Back catalogue:

Review: Israeli funk quartet Sababa 5 and Japanese singer-cum-bellydancer Yurika Hanashima join forces again on 'Kokoro', a combination of two song suites: four brand new concoctions and four beloved older tracks. Sababa 5's unique combination of Middle Eastern funk and Mediterranean rhythm makes a surprisingly sensational combination with Japanese Jazz-fusion sensibilities. Opening track 'Empty Hands' is a string-led proposition by Yurika: When your hands are empty, you hold everything you need. The guitars are expressive without overpowering Yurika's gentle vocals - it's the perfect track for a sunny drive home. The real selling point here is the clutch of tracks from Sababa and Yurika's storied past, namely 'Tokyo Midnights, a jangly, groove-filled song describing a smoke-filled, drink-fueled night through the capital. This version is pressed on classic black vinyl, but has been in high demand on the artist's own store - so act fast.

Review: RECOMMENDED
The thing everyone needs to understand about the UK is the disparity between projected image and real life is almost as overwhelming as the rich-poor divide. On the one hand, there's posturing of pomp, pageantry, grandeur and decorum. Then you actually get here and realise there are really only two types of inhabitants of this island nation, and few of either have manners - those who only give a shit about themselves, and the often eccentric others who do want to help those they pass on the street.

Yard Act, arguably the best thing we've heard to come out of Leeds since the emergence of super-talented techno producer Happa, directly address the first category of British resident in this, their startlingly raw and delightfully off-centre debut album. From middle class trendies to Brexiteering belligerents, think Sleaford Mods providing a backing track to IDLES' observational poetry, with an added dose of Jarvis Cocker-esque theatrics, only less camp, much rawer.

Review: Incidentally sharing the name of a pioneering East End gangster film of the same name - one of the first films to receive an 'X' rating - Yellow Balloon was also the name of this psychedelic "sunshine pop" band from Los Angeles. Filled with brow-beaten jaunts, scatting bops and tambourine shakes, this fab fivesome's first and only album is an excellent foray into the late 1960s zeitgeist, not to mention the enduring talents of the band's leader Gary Zekley.

Review: Yesterday's Children, a short-lived yet impactful psychedelic rock band from Cheshire-Prospect, Connecticut, carved a niche in the late 60s with their unique blend of garage rock and proto-heavy metal. Formed in 1966, the band's aggressive sound, underpinned by Denis Croce's high-pitched wails and fuzz-toned guitars, made them early contenders in the heavier end of the psych spectrum. Their self-titled 1970 LP i featuring tracks like the bludgeoning opener 'Paranoia', the slow-burning 'What of I' and the swinging, Cream-adjacent 'Sailing' i is now considered a cult classic. Despite poor commercial traction at the time, it captures a pivotal moment between the collapse of flower power and the rise of hard rock. First reissued in 2004 by Akarma, it's since been reclaimed as a forgotten milestone in US acid rock, its eight-track run unusually focused but also quite, quite feral.

Review: Based in New York City, YHWH Nailgun (pronounced "Yahweh") are a newfound experimental noise-rock four-piece who have varied acceptance on what can be deemed "noise". Built around the ludicrous percussive ability of drummer Sam Pickard whose use of rototoms conjures an organic yet mechanistic pulse, warped and compressed guitars collide with an array of synths and electronic elements all infused with the suffocated, ranting, rambling, unhinged shrieking of vocalist Zack Borzone. Their debut full-length 45 Pounds bubbles with a similar art-noise sass-punk quality to very early HEALTH (before they rebooted as the industrial-metal trio they're known as today) yet attempting to still fit in with the likes of The Jesus Lizard or Chat Pile. They don't whatsoever, and they're all the better for it, as these unhinged 21 minutes condense saccharine, bubblegum machinery into some of the most frenetic compositions recorded all year. Just because it can only be described as "noise-rock" doesn't mean it necessarily sounds like noise-rock.

Review: Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek are already renowned internationally for their signature melange of Anatolian funk, soul and psychedelic pop. With "outernational" intentions, their latest album for Big Crown is a bulbous strut down the street, marching confidently through enmity-melting backbeats and fulgurant baglama solos played by leader Yildirim - all designed to allay the worst of the world's oppressions and injustices. Connecting threads of collective resistance, longing, protest song, and hope, the album follows a progressive streak loudly taken up by the band since 2014, but the mood is endearing and softly appeasing, rather reactive to the struggle.

Review: This double LP, compiles all tracks from the critically acclaimed Dost 1 & 2 and Dost 2" albums, originally released in 2021 and 2022. The band's nuanced and groovy Anatolian psych-folk sound shines through in these collections, with Yildirim's sublime vocals and baglama (Turkish lute) leading the charge. "Dost" signifies a friend, comrade, and more—a connection that infuses life with meaning. This sentiment is palpable throughout the albums, which bring together sounds, people, and emotions in a harmonious blend. With Dost 2 Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek have expanded their songwriting horizons and honed their unique arrangements. The band's compositions, complemented by guitarist and flautist Antonin Voyant's melodic contributions, reach deep, meaningful places without veering into nostalgia. Lyrics penned by Yildirim in collaboration with Berlin-based writer Duygu Agal add further depth to the album.
Dost 1 & 2 is a vibrant, lively interpretation of connection and camaraderie, making it a pinnacle example of Anatolian psych-folk music's potential.

Review: Louisville post-hardcore/noise rock trio Young Widows release their first album in 11 years. This follow-up to 2014's Easy Pain has them land on such mesmerising pummeling form that all is forgiven and forgotten for the long wait for a new album. This dark, heavy, and powerful affair has an industrial, motorik intensity to it on single 'Call Bullshit' and the lyrics don't hold back: "I'm gonna call your bullshit/When it's close to me/I'm gonna call your bullshit/Even when it leaves." Elsewhere, 'The Holy Net' nails it in terms of the bleakest atmosphere you can imagine whilst subtly layering in a haunting vocal hook that stays with you long after you've pressed stop.

Review: The debut/second album from Los Angeles hardcore punk heroes Youth Brigade originally stemmed from the band rushing to complete their first LP before embarking on their infamous Another State Of Mind tour with Social Distortion in 1982. Opting to cease pressing at only 800 units and returning to the studio following the end of tour, the re-recorded re-imagined version of Sound & Fury that fans know, love and worship, only kept four of the original cuts while re-working the remainder of the material into the feral, angst-riddled beast that lifers have been pining over for a repress for a many a decade. Boasting timeless anthems such as 'Sink With California' and 'What Will The Revolution Change', while also serving as namesake for the annual hardcore festival held in California, this is a true circular slice of poignant, essential, iconic hardcore mayhem, available for the tatted bruisers and sparkly-eyed newcomers alike.