In honor of the long anticipated release of you made me / skin on linen, the debut record from Vancouver’s own Piss, here are some more heavy, noisy and LOUD releases, old and new, from local Vancouver bands you gotta keep on your radar!
Daisy // Cutter - Scene & Heard
Daisy//Cutter seemingly popped up out of nowhere back in September with their debut single Scene & Heard, and boy, what a first impression. The epic five-minute long track runs the gamut of everything that hits hard, from metal to punk to industrial rock to hip hop and nu-metal, pulsating with cutting guitars, growling bass licks and simple but beefy drums. The vocal interplay between rapping and searing screams is electrifying, and the track rolls on an unrelenting groove, never letting up momentum or staying stagnant for too long. Even with its long runtime, the song blazes by, bursting with creative energy, unrelenting in its pace and throwing new dynamic shifts and riffs at you constantly. It’s quite an opening statement from a band that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
For Fans Of: Rage Against The Machine, FKA Rayne, DarkGable
Sore Points - Self-Titled
While this band called it quits back in 2023, their 2018 self-titled record and debut EP Don’t Want To still stand the test of time and feels just as good now as it did when they were ripping blisteringly riotous gigs around the no-fun-city. Sore Points isn’t complicated, it’s certainly not reinventing the wheel. What it is, is damn good punk rock. The trio’s sound harkens back to the inception of the genre and could easily be mistaken as an undiscovered gem of the 70s or 80s - the tracks are lightning fast and deviously catchy, the drums pummelling underneath rock-steady basslines and charged up power chord riffing. There’s no ego here, no needless guitar noodling, no BS. It’s raw, straight ahead and sweet as hell.
For Fans Of: The Clash, The Ramones, Fear
Luella - Remnants of a Former Life
Luella might be the heaviest three-piece in all of Vancouver. Live, the band’s sound is an absolutely unrelenting full body experience you can feel in your guts, and the trio’s 2024 EP Remnants of a Former Life captures that energy beautifully. The scorched-earth guitars are filthy, screaming with feedback and crisp, crunchy distortion, as if they’re gonna blow out the amps at any moment. The vocals are coarse and brutal, and it’s all held together by meaty drums and muscular production. It’s sludgy, it’s mean, it’s intense, and it’s cathartic as hell.
For Fans Of: Jesus Piece, Knocked Loose, Sanction
Mean Bikini - This Ain’t Gonna End Well…
It’s tough - it might be impossible - to have a bad time at a Mean Bikini show. Few bands can match the infectious energy the band brings to every performance. If you haven’t been blessed to have caught a gig yet, you’re in luck - the band’s powder-keg live dynamic has been captured beautifully on their sophomore record This Ain’t Gonna End Well. The Vancouver Island five-piece doesn’t like to waste any time - all but two of the thirteen tracks clock in at under two minutes long. These tracks are furious, fast-paced and in your face, but they’re also fun as hell. Even within these aggressive punk tracks that at times are so unrelenting as to almost lean into thrash, the band has a keen ear for ear-wormy riffs and vocal hooks, giving the songs an anthemic feel that demands you crank it up and dance. Give this one a spin, it’s guaranteed to be the most fun you’ve had with a punk record in a hot minute.
For Fans Of: The Chats, Wine Lips, Stiff Richards
Brass - No Soap Radio
Quite simply, everything Brass does is gold. From their 2015 debut record No Soap Radio to their recent reunion for one of the best gigs of the year at Green Auto this fall, they just cannot do anything wrong, it seems. Even by punk standards, their energy and intensity is hard to match, with gritty vocals and punchy riffs underscored by a super tight, dynamite rhythm section. When it comes to Vancouver punk bands, you’d be hard pressed to find many better than this. Give it a look, and pray they come back again and keep gigging!
For Fans Of: DOA, Amyl and The Sniffers, Teen Mortgage