Bandcamp has long been a home for DIY punk and hardcore from around the world, touching all of the myriad subgenre styles and helping to translate the simple effectiveness of cut-and-paste to the digital age. For January’s edition of the best punk releases on Bandcamp, Kerry Cardoza features the skronky post-punk of Spain’s Ataque de Caspa, the skitzed-out punk of Olympia’s Fugitive Bubble, the pained hardcore of Mexico City’s Malcría, and much more!
The Spatulas
March Chant
Cassette
March Chant is the latest collection of lo-fi ramblings from bicoastal (Cambridge, Massachusetts/Portland, Oregon) four-piece The Spatulas. Led by Miranda Soileau-Pratt, also a solo performer and vocalist for The Blimp, The Spatulas boast a dynamic new lineup on this release. The jelling of the band is clear from the slow opening track, which ends in ecstatic release, to the psych-leaning “Rescue Mission.” Shy tambourine jingles pop up throughout the songs, with Soileau-Pratt’s vocals ranging from lilting to tough. The high, hypnotic guitar on the repetitive “Psychic Signal” stands in opposition to the grooving tempo—creating a jarring effect, like someone harshing your trip. March Chant is a slow burn, its dank vibe better absorbed through repeat listens.
Ataque Zerø
Cuidades
Vinyl LP
The second 12-inch EP from Bogotá-based quartet Ataque Zerø is every bit as tight and polished as their debut 2021 release. Still present are the intense, shouted vocals, the high energy, and the earnest, post-hardcore tempos. Ciudades starts with the brash, straightforward “Pesadilla,” a dark tale about the unforgiving nature of city life. “Control” is the harshest track here, with a catchy verse, a melodic bridge, and devastating lyrics (“Looking for an escape from this lie/ I live tired, tired of existing”). The title track and “Ya No Estás” lean into poppier territory; the latter, with its lovelorn lyrics, veers towards Jawbreaker-esque emo.
Ataque de Caspa
Supongamos por ejemplo
Vinyl LP
The perfect debut release from ’80s Spanish post-punk band Ataque de Caspa is back in physical format, thanks to the efforts of prolific Spanish label Flexidiscos. The smooth, new wave-y opening track, with its lilting synth, bursts into noise via skronky guitar about two minutes in. Here is a band that doesn’t play by any rules; think of Ataque de Caspa as Spain’s answer to Dolly Mixture. Several tracks layer dual vocals with stripped-down instrumentation, as on the cool, angular “La Pesca” or the X-like “Crónica China.” The later tracks play with buzzing, distorted guitar, while the lead vocals soothingly maintain a calming demeanor all the while. Supongamos por ejemplo is a crucial record in the history of post-punk. Don’t miss it.
Não
Demo
The elusive new quartet Não (“no” in Portuguese) have put together one fiery blaze of a demo. Based in Bremen, Germany and featuring members of Inferno Personale, Innenstadtfront, and Zanjeer, among other bands, Não plays straightforward hardcore in quick, intense bursts. Vocalist Morgana spits out the lyrics—sung in Portuguese—in strained howls dotted by caustic grunts. The music is aggro, but not so fast that the songs don’t have room to breathe. “1964/Abismo” is one of the strongest tracks here, with impeccable drumming that maintains a relentless pace. “Reflexo” is another contender, as it darkly describes the selfishness of human nature: “Indifference drips from the gray sky/ Humanitarian tragedies ready to be forgotten/ The limit of hell is one’s own reflection.”
Educacion Cínica
TERRITORIO PUNK (CERO EN CONDUCTA)
Cassette
Buenos Aires label Educacion Cínica unearths a handful of mid-’90s gems on this release, a slimmer, modified version of a long-out-of-print 1997 cassette compilation. Meant to capture the ’90s Buenos Aires punk scene, TERRITORIO PUNK (CERO EN CONDUCTA) also reveals the sonic parallel with the scene in the U.S. at the time; one could easily imagine these tracks featuring in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. From the raw, mid-tempo hardcore of LHDDI to the snotty street punk of Última Baja and the pop-punk of N’Daypori, these songs lean less political and more melodic but they’re worthy markers of the period all the same.
Fugitive Bubble
Delusion
Vinyl LP
With their erratic energy and simple, loose song structures, Olympia trio Fugitive Bubble has easily become one of my favorite bands in recent years. The scratchy shouted vocals of the lead vocalist recall the passion and intensity of Bratmobile’s Allison Wolfe. The hard, fast “Caged Spirit” is a masterpiece, complete with a triumphant outro. Some songs have staccato, Minutemen-esque instrumentation, while others go in unexpected directions, as with the tempo changes on “Chickenhead” and “Pressed Bar Blues.” From the unrelenting opening track to the quiet, instrumental closer, Delusion is a solid effort with nary a skip on it.
Malcría
Fantasías Histéricas
Vinyl LP
Longrunning Mexico City-based hardcore trio Malcría brings the heat on this LP—a tight, 15 minutes of fury spread across eight tracks. Following their raw, tortured 2019 full-length debut El Reino de lo Falso, Fantasías Histéricas has a clearer, more pristine sound, all the better to hear the lightning-fast, aggressive instrumentation. The manic pace of the guitar and bass on most tracks, from the intro to the brief “El Monumento,” brings a tense, almost panicky feeling, a perfect sonic accompaniment to the despondence found in the lyrics. Look no further than the dirgey “Utopía y Fracaso,” which expresses the pained sentiment, “There’s no point in imagining a society where there is no evil/ The ideal world is unreal it’s unreal.”
Futura
V
7" Vinyl
L.A. quartet Futura cranks up the pressure on this EP, their fifth release, with four high-altitude tracks featuring bratty vocals and metallic guitar. Vocalist Erika antagonizes the listener with the high-pitched, bombastic delivery of the lyrics, sung in English and Spanish. “¿Sera El?” has a horror vibe to it, with the eerie, surfy guitar and the bright vocals seemingly at odds with the heavy, tense instrumentation. On the closing track, Erika shouts, “I don’t want to know about your day/ I don’t want to go out on a date,” above a steady, propulsive rhythm. Though decidedly not a Minor Threat cover, it’s a welcome feminist take on the idea of wishing someone would just shut up—a necessity amid the incessant chatter of 24-hour news cycles and social media.
Superbitch
‘07 Honda Odyssey
From the steamy streets of Tampa, Florida, Superbitch creates abrasive, no wave punk. The four-piece plays fast and loud, the vocalist belting out grungey howls and guttural yells. Opening track “EW!” is a start-stop cacophony with high-wire guitar, while “Feed Me”—the longest track at two-and-a-half minutes—starts off slow and sludgy before speeding up into a frenzied mass of feedback, guitar noise, and screams; other highlights, like “One More” and “Don’t Touch Me,” are more straightforward, with piercing guitar wails aplenty.
Morgana
Live @ Cox18
Live @ Cox18 is another standout offering from Florence, Italy post-punk quartet Morgana. For a live recording, the production is clear but simple, featuring seven previously recorded tracks and three new ones. Bright, phaser-laden guitar plays perfectly off the lowness of the bass, while vocalist Bri shouts in an unaffected, matter-of-fact style. The strong “Attaccati a niente” is energetic dark punk, while “Dialogue éphémère” is melodic and spare, with a nice, mellow groove.
