check out "Blindin' Flash" here
2. DD Owen - "DD Owen"
DD Owen is an offshoot solo project (quite literally solo, Owen is credited with all instrument performances on the album) of Drew Owen, who has recorded with other groups such as Sick Thoughts. This raunchy effort has far more rock 'n' roll trappings than his contemporaries, eschewing speedy compositions for slower, sleazy songs like "Son of the Devil". Every track feels like the musical equivalent of a mean drunk. The fuzzy guitars and buzzing vocals create a groggy late-night haze that permeates the album. Owen seems to be channeling the spirit of shock-rocker GG Allin in provocative, self-deprecating tracks such as "I Shoulda Been Aborted" and "Degenerate". Listening to "DD Owen" is a grimy, crusty journey through punk rock debauchery. Filth has never been this catchy.
You can check out "DD Owen" here
3. Scantron - "882-E EP"
Scantron must be the alter ego of Kevin French from "Mission Hill". This is the nerdiest punk rock album that doesn't categorize itself as some sort of Nerf Herder-esque nerdcore band. It is also quite possibly the only punk rock album to ever utilize a glockenspiel. The highlight of the EP is the opening track, "Vending Machine", a strange love song dedicated to vending machines. The refrain of "Vending machine, my electronic mother/Consuming chips one after another" will be stuck in your head in for days. The closing track, "Time Out (The Doubt)" is a strangely reserved bit of power pop that pairs a strangled guitar lead with a glockenspiel and a melodica, creating one of the most infectious hooks on the EP. It is an unabashedly tacky sampling of music, one that presents itself without a shred of irony. Scantron is unabashedly weird and proud of it.
You can check out "882-E EP" here
4. Lumpy & The Dumpers - "Huff My Sack"
The St. Louis based group Lumpy & The Dumpers recently released a follow up album to "Huffy My Sack" entitled "Those Pickled F**kers!", and that title accurately describes their sound. Lumpy & The Dumpers sound pickled: slimy, briny, and crunchy. They specialize in a sludgy, guttural sound, but underneath the abrasive sound is some truly catchy songwriting. Songs like "I'm Gonna Move to New York" and "Numbing Agent" have infectiously repetitive refrains. The standout classic on the album by far is "Pee in the Pool", a viscerally hardcore and thoroughly immature song about peeing in a pool. Their vocalist, Lumpy, delivers their bizarre lyrics with a crunchy conviction that will have rocking out despite the absurdity of many of their songs.
You can check out "Huff My Sack" here
5. The Youngins - "The Youngins Are Hardcore"
The Youngins are a Portland-based hardcore punk group, who gaming fans may remember from the soundtrack of "Gone Home". Their sole album before the bands dissolution, "The Youngins Are Hardcore" is a raw, rough effort. The album sounds more akin to a live recording than an actual studio effort (basement or otherwise), and is described on its Bandcamp page as "Proudly recorded in mono by two hillbillies in deep SE Portland who know nothing about punk rock". However, this live quality adds to the album's intense emotional delivery. The angry, impassioned vocals frequently call the emo/post-hardcore bands of the 1980s. Songs like "Self" and "Beyond Caring" sound like someone on the edge of a breakdown. The Youngins are punk as pathos.
