LOVE ETHIC album out today, Pittsburgh trio revisits noisy 90s indie underground

"There’s a definitive 90s indie-punk vein running through their songs (think Shellac, Girls Against Boys) but it’s swirled up in classic pop hooks and propulsive modern production and musicianship." -- Spill Magazine

"The guitars burst with exceptional chord progressions, riffs, jaw-dropping virtuosities, melodies, harmonies, accentuations, and licks, while the rhythm section provides heaviness, density, and power through equally mind-blowing low-end tones and rhythmic acrobatics... Shines with many qualities renowned names like NoMeansNo, Fugazi, Minutemen, Melvins, and many others brought decades before, but Love Ethic uplifted all these music styles on an entirely new and unique level." -- Thoughts Words Action

Pittsburgh trio Love Ethic release their debut album The Thinking Man's Redux today on all DSPs. Hear and share The Thinking Man's Redux via Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music. 

The influence of punk history on Love Ethic’s music is no secret. The band wields angular texture, guitar eruptions, non-sequitur genre-bending, and an arresting holler from frontman/guitarist The Inevitable Mr. Chris that would fit seamlessly next to their predecessors (e.g. Minutemen, Nomeansno, The Birthday Party, Fugazi, Melvins, etc.)

The ferocity, however, is punctuated by exhalations of pop sensibility, delta moans, and a crooning allure that have attracted a broad mix of listeners to this dynamic music.

The band revived its musical enterprise just over a year ago in its birthplace of Pittsburgh, PA with a young, hungry rhythm section comprised of Anthony Capozzi’s searing drum battery and complex counterpoints provided by bass virtuoso Ethan Zajac-Woodie. Since then, they have quickly garnered glowing attention performing alongside a variety of established groups including Jon Spencer + The Hitmakers, Ed fROMOHIO (of fIREHOSE), Sponge, The Schizophonics, and Beechwood.

Love Ethic has recently completed a reworked album of their early oeuvre engineered/produced by Spotlights (Ipecac) helmsman extraordinaire Mario Quintero and mastered by Seth Manchester of Machines with Magnets studio (METZ/IDLES, Mdou Moctar, Full of Hell), intent on expanding their territory in audiences’ hearts and record collections both domestically and abroad.

The Thinking Man's Redux will be available on LP, CD and download on April 28th, 2023. 

LOVE ETHIC LIVE 2023:

06/11 Pittsburgh, PA - Government Center Records

07/15 Toronto, ON - Bovine Sex Club

08/19 Washington, DC - The Quarry House

Artist: Love Ethic

Album: The Thinking Man's Redux

Record Label: Self-released 

Release Date: April 28th, 2023

01. The End of an Era 

02. Let Me Count the Ways 

03. Que Lastima 

04. The Problem at Hand 

05. Stephen Hawking: Astronaut! 

06. Loneliness 

07. I Love You, Taylor Duncan 

08. Self-Censorship 

On The Web:

loveethic.net

loveethic.bandcamp.com

Karma Vulture stream forthcoming album early via Invisible Oranges, announce tour dates

 

"This is the kind of rock ’n’ roll that demands booze, bad decisions, and debauchery, and has you singing laments the next day." -- CvltNation

"Stacks up the riffs... If you're dying for something like Monster Magnet or old Queens of The Stone Age, then you're going to dig Karma Vulture." -- Metal Injection

“Catchy, straight up heavy rock and roll.” — The Obelisk

“It's rare, but sometimes an album just feels comfortable on the very first listen. Karma Vulture's sleek sound evokes the brief period in which stoner rock could score radio singles -- but more than that, Something Better is just reassuringly good at what it does: rock… Karma Vulture has an effortless command of groove… Catchy, powerful, and a little bit weird.” — Invisible Oranges

Stoner rock trio Karma Vulture are streaming their forthcoming debut full length a day ahead of release today via Invisible Oranges. Hear and share the full album Something Better HERE. (Share 4 singles via Bandcamp.)

The band also announce midwest tour dates kicking off next month. Please see current dates below. 

Metal Injection previously shared the lead single "Do The Twitch" HERE. Watch and share the Spaghetti-Western/Horror themed video for "Better Luck Next Time" from the band's Death By Comfort EP released in March 2022. CvltNation launched the video HERE. (Direct YouTube.) 

Karma Vulture is a desert rock power trio from Joshua Tree, now based in Nashville, consisting of singer/bassist Conor Spellane, guitarist Will Hammond, and drummer Ben Foerg. The band has a familiar yet idiosyncratic sound, blending elements of stoner rock and 90s grunge with hints of classic rock, psych and modern alternative rock for good measure. The band executes their earworm hooks and hammer-dropping riffs with equal aplomb. Or, in other words: It’s super catchy, super heavy and super dope. 

Founded in late-2018, the band hit its stride with the addition of Foerg on drums, and released its first EP with their current lineup in early 2022. Death By Comfort was recorded by Norm Block (Mark Lanegan, Brian Jonestown Massacre) in Spring 2020 just as the world was shutting down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They finished it remotely thru the pandemic, with mixing engineer Joshua Martinez, and then used the remaining months of the lockdown to record their first full-length LP, Something Better, which drops in April 2023.

Something Better will be available on CD, cassette and digital on April 28, 2023 via Bent Knee Records. Pre-orders are available HERE. 

KARMA VULTURE LIVE:

05/31 Cleveland, OH - TBA

06/01 Indianapolis, IN - J Clyde’s 

06/02 Grand Rapids, MI - Mulligans Pub

06/03 Detroit, MI - PJ’s Lager House

06/05 Louisville, KY - Metal Monday @ Highlands Taproom

06/06 Chicago, IL -  Liars Club

06/07 St Louis, MO - TBA

06/08 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge

06/09 Lincoln, NE - 1867

06/10 Jackson, TN - Downtown Tavern

Artist: Karma Vulture

Album: Something Better

Record Label:  Bent Knee Records 

Release Date: April 28, 2023

01. Something Good

02. Something Better

03. Do The Twtich

04. Rabbit Hole

05. No One’s There

06. …

07. Pictures of The Past

08. Not Sure

09. Desert Acoustic

10. Cold Feet

On The Web:

linktr.ee/karmavulture

90s DIY band NUZZLE share new single from previously unreleased 1997 album out soon on Solid Brass Records

“A prime example of the emo scene of that decade, early emo that was an offshoot of post-punk/hardcore– think Sunny Day Real Estate or Texas Is The Reason. Well before the 2000s when mainstream emo broke big on Robert Smith cosplay, voices cracking, and trips to Hot Topic.” -- That's Good Enough For Me

Los Angeles label Solid Brass Records shares a new single from the forthcoming previously unreleased album by SF band Nuzzle today via That's Good Enough For Me. The album, No Love Like That -- The Stanford Sessions 1997 was originally recorded for short-lived Sub Pop subsidiary Die Young, Stay Pretty. These recordings became the stuff of lore for fans of 90s west coast indie music. Hear/share "If Left To Our Own Devices" HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

New Noise Magazine previously launched lead single "No Más" HERE. 

About Nuzzle's No Love Like That - The Stanford Sessions 1997:

Originally recorded for Die Young Stay Pretty (a short-lived Sub Pop subsidiary), these previously unreleased recordings became the stuff of lore for fans of 90s west coast indie music. Essentially a demo and precursor to Nuzzle’s 1999 LP San Lorenzo’s Blues, these tracks are raw, energetic, and representative of Nuzzle’s live shows. Newly remixed and mastered, No Love Like That: Stanford Sessions 1997, is quintessential Nuzzle at their pinnacle. 

Nuzzle began as a trio; Nate Dalton (guitar), Simon Fabela (bass) and Ricardo Reano (drums) in Rosemead, CA in 1991 before ultimately settling in Santa Cruz. In 1993 Nate’s older brother Andrew joined on guitar and switched to vocals early in 1994, solidifying their lineup.

By the mid 90s Nuzzle had already released several 45s, their Follow, For Now LP on Youth Strike Chord, and several compilation tracks. They had also completed a successful US tour with Fisticuffs Bluff, and had become staples in a loosely knit but deeply felt west coast scene anchored by Kill Rock Stars Records in Olympia and Gravity Records in San Diego. The buzz they generated helped them find their way onto bills with bands like Evergreen, Unwound, Lync, Bikini Kill, Modest Mouse, The VSS, Clikatat Ikatowi, and more. 

In 1996 Nuzzle teamed up with friend and engineer Andy Radin to record 8 new songs at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, where Radin was recording bands during graveyard shifts from 10pm to dawn. “The legend goes that these recordings were originally meant for release on a ‘big label’ and were short-sightedly passed on,” recalls George Chen from Zum Audio. 

Nuzzle never returned to the Stanford studio for a final mixing so Radin labeled his cassette copy 'Nuzzle Rough Mixes' and shelved the project while the band continued to play shows up and down the CA coast in 1997 and 1998.

Bassist Simon Fabela recounts, “We re-recorded the Stanford songs with Jeff Pinn from Zilla/Hyde Street Studios in an abandoned, supposedly haunted, half-way house in San Jose. That became San Lorenzo's Blues and was released in 1999 on Troubleman Unlimited.”

Radin and the band all agree the LP on Troubleman is strong, but these Stanford sessions capture Nuzzle as they were live; raw with more plaintive urgency in the vocals. “None of us had heard it in nearly 10 years. We actually really like the recordings since they captured what Nuzzle was like live back then,” says Simon Fabela, bassist for Nuzzle (and now Duster). “I was talking with a friend recently and she was saying that none of our recordings really captured the sound, the energy, the rawness of Nuzzle as she remembers us live. Listening to the Stanford sessions, I think these recordings came the closest,” says guitarist Nate Dalton.

No Love Like That: Stanford Sessions 1997 has been remixed by Liam Andrew Nelson, mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering in Los Angeles, and will be available on LP and download on June 9th, 2023 on Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

About Solid Brass Records:

The label's three partners recently did an in-depth interview via No Echo HERE. The label founders are themselves influential members of the 90s underground scene and beyond (see below.) Solid Brass nods to great archival labels like Numero Group and Trust Records to properly resurrect key DIY records from the 90s-00s, as well as putting out new releases.

Solid Brass Records started in 2022 after a few friends from the 90’s DIY music scene reconnected over their shared appreciation for the community, people, and bands that influenced them 30 years prior. They decided to pool their collective knowledge and resources to start a label focused on reissuing music from that period as well as showcasing new bands similarly inspired by this scene. 

Artist: Nuzzle

Album: No Love Like That -- The Stanford Sessions 1997

Label: Solid Brass Records 

Release Date: June 9th, 2023

01. Daedalus and Us

02. No Más

03. Unbreakable You

04. Allen Says

05. We Almost Lost Del Mar

06. The Word #2

07. No Love Like That

On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

instagram.com/nuzzleband

nuzzleband.bandcamp.com

Texas transgender punks Transy Warhol streaming forthcoming album early via Big Takeover

"Be it Big Boys or the Dicks or Big Bill, Austin has had its share of jittering punk rock acts through the last several decades, but its time for Transy Warhol to assume their rightful spot on the throne this year.” -- Austin Town Hall

“Their sound is reminiscent of early 80s Austin punk heroes like The Big Boys and The Dicks, mixed with a dash of 70s art-punk, 80s jangle pop and Riot Grrrl groups like Huggy Bear and Sleater Kinney. It’s infectious, hooky and fun, while simultaneously taking on very significant and important socio-political topics.” — Big Takeover

Austin, TX band Transy Warhol are streaming their forthcoming debut album, Control in full today ahead of Friday's release date via Big Takeover Magazine. Hear and share Control HERE. Direct Bandcamp.

Punk News recently hosted "Kaleidoscope" HERE.

Control is Transy Warhol’s debut album. The band explores their queer attractions and identities, struggles with mental health, and desire to establish queer community in the midst of living in a liberal part of conservative and transphobic Texas.

Control will be available for streaming and download on April 28th, 2023.

TRANSY WARHOL LIVE 2023:

05/11 Austin, TX - Ballroom

05/13 San Antonio, TX - Pink Zeppelin

06/01 Austin, TX - Cheer Up Charlie's

06/03 Austin, TX - The Parish

Artist: Transy Warhol

Album: Control

Record Label: Self-released 

Release Date: April 28, 2023

01. Ooh Sha La La

02. Deceiver, Baby

03. Boy Toy

04. Disassociation

05. Flytrap

06. Kaleidoscope

07. Afterglow

08. Fade

09. Maintain

10. Deadname

11. No More Trying

On The Web:

transywarhol.com

transywarhol.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/transywarhol

Pines of Rome (High Aura'd, Songs: Ohia members) premiere video via Brooklyn Vegan, first new music in 20 years

“Pines of Rome quietly took the underground by storm in the '90s and early '00s with their signature brand of downtrodden, folk rock-inflected slow rock. Now back after two decades with what could very well be their best album… They've obviously matured over this lengthy period of time, become fiercer musicians, and even stronger songwriters in the band's absence.” — Brooklyn Vegan

Providence, RI band The Pines of Rome premiere the official video for "REDACTED" from their first new album in over 20 years today via Brooklyn Vegan. The album, The Unstruck Bell will be released on L.A. label Solid Brass Records on May 26th. Watch/share "REDACTED" HERE.

The first single "Slick Enhancer" launched on all DSPs on March 27th and is available to hear & share HERE.

The Pines of Rome (John Kolodij, Matthew Derby, and Rick Prior) have been exploring the frontiers of Cosmic American Music on and off for the past 25 years, dialing down the tempo and turning up the volume to create tidal walls of sound that surge and break like the turbulent Atlantic waves that batter the shores of the smallest state in the Union.

The band originally formed in 1997, when the small-but-mighty Providence music scene was reaching an eclectic creative peak, where fuzz pop, psych rock, and noise bands would share the same stage at hallowed venues such as Fort Thunder, AS220, and The Living Room, sanding off the hard genre distinctions that kept music scenes in other cities silo'd.

Over 20 years had passed since their final show, and then, while shuttered inside during the pandemic, Derby was inspired to contact his former Pines bandmate, Kolodij (also of High Aura'd) and start writing new music. In addition to new music, the band welcomed new member Steven Kimura on bass and the trio became a 4-piece. 

Over the years The Pines Of Rome have shared the stage with great bands like Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co., Richard Buckner, Bonnie Prince Billy, June of '44, Shipping News, Lullaby for the Working Class, the Promise Ring, Jets To Brazil, Rainer Maria, Joan of Arc, Silkworm, Bright Eyes, and more.

The Unstruck Bell will be available on LP and download on May 26th, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

THE PINES OF ROME LIVE 2023:

07/22 Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre

Artist: The Pines of Rome

Album: The Unstruck Bell

Label: Solid Brass Records 

Release Date: May 26, 2023

01. I Am a Road

02. Slick Enhancer

03. White Ships

04. REDACTED

05. Beavertail Spoils

06. Siren

07. The By & By

On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

thepinesofrome.bandcamp.com

Karma Vulture share final single from forthcoming album, announce summer tour dates

 

"This is the kind of rock ’n’ roll that demands booze, bad decisions, and debauchery, and has you singing laments the next day." -- CvltNation

"Stacks up the riffs... If you're dying for something like Monster Magnet or old Queens of The Stone Age, then you're going to dig Karma Vulture." -- Metal Injection

“Particularly as a first long-player, Something Better is all the more appreciable for the band’s aesthetic reach, and the sense of craft behind it — as well as being self-produced — speaks to the potential of the group to carry their accomplishments here forward… Catchy, straight up heavy rock and roll.” — The Obelisk

Stoner rock trio Karma Vulture share the last single from their forthcoming debut full length today. Hear and share "Rabbit Hole" via Bandcamp.

The band also announce midwest tour dates kicking off next month. Please see current dates below. 

Metal Injection previously shared the lead single "Do The Twitch" HERE. Watch and share the Spaghetti-Western/Horror themed video for "Better Luck Next Time" from the band's Death By Comfort EP released in March 2022. CvltNation launched the video HERE. (Direct YouTube.) 

Karma Vulture is a desert rock power trio from Joshua Tree, now based in Nashville, consisting of singer/bassist Conor Spellane, guitarist Will Hammond, and drummer Ben Foerg. The band has a familiar yet idiosyncratic sound, blending elements of stoner rock and 90s grunge with hints of classic rock, psych and modern alternative rock for good measure. The band executes their earworm hooks and hammer-dropping riffs with equal aplomb. Or, in other words: It’s super catchy, super heavy and super dope. 

Founded in late-2018, the band hit its stride with the addition of Foerg on drums, and released its first EP with their current lineup in early 2022. Death By Comfort was recorded by Norm Block (Mark Lanegan, Brian Jonestown Massacre) in Spring 2020 just as the world was shutting down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They finished it remotely thru the pandemic, with mixing engineer Joshua Martinez, and then used the remaining months of the lockdown to record their first full-length LP, Something Better, which drops in April 2023.

Something Better will be available on CD, cassette and digital on April 28, 2023 via Bent Knee Records. Pre-orders are available HERE. 

KARMA VULTURE LIVE:

05/31 Cleveland, OH - TBA

06/01 Indianapolis, IN - J Clyde’s 

06/02 Grand Rapids, MI - Mulligans Pub

06/03 Detroit, MI - PJ’s Lager House

06/05 Louisville, KY - Metal Monday @ Highlands Taproom

06/06 Chicago, IL -  Liars Club

06/07 Janesville, WI - Back Bar

06/08 Lawrence, KS - TBA

06/09 Lincoln, NE - TBA

06/10 Jackson, TN - Downtown Tavern

Artist: Karma Vulture

Album: Something Better

Record Label:  Bent Knee Records 

Release Date: April 28, 2023

01. Something Good

02. Something Better

03. Do The Twtich

04. Rabbit Hole

05. No One’s There

06. …

07. Pictures of The Past

08. Not Sure

09. Desert Acoustic

10. Cold Feet

On The Web:

linktr.ee/karmavulture