You may have noticed over the last six months that we’ve been releasing monthly playlists, full of killer recommendations from Team Punktastic. Like you, we’re lovers of music and sharing our love is a big part of that. It’s all well and good telling you to listen to them. But it’s better to tell you why you should listen to them. So here it is – the first outing of the Punktastic Presents: Playlist series.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Starting a new series in August? The sun must have melted our brains – and you’re quite right. What with the heat and festival season, it’s been a struggle. But as always, it’s the music that’s got us through and these tracks are warming our hearts more so than the blistering heat.
So grab your headphones, unwrap that Choc Ice and settle yourself in for the inaugural Punktastic Presents: Playlist.
Oh, and don’t forget to follow the playlist to keep up to date with our additions as we go through the month.
Blondie – ‘Dreaming’
Channel 4’s recent screening of Trainspotting 2 gave us a reminder of how good Blondie’s ‘Dreaming’ is. As Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie continue to scheme and search for their place in the world, 20 years on from the original, Debbie Harry’s angelic vocals speak of always wanting something better. Despite its 1979 release, the escapism of the words “dreamin’ is free” still resonate in the shitshow that is 2019.
TOM WALSH
IDLES – ‘Mercedes Marxist’
I’m a late convert to IDLES. I’ve always been pretty dismissive of them. They felt like a psuedo-political gimmick at a time I was actively avoiding politics. But, much like how i can’t get away from politics, I can’t deny IDLES. They’re just too fucking good. There’s a subtlety behind most tracks – both lyrically and sonically – and Joe Talbots delivery is stunning, as he spits out every venomous word. Angry, anthemic and angsty, ‘Mercedes Marxist’ follows that formula and its clear that IDLES remain on top form.
ANDY JOICE
Solence – ‘Death Do Us Part’
The follow up to the equally cinematic ‘Heavy Rain’, Solence are rapidly proving to be one of the most exciting up and coming bands of 2019. Death Do Us Part is as dramatic as the name implies, bringing both darkness and light together with a driving beat and gigantic chorus. Bring on an album (soon, please).
GEM ROGERS
Northlane – ‘Talking Heads’
I’ve always been a big fan of Northlane, but there’s something about this track in particular that left me speechless after the first listen. They’ve always been heavy and groovy, but not quite like this. It’s sinister, unpredictable and brimming with hooks – this is one of Australia’s finest exports on top of their game.
DAVE STEWART
Tiger Army – ‘Devil That You Don’t Know’
I want to live in the America that Nick 13 imagines. A country populated with Cadillacs, diners and endless dusty roads. Tiger Army’s ‘Devil That You Don’t Know’ is a jiving, swinging slice of Nick 13’s patented pychobilly punk. Whether Nick is referencing the current political climate when his howls of “they say that the devil that you know, is better than the one you don’t know”, or whether it just comes to him on those long drives through California plains. Either way, it lays down the marker for the bands forthcoming sixth album.
TOM WALSH
InMe – ‘The Next Song’
‘Overgrown Eden’ was my ‘Hybrid Theory’. It was my gateway into alt music. Comparing ‘The Next Song’ to anything off ‘Overgrown Eden’ is like comparing apples and oranges. What it lacks in obvious angst, it makes up for in subtly, depth of character and a technical prowess that comes with fifteen years of experience. Silky, soothing and soaring high enough to crack a seagull in the beak, Dave McPherson’s voice is as strong as it’s ever been. There’s something delicate but punchy about the melodies that melds itself perfectly to the incredibly versatile vocals.
ANDY JOICE
Sleep Token – ‘The Offering’
No one knows who Sleep Token is or when he’s going to release new music, but when he does it’s nothing short of spectacular. This track in particular is stunning, effortlessly weaving soft and sultry vocal tones with delightfully heavy guitars and groove-soaked drum work. I’m addicted to the mystery, and you should be too.
DAVE STEWART
The Menzingers – ‘Anna’
The Menzingers are back and ready to build on the success of 2017’s cathartic ‘After The Party’. ‘Anna’ is classic ‘Zingers with instantly catchy hooks, schmaltzy, twee lyrics about wanting a beloved friend to return home and endless references to their beloved Philly. For a band that kind of meandered for a number of years, they are finally making their mark as every millennial struggling with getting older’s go-to driving band. Album number six is due out in the autumn and we’re already goddamn pumped.
TOM WALSH
The Rocket Summer – Blankets
Gem Rogers
Bryce Avary is one of a kind. When it seems impossible to put your emotions and deepest feelings into words, Bryce is able to step in and make even the most impossible and tumultuous places in our minds make sense, and new single ‘Blankets’ is one of his most beautiful creations yet. Evoking the kaleidoscope of colours that accompany seventh album ‘Sweet Shivers’, it is a foot tapping, gliding electro-pop song, loaded with delicate harmonies and hopeful joy. The world would not be the same without The Rocket Summer, and ‘Sweet Shivers’ is set to be just as defining as the albums it follows.