After taking some time off in 2012, we’re back in full force with a slate of killer releases for 2013, starting with this 7″ EP from Brooklyn punks, Livids (featuring Eric Davidson from New Bomb Turks and Jami Wolf from Zodiac Killers). This 7″ will be limited to 500 black and 100 Blood Splatter vinyl, (color vinyl available first come first serve exclusively through our online store).

Stay tuned for the ordering details and more upcoming releases from Atlanta’s Barreracudas, the Tough Shits out of Philly and a new ridiculous cassette mixtape featuring tracks from all those bands, plus Black Jaspers (featuring King Khan), Acid Baby Jesus, Shark?, Thee Oops, Redondo Beat, Useless Eaters, Mothers Children and many more! In the meantime, why not pick up a copy of last year’s end of summer mixtape to hold you over?

Oops Baby Records End of Summer Mixtape
*Side A*
Davila 666 – Ella Dice
Dino’s Boys – Be Low
Dikes of Holland – Streetwalker
Two Tears – I Heart Leather
FLIGHT – Some Lies
X-Ray Eyeballs – Die Little Love
Peacekillers – Curtains
Pretty Quick – Slippin’ and Slidin’

*Side B*
Natural Child – Victoria
Personal & the Pizzas – Diet, Crime & Delinquency
Barreracudas – Don’t Roll Your Eyes
Las Ardillas – Cancion de Luz
Shark? – Pipeline
Los Vigilantes – Emily
Thunderfucks – Sick Girl
Stalkers – Lady Sonia
German Measles – On Time

Loving this new track, Yatton from Beak> in all its hypnotic, krautrock inspired glory. From a new album due in the summer.

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In a similar vein, Arc In Round’s self-titled debut LP, being released June 26, by La Société Expéditionnaire, reflects a sensibility garnered from endless hours of studio tracking and hypnotic experimentation – think Stereolab meets Broadcast with the addition of haunting vocals. Download Hallowed here.

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A couple of tracks from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros eagerly awaited new record Here. Listen to That’s What’s Up and Fire.

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The new Bear Driver single is called Enemy and is probably one of the most accessibly poppy moments on their debut album. It still rocks most satisfyingly with some crunchy guitar mind you.

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Paws bash out infectious garage pop-rock and new EP Misled Youth is released as a limited edition tape with a run of 250. Download the exuberant title track and order from FatCat here.

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The Tough Shits forthcoming self-titled debut promises to deliver 29 minutes of ramshackle rock so purely balls-to-the-wall you won’t know what hit you. Download Birds (Don’t Get Tired of Flying) and hear the evidence for yourself.

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Kelley Stoltz has a new 7″ single on French label Les Disques Steak. Titled Two Imaginary Girls it features songs called Caroline and Marcy. Have a listen (via Finest Kiss).

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Blasted Canyons are releasing a 12″ called 2nd Place. Taster Holy Geometry is driven by a brilliant needling guitar refrain that is guaranteed to stick with you long after the song has finished.

Download Blasted Canyons – Holy Geometry mp3 (from 2nd Place 12″)

Sun Kil Moon has released another taste from forthcoming album Among The Leaves. That Bird Has A Broken Wing might be the best so far, starkly beautiful.

Download Sun Kil Moon - That Bird Has A Broken Wing mp3 (from Among The Leaves)

Finally, we’re loving the military stomp of Michael J Epstein Memorial Library’s new track Faith In Free Part 1 from their Faith In Free EP. It comes across like a brilliantly vicious hybrid of Siouxsie & The Banshees and Sparks.

Download Michael J Epstein Memorial Library - Faith In Free Part 1 mp3 (from Faith In Free EP)

A long time ago, in an era far-far away – this little ditty might have been alright. But tough shit! It’s been done 800 million times over. I’m fucking bored, man. This song is one minute and forty-eight seconds of deep REM sleep (not the band you fucking retard). Suck.

The little that I’ve read about Philladelphia’s Tough Shits points out that they’re a bunch of slackers and ne’er do wells. I doubt the veracity of that reporting in light of their self-titled debut album that just hit the streets courtesy of Burger Records. For a bunch of underachievers they certainly know their way around writing a pop song, and they certainly don’t slack when it comes to the hooks department.

The 12 songs on their album run the gambit from irreverent to silly to sincere, and sometimes all three occur in the same song. No matter what the song’s personality, the punk and power pop roots make this record shine like the gold wax on which it was pressed. It kicks off with a Replacements-like rave-up Try Not To Laugh, then moves into the slightly mellower pure pop that harkens to Wilco‘s A.M. Cat’s and Dogs with it’s Let’s Active jangle is next and you think they’re stacking the deck and front-loading this record, but the hooks keep coming. The big double entrendre of Space Heater will make you smile, the simple earnestness of Early Grave will tug at your heart a little, and the party-like Holding a Seance will have you busting out your Ouija board.

With a name like the Tough Shits, I doubt that they expect to be taken too seriously and  they want you to think that they’re a bunch of slacker rebels, but  a lot of the time their sensitive side belies that disguise. Not many bands have been able to master walking the fine line between debauchery and sensitivity the way the Replacements did in their heyday but Tough Shits have done it on their first album.

Stream: The Tough Shits – Cats and Dogs (from their self-titled album on Burger)

“Garage punk rock Bay Area kids Impediments bring their stylish swagger and musings to Philly this weekend on Friday (Aug 21) night to Tritone; right on the street where all the hippies used to meet ….”

Some Velvet Blog