Needle Drop Friday [2.27.26]
Stuff from Melonball, Social Distortion, The Menzingers, Guitar Wolf, and more.....
Morning kids. It’s Friday and you know what that means. Time to spin some new tunes!
Not a bad amount of new stuff this week. Let’s get it going.
Kicking things off is Nuremberg, Germany’s band Melonball with Take Care. This one was released via Thousand Island Records. This politically charged punk band are raging against everything with wild conviction. I started listening to this band when they released the album Breathe in 2023. If you are a fan of Bad Religion, Millencolin, or Lagwagon, this might be right up your alley.
Tokyo, Japan’s Guitar Wolf offered up More Jet via Sorcerer Records. This album is the garage band’s first in seven years, following up on the 2019 LP Love & Jett. This LP features the band cranking out 10 tracks of lo-fi garage noise inspired by the Ramones, Cramps, and Joan Jett. Worth a listen.
Guitar Wolf - More Jet - Tokyo, Japan - garage rock - SORCERER RECORDS
North Carolina-based indie rock band Crooked Fingers put out Swet Deth via Merge Records. If you aren’t familiar with them, this band was spawned by Archers of Loaf singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann in 2000 when AoL broke up. They have since reunited but Crooked Fingers continues. Swet Deth is the first Crooked Fingers album since 2011’s Breaks in the Armor. Often melancholy and mid-tempo it is an enjoyable listen.
Next I’ve got some Norwegian punk for you. Based out of Oslo, Norway, Draumar have released their debut self-titled album through Static Shock Records. Fast and raw, this punk/hardcore album features 12 tracks of social commentary on issues such as genocide, nuclear war, fascism, and more.
Turning things down a notch, I’ve got an album released via Sub Pop Records. Lala Lala, the brainchild of LA-based Lillie West, put out the indie pop records Heaven 2. Originally based out of Chicago (but born in the UK), West traveled…errr…west in search of something else and, with a few stops along the way, wound up in California. This fourth album is 10 tracks that are heavy with reverb laden indie dance rock.
I can’t say that I’ve been a big fan of A Wilhelm Scream but to be fair, I never really got absorbed into any of their releases. With that being said, the band released their sixth LP Cheap Heat via Creator Destructor Records. Based out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, this melodic hardcore band put down 10 tracks of music that has hints of Propagandhi and Strung Out. Rummaging through this album, I get it. That is, I understand why a lot of people like this band. I don’t dislike them. There’s just something about it that…I dunno….it just doesn’t do anything for me.
The Kairos, an indie rock band based out of Liverpool, England have a new EP, Kneeslappas, coming out later this year through LAB Records. To gear up for that EP, they put a 3-song “single” titled Stranger. Solid, British guitar-driven rock, these guys might be your thing if you are a fan of bands such as the Arctic Monkeys or The Strokes.
Another 3-song….uhh….EP? Single? I dunno. Let’s just call it an EP for now. Anyway, another 3-song EP put out by LAB Records comes from London’s Mouth Ulcers. Prevail is indie rock, it’s goth, it’s post punk. Drawing inspiration from The Cure, Joy Division, and Bauhaus, the EP feels atmospheric and haunting.
That’s all of the albums I have to feature today. But wait. There’s more. Here are some singles that were released over the course of the week that I think you should check out:
“Iced Out” by Las Vegas based punk band We Might Die.
On Tuesday, Scranton, PA punk boys The Menzingers dropped a new single called “Nobody’s Heroes.” Being a big fan of these guys, I was happy to see something new from them.
And finally, on Wednesday, Orange County punk legends Social Distortion released the first single (and title track) from their upcoming new album Born to Kill. Something to look forward to. The album is scheduled for released on May 8th via Epitaph.
And that covers this week. Have a blast spinning these tunes (and any other new tunes that you happen to come across that I missed). Have a great weekend and remember to be more kind!
I would call a three song release an EP.