Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Next Show : Les Mauvais Jours (FRA), The Sweet Janes (Innsbruck), ZINN (Vienna) @ Venster99


Hardcore For The Losers show :

Les Mauvais Jours (Punk, Strasbourg)
https://lesmauvaisjours.bandcamp.com/album/s-t
(members of The Boring, Another Five Minutes, More Dangerous Than a Thousand Rioters) just released their first LP on Hardcore For The Losers and it’s a surprisingly fresh listen that holds tons of nostalgic joy, warmth, and delight for a weary soul, without losing the power to be a one hell of a sundtrack for the next Summer! In substance, energy and freshness, this may be one of the best hearty indie record of the last couple of years.

The Sweet Janes (Feminist pop, Innsbruck)
https://soundcloud.com/the_sweet_janes
They started making music as abolute beginners in the 90s with an all female-punk-project called "Atomcats" Now they are kind of "grownup" but still can't help dedicating their time into making music. They both play guitar and sing; in live shows their rhythm comes from a drum-foot-switch.

ZINN (All Female threat, Vienna)
how do you deal with all that sickness in yourself and out there?with melancholy, ZINN will answer in each of her songs.)

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Next Show : Regional Justice Center (USA), Harm Done (FRA) @ Venster99


Hardcore For The Losers & 9 LIES show :

Regional Justice Center (Seattle, WA X STRAIGHT & ALERT, ADAGIO830)
https://regionaljusticecenter.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a08oFyMtJTA
"Leaning far more on the punk side of powerviolence, I hear elements of everything from Black Army Jacket, Crossed Out, Charles Bronson and Coke Bust. Somewhere in their practice space lies a thumbed-through Slap-A-Ham catalog. All of the trappings of classic powerviolence and frenzied hardcore are here in spades: grindcore runtimes, lighting fast hardcore interspersed with demonically heavy lurching passages and the requisite blown out bass tone. Blastbeats abound, but the record transcends when it slows into truly unsettling sludge"


HARM DONE (Nantes, France X STRAIGHT & ALERT)
https://harmdone.bandcamp.com/
"They play some kind of cold and no frills powerviolence filled with Infest’s speed, Sex Prisoner’s ignorant breakdowns and Entombed’s HM2 metallic guitar sound."

Friday, October 12, 2018

Next Show : Chaviré (FRA), Small Hours (Vienna), The Shaftons (Vienna) @ Venster99


Hardcore For The Losers show :

Chaviré from Nantes, probably one of the best and most active bands from the French speaking area in the last 10 years, with a strong diy, punk and political background & mssg.

http://chavire.tumblr.com/
https://chavire.bandcamp.com/

Small Hours is a punk/hardcore three-piece from Vienna founded in spring 2013 after playing together in different groups for almost ten years. They draw inspiration from several 80’s diy-punk acts as well as contemporary genre-stretchers such as Self Defense Family, Comadre or Touché Amoré.
“reconstruction” is not only a metaphor for dealing with constant difficulties in life, (mental) health or politics, it's also a statement against racism, sexism, homophobia, sexual harassment, violence or any other forms of discrimination!
https://small-hours.bandcamp.com/

The Shaftons Viennese Against Me! recorded their first EP last year @ Zock from Astpai.
https://theshaftons.bandcamp.com

Thursday, October 4, 2018

HC4L052 Swoon - Hollow Idol EP tape



"young five piece hardcore punk band from Göttingen, Germany. After their impressive debut EP release in 2016, the band is back with their upcoming follow up four track EP entitled, 'Hollow Idol' which will be out on the 12th of October.

The EP was recorded and mixed by Dominik Dewitz (Farson, Girlfriend) of Distorted / Liquified and later mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere, No Faith) of Dead Air Studios. 'Hollow Idol' will also see a two colour tape variant release via Hardcore For The Losers, a DIY label from Austria.

I'm proud to premiere the debut single and opening track on the new EP entitled, 'Monochrome'. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the track kicks off with pummeling double bass and mid paced rock 'n roll infused riffage. The band then veers into melodic hardcore territory with passionate screams, punchy drums and a building driving guitar section. This all eventually climaxes and closes the track out with one final blow. Swoon show excellent usage of dynamic song writing here and this is the perfect introductory statement of things to come on 'Hollow Idol'.

Enjoy the track and be sure to share it around with all of your friends." by Tarquin

FFO: Glasses.| Up River| Code Orange Kids

https://swoonpunx.bandcamp.com/

Next Show : Prescriptiondeath (SWE), The Prim (GER) @ Venster99



Hardcore For The Losers last minute show :

Prescriptiondeath (Powerviolence/ Hardcore Punk - Sweden)
https://prescriptiondeath.bandcamp.com

The Prim (Fastcore/90´s Metalcore - Germany)
https://theprim.bandcamp.com

Monday, October 1, 2018

HC4L048 Young Mountain- Lost Tree LP 12" (2018)


For fans of: envy Official, Amia Venera Landscape, Eden, Maine, Devil Sold His Soul, Breach , Birds in row, Respire and Suis la lune

