Diyno Mixtape: November 2023 releases – our suggestions
November 2023 releases selected for our monthly column Diyno Mixtape
Here’s a new episode of the column that lets you discover our favorite albums of the month. If you missed the article with October suggestions, read here. Why Diyno Mixtape? Diyno is a pun between dinosaur (our mascot is a magenta-colored tyrannosaurus) and DIY – do it yourself – since this is our ethos, our compass, our method and guiding spirit, our world. Mixtape is to give the idea of a collage, of a varied set of content not only in music, but also possibly in fanzines, books, films, various projects.
So in this November 2023 Diyno Mixtape, our crew represented by our dinosaur is going to mix a few little things from punk and diy world! In addition to what we consider literally unmissable, at the bottom you will find a section called “Also keep an eye on…” where we will include other gems that we are keen to mention. Here you will find, for example, albums that we liked, but slightly less than the ones described above, but that we still recommend because you might love them. You will also find demos, videos, other special projects, reissues, content that we did not have time to explore because we discovered it late or was released at the end of the month, and more.
NB: The list is in alphabetical order by band/author and is not a chart.
Be curious and if you have advice or opinions to give us on November 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.
the Breed – Kingdom Dolorous (Mendeku Diskak | 12″ LP)
A straightforward record, without a lot of frills. After three years since the release of a demo, the Dutch band is ready to hammer your eardrums without shame. Compact sound, sharp guitars, powerful bass and probably a skilled blacksmith on drums. 14 short tracks perfect for crushing skulls with big rocks and enjoying a relaxing post-apocalyptic/post-atomic sunset (at least that’s what they suggest). In short, grab some stones and blast the hell out of this record!
Citric Dummies – Zen and the Arcade of Beating Your Ass (Feel It Records | 12″ LP)
Fourteen songs in about 23 minutes make up this devastating album by the Minneapolis band. Citric Dummies since 2016 have released several works, however this album which, as you can guess from the title and artwork, hints at Hüsker Dü’s “Zen Arcade,” stands out particularly in their discography in terms of quality, sound and involvement. The songs are crackling, chaotic, and steeped in fast, frenetic, and driving hardcore punk. In fact it reminds of Circle Jerks and Chain Whip, which we told you about in our previous Diyno Mixtape, but also Misfits and Ramones for the more “dirty” and punk rock influences. The self-ironic and lighthearted lyrics are humorous about everything without exceptions, coming across as funny and perfect for the overall mood of the album. Buckle up: the road is all downhill and you’re in a car with no brakes with the accelerator pressed full speed ahead!
Daydream – Reaching For Eternity (Black Water Records, Sabotage Records | 12″ LP)
Three weird guys from Portland, with a passion for Jodorowsky‘s aesthetics, decide to play hardcore punk. We could sum up the attitude that emerges from listening to this Daydream album in this way. It is a record that definitely takes time to appreciate in its entirety but, once it does, it stays in your mind for its direct yet complex character at the same time.
An unstoppable sequence of hardcore punk songs with varied rhythms with garage and rock n roll influences that can be heard in the characteristic sound of the guitar and vocals, deliberately lo-fi effected. The classic album that returns different sensations depending on the context in which you listen to it: from the concert in a rotten basement, where the excited moshing makes you want to walk on the ceiling, to the headphone listening that allows you to best grasp the multiplicity of sounds. Creative and nuanced record that really deserves to be explored!
Degrading Spectacle – S/T
Formed in early 2023 in Athens, Degrading Spectacle consists of veterans of the Greek extreme scene, and let us tell you, the experience is all there. This 8-track debut album is simply explosive! One minute or so songs that ooze with a very dangerous mixture of thrash metal and hardcore punk that we bet will blow the minds of those who love D.R.I. and Suicidal Tendencies but also skateboarders who fearlessly throw themselves down the ramp. This album has a full-bodied sound, lightning-fast rhythms that will make you go wild, bass and guitar lines with an impressive shot, and excellent vocal performance. Hopefully this record will be released soon in every physical format in existence, although it should be coming out on tape soon via Read My Feast Records. In the meantime, click play below, but watch out, it’s addictive!
