Wow! My favorite Polish band is back with the new e.p. CF98 just released their new record and I listened and reviewed it for our zine.
Couple of years has passed since the last record and with this new one, I can safely say that the band sounds tighter and better than ever before. Singer Karolina does an awesome job with melodic vocal lines just made for singing along and waving your fist in the air. There are 5 songs on this record and I can´t really decide which one is the best for me. CF98 come from Poland and play melodic punkrock with emphasis on hardcore side of things with some gang style backing vocals on choruses and I won´t be wrong if I name them melodic hardcore band. From all of the songs hardcore influence is mostly heard in the title track and it is for me simply the best one if I can name some favorites. The lyrics are personal, but there are couple of very good thoughts and positive ideas behind the lyrics and these guys have their hearts and minds in the right places. The second best song on this record is Missing Part somehow making warmth in my heart while listening to the song. I am gonna see these guys play live this Summer and I can´t wait for their show.
Reunited in 2015 after an 8 year hiatus, Chicago’s MUCH THE SAME continues carrying the torch of aggressive, melodic skate punk. Originally formed in 1999, the band quickly gained popularity in the Chicago punk scene, and eventually broke into national and international awareness with their ‘Quitters Never Win’ album in 2003 (A-F Records) and ‘Survive’ in 2006 (Nitro Records). Though the band broke up in 2007, word of mouth continued to grow their fanbase throughout the world. Much The Same now celebrates its 20-year anniversary and guitarist Dan O’Gorman’s recent victory over cancer by releasing their third full-length album, ‘Everything is Fine’.
When asked about the new album frontman Chris McGrath replied “Thirteen years have passed since we released Survive and we are very different people than we were back then. Everything is Fine is definitely a lyrically darker album, but musically more upbeat. It is a progression in our sound and our songwriting, and we experimented a little bit more than we have before, but it is still every bit a Much The Same record: fast, melodic punk rock with choruses that won’t leave your head and lyrics about real life. There was no grand plan in writing this album, and no expectations of what might come of it, just a chronicling of a very difficult time in our lives and a celebration of the opportunity to play music together again.”
Pee Records will release ‘Everything Is Fine’ on CD and Limited Edition 12″ vinyl with alternate vinyl colours of the LP also available from Thousand Island Records in US/Canada and Lockjaw Records in the UK. Pre-Orders will be available on Pee Records webstore soon when they´ll also be releasing the first single from the album!
Cokie The Clown is the alter ego of Fat Mike, the singer/bassist of legendary Nofx and he just released his new record on Fat Wreck Chords. I listened and reviewed the record in our zine.
What to say first? I am still in awe of this record after listening it for couple of times now. It made me cry, it gave me hope, it helped me and also got me down too. Basically, this record is one man´s walkthrough personal Hell and fighting the personal demons and the past that haunts. The music is not similar to Nofx, nowhere near, it is haunting melodic mainly acoustic music with piano, synth melodies and also sometimes drums which add to the drama of the songs. Lyrics are the darkest lyrics I have ever heard in punkrock. Themes are death, suicide, coping with loss, depression, pain and heartache. Cokie The Clown does not give hope, it takes hope away from you. All of us who suffer from wicked depression throughout the years understand this record and love Cokie because he gave us this music. Some of you who read Hepatitis Bathtub book will know some of the song themes on this record. There is no in between, you will either love or hate this record. I love every single second. There are no hits on this record, no favorite songs, you have to listen to it as a whole.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 