Review by Francis Maria Regalado

YOUNG MOUNTAIN are a Swedish hardcore and post-rock band that appear to have been active since at least 2013. In the releases leading up to their debut full-length, 'Lost Tree', we find traces of a band that’s relatively certain of how they want to sound. The perspective that frames their recorded work appears to fall squarely within the more melodic end of the European hardcore and screamo oeuvre, but with accents heavily gleaned from a more post-metal, post-rock, or post-black (arguably blackgaze) vocabulary. The band’s earlier work skews towards a slightly more metalcore direction, but only as far as bands like Eden Maine or Devil Sold His Soul tend to go. Their material on 2013’s 'För Alltid Var Bara Något Vi Sa', and 2014’s 'Fragile' bats particularly close to that style, maybe just a bit shy of something like Buried Inside’s 2001 record, 'Suspect Symmetry'. YOUNG MOUNTAIN’s subsequent records, 2014’s 'We’re Drowning in Slowmotion' and 2016’s 'The Garden of Biological Machines', seem to indicate a more internalized grasp of their sound. These records didn’t just sound better because of the change in production style—the elements they chose to incorporate into their songs at this point were considerably more concise, and dare I say, confident. The band appeared to shed their metalcore inclinations in favor of denser songwriting that occasionally mirrors Breach’s sense of gravity on 2001’s 'Kollapse', tempering that heaviness with the same melodicism they’ve always shown, with a bit of later Birds In Row thrown into the mix.

Anything but vacant: a track by track review.

Their debut full length, 2018’s 'Lost Tree' has proven to be a logical progression of the band’s stylistic vision—displaying focused songwriting, and a clearer sense of purpose. The record opens with "Asunder, To Eye Each Other", a massive introductory piece that begins with an ominous Breach- like quiet section. From there, the band kicks into a pummeling melodic breakdown from which the rest of the song ebbs and flows. The post-metal inclinations are made especially clear here, and the subtle dissonance is an especially nice touch.

From the sheer weight of the opening track, the band decides to throw us a curve ball with "The Sun Is Away"—a surprisingly competent take on Run For Cover Records’ particular brand of indie rock, with just the right amount of Sore Eyelids to keep things grounded in YOUNG MOUNTAIN’s style.

If you were expecting the third track to turn things down a notch, "///////////////" begins and ends with midtempo hardcore sections not unlike Birds In Row’s later material—still on the melodic side, but with strong Euro-style rhythms pounding underneath.

By the time "Misery" slinks its way in, you may have established that a major sonic theme in this record is capture and release—at least between tracks. This particular song comes off like a Suis La Lune jam if the now-defunct emo veterans decided to play slowcore instead.

The record’s second half kicks in with "Juni", another slow burn which almost plays off like a companion piece to the track prior. Things are a bit more up front here, with a more engaging introduction that leads into a number of the band’s well-established peaks and valleys.

If I remember correctly, "Vacant Eyes" was the band’s first single off this record. It’s arguably one of the more unique tracks on here considering the sudden turn towards a blasting post-black assault that’s nailed down by Kami’s especially vicious vocal performance. In a way, this almost comes off like something Respire would’ve written for 'Dénouement', but remains faithful to the YOUNG MOUNTAIN aesthetic.

Things slow down again for the album’s title track, "Lost Tree". It’s another build-up piece like "Misery", but quite a bit moodier with the way it goes from sparkly, restrained post-rock to its swelling conclusion. As much as I’d like the title track to be an album’s figurative thesis statement, this comes off like a tasteful set-up for the final track.

The album closer, "I Flew Over Your House Last Night" picks up where "Lost Tree" left off, and bookends the record with a pad and string intro reminiscent of *Shels’ work on 'Plains of the Purple Buffalo'. The added instrumentation makes for a hauntingly apt conclusion to the release. It’s one of the more fulfilling spots on 'Lost Tree', an experience akin to watching every single song on the record get sucked into this one final piece—leaving only the listener and absolute quiet in the album’s wake.

Parting thoughts

Let’s not mince words here, YOUNG MOUNTAIN might not be the place to start if you’re looking for artists that constantly break new stylistic ground. I would however argue, that given the amount of focus and dedication they put into the style, that sonic exploration isn’t the band’s intent. You’d be missing the point if you expected otherwise. In light of their discography, one could make the case for YOUNG MOUNTAIN being people who live in the moment—driven by expression, and a desire to hone their craft. While I do honestly feel that the record has its own share of missed opportunities, it does hit more than it misses. And when it does hit, it hits especially hard. This is the kind of record (and by extension, band) you lose yourself in, and I could only imagine what a live set from a band this focused on mood and dynamics would be like. For a YOUNG MOUNTAIN, their debut full-length sounds satisfyingly mature.

1st edition pressed by DMS LTD (Network Engineer) Plymouth in England.
- 200x, gatefold, black vinyl
- 150x, gatefold, transparant gold vinyl
- 150x, gatefold, transparant magenta vinyl

Through Love Rec - Europe - TLR047
http://throughloverec.com
co/ released with:

Zegema Beach Records - Canada - ZBR117
Miss The Stars - Germany - MTS046
Pundonor Records- Spain - PUN21
Hardcore For The Losers - Austria - HC4L048
Dasein Records - Danmark - DAS013

Lyrics by: Kami Kalantari
Music by: Young Mountain
Featuring Nicole Boychuk on "I Flew Above Your House Last Night"

Mix and master by Jack Shirley at the Atomic Garden.
Recorded by Karl Robb Kaardal at Pathfinder Productions.

Released on the 5th september, 2018.

https://youngmountainswe.bandcamp.com/

Pay as you wish!