Diyno Mixtape: the best of May 2025 releases – our suggestions
May 2025 releases selected for our monthly column Diyno Mixtape
As usual, also in May, we discovered and listened to a lot of stuff, selecting for you the releases you find in Diyno Mixtape. As always, ample space for different subgenres and bands from various countries around the world. Happy listening!
Be curious and if you have advice or opinions to give us on May releases, feel free to contact us on our social media or via email!
If you’re interested in the physical copy of any of these albums, you can write to info@radiopunk.it. Some are in our catalog, some could be available on demand.
Compilation:
Narkan, Struggimento, A-Control, Ethico, Kinoglaz, Tormento, Apoptosi, Cranial Putrefaction, Papilloma Digos, Zipper – Chi scappa è oppresso in ogni modo (Anomalia Autoproduzioni)
‘This compilation is a political act’
This sentence alone is enough to make us love this compilation. It is contained in the opening statement of this superb initiative, which is, above all, a spontaneous act of self-management and self-organisation. It is worth listening to the words of this lucid and on-point analysis and reading the statement with which the compilation is presented, to fully appreciate it. This wonderful idea was realised in complete autonomy among the very young people who animate the Chaos Collective and the bands close to it. There’s nothing left to do but support this initiative, which once again confirms how DIY punk and direct action are the same.
Anarcho-punk:
Barren? – Once Upon A Death… Our National Industry (Symphony Of Destruction, Les Choeurs de L’Ennui | 12″ LP)
Despite the sound, artwork and themes, we are not in the UK’s 80s but in 2025 and Paris. Yes, because the French trio brilliantly and impeccably dusts off anarcho-punk à la The Mob, Rudimentary Peni, and The System, with a focus on fusing melody and post-punk atmospheres with the anger and urgency typical of the most powerful and direct punk. The lyrics contain an anti-militarist critique, especially lashing out against the arms industry and France’s recent bloody past, while also touching on more existential themes. Let yourself be lulled by this sweet chaos… this record is a blast!
Ska Punk:
Ska’n’Ska – SKA på svenska (AMTY Records | 12” LP
The word “Swedish” in Swedish, “svenska,” lends itself well to … well, you might have guessed it, given the genre of music we are talking about! And from Sweden, precisely from Stockholm, comes this suitcase laden with a ska-punk that by touring the world has been enriched with Latin American and Balkan suggestions. 10 tracks with hot, frenetic and addictive rhythms and lyrics (in Swedish) with political and social content. An irresistible burst of energy, music without boundaries that is impossible to listen to without going wild, under a stage or within the walls of your home.
Catbite – Doom Garden (Bad Time Records | 12” EP)
Different shades of ska-punk in this effervescent new album by the Philadelphia band, which for those who love the genre certainly needs no introduction. They range from the more laid-back rhythms of “Tired of Talk,” featuring Patrick Stump, to the classic rocksteady of “Die in Denver,” to the more aggressive “Eyes Wide,” in which vocalist Brittany Luna duets with Zayna Youssef of fellow Philadelphia band Sweet Pill. The 6 tracks, fresh and catchy, flow quickly, and if you think they’re ending too soon, all you have to do is press play again!
Skappository – For your health! (Stubborn Records | CD)
Already from the band’s name and the album cover we can get an idea of what’s in store: straight from Long Island, 6 tracks of ironic, irreverent, mood-boosting, exercise-inducing ska-punk with extremely catchy melodies that stick with you from the first listen. If you love bands like Operation Ivy, Hub City Stompers and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, you won’t be able to do without your daily dose of Skappository anymore!
Punk Rock:
Qualia and the Five Ancestors of the Great Maryland Kingdom – Accidentally Funding the End of the World (Polyscope Records, Thousand Island Records)
Judging from the band’s name and titles, one can hardly say that the Athens quintet has the gift of synthesis! They define their music as “technical” or “ancestral” skatepunk, and immediately we realize that we are faced with a complex and ambitious work, bringing to mind certain progressive concept albums of the past, yet imbued with modernity and futuristic scenarios. The lyrics, in English, describe, as the band itself explains, “everything you love and hate about modern life, plastic-flavored breakfasts, made up realities, corporate greed and the struggle to feel and be human.” It needs several listens to be fully understood, but already on the first listen it will leave you speechless. Available only digitally for now, but a physical cookie disk is coming soon. Brilliant!
Jerkswitch – 100% Wholesome Pants Party
They call themselves “the worst jazz band in Montreal,” and indeed their bizarre musical mix has about as much to do with jazz as the “outfit” in which they present themselves on the cover. A 5-song EP that casually ranges, even within the same track, among punk rock, hardcore, funk, ska and post punk, eluding any definition of style. The important thing is not to take oneself too seriously, and in fact it is irony, even in the lyrics, that dominates.
All Crü – All i Odi (Onada Records | 12” LP / CD)
Debut with a bang for this quartet that is new but composed of familiar faces in the Catalan scene from Kasparrata, Los Tronchos and Les Buch. Released digitally on April 30 and now also in physical format, the album has a strong and pungent taste just like the garlic the band has chosen as its symbol. A recipe that will delight the palates of those who love Iberian punk rock, melodic and energetic, which here takes on a particular flavor with the addition in each track of a pinch of a different genre, from hardcore to reggae/ska, passing through streetpunk. The lyrics, in Catalan, attack with fierce satire capitalism and right-wingers who, with the help of old and new mass media, sow hatred and division among the people. The only antidote is precisely to empower each other by sticking together: “Don’t give up! If you are in trouble, never forget that you are one of ours.”
Hardcore Punk:
Stress Positions – Human Zoo (Three One G | 12″ LP)
Those fond of our Diyno Mixtape may remember that we already mentioned the band in the December 2023 article. And this new album follows the Chicago band’s incredible debut album. 6 explosive hardcore punk songs, straight to the face like a Mike Tyson punch, full of anger and political criticism, plus an interlude, 2 remixes of Planet B, and a remix of Made Human By Hands. It clearly raises the cry against anti-abortion laws, against colonialism and imperialism, against the genocide perpetrated by Israel on the Palestinian population, against military indoctrination and against being a minority in a white-dominated subculture. Great record!
Frammenti – Merce (ZAS Autoproduzioni, Shove Records, Forever True Records, DischiRozzi, Sonatine Produzioni, Motorcity Produzioni | 12” LP)
The legendary band from Turin is back with these 14 tracks, contained in Merce, an album that marks a return to a melancholic hardcore punk sound, featuring changes in rhythm that are exciting and overwhelming, a blend of melody with the urgency to be sincere and direct. Deep lyrics and, as the band itself quotes, Frammenti cross the contradictions of existence with the lucidity of those who have chosen not to look the other way. A journey that starts from the personal to become collective, celebrating the roots and those who have traced the path before us. A truly wonderful record!
Duel – VS The World
This is the debut EP for the New Jersey band. It comes with stunning artwork and 5 hardcore punk tracks that are thorny and fired up. Lauren’s vocals scream all the band’s pissed-offness, a perfect transposition of the album title and band name: us against the whole world, ready for battle. Stunning EP!
Gutter – Glitch (Symphony of Destruction | 12″ LP)
5 years after the release of their last EP, the Lille-based band returns with 10 tracks that are on fire! The band, just to give you a bit of a bio, includes members of other bands such as Short Days, Camellia Sinensis and Utopie (the latter already mentioned in the February and March diyno mixtapes). This album is a blast of hardcore punk with rapid-fire riffs and sudden changes of rhythm and powerful vocals enhanced by this very impressive delay effect. Special mention for the artwork and lyrics in English, which convey an atmosphere of apocalypse and destruction!
Burning Kross – III (Disco Enfermos, Plastic Wound Records | 7” / The Seats Of Piss Records | Tape)
New work from the Belgian band, who in these four songs (three original songs plus a cover of DE JEUGD VAN TEGENWOORDIG) blow hardcore punk missiles with political lyrics. These tracks draw inspiration from the typical American HC bands, such as Negative Approach, and Swedish d-beat bands, such as Totalitär, but also more recent bands like Alarm! Great little album!
Total Nada – Aquí y Ahora (11 PM Records, Discos Enfermos | 12” LP)
In eight tracks and about 11 minutes, the Montreal band throws a sequence of very unsettling blows in our teeth. The political lyrics against war and capitalism, sung in Spanish, are very incisive and sit perfectly on this hardcore punk soundtrack full of rage. The sounds are perfect: guitar, bass and drums are devastating, as are the vocals. The beautifully designed cover is the icing on the cake of this great album!
Lyon Estates – La Nuova Storia (Goodwill Records | 12” LP)
Lyon Estates have managed to stay true to themselves with this new record, giving us all their hardcore punk rage in a 12-inch format. ‘La Nuova Storia’ is a record imbued with the energy typical of the Italian HC genre, with rhythms that give no peace and lyrics that straddle the line between social and political criticism and personal introspection. This album creates a perfect continuum with their previous works. The final gem for language enthusiasts is that the song ‘Se Vvò Capì’ is sung in Marsican, a dialect spoken in the mountains of Abruzzo. Well done, guys, amazing album!
Oi!:
Sempre peggio – Stretti Nella Morsa (Timebomb Records, Fire and Flames Music & Anfibio Records | 12” LP)
“Stretti Nella Morsa” makes its mark from the very first listening. The beautiful artwork by Joe1, the extraordinary screen-printing on the side by Nutty Print and the graphic layout by Dario ‘Porro’ Ursino enclose the 6 oi!/street punk tracks. Sempre Peggio remain true to themselves with their unmistakable political and angry lyrics, accompanied by riffs that immediately capture you. Another beautiful album has been added to their discography! Do we really need to add more?! Give it a listen!
Oltre La Linea – S/T (Rumagna Sgroza Records, Ostia Records | CD)
‘Extremist fanatics, violent communists, troublemaking ultras, anarcho-terrorists, if you take a tough stance it will be the lot and don’t come telling me that ideologies are dead’. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard an oi!-core record like this. Thirteen working class anthems that already get stuck in your head after the first listen and you are ready to rush on stage with your index finger raised up and screaming the chorus. Even live, the band from Porretta Terme manages to get you pumped up, no frills, just proletarian rage. A bomb!
Hell Beer Boys – El Humo en el Asfalto (Tough Ain’t Enough | 12” LP / CD)
New work by the historic band from the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. Five tracks, including one sung in Basque and four in Spanish, of energetic but melodic oi! Fast rhythms, prominent guitars and under-stage singalongs with lyrics steeped in anger and melancholy. A must have if you are a fan of the genre!
666 – …Perché in fondo lo squallore siamo noi (Hellnation Records | 12” LP, CD)
A truly exceptional reissue of this trash masterpiece. In a nutshell, this is the metal punk version of 883’s (an Italian pop band) classic songs. Plus, Zerocalcare’s cover art is the icing on the cake. There are two additional tracks on this new CD edition, while the vinyl also contains the two tracks released on the 7″. A spectre is haunting Europe, trash lovers of the world, unite!
Dance Punk / Post-Hardcore:
Brainwasher – s/t
The young dance punk / post-hardcore band from Romania, raised on bread and Viagra Boys, comes out with this self-titled record. Loaded with energy and punk urgency and enriched with some electronic parts, it is a wonderful discovery!