Ego – Grob (Agipunk | 12” LP)
You are flipping through some records of a distro, among all the LPs you glimpse a dark and eerie cover that intrigues you. In the artwork, which is really worth dwelling on, we see a small stylized person from which a huge branching half-bust radiates. The band’s name then, in addition to prominently displayed on the top, is found repeated all over the perimeter of the cover to form a chain. It draws you in, you pick it up, you listen to it, and you fall in love with it.
“Grob” (grave in Serbian) by the Berlin band Ego is an incredible 80s-flavored punk album featuring edgy riffs and dark, cadenced drums that, along with the bass, envelop you and hypnotize you. The lyrics, with their introspective and gloomy themes, are sung in Serbian by an amazing voice that is perhaps this band’s strong point. The solid, reverberating screams seem to come from another dimension from which, after listening to the record, it will be hard to get out.
Flying Raccoon Suit – Moonflower (Bad Time Records | CD/12″ LP)
The Mississippi ska-punk band, now in their third album, churned out a little masterpiece that literally leaves you jaw-dropping and with goosebumps already on the first listen. Jessica Jeansonne’s sublime voice twirls with agility over the most disparate musical genres, from jazz to metal, from surf to Balkan music, painting them with the colors of ska, and drags you on an emotional rollercoaster made of disillusionment, bitterness for the passing of time and the desire to keep dreaming despite everything. 13 tracks one more incredible than the other and, bonus point, even the cover artwork is delightful. Definitely running for ska-punk album of the year.
Resistenz ’32 – Gegen alle Bedenken (Fire and Flames, Riot Bike Records, Black Cat Tapes | 12″ LP/ tape)
Second album by the band from Leipzig, Germany, two years after “Krisenzeiten.” Ten explosive tracks, a little bit anarchopunk a little bit melodic hardcore, in which the screaming never replaces the singing, rather the two voices chase each other in a striking back-and-forth. If you don’t know German, take the time to translate the lyrics (featured on Bandcamp) with an automatic translator, because they are one of the album’s strengths: full of anger and emotion, proudly anti-fascist, anti-capitalist and anti-militarist. An example? «Fight yourselves at the front, intoxicate yourselves with the sea of flags. Your war is not ours – no, no service to the fatherland. Never take up arms for state or capital!» (Rassen der Säbel).
Also keep an eye on…
– Arrogants – Demo (Core Strength | Tape). Powerful and devastating demo with rough, primal sounds for this Richmond band. Fans of Slapshot and star-spangled 80s hc crank up the volume!
– Batec/Groggy Rude – No és un simulacre/Riure o plorar (Tropical Riot | 12″ LP). Batec’s side had already been released in March, but now it comes out as a split album with Groggy Rude, and the partnership between the two bands continues on a joint tour. Street punk with political lyrics in Catalan, to be listened to at full volume!
– Chain Circuits – Demo (Menace Records | Tape). Raw hardcore punk from Indonesia. 5 fast-paced, straight to the point, strong character songs in a truly fitting artwork!
– Drea – Gloria o cementerio (Contra Records, La agonía de vivir | CD/12″ LP). Quintet made up of well-known faces from the Madrid scene, hovering between street punk and punk rock. Very engaging!
– Funerary Spell – Spell Of Mass Destruction. From Boston comes this band that creates this potion of hardcore, extreme punk and dark, chaotic mood. Three songs to swallow down like a shot of poison!
– Parca – Demo (Mendeku Diskak | Tape). Apocalyptic, straight-edge hardcore from Iruna (Pamplona). First record for the band that presents itself with just the right amount of swagger!
Slope – It’s Tickin’ (Century Media Records | EP). Four songs for the German hardcore/funk band, which will be back in 2024 with a new album: the perfect mix of powerful beat and catchy sounds!
– The Sensitives – Patch it up and go! (Kidnap Music | 12″ LP). Punk rock from Sweden sung in English. DIY ethics and lyrics against racism and sexism. Energetic and catchy.
– Uguaglianza – Sogni Persi (Motorcity | 12″ LP). The Savona-based band is back in a big way with a four-song oi!/street punk EP all to sing along to with just the right mix of anger and melody!
– Wolfbrigade – Progression / Regression (Agipunk, Havoc | 12″ LP). New artwork and restored sounds for this reissue of the historic Swedish band’s first full-length. A masterpiece to have in your collection!